The White Falcon


The White Falcon - 21.05.1965, Blaðsíða 4

The White Falcon - 21.05.1965, Blaðsíða 4
4 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)

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The White Falcon

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