 |
Dominion News Releases
May 29, 2001
Dominion Fits Young Falcons With Satellite
Transmitters
RICHMOND, VA. – Dominion and its FalconTrak
partners Tuesday outfitted four young peregrine falcons with solar-powered satellite
transmitters that will allow scientists to track their movements for the next
three years.
Looking more like full-grown falcons than the soft bundles
of down they were just a few days ago, the birds were carefully fitted with
Teflon webbing that holds the light-weight transmitters in place, much like
a backpack with a crossover on the chest.
| "The transmitter is so small
that it does not interfere with the peregrine falcons at all," said
Bill Bolin, Dominion’s chief biologist and FalconTrak project leader.
"Yet, they are so powerful that we can track a bird to within 150 meters."
After about two weeks of testing, the transmitters
will go "live," and the public will be able to track the movements
of the young birds by visiting the company's Internet site, www.dom.com.
The birds are being housed in a box atop the Dominion building at the
corner of Cary and 7th streets in Richmond.
It is hoped that by raising and releasing the birds
in Richmond that some of them will return as adults and nest on the city’s
bridges and skyscrapers.
The transmitter, developed by one of Dominion’s FalconTrak
partners, North Star Science and Technologies of Baltimore, was designed
to track birds, said North Star’s Jim Dayton, who supervised the transmitter
fittings. The transmitters weigh just 16-20 grams, are weatherproof, and
feature an external antenna.
|
|
One-year-old falcons adopt
Dominion’s rooftop chicks
Two, wild, immature falcons – believed to
be part of the five birds Dominion released last year – have taken
the four young peregrines on the company’s downtown skyscraper under
its wing.
The 1-year-old male and female falcons make
frequent visits to the rooftop to check on the younger birds and
have even tried to chase away scientists going to feed the chicks.
In fact, the older birds figure it can handle
the feeding chores and have delivered several "fresh meals."
Mitchell Byrd, with the Center for Conservation
Biology, said, "This is an unusual occurrence, but we have
seen it happen a few times. It is possible that this ‘babysitters’
will help them learn to fly and hunt."
|
|
Scientists attach the webbing to young falcons when they
have reached nearly full physical size. The webbing is carefully integrated
with feathers to prevent any injury or discomfort, or any interference with
the falcon's normal lifestyle or activities.
North Star and Dominion are two of the eight partners in
FalconTrak. The others are the Center for Conservation Biology at the
College of William and Mary, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, Shenandoah National Park, the U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Over the next few weeks, transmitters will be placed on four
more birds that will be released at Shenandoah National Park. FalconTrak
partners will outfit another 11 birds with transmitters. Those birds will be
located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, at Harpers Ferry National Historical
Park and at Shenandoah National Park.
FalconTrak is the largest tracking and research
project ever undertaken on wild peregrine falcons in the United States. The
tracking information will be used to study the migratory and nesting patterns
of the peregrine. The data collected will be used to ensure the future survival
of peregrine falcons.
Dominion, headquartered in Richmond, Va., is one of the nation’s
largest producers of energy, with a production capability of 2.7 trillion British
thermal units of energy per day. The company has a power generation portfolio
of more than 21,000 megawatts, which is expected to grow to approximately 28,000
megawatts by 2005. Dominion is one of the largest independent oil and natural
gas exploration and production companies in North America, with 2.8 trillion
cubic feet of equivalent reserves. The company has 7,600 miles of interstate
natural gas pipeline and a delivery capability of 6.3 billion cubic feet per
day. In addition, the company operates the nation’s largest underground natural
gas storage system, with over 950 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. Dominion
serves nearly 4 million retail natural gas and electric customers. Dominion
also has a managing equity interest in Dominion Fiber Ventures LLC, owner of
Dominion Telecom. Dominion Telecom is expanding its fiber-optic network from
35,000 fiber miles (3,600 route miles) to more than 800,000 fiber miles (9,000
route miles). For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site
at www.dom.com.
###
|
|
