Peggy is a visiting graduate student in Zoology from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was able to take the opportunity to send us a little photo update from the field. Here is a picture of a Madagascar harrier-hawk, which she has seen twice now. This photo was taken while observing the lemurs and they reacted very strongly to its presence. Immediately upon the hawk’s arrival in a nearby tree, the group began alarm-calling and all individuals retreated to within a few feet of the ground (and infants/juveniles to their mothers). Even after the bird finally took off, they remained agitated for long after. Currently, the MBP does not have any recorded accounts of lemur depredation in the area by this species, but based on its size and the lemurs’ reactions, but it’s a very likely possibility (at least for the infants/juveniles). In the past, the lemurs have shown to be very agitated by birds of prey.
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