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A little wake-up call by Alf Del-Brocco
As I put finger to keyboard again for another article, I could not help to stop thinking about a recent video from the U.K. I recently watched. Now, I am not here to endorse or promote any video or merchandise, but simply to inform the fancier of some new & interesting facts I learnt watching this video.
The video is titled “Cracked It 2” by Ronnie Bigwood. I am yet to see “Cracked It 1” & I have also heard that there is a “Cracked It 3” in the pipeline. Anyway, this video has been one of a very few videos that has kept my attention for the full 2 plus hours of commentary & I must thank the producers of this excellent video.
The main topic covered that kept me enthralled was the footage of the Peregrine Falcon. While I am not an ornithologist, I had a few set ideas of what I thought the Peregrine Falcons habits & lifestyle entailed. Needless to say, the video dispelled a few “myths” from my books, myths that I had “picked up” around clubrooms & listening to pigeon flyers. Colin Surtees, a well-known English ornithologist, presented these “facts”.
The first fact was that the Peregrine Falcon is definitely not an endangered species. The Peregrine is found on every continent in the World except the Arctic & Antarctic. The Falcon is so prolific in areas that the “excess” birds are now choosing or having to nest on City high-rise buildings. These Peregrines are definitely not hunting the feral, street pigeons that inhabit our City streets. The feral pigeon is most definitely a pest, & I for one have no sympathy for its existence. However, it is a creature that has learnt to excel in nooks & crannies & along the City streets of our major cities & towns. Due to its expertise in living close to the ground, this fact alone would inhibit any Peregrine Falcon in being able to hunt this poorer cousin of the racing pigeon. Brisbane City’s resident “high rise celebrity” Peregrine “Frodo” is currently rearing 4 chicks! Another noteworthy point made on the video is that if a Peregrine’s food supply is in abundance, they will rear up to 4 healthy chicks. If the food supply is not so plentiful, then a nest may consist of only 1 or 2 chicks. I would like to see who’s “life rings” are to be found in “Frodo’s” nest!
The second interesting fact I learnt was that Peregrines would kill & store their kills for a “rainy day”. In hindsight, this made sense after witnessing Peregrines kill native birds in the air & not retrieve them. The Peregrine can recall where his hits were made & return to collect his kill or to eat. This quickly dispelled the myth that Peregrines will only kill to eat for that day. Fact is, they may kill up to 5 or 6 times a day, every day! This will be clarified in the following paragraph.
The third interesting piece of information I watched was that in one single Peregrine nest that was studied for its contents, there were 2000 x ’02 racing pigeon life rings recovered! Now, this did not include any other years. However, 2000 life rings of the same year...let’s do a little mathematics. 2000 divided by 365 days of the year = 5.5 racing pigeons were killed on average every day! If we multiply 5.5 by 30 days = 165 racing pigeons per month! And, this is only one pair of healthy, breeding Peregrines! You do not need to be a rocket scientist to quickly imagine the sort of damage that is being done by these “not endangered” species of bird. The other fact that we have to consider, albeit hypothetical is that this 5.5 is an average. In theory, this pair of Peregrines could have killed more than 6+ birds per day, while choosing not to hunt in bad or unfavorable weather conditions. And, what about the life rings of the birds that were not taken back to the nest or the rings that could have been on the ground at the foot of the nest concealed by undergrowth & time? We all know how hard it is to find a life ring that has slipped off the foot of a squeaker & been ejected from the nest by one of it’s parents.
As a pigeon flyer, we breed & have complete control of our birds in a controlled environment. It is only when we open the loft doors or the training & race baskets that we loose all control over our thoroughbreds. As a pigeon flyer, birds that do not make the grade are eliminated from our racing & breeding lofts. While I have no disregard for any animal on the planet and personally feel that all animals & insects have a place on this “3rd rock from the sun”, I do, again, personally feel that nothing is being done to “control” the Peregrine Falcon. Yes, nature should be allowed to take its role & sort out the “survival of the fittest” scenario. However, it is when little “pockets” of individuals, like the “Raptor Society” or “Parks & Wildlife” start to interfere with nature for the wrong or misguided reason that really gets my blood pressure to rise. Now, do not misunderstand me. I have friends who are doing great jobs working for Parks & Wildlife, but these individuals are looking after & protecting our native wildlife. The Peregrine Falcon, being found on every continent on the Earth, except the Antarctic & the Arctic continents, is not an endangered species of animal. Who is looking after the Australian Crimson Rosella, found in the Mount Kosiosko National Park, & now, almost wiped out because some “beaurocrat” thought they were doing the right thing by releasing additional stock of Peregrine Falcons into this already, sensitive environment? What about the “numbnuts” who made the executive decision to release 6 pair of Peregrine Falcons around the grain silo’s on the outskirts of Perth? Which department, again, made an ill-informed & misguided judgement in releasing 2 pair of Peregrines at the foot of the Toowoomba range? Should we blame the Peregrine Falcon? Of course not! Should we hold these Government bodies & “officials” who allow this sort of stupidity to happen with the interference of nature & the re-release of an animal that is not endangered? Of course we should! You only need look at the introduction of the cane toad to understand that even beaurocracy is subject to human frailty.
If we look at our history books & take a lesson or two from its pages, have we forgotten what this magnificent little bird called the “racing pigeon” did for our Countries & our soldiers during World War I & II? Have we forgotten the 26 odd Dickens Medals earned by our “racing pigeons” for animal heroism in saving countless lives during these Wars? Have we forgotten how Reuters News Agency began? & have we forgotten that our racing pigeons & us as pigeon fanciers & enthusiasts, also have an undeniable right & place on this earth to co-exist with nature in our little lofts in our backyards across the planet?
If you can obtain a copy, I thoroughly recommend you take some time out of your life & watch “Cracked It 2” by Ronnie Bigwood. It may just give the racing pigeon fraternity across the World a “little wake-up call”. Thanks for reading this brief article.
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