Escaped white gyrfalcon spotted with jesses

[Hawkmom]

Let's reunite this beautiful bird with it's falconer.

http://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2014/02/22/yet-another-escaped-falconry-bird-white-gyrfalcon/

[PeteJ]

I'm starting to wonder why we bother trying to educate the birding public at all? It's pretty clear that most of them don't like us, don't respect us, think they know all about what we do and how we do it. I've always been one to pretty much try to overlook their hate speech and delusions of what goes on in the wild, but I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to think its a totally lost cause. They have no hope of really ever understanding what is going on in the natural world.
So someone lost a bird? It happens. The existence of that bird in the first place is because someone knew how to breed them in captivity. I will grant you that having the band be below the jess cuff is not indicative of someone that knows what they should be doing, but maybe it slipped under a loose cuff. As for the dulled talons? Maybe this wasn't really a bird being used for falconry, but instead was being used for abatement? Or a prop for photography? I'm not even entirely sure it's a pure Gyr? Gyr/Saker perhaps?
I hope it get reunited with its OWNER or at least gets into the hands of a real falconer.

[tumble]

Pete, my morbid curiosity got the best of me and I read the comments too. I've certainly read far more aggressively stupid comments elsewhere (that Wisconsin petition comes to mind), and I'm pleased there was at least come civility on this one, but I agree. People see what they want to see. Arguing with them is an up-river swim with one hand.

And yes...owner. thumbsupp

[barbary06]

I'm starting to wonder why we bother trying to educate the birding public at all? It's pretty clear that most of them don't like us, don't respect us, think they know all about what we do and how we do it. I've always been one to pretty much try to overlook their hate speech and delusions of what goes on in the wild, but I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to think its a totally lost cause. They have no hope of really ever understanding what is going on in the natural world.
So someone lost a bird? It happens. The existence of that bird in the first place is because someone knew how to breed them in captivity. I will grant you that having the band be below the jess cuff is not indicative of someone that knows what they should be doing, but maybe it slipped under a loose cuff. As for the dulled talons? Maybe this wasn't really a bird being used for falconry, but instead was being used for abatement? Or a prop for photography? I'm not even entirely sure it's a pure Gyr? Gyr/Saker perhaps?
I hope it get reunited with its OWNER or at least gets into the hands of a real falconer.


Where do I find the LIKE button here? ahh nevermind, great post Pete and something along your lines was in my mind to post.

[tumble]

I just noticed he filed this article under two headings in his links menu: "Falconry" and "Ethics."

http://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/category/photography-ethics/

[vlp]

He tries to come across as someone impartial, however, it was just an avenue to publically complain about the sport. The NAFA facebook page reposted the story. It would have been better served to ignore this guy rather than give his subtle anti-falconry story any credence. He should promote using horse buggies instead of automobiles which kill more raptors on a daily basis than any other thing.

[barbary06]

part of the problem is for the public any bop keeper with a bird on his fist is a "falconer" the dudes and dudettes traveling the renessaince fairs with their owls and ravens fall in the same category for them as the lone gamehawker in the sagebrush steppe of Wyoming, we are all weirdos with birds, its just the show people are by their very nature a lot more visible to the public than the lonely hawker that prefers the company of his birds and his dogs. I am not against bird shows, I would probably not be a falconer if not for the visit of a bird of prey exhibition back when I was 13, but the presenter was also an avid falconer and he made the difference very clear to the public in every show he did. We are living in a truly weird time, while we can get our hands on virtually every captive bred bird of prey in the world, quarry numbers are ever dwindling and urbanized lifestyles mean that there are a lot of people interested in having a hawk for all the wrong reasons. Is there any solution for it?

[Hawkmom]

Louise Schimmel has already made some good falconry comments at this posting. At the least the bird is re-captured unit its falconer is found. I have ID tags on ALL of my birds, edu, abatement, falconry, and even the non-flyable birds. I feel that all falconers should keep a phone number on their birds, because escapes CAN happen.

And BTW: I sell ID tags on Ebay.

I had a groundhog dig a hold in the gos mews years ago, and the gos crawled throughout the hole and got out for about a week. Winds can damage mews too.

Things happen people. Old Murphy's Law is always hovering around falconers.

[dboyrollz76]

ain't the seamless band recorded, can't they run the numbers and find the breeder,then the person that purchased the bird.

[footbound]

Interesting that this discussion is going on while elsewhere on this site people are debating the merits of falconry "schools". I believe truth is found in both. That is, falconry schools suck all the time and birders are our enemies most of the time.

[dboyrollz76]

I wonder how much more good could be done if the birders and falconers could understand where each other are coming from. I love flying my new rt, but I also love to sit and watch the nonfalconry birds in the wild fly free. Has any one ever thought of a birder/ falconry meet. The birders would get to see the birds they love fly and take game, and in return the falconers would stand a better chance of educating birder about the birds and falconry. Find some middle ground. If there was ever a cry for help from any of these birds, like what happened to the peregrine. We could do more in less time with more people involved.

[JRedig]

I wonder how much more good could be done if the birders and falconers could understand where each other are coming from. I love flying my new rt, but I also love to sit and watch the nonfalconry birds in the wild fly free. Has any one ever thought of a birder/ falconry meet. The birders would get to see the birds they love fly and take game, and in return the falconers would stand a better chance of educating birder about the birds and falconry. Find some middle ground. If there was ever a cry for help from any of these birds, like what happened to the peregrine. We could do more in less time with more people involved.

It's not a nationwide misunderstanding...;)

[dboyrollz76]

It's not a nationwide misunderstanding...;)
I wonder what the statistics are of people against the sport are. I've only met one or two people that had a negative response for the most part everyone I've talked to thinks its amazing that you can't trap a wild bird and train it to hunt.

[footbound]

I'm old and crabby, old enough to remember how we were treated by the largest birder org. in the country. Trust me these people are not your friends. To quote a well known birder of those by gone days "falconers are felons". They tolerate us because we took the high ground on the peregrine. You all need to re-read your history. Start with 'Operation Falcon".

[dboyrollz76]

I'm old and crabby, old enough to remember how we were treated by the largest birder org. in the country. Trust me these people are not your friends. To quote a well known birder of those by gone days "falconers are felons". They tolerate us because we took the high ground on the peregrine. You all need to re-read your history. Start with 'Operation Falcon".
all I know is if it was ONI I would want her home. If the birders didn't like it in sorry. But I still love em there people to,what do people do we talk someone is always going to have something to say.

[Pedioecetes]

Curious as to whether the individual that trapped it could legally do so, or does that not matter given it is not a "wild" bird?

[katzenjammer360]

I'm assuming they know the regulations since they're a banding station (aren't they?), though I could be wrong. Since it's not a wild bird I'm under the assumption that it can be legally trapped anytime.

[michael skvarla]

My only experiences with birders are with the ones I know directly. Most of them seem to have a good perception of falconry and like to come when I hunt my RT. I like it because while they're getting to see my bird up close I'm learning about all the other birds they're seeing. A few do have issues with falconry no matter how much I explain it's not cruel to the bird, most of the passage birds trapped would have died anyhow so we're helping the population, etc etc. I think there will always be bleeding hearts who don't like falconry, but at least for me the majority of birders I've interacted with have been receptive to it.

[JRedig]

Curious as to whether the individual that trapped it could legally do so, or does that not matter given it is not a "wild" bird?

An eascaped or lost bird may be retrapped at anytime.

[FredFogg]

Why do they and everyone else assume it is a falconry bird? All birds with anklets and jesses are falconry birds? I think not!!!!! If, and I say if, because all of this was reported and posted about by a non falconer, the birds talons were filed down, tell me what falconer would do that? Wait, maybe I don't want to know. frus)

[gcoach]

Curious as to whether the individual that trapped it could legally do so, or does that not matter given it is not a "wild" bird?

copied from our regs here in Utah.

(3) A raptor wearing falconry equipment or a lost or escaped captive-bred raptor may be recaptured at any time by any other permitted falconer - even if the permittee performing the recapture is not allowed to possess the species.
(a). A recaptured falconry raptor must be returned to the permittee who lost it if that individual may legally take possession.

The regs. are fairly specific here in Utah. I too wonder if they were legal in trapping the bird, and what effort is being made to find it's owner.confusedd

[Shehawker]

From what I know this bird is being held by Hawk Watch. No sure on the legality of them being able to trap a falconry bird but do know that they have some decent facilities, appropriate food and know how to handle birds, which I think is more important.

[Tom Smith]

Without going back and looking at the pictures more carefully. I think the rear talons were filed off and I think that may have been to prevent the bird from damaging eggs or itself on a scrape. My inclination is that this bird is a breeder that was lost sometime while being handled, possibly from one chamber to another. I could be totally all wet as is often the case.

Reading some of the adverse flab, I wonder how many people know that falconry birds are often free a good deal of the time and they could "escape" anytime they felt so obliged. Falconers "lose" their birds, they don't "escape" and often the bird is as eager to find their owner as the owner is to locate their bird.

[Yeomanfalconer]

Perhaps look at this as if someone had lost a dog and it ended up at the pound. I realize the novelty and newness of it being a gyrfalcon or the like complicates things but it shouldn't and given a few more years it won't. Can you say micro-chip for ID purposes?

[dboyrollz76]

im no expert but I was looking at the pics, the only talon that looks filed are the hlx, but to me all of the talons look to long, maybe it was just filed because it was to long. One thing you can say for sure. Either the bird escaped from the mew or the falconer was flying it with mew jesses. Has anyone herd anything else about this bird and its owner?

[Hawkmom]

In the comments section, read the story of years ago where a recovered falconry bird was turned into a rehabber, kept in deplorable conditions and the rehabber had no intention of returning to it's falconer.


I had a similar situation 30 years ago with a lost prairie falcon, traced through the serial number on the transmitter. Recovered 400 miles away. The bird was promptly returned to me, but was filthy, covered with caked food on his beak and cere. and double bumblefoot, (borderline 2nd degree). Took me a a year to cure the bumble foot and get him flying again. These two cases are why there are such strict conditions for the keeping of birds of prey past the 90 days in the rehab community. Several were keeping them as poorly cared for 'pets'. USFWS cleaned up this disgraceful practice and it has greatly reduced this problem.

[sharptail]

I'm starting to wonder why we bother trying to educate the birding public at all? It's pretty clear that most of them don't like us, don't respect us, think they know all about what we do and how we do it. I've always been one to pretty much try to overlook their hate speech and delusions of what goes on in the wild, but I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to think its a totally lost cause. They have no hope of really ever understanding what is going on in the natural world.
So someone lost a bird? It happens. The existence of that bird in the first place is because someone knew how to breed them in captivity. I will grant you that having the band be below the jess cuff is not indicative of someone that knows what they should be doing, but maybe it slipped under a loose cuff. As for the dulled talons? Maybe this wasn't really a bird being used for falconry, but instead was being used for abatement? Or a prop for photography? I'm not even entirely sure it's a pure Gyr? Gyr/Saker perhaps?
I hope it get reunited with its OWNER or at least gets into the hands of a real falconer.+1! It seems as if a lot of rehabbers are closet wannabe falconers but like to talk trash about us anyway.

[katzenjammer360]

Apparently this bird has been returned to its owner.

[calebstroh]

In response to this post, with respect to all involved:

I was contacted personally by a representative of Hawkwatch with regards to the above pictured Gyr (or similar type falcon) prior to its capture. This took place on a Friday afternoon, and after some discussion we proposed it be trapped and taken to HawkWatch headquarters. A majority of Utah falconers were at the Utah Sky Trials and I was absent from the state entirely, in New Orleans at a convention. On advice, this representative captured the bird with a harnessed pigeon. Other than the above mentioned band and talon issues, the bird appeared to be in good form; robust, lively, and with no broken feathers.

Unfortunately by the time it was captured all government entities had closed for the weekend. Coupled with that fact, many local falconers were unreachable at the Skytrials. And as we all know, even when the doors of government opened on Monday…the wheels were still turning s-l-o-w-l-y. During this time however, many Utah Falconers and other organizations endeavored to find the owner through social media, phone calls, and via club e-mails (I wasn’t much help at this time, since Bourbon Street had taken me down a notch…)

Long story short…the owner was tracked down eventually via the band number. After paperwork was verified they took ownership of the bird. The owner was likely not involved in the falconry community at large, making this process difficult.

Much kudos to the reps at Hawkwatch and to the efforts of falconers across the country. HW has been wonderful to work with and I hope for continued partnership in such matters.

-Caleb

[roscogruen]

He should promote using horse buggies instead of automobiles which kill more raptors on a daily basis than any other thing. clapp

yes, automobiles have no close second. people could stop using electricity. i would like to know how many animals are killed for each MW of power used (produced, transmitted, dispensed).

while trying to trap a bird a month ago, a guy threatened me with his DOE badge. i stopped in mid sentence explaining that this is a sport and regulated by .... he may have been thinking that because his nuclear plant received an award for bird safety around their wind farms that they are safeguard all birds. no kidding, wildlife stewardship award for bird safety around wind farms. Clean Mud; ethical politician; green fuels; responsible crack user; operable flat tire; bright grey color; etc...

[Girl with a red tail]

Kitty how do you find your id tags on eBay?

[Hawkmom]

ID tag link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/161059313822?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649