Seattle - Thanks to the watchful eyes of the community, Woodland Park Zoo safely recovered its 9-year-old gyrfalcon (jhur-fall-kon) this morning from the King County Cedar Hills landfill in Maple Valley, Wash. Hundreds of phone calls were received by the zoo since yesterday’s appeal to the public to keep an eye out for the female raptor, which flew off Saturday during a flight demonstration. The signal to the radio transmitter she was wearing was lost almost immediately after takeoff.

Leonard Kuzaro, who works near the landfill, spotted the gyrfalcon yesterday. “A friend told me about the zoo’s missing falcon so when I saw her again this morning with straps attached to her legs, I immediately contacted the zoo.”

The gyrfalcon started headbobbing and vocalizing when she saw the zoo’s raptor keeper, Sara Manetti, who tossed a lure out at the bird. “She recognized me immediately and seemed pretty relieved to see a familiar face and she was very hungry,” adds Manetti. “This was definitely a cooperative effort in locating her.”

Zoo animal health staff visually examined the bird for any injuries. The radio transmitter was no longer attached, but “the falcon appears to be in good condition,” reports zoo Associate Veterinarian Dr. Darin Collins. “There will be continued observation for the next 24 hours to monitor her activity and appetite.” The gyrfalcon will return on public view beginning tomorrow at the zoo’s Raptor Center.

“We’re very grateful to the community for keeping a lookout for her,” notes zoo raptor keeper Becky Barker. “While many of the calls proved to be hawk, osprey and bald eagle sightings, the public awareness is very high about raptors in our region.” Sightings were reported all over the state including Bainbridge Island, Yelm, Arlington, Bellevue, Aberdeen and Mt. Vernon, “but we tried to narrow the calls by focusing on birds that were sighted wearing jesses (straps),” explains Barker.

The gyrfalcon is used in the zoo’s raptor demonstrations and outreach educational programs. The raptors may occasionally fly off during a free flight program, but usually return within hours or the next day. The birds of prey are not trained to hunt and are accustomed to getting food from their keepers. This is the longest period the gyrfalcon has stayed away from the zoo.

Gyrfalcons range throughout the arctic regions of North America, Greenland, Europe and Asia. A powerful and agile hunter, falcons usually catch their prey, primarily birds, in the air. Gyrfalcons can live up to 25 years in zoos.