Eagles, Owls, and Falcons Go Missing After a Strange Break-In at a NorCal Falconry Center
Someone broke into a Marysville falconry center last week and chased 11 birds of prey out of their enclosures into the dark, then sealed the chambers behind them so the animals couldn’t return.
The incident at West Coast Falconry, which Kate Marden has operated since 2006, left her scrambling to recover eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls scattered across the surrounding area. The Yuba County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been notified.
Whoever did it appeared to know exactly what they were doing. The intruder removed equipment from the birds before chasing them out, and managed to extract the center’s eagle, a bird capable of exerting roughly 2,000 pounds per square inch of gripping pressure. No blood was found at the scene, and no reports of eagle-related injuries turned up at area hospitals.
Recovery efforts have been a mix of relief and heartbreak. Three Harris’s hawks were found near the property almost immediately, known for their pack-hunting nature and tendency to stay close to familiar humans. Mavro, the center’s eagle, was spotted at a neighbor’s property about a mile away the following day and successfully retrieved. A barn owl was recovered Tuesday morning.
Three birds remain missing, including a peregrine falcon capable of traveling long distances and a three-year-old great horned owl raised at the center since he was two days old.
Wildlife officials warn that because the birds were raised in captivity and imprinted on humans, their odds of surviving in the wild are uncertain. Volunteers are placing food at locations where sightings have been reported, hoping the remaining birds find their way back on their own.
