The Raptor Protection Movement and the Return of Falconry
With the demise of the Passenger
Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) and
Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis
carolinensis), between the four short years of 1914 and 1918,
ornithologists and devout birdwatchers began a movement of their own; to
protect avian predators. In addition, by 1920 five thousand Bald Eagles in just
the State of Alaska were dead due to a bounty of fifty cents a head. It was
ignorantly believed the eagles interfered with the salmon fisheries as well as accused
of killing young deer and livestock.24 Eventually, the Bald Eagle gained protection in
1940 with the Bald Eagle Protection Act; however, other raptors remained
unprotected at that time. Additionally, the Bald Eagle was still not protected
in Alaska until 1959. 25 Although by 1966, law protected all raptors,
the fight for the genuine protection and conservation of raptors continues
today.
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| Craighead brothers with Golden Eagle |
In 1920, fourteen-year
old twins, Frank and John Craighead, read Louis
Agassiz Fuertes’ article “Falconry, The Sport of Kings: Once the Means of
Supplying Man’s Necessities, It Has Survived the Centuries as One of the Most
Romantic Pastimes of History” in The
National Geographic Magazine. This would spark a life-long
fascination with raptors that ultimately changed public’s opinion and the image
of the avian predator. Although the Craighead twins spent several months
hawking with Indian princes, training their falcons, actual hunting with their
birds was never realized; they kept them merely as pets. The Craighead twins facilitated
a more ‘pet’ type distinction and sweet perspective of their falcon to the general
public. The Craigheads’ approach enabled the falcons to be seen in a different
light, in fact, they were revealed as intelligent and gentle, and not the
ruthless killers as believed.26
 |
| Peregrine Falcon eating prey |
Falconry was
increasing in popularity between the 1940s and 1960s. In 1961, Harold Webster
and Frank Beebe founded the North American Falconers Association (NAFA). NAFA
was not only an association for falconers but it set out to educate the public
on the benefits of raptors in the wild, such as keeping the rodent population in
check; however, some states still considered the predatory birds vermin. Most
falconers used the traditional falconry bird, Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) but during this time,
a World War II Veteran was using a Golden Eagle in Idaho. Also, Tom Cade (future
founder of the Peregrine Fund) was finishing his graduate studies and hawking
in California.27 Falconry and raptors seemed poised for a true
revival and regain their former status but all was not well.
From the Brink of Extinction
While falconry
was making a comeback in the United States and Europe; falcons, Bald Eagles and
Ospreys were disappearing nearly without detection. It was not until Derek
Ratcliffe, a British ornithologist, reported his study published by the Nature
Conservancy, that Peregrine Falcon nests were failing. Passenger pigeon
enthusiasts originally initiated this study because they believed there were
too many falcons.28 Ratcliffe suspected pesticides. In 1962, Rachel
Carson’s Silent Spring has been
hailed as the marking point in raptor conservation and saving many raptor species
from the almost certain extinction. Silent
Spring brought pesticides, such as DDT and DDE, to the foreground in the
battle to save these species. 
The first
international conference on the Peregrine was in 1965, at the University of
Wisconsin at Madison. The conference delegates, mostly falconers, learned the
devastating truth that the Peregrines; they were declining fast in Europe and
North America. Ratcliffe reported a thinning of their eggshells caused by the
residual pesticides in the falcons’ prey (mostly other birds) thus resulting in
nest failure. 29 By the mid-1970’s, there were only 20-30 known
nesting pairs of Peregrines in the United States. 30 The mid-1960s
and 1970s marked the unprecedented coming together of falconers and biologists
to save the Peregrine, Bald Eagle and other raptors from extinction.
Notes
24. Louis
Agassiz Fuertes. “Falconry, The Sport of Kings: Once the Means of Supplying
Man’s Necessities, It Has Survived the Centuries as One of the Most Romantic
Pastimes of History.” The National
Geographic Magazine. Washington: National Geographic Society 38, no. 6,
(December, 1920): 466.
25. M. V. Barrow
Jr,. “Science, Sentiment, and the Specter of Extinction: Reconsidering Birds of
Prey during America's Interwar Years.” Environmental
History (2002): 77, 78,
& 88.
26.
Helen Macdonald. Falcon.
London: Reaktion, (2006):
95.
27. Keith L. Bildstein, David R. Barber
and Andrea Zimmerman. Neotropical Raptors. PA: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (2007).
28. MacDonald. Falcon,
117-118.
29. Ibid., 120.
30.
Clait E. Braun, James H. Enderson, Charles
J. Henny, Heinz Meng, and Alva G. Nye. “Falconry: Effects on Raptor Populations
and Management in North America.” The
Wilson Bulletin 89, no. 2 (June 1977): 362
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Good work, Michele, and reflective of the good life's work you have chosen. I'll be looking at other posts of your blog as well. Cheers--Gary
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