NAFA Journal 2011
For the 2011 NAFA Journal, Richard Hoyer was kind enough to share some of his fantastic 35 mm slide images taken in 1959 and 1960 in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska. Those images on pages 32 and 33 of the Journal. I've included some information (below) that Mr. Hoyer sent me which provides some background on the images.
Regards,
Jon D'Arpino
NAFA Journal Editor
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During last spring or summer, a message via the NAFA internet message board solicited articles for the 2011 journal that would celebrate the 50th anniversary of the organization. I sent a message to NAFA journal editor Jon D'Arpino mentioning I had a number of 35 mm slides of falcons and other raptors I had taken in arctic Canada and Alaska in 1959 and 1960 and would he be interested in viewing some of them. He indicated he would so I sent him a selection of slides.
As it ended up, he said he was delighted with the slides and would have some converted for use in the upcoming 2011 journal. So he would have some context in which to place those photos, I sent him a copy of my 1962 NAFA journal article along with the introductory message from Frank Beebe. Because there are a number of mistakes in the original article, I also sent Jon an errata sheet. (Trent has copies of those documents.)
There are 16 photos on the two pages (32 and 33) If one assigns the photos with numbers, starting with #1 at the top left on page #32 then going from left to right from top to bottom on both pages, photo #2 would be me holding a gyr and #16 would be the downy Golden Eagle chick at the bottom right of page #33. Photo #1 is a pair of Rough-leg chicks from a nest on the side of a talus slope north of the Alaskan Brooks Range in 1960. I believe there were either 4 or 5 chicks in that nest.
Photos #2, 6 and 11 are the eyass female gyr I removed from a tree nest in Arctic Canada in 1959. All of the other photos are from Alaska in 1960. Photos #3, 4, 5, 8, 14 and 16 are the single Golden Eagle chick I photographed whenever my travels took me by the nest from the time it was the downy chick to just before it fledged which was probably photo #3.
Photo #7 is one of about 7 Gyrfalcon eyries I observed that summer in our work area. Noting all of the sticks, I assume the parent birds either utilized a former Raven, Roughleg, or Golden Eagle nest. Photos #9, 10, 12, and 15 are the gyrs I reared that summer. Once they could fly, I had them tethered during work hours but when the work day was finished, they were allowed to fly free, chase each other, strafe the muskeg, etc. until I called them in with the lure (#12) and fed them up for the night..
Photo #13 was the single Arctic Peregrine female I removed from a ground nest containing 5 (possibly 4) chicks situated on top of a bluff overlooking a river. The nest was partly hidden in the short brush / grass on the bluff. All of the camp personnel fell in love with that little female Peregrine whose feet were as large or larger than those of the gyrs.
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Originally Posted by Yeomanfalconer
