Reflections
Perceptions
Non-Falconers vs Falconers
Two distinct groups often enter the falconry arena: falconers and non-falconers. The non-falconers, who are often from the scientific community, are frequently disappointed by what they anticipate from falconers, leading to a negative view of the art.
This disappointment often leads to the question of whether falconry is a cult and if so, whether this “cult-like” behaviour will cause falconry to become obscure over time. Here, we will present the perspectives of various key players to provide a broader understanding, from non-falconers and the view of falconers about their art and its future.
Non-Falconers
Perspective: Non-Falconers
The non-falconers listed are individuals who participated in a TV documentary in the 1990’s on falconry in South Africa.
Perspective & Opinion
Dr. Gerhardt Verdoorn
Dr Gerhard Verdoorn holds a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Johannesburg. He spent over eleven years in academia, first as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Johannesburg and later as a Professor of Conservation Biology. Dr Verdoorn is known for his research in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Phytochemistry, Environmental Toxicology, Occupational Health, Industrial Chemistry, Vulture biology, toxicology, and genetics. He published over 80 peer-reviewed papers. e. He dedicated over twenty years of his career to conservation and Director of the Griffon Poison Information Centre.
Perspective & Opinion
Dr. Warwick Tarboton
Warwick Rowe Tarboton (born 9 May 1943 in Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa is a South African ornithologist, wildlife photographer, and author. He studied geology, and began his professional career as a geologist in 1966. A few years later, Tarboton changed fields and, after further studies at the University of Sheffield , from which he obtained a Master of Science (MSc) in 1972, devoted himself to ornithology. From 1974 to 1986, he worked as an ornithologist for the Transvaal Directorate of Nature Conservation. In 1979, he obtained an MSc with the distinction cum laude for his thesis *The ecology of a savanna woodland bird community *. In 1991, he received his Ph.D. from the University of the Witwatersrand for his thesis *Polyandry in the African Jacana*, which dealt with the breeding biology of African jacanas . Since then, he has been working freelance.
Perspective & Opinion
Dr. Peter Milstein
The late Dr Milstein held a doctorate in Zoology and was awarded a British Council Scholarship to study in Britain, where he worked on the Grey Heron, then threatened by pesticides. During a professional career in Nature Conservation, he published over 300 scientific and popular contributions. Many people in the birding community will know of the late Dr. Peter Milstein, and some may even remember his lectures and may have visited Eyrie at the time when he received guests at what was known as Eyrie Birding Lodge. Dr. Milstein (nicknamed by his students as “Professor Gans” after his work on the Egyptian Geese).
The Falconers self
Perspective: The Falconers
Perspective & Opinion
Frank Beebe (NAFA)
Frank Beebe (1914 – 15 November 2008) was a falconer, writer, and wildlife illustrator from Canada. He founded the NAFA (North American Falconers Association) with Harold Webster. Harold “Hal” M. Webster, Jr. passed away (age 99) on May 31, 2019, at his home in Fort Benton, MT. A huge influence on American falconry, co-author of the book North American Falconry and Hunting Hawks (affectionately referred to as “the bible of falconry”), Hal was one of the first falconers many of us encountered. Reading about his raptor adventures occupied our imaginations and encouraged many to persevere with their falconry craft.
Perspective & Opinion
Jim Fowler (Wild Kingdom)
James Mark Fowler (April 9, 1930 – May 8, 2019) was an American zoologist and served as co-host of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins, and became the main host in 1985 following Perkins’ retirement. Fowler a keen falconer, played a major part in the early days of television in educating the public on the conservation of raptors along with the art of falconry.
Perspective & Opinion
California Hawking Club (CHC)
The California Hawking Club was formed in 1971 by a small group of dedicated falconers to preserve and promote the image of falconry and to assist in the conservation of birds of prey.
A series was aired on YouTube, “Rage for Falcons” by Naum Milyavskiy. It’s an excellent series on falconers of the CHC from which clips have been taken and shared here. This clips, originally from YouTube, has been readapted for our website. We chose to host the video directly to provide an ad-free viewing experience.
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