LIFE Goes on A Falcon Hunt

Stackpole documented two styles of trapping, the first was the noose jacket/harness. A leather jacket crafted for a pigeon with monofilament nooses was simple in theory, but in practice, aspiring beach trappers soon learned it required extreme attention to detail. The harness must fit just right to allow the pigeon some flight ability to attract a falcon. Furthermore, the nooses had to be tied and installed just right so they stood up, resisted laying down, were just the right size, slipped closed easily, yet were safe.

The second style of trapping, the "dig-in" was more dramatic and it gave the article its subtitle, "An Old Crate and Two Pigeons are Used to Trap a Fierce Bird." In the beach setting surrounded by soft sand, a falconer, with the help of a companion, can quickly cover themselves in sand with some creative structure to conceal their head while still affording a view. They hold a pigeon by the feet, and subtly create movement in the pigeon, attracting the falcon, and then grasp the unsuspecting predator by the legs.

Cunningham and McDonald only kept passagers, while haggards were banded and released. The manning and training work with their fresh passagers started right away. The falconers first unhooded their new charges alone in a dimly lit room, and manning and feeding sessions would continue into the night. The Falco peregrinus trundrius, or “tundra peregrine”, often proved notably calm and willing to accept a human relationship.

Cunningham and McDonnald, like falconer/bander Jim Rice after them, would frequently trade passagers they had caught for haggards caught by other trapping parties, so they could band and release them. For many years, the number of haggards taken off Assateague was minimal, not only to help preserve the breeders but because the more amenable passagers were so available. This early capture and banding work formed the foundation for landmark peregrine monitoring projects.

Assateague Island has played a central role in North American falconry for decades. With the techniques refined on Assateague, U.S. falconers discovered more beach migration hotspots like Padre Island in Texas. American falconers rediscovered the art of trapping, and in doing so, helped preserve trapping as a legal falconry endeavor in the U.S., and revive a core skill just before it fell into obscurity throughout Eurasia.

After this early era on Assateague, peregrines began a steep decline. The peregrine was added to the Endangered Species Act list, and DDT was eventually banned. The founders of The Peregrine Fund began implementing their landmark recovery project – an initiative largely inspired by their experiences trapping and flying passage peregrines from places like Assateague. Following the recovery of the peregrine, falconers have since returned to the beaches, and this rich heritage continues today.

You can read about Halter Cunningham and Brian McDonald in their memorial entries from our Book of Remembrance. You can also see examples of Brian McDonald’s craftsmanship in our American Hood exhibit. (You’ll find Brian’s work in Section 3 among other innovators from the 1950's and 60’s.) Peter Stackpole is remembered for his prestigious career over at Life Magazine.