Here's a few of the messages from Birdchat and also from OBOL
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From: "David C. Bailey" <psu03321 at odin.cc.pdx.edu>
Subject: Re: GYRFALCON HARASSMENT
Each time I here about these incidents about the domesticated
falcon being flow around the wild Gyrfalcon I get more and more annoyed.
Perhaps I am ignorant on this subject, but this behavior seems
unethical. It seems to me this is harassment of a wild bird, perhaps
even an illegal act. It aughtt to be discouraged even on the minimal
grounds that it may drive the wild bird away. I know I'm not the only
one who has these sentiments. It is my opinion that falconers should
not fly their birds near wild birds especially with the specific
intent of having their birds interact with the wild ones. I would
appreiate discussion on this. Back me up or tear me down,
David C. Bailey
On Tue, 31 Jan 1995, Richard Hoyer wrote:
> My dad and I went out to Finley today. The Gyrfalcon was right where
> it usually is, on the power poles between the RR tracks and the first
> bend in the road. This time it was on the smaller poles on the n. side
> of the road, just past the single house there. It ignored my dad's
> falcon, and Lucy Biggs (obol member who met us out there) was unable to
> get any footage of it with her camcorder. It flew out the fenceline to
> the north and was still there when we left at about 1:20. Two
> Rough-legged Hawks were also in the area.
> An imm. Golden Eagle was also at Finley NWR, perched in an oak tree on
> the hill above the road about .1 mile to the w. of HQ. This is the
> second GOEA I have seen in Benton Co.
> Dad and I also drove out Lewellyn road and saw two pairs of
> White-tailed Kites. We could not find the fifth bird my dad saw last
> week. These birds appear to be paired now. Dad also saw the Lewis'
> Woodpecker at this site last week (where we found one on the CBC).
> Other raptors today were Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed
> Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and American Kestrel, for a 9-raptor day!
>
> Rich Hoyer
> Corvallis, OR
> hoyerr at peak.org
====================
From: Richard Hoyer <hoyerr at PEAK.ORG>
To: Oregon Birders On-Line <obol at gaia.ucs.orst.edu>
David Bailey is right, he is not the only one with these feelings--two
people on Birdchat also thought this might be bad for the Gyr. But David
Simon put the issue into perspective well. Compared to what this Gyr
faces day in, day out, any interaction it had with my dad's bird is
negligible. There are 30+ Harriers, 3-4 Rough-legged Hawks, 6+
Red-tailed Hawks, and even sometimes a Prairie Falcon, and they all
"harass" the Gyrfalcon.
Usually, though, it is the Gyrfalcon that initiates the contact as it
did when my dad brought his bird out there for the first time. After a
couple of attempts to chase Leah away, she responded by showing the Gyr
who's boss. After that, the birds had apparently established a "pecking
order" and that explains why nothing happened yesterday--neither bird
paid any attention to the other, and the Gyr hung around the whole time
my dad exercised Leah (about 45 minutes).
Falconers are often very frustrated in areas where there are
relatively large populations of wild falcons. The wild, territorial birds
continually harass the falconers' birds and they won't hunt. That is
most often the case, although sometimes the falconer's bird is more
aggressive.
Purposely taking the falcon out there to initiate a confrontation is
should be no concern if you simply put the situation in perspective.
That one bird is tame just allows you to witness an interaction that
happens all the time, usually unseen by human eyes.
BTW, did you all read on the Tucson RBA of four Red-tailed Hawks that
ganged up on a N. Harrier, killed it, and ate it?
Rich Hoyer
Corvallis, OR
hoyerr at peak.org
================
From: Richard Hoyer <hoyerr at PEAK.ORG>
To: Oregon Birders On-Line <obol at gaia.ucs.orst.edu>
On Wed, 1 Feb 1995, D. Goble wrote:
> The problem that I have with an argument like this is that it is always
> available: my harassment of the bird is less than the harassment it would
> otherwise experience, so my harassment is unimportant; birds die, so my
> killing one has only nelgigible impact on the population; etc.
My argument is available only when it is true, which it is in this
case. And it reads: "My harassment of the bird is *far* less than the
harassment *it receives daily*, therefore it is unimportant." What is
wrong with this? Does it make sense to not pish at Song Sparrows when
you realize that they are threatened daily by predators?
> Cumulative impacts of individually trivial events can be significant.
This argument makes sense in regards to this situation only if you can
show that many people are taking their falcons out there to get good
looks at the gyr.
Rich Hoyer
Corvallis, OR
hoyerr at peak.org
=============
From: Randy Lauff <rlauff at JULIET.STFX.CA>
To: Multiple recipients of list BIRDCHAT <BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
> On Jan 30, 7:39am, Richard Hoyer wrote:
> I am going there on Tuesday the 31
> with my dad and another person who has a cam corder. My dad is bringing
> his Gyr X Prairie along, and we hope to get the interactions on camera
> (he did this once before and the birds did a bit of "arguing" :-)). I
> will let you know if we see it.
> > >
<Many bits editted for brevity>
>
> Sorry Richard, I can't except that. You brought your bird in order to
> stage a cock fight. This is to me deliberate harassment of the wild
> bird
> by artificial means, much worse than overplaying tapes, something
> that is usually deplored in this forum. Your behavior is a clear
> example of abuse of the priviledge of falconry. You should be ashamed
> of yourself, for doing it and for trying to justify it because
> there other raptors present. Were the other raptors also brought ther
e
> by falconers?
>
> Dalcio Dacol
> Washington, DC
> dacol at abyss.nrl.navy.mil
>
I fully agree with Dalcio. Do Falconry associations not police
themselves? If they don't, then surely this is against the law (it is
where I live). For the "falconer" (loosely used term) to be doing this
*and* bragging about it is deplorable. "Put it in context (to the other
harrrassment of the wild raptors)" he said. Not a good enough excuse to
continue harrassment. Where does it stop? Would it be alright if I (or
you) went up to the bird and started tossing snowballs at it? Can we get
some feedback from the falconry associations about any rules of conduct
they may have pertaining to this?
Randy Lauff, Biology
St. Francis Xavier University
Antigonish, NS
===========
From: Darius Ecker <DEcker4723 at AOL.COM>
To: Multiple recipients of list BIRDCHAT <BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Richard, I believe you are the one that has things out of perspective. I
agree that naturally occuring competion between birds of prey is a fact of
life. However, the competition you describe was NOT natural. It was caused
by you. So what do you think the chance was that one of the birds could have
been injured ? I've seen a Bald Eagle lose a wing when it's mate tried to
lock talons and missed. There is no need to remove the Harriers, the Rough-le
gged's, the Red-tails, or the Prairie Falcon. They belong there.
I too love watching birds of prey, but I do it under conditions where the
bird is in control. You may find you will enjoy this much more.
DEcker4723.aol.com
Darius Ecker, Columbia, Maryland.
===============
From: Richard Hoyer <hoyerr at PEAK.ORG>
To: Multiple recipients of list BIRDCHAT <BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Oh, Brother. Some people are really getting too excited over this. Ok,
here's what happened the first time my dad went out there. Dad put Leah
(his bird) on top of the car, about 300 meters away from the Gyrfalcon.
As soon as the Gyr saw Leah fly to my dad's lure (he can only exercise
her, she can't hunt [and I hope no one gets all hot and bothered about
this either, making all kinds of rude assumptions]), he came over and
attempted to displace Leah.
Now, the second time, this past Tuesday, we tried it again, this time
with a camcorder. My intentions were to capture the Gyr on video for the
Oregon Bird Records Committee. But nothing happened. The two birds
ignored each other. Furthermore, the Gyr hung around. There was no
displacement either way. We figured the birds recognized each other.
What the Gyr experienced the first time is *piddly* compared to what it
experiences day-in, day-out. The anxiety a Song Sparrow experiences when
I pish at it is *piddly* compared to what it faces in looking for food
and watching out for predators. Miniscule. Unimportant. Not worth
another word. Bye,
Rich Hoyer
Corvallis, OR
hoyerr at peak.org
============
From: Mike Shipman <GRRSHIPM at IDBSU.IDBSU.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list BIRDCHAT <BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Harassment and photography
On Wed, 1 Feb 1995 11:16:22 EST Shireen Gonzaga said:
>Hi Chatters,
>
>recent talk about the Gyrfalcon harassment had me wondering about
>how bird photography could be a form of harassment.
>
>I am a birder (1 year-old fledging birder, that is 8-)), and an amateur
>photographer. I get a lot of joy out of combining my two interests, and
>would love to someday join the ranks of pro wildlife photographers.
>
>Even tho' I have a 400 mm lens, I sometimes need to get close to birds
>to get that "perfect" shot. I don't like doing it and always try to
>make a judgement call in each situation about crossing the "harassment"
>line.
>
>One of my spring goals is to do a lot of shorebird and wading bird
>photography. Locations will include the Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crab
>spawning event, searching for nesting Piping Plovers at northern Assateague
>Island, and photographing other nesting birds such as Skimmers, Terns and
>whatever else I find along Delaware Bay and the North Carolina Outer Banks.
>
>Some of my best pictures have been from my car -- it's a great blind!
>But I am also thinking of buying a portable blind (any suggestions?)
>I generally dress in dull brown/beige colors, avoid sudden movements,
>and if the bird looks very agitated, I generally back-off. I sometimes
>sit in one place very quietly until they get used to me -- does not always
>work but I've had wonderful success with juvenile shorebirds.
>
>Put the welfare of the bird first. Yes, absolutely! But I also need to
>learn to balance that with my photo goals. Any bird photography Chatters
>out there? I'd like to hear about your experiences, positive and negative,
>and advice about what kind of situations to avoid.
>
>Thanks!
> Shireen
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>Shireen P. Gonzaga Internet: gonzaga at stsci.edu
Shireen,
Sounds like you are contientious of your activities when you are out
to photograph wildlife. As a photographer, also, it worries me to hear of
or witness harrassment of animals for photographic or personal satisfaction.
However, the term "harassment" is relatively vague. I cannot say I have never
subtley caused an animal to act in a certain way, either to photograph a
behavior or to demonstrate something to a group during a field trip. I'm sure
there are others out there who have done the same thing. Of course, I do not
engage in this type of activity often and it is best not to at all.
So, what is harassment? There are legal definitions which refer to an act
which is detrimental to the well-being of an individual or group of animals,
such things as shooting at or near an animal, intentionally engaging it in
an activity which could result in its injury or death (flying a falcon at a gyr
to get the "interaction" on video is one type of harassment), or engaging in
some activity which interrupts or affects the breeding of an animal, etc. are
some serious aspects of harassment, most if not all punishable by law.
Another form of harassment is scientific. Some (most) research on wild
animals involves some sort of harassment. Government, and some universities,
are required, or ought to, submit research proposals to ethics committees,
who review the methodology and determine if it is needed in the research to
answer the question, if it is potentially harmful to the organism being
studied, and recommend alternate methods which may be less intrusive.
I have to say there are have been and, to a lesser extent, still are abuses
of wild animals in the name of science, and uses of methods which should be
replaced with more modern, humane methods. Reform is taking place in the
research community at a rapid pace and those modifying their own research
methodologies and leading this reform should be applauded.
Then there is the sublte harassment of wildlife by hikers, photographers,
birdwatchers and other wildlife watchers, etc. which ranges from innocent
flushings of birds from nests (known or unknown), to purposeful incitement to
flight or attack by the animal(s) in question. This is a tough call, because
it is done, regardless of what people tell you not to do or how much you try
not to do it. You will affect an animal's behavior by just being in the area
of its senses and you may never be aware of your impact. So a person has
two choices...
(1) Stay out of the woods. That way you drastically reduce the chances
of harassing wildlife, either intentionally or by accident. This option is not
practical for those of us who like the woods.
(2) Be aware of what's going on around you and the effect you have on the
dynamics of the environment you are in. Become knowledgable (relatively, you
don't need to be an expert) of animal behavior and watch for the sublte signs
that tell you you're interfering and back off. Ultimately it's your call,
based on your knowledge, conscience, and the goal of your outing. It's always
better to err on the conservative side.
A little wordy, but I hope this helps.
Mike Shipman GRRSHIPM at IDBSU.IDBSU.EDU
Raptor Research Center
Boise State University
Boise ID 83725