Studying Gyrfalcons in Alaska
This summer I have the privilege of working with the largest species of falcon in the world: the Gyrfalcon. Latin name, Falco rusticolus.
Adult Female Gyrfalcon.
Gyrfalcons are a circumpolar raptor, breeding in the northern reaches of our planet and rarely venturing south. On rare occasions they can be glimpsed farther south during the coldest of winter months. A project initiated by The Peregrine Fund in collaboration with a graduate student at Boise State University has begun to look into Gyrfalcon conservation on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska.
The Seward Peninsula, Alaska.
Gyrfalcon breeding is closely tied to their favorite winter and spring prey: Ptarmigan. How Gyrfalcons and Ptarmigan are responding to climate change is a pressing conservation question, especially since climate change is being felt the most in our delicate arctic and subarctic ecosystems.
This summer we will be working to closely monitor Gyrfalcon diet throughout the breeding season. Insights into what Gyrfalcons are feeding their nestlings at different stages of the breeding season (early vs. late) may help us understand the potential impacts of continued climate change on these falcons and their prey.
An old Gyrfalcon nest. Gyrs don’t build their own stick nests but will sometimes use old stick nests built by other raptors.
Adult male Gyrfalcon.
Looking forward to a great summer and will continue to update folks on how things are going.
2 Comments
Gary Hampton 12 years ago
Hope you guys have a great time and find lots of gyrs !! I lived in Nome, this picture you gave looks like the eyrie at about 43 mile on the counsel road, smiles.
Talked to Peter Bente, sounds like the gyr pop is coming back from that long winter two years ago.
I now live in Fairbanks,
stay safe and have fun !
Gary Hampton
steveaz 9 years ago
I share your interest in falcons and I appreciate greatly your willingness to post.
I do need, however, to alert you that the cognate “climate change” has become a laughing stock in the biological sciences. And that educated falconifiles may be put off by its use in your articles.
There are many reasons to conserve wilderness. The resort to climate alarmism distracts from these.
Thanks again for your thoughtfulness.
-s