Subject: Falconers taking Peregrine chicks
Date: Dec 7 02:54:24 2002
From: Rachel Lawson - RachelLawson at softhome.net


I am not in favor of letting falconers take Peregrine chicks either, for a
number of reasons. But last year, while birding out on the Samish Flats, I
met a falconer who gave me, indirectly, at least one reason why falconers
might like to do so. This person (I'm not sure I ever learned his name)
was employed by some regional airports to use his falcons to keep other
birds off the runways, and he had several falcons in the back of his
truck. He showed them to me, and most of them looked strange. When I
asked about them, he said they were Peregrine-Prairie Falcon hybrids and
back-crosses. Apparently, falconers feel that their captive-bred
Peregrines become smaller and less robust over several generations, so they
cross them with Prairies to keep their captive lines strong. One can see
why falconers would love to get some new Peregrine breeding stock.

Rachel Lawson
Seattle