The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating a Chilkat Lake property owner for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act after he wrote in a blog account of how he hacked off a falcon’s foot with a machete.
Nathanael Motes and his wife Jennifer Motes write a blog called Motes Mountain Chronicles, detailing the Texas couple’s stories and anecdotes since they moved “‘off the grid’ to live off the land in Alaska.”
In a Jan. 30 post titled “The Eye of the Tiger,” Nathanael Motes wrote that he cornered a bird of prey that flew into his chicken coop. The predator released a chicken and flew at his face, he wrote, identifying the attacker as a “falcon.” “My switch deflecting ninja reflexes kicked in and I was able to grab the two legs of this bird inches from my face,” he wrote.
He said the bird’s wings swatted him in the face before he tripped over “frantic chickens.” “I didn’t know where this killer pterodactyl was at this time because I was crawling as fast as I could towards the door,” he wrote. “That’s when I felt it jump on my back. It started pecking me on my neck and on the back of my head.”
After he rolled out of the door and stood, the bird pressed the attack and “was out for blood and wasn’t about to retreat,” Motes wrote. Nathanael grabbed a machete and “sporadically swung it” as the bird flew at him. He said he didn’t feel or see his blade strike the bird because, “I had to shut my eyes to protect them from getting clawed out.”
He wrote that although he lost the round against the bird, he might have won the bout after he saw the bird’s foot on the ground. Motes said he thought the bird would die until he saw it a few days later in a nearby cottonwood tree, perched on one foot.
“I’m positive he’s waiting for his moment to dive down and peck my eyes out for taking his leg,” he wrote. “No matter how many blows mother nature throws at me, I’m determined not to give up and give it my best. I’m willing to go round after round with her. I wake up each morning anticipating a new adventure, and saying, ‘Bring it on’…I have the eye of the tiger! And the foot of a bird…” A photo on his post shows a palm holding a severed bird leg.
All birds of prey in North America are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Injuring, killing or possessing any part of listed birds is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and up to a $15,000 fine.
A Haines resident reported the blog post to Alaska Wildlife Trooper Trent Chwialkowski, who contacted the federal Fish and Wildlife law enforcement office in Juneau. A Fish and Wildlife agent investigating the incident investigated the Motes last week.
The Moteses put a disclaimer on their blog several days after the Fish and Wildlife agent visit. “The adventures depicted in this blog are told for amusement only. Some events are exaggerated and embellished for entertainment purposes.” That disclaimer was added to their blog on March 4, according to the internet archive website “Wayback Machine,” a site that allows users to view archival web content.
Sidney Campbell, education and development manager at the American Bald Eagle Foundation, said the bird is unlikely to survive. “Raptors depend on their feet to capture and kill their prey,” Campbell said. “It’s extremely unlikely that it could survive without a foot.”
Campbell said birds of prey will attack humans as a last resort. She added the Moteses should do a better job of securing their coop to protect their chickens from predators.
Nathanael Motes was not available for comment by