The White Falcon - 21.05.1965, Blaðsíða 4
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ITCHING TO FLY—One month old falcons, who have lost their white
coats of down, toddle near the edge of their cliff home. Gyrfalcons
do not take wing until nearly fullgrown. These young falki are waiting
for mother to return with provisions. (Photo by J. H. Sherlock)
MOTHER AND BROOD—A mother falki prepares to feed three hungry
chicks, just hatched. Young falki are born covered with a coat of
white down. Gyrfalcons lay three or four whitish eggs, bloched with
rich brown. During incubation period, which lasts 34 days, male and
female take turns brooding, sitting on eggs. (Photo by J.H. Sherlock)
WHITE FALCON
Friday, May 21, 1965
Friday, May 21, 1965
WHITE FALCON
By Gene Taylor, JOC
“It is beautiful to see a living Creature . .. that is master
of the element in which it moves; beautiful to see the
lightening sivift co-ordination, the reckless abandon that
is not abandon but perfect control, and think of the spirit
that moves it.’
—Robert Murphy in “The Peregrine Falcon”
PIN-POINTING THE SPOT—Dr. Finnur Gudmundsson, curator of
the zoological department at the Museum of Natural History in Reykja-
vik, points out the area in Iceland where falki makes his home. Edu-
cated in Germany, Doctor Gudmundsson is conducting field research
on the game bird ptarmigan, which falcons feed chiefly upon.
On a grassy ledge 1,000 feet up
a craggy cliff in northeast Ice-
land, an Icelandic gyrfalcon, the
largest of the world’s falcons,
struts impatiently near her nest
as the hungry cries of three new-
ly-hatched chicks grow louder.
Seconds later, the falcon re-
turns, to her vigil point on the
ledge. She focuses her brown eyes,
eight times more powerful than
those of man, on the horizon—
beyond the twisting river far be-
low and the rocky landscape in
the distance.
Mink Flushes Game
Ten miles away, a rummaging
mink bares its teeth at a covey
of ptarmigan—a grouse-like game
bird running along the rim of
a water-filled crater. The ptar-
migan panic with a whirring of
wings.
The hair-trigger response of the
falcon is set in motion. Her head
pivots sharply to the right. Her
eyes pick up the first wing beat
of the ptarmigan.
The falcon catapults her two-
foot body from the ledge, flaps
her wings two or three times, then
puts on speed.
Zooming In
Like a white-mottled gray mis-
sile, she draws in on the ptarmi-
gan. She increases the tempo of
her wing beat and rises high
above her quarry, as if determined
to fly into the sun. Suddenly she
folds one wing under, executes
a half roll and “stoops”—or dives
—plunging like a meteor.
She plunges 1,000 feet in less
than 10 seconds, then starts
thrashing the air furiously to pick
up more speed. The wind sings
through her wings as she passes
the 180-miles-per-hour mark.
Meanwhile, she keeps her eyes
glued on target—the third ptar-
migan from the rear of the form-
ation.
Moment Of Impact
As she nears the formation, she
snaps open her three-feet wing
span, drops the hind talon of one
foot and swooshes over her target.
The blow is like a sharp rifle re-
port in the chilled air as the
talon catches the ptarmigan at
the base of the skull, splitting it.
The ptarmigan, killed instantly,
rolls from the impact and falls,
leaving a few feathers to float
slowly down.
As the ptarmigan tumbles to
earth, the falcon hovers momen-
tarily, utters a victorious ha-raw!
ha-raw! and, with a dip of the
wing, rockets down past the fall-
ing bird, executes a verticle fig-
ure-eight and, on the ascent,
clamps the razorsharp mandible
of its beak on the bird’s neck.
Back to Eyrie
With its quarry, the falcon flies
to its eyrie and deposits the
ptarmigan near her chicks. She
plucks the car cess with one foot,
holding it fast with the other.
When the carcass is plucked clean,
she tears it up and lets the rauc-
ous nestlings pick small pieces
from the side of her beak.
Later the mother eats. As she
eats, she counts her brood over
and over again—for even a falcon,
the swiftest and most perfectly
developed of all birds, has enemies.
There are of course the elements
of nature. There are the other
birds of prey that will seek out
a nest unattended. And there is
man.
Man has long been fascinated
by the high-flying, fierce falcon.
For centuries he pulled and fought
his way up treacherous cliffs,
searching out the bird and its
young.
He took the falcon by stealth. He
trapped him. He trained him to
work at food-getting for man. It
was called hawking, or falconry,
and was considered a practical
means of hunting game.
Falconry in time evolved into
an elaborate sport confined by law
to royalty and the nobility. A
complex nomenclature was added
to the sport, also an intricate set
of conventions.
Hierarchy Formed
An eagle, for example, was al-
otted to an emperor, a gyrfalcon
(literally “spear falcon”) to a
king, a peregrine (the swiftest
falcon—clocked at over 200 mph)
to a prince, the merlin falcon to
a lady and others to others in de-
scending order of importance.
The yoeman’s falcon was the
short-winged, yellow-eyed gos-
hawk—consider the most practical
meat-getter (Twenty rabbits have
been taken in a single day with
a goshawk).
“Rigid etiquette and protocol,”
says the Encyclopedia Americana,
governed the hawking parties of
royalty and great nobleman when
large cavalcades sallied forth on
horseback, each nobelman with a
falcon on his glove and the ladies
with their dainty merlins.”
Favorite Falcons
Although there are 37 species
of true falcons, the favorite of
falconers through the ages have
been the speedy peregrine and the
powerful gyrfalcon (Falcons can-
not be trained to retrieve game
because of their ferocious nature—
which is to attack quickly and
devour, or escape with their prey.
This instinct can be partly modi-
fied by training them to hold fast
downed prey until the falconer ar-
rives. The giant golden eagle of
Central Asia, however, is said to
kill and retrieve foxes, sometimes
small gazelles, for its master).
Falconry From China
Falconry is believed to have
originated in China about 2,000
years B.C. From there it spread
throughout Asia and North Africa.
In A.D. 560 the Lombards in
Northern Italy were training fal-
cons and by A.D. 760 the sport had
spread over most of continental
Europe and England.
Falconry was practiced with
great enthusiasm from about A.D.
850 until the middle of the 17th
century. It’s decline is said to
have been caused by the develop-
ment of firearms, the enclosure
of much land and the loss of the
nobility’s autocratic powers.
Falcons Leave Iceland
During the 14th and 15th cen-
turies, the “Golden Age of Fal-
conry,” many falcons were taken
out of Iceland. The Icelandic
“falki” or “valur”’ was much
sought after and it was a proud
falconer who could boast of own-
ing an Icelandic falcon.
At that time Iceland was ruled
by Denmark. The king of Den-
mark alone held the right to sell
the falcons. Then in the year 1500
the Danish king sold his falcon
rights to the Kings of England
and Holland.
In 1650 the King of Denmark
again took over Icelandic Falcon
rights. This lasted until 1800.
According to Dr. Finnur Gud-
mundsson, curator of the zoologi-
cal department at the Museum of
Natural History in Reykjavik,
more falcons were exported dur-
ing the years 1650 to 1800 than
at any other period.
Falcon Records
Doctor Gudmundsson, who has
been with the museum since 1947,
said that falcon records kept dur-
ing the Golden Age show that
from 35 to 200 falcons were
shipped out of Iceland each year.
And there were many years, he
said, when the number exceeded
200.
“Most of the falcons that went
out were Icelandic falcons,’ said
the Doctor. “But a few white fal-
cons also were exported each
year."
White falcons?
White Falcons
The doctor explained that white
falcons are actually native to
Greenland; that this falcon—un-
like the Icelandic falcon which re-
mains always in Iceland—mig-
rates to Iceland “when conditions
in northern Greenland become too
cold.”
Said Doctor Gudmundsson, “The
Icelandic falcon and the white
falcon represent race splits of
the same gyrfalcon species. The
white falcon is slightly smaller
than the Icelandic falcon.”
Why the former demand for
white falcons?
“These birds were desired,” he
said “because they were rare.
They were more expensive.
“The Danish king also sent
white falcons to kings in Europe
and North Africa. Even Asia.”
He lighted up a cigarette and
smiled. “They were sent as gifts
to maintain good political rela-
tions.”
The last year that Icelandic
falcons were officially exported
was 1810.
Falki Protected
Since 1940, the “falki” has re-
ceived strict government protec-
tion. As American bird painter
George Sutton, in Iceland Sum-
mer, put it, “No one, not even an
official of the Museum of Natural
History, can obtain a permit to
collect a gyrfalcon or its eggs.”
And for good reason, as ex-
plained by Doctor Gudmundsson:
“The (falcon) population was
threatened from the turn of the
century until 1940. Outsiders were
coming in and taking the prized
birds for mounting.
‘^People here also were mount-
ing them for their homes. Or they
would mount the birds as gifts
for friends aboard.”
No wonder then that the Ice-
landic Government has set up
stringent laws which forbid taxi-
dermists from mounting falcons
—this to make short work of any
explanation offered by a red-
faced taxidermist that he “found
the bird dead.”
Nevertheless, an occassional
bird is mounted on the sly and
shipped out of the country. Taxi-
dermists caught mounting a fal-
con are heavily fined.
According to Doctor Gudmunds-
son, attemps are made by many
non-Icelandics to take live falcons
out of the country.
“No Exceptions’
“Every year we have people
trying to get falcons,” he said.
When turned down, they don’t
give up easy. They try political
maneuvers and other means. But
no exceptions are made.”
Why the interest in live fal-
cons?
Doctor Gudmundsson said that
since the end of World War II,
there has been an upsurge of in-
terest in falconry, particularly in
England, Germany and the United
States.
“Because of the high market
value of falcons,” he said, “farm-
ers here are tempted to trap and
sell the birds to outsiders. We
know that smuggling is going
on.”
Smuggling Outlet
Government officials, he said,
keep a watchful eye on the
falcon-smuggling outlet — Kefla-
vik International Airport. Normal
shipments of varied Icelandic
birds, designated for cities all
over the world, are inspected to
PTARMIGAN
make sure falcons aren’t secreted
among the shipments.
“It’s very difficult to smuggle
out falcons,” said the Doctor,
“The Government takes every pre-
caution.”
Nevertheless, an occasional visi-
tor, who has managed somehow to.
get hold of a live falcon, is
tempted to match his wits against
custom officials.
Two Who Tried
“There was a German,” said
Doctor Gudmundsson, “who was
caught with six falcons before he
got out of the country. But an
Englishman had better luck. He
succeeded in getting two birds to
England.”
And why is the Icelandic Gov-
ernment so gravely concerned
about keeping the falcons in Ice-
land?
For one thing, although the gyr-
falcon is a hardy, vigorous bird
in its own environment, the bird
is susceptible to diseases when it
is transported to a warmer cli-
mate.
It has also been demonstrated
that the birds meet a quick death
in the hands of amateur falconers
who do not know how to care for
them. For this reason, conserva-
tionists everywhere oppose the
taking of falcons and its eggs.
Hawks ‘High-Strung’
According to Allan and Helen
Cruickshank in 1001 Questions
Answered About Birds, few peo-
ple “have sufficient knowledge to
feed and care for hawks properly.
It requires a strict regime to care
for the well-being of these high-
strung birds.”
Most important, said the
Cruickshanks, “All hawks capable
of training for falconry are too
beautiful and too few in numbers
to be destroyed by untrained
would-be falconers.”
Falcon Future
How about the future outlook
of the falcon in Iceland? Is there
any danger of the bird becoming
extinct?
“Not at the moment,” said Doc-
tor Gudmundsson. “Fortunately,
the falcon population has in-
creased to an extent that this
danger is no longer present. But
constant protection of the bird
will always be necessary.”
Said the Doctor, “The number
of falcons in Iceland fluctuate
with the number of ptarmigan,
(tar’-me-gun), the chief food of
the falcon. In bad ptarmigan
years, falcons will take other birds
but will not mate.”
Ptarmigan Cycle
He said that ptarmigan have
a ten-year cycle, reaching a popu-
lation peak about the middle of
each decade.
For example, he said that for
the ten-year period beginning in
1960, “the peak ptarmigan years
are 1964, ’65 and ’66—with the
ptarmigan numbers expected to
decline in ’68, ’69 and ’70.”
No one, not even Doctor Gud-
mundsson knows why the ptarmi-
gan population fluctuates from
year to year, or what factors in-
fluence the ten-year cycle. But the
Doctor, along with a small group
of other Icelandic ornithologists,
is now engaged in research which
may soon solve the riddle.
Four Study Areas In Iceland
Said Doctor Gudmundsson, “Our
work on the ptarmigan is being
carried out in northern Iceland
where we have four study areas.
I spent last summer investigating
ptarmigan on Hrisey Island (lo-
cated in the bay north of Akur-
eyri), and I plan to go back this
month.”
And what did the Doctor learn
last summer?
Well, among other things, he
discovered that falcons made off
with 30 ptarmigan. But—as some
Americans would say—no sweat.
At the moment, there’s plenty
more ptarmigan where those came
from.
Birds Mounted
So many in fact, that chances
are the mounted white birds you
saw on sale in a Reykjavik Sou-
venir store last week were ptar-
migan.
If you also noticed a mounted
BOLDNESS AND POWER—An Icelandic gyrfalcon scurries in flight
with a duck clenched in its talons. Photo was taken at the downtown
pond in Reykjavik a few years ago by Morgunbladid photographer
Olafur K. Magnusson. The catch was made when ptarmigan, the fal-
con’s chief food, were scarce (Photo copyright by O. K. Magnusson).
big-billed bird, which looks for
all the world like an overfed
parakeet, chances are it was a
puffin. The puffin population in
Iceland runs into the millions.
Project “Save the Ptarmigan,”
as it might well be called, is sup-
ported by the United States
through the National Science
Foundation in Washington.
Doctor Gudmundsson said the
United States in financing the
ptarmigan study because it may
offer new information about birds
that will be of mutual benefit to
both countries.
‘Iceland Good For Studying Birds’
“Iceland,” he said, “is good for
studying birds because conditions
up here are more simple. There is
less game and of course less pre-
dators.”
Whether the Icelandic falcon
can be considered a “predator of
the sky” is a matter of conjecture.
In defense of falcons, former
editor of The Saturday Evening
Post and falconer Robert Murphy
said, “There is no streak of cruel
feline playfulness in it; it kills
quickly and surely to satisfy its
hunger.”
Prey And Survive
Most certainly the Icelandic
falcon is a bird of prey, for prey
it must upon lesser birds to sur-
vive.
The other two birds of prey in
Iceland are the small merlin fal-
con and the white-tailed eagle. At
one time the eagle was here in
great numbers. Now, according to
Doctor Gudumundsson, only about
10 breeding pairs are to be found
in the entire country.
Meanwhile, over the skies of
Iceland, falki is king.
A lot of persons like Doctor
Gudmundsson would like to keep
it that way.
SKY WATCH—An Icelandic gyrfalcon scans the sky for prey as she
stands guard near her nest on a ledge 1,000 feet above the ground.
The male falcon, called a tiercel, is a third smaller than the female.
(Photo by J.H. Sherlock)