Rare Gyrfalcon Spotted At Ford Motor Company Habitat Site During Annual Bird Count!
Vanessa C. Kauffman
vkauffman@wildlifehc.org
01/12/05
Editor's Note: Digital images available upon request.
DEARBORN, MI—Since New Year's Day, the Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), a rare raptor, has been frequenting the sunflower field and pond habitats in the vicinity of the Ford Motor Company’s World Headquarters. The appearance of this Artic-nesting bird, very rare this far south of the tundra, both validates and venerates Ford’s community wildlife habitat program in partnership with the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC). WHC is an international nonprofit organization that works to increase the quality and amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private and public lands.
Julie Craves, supervisor of avian research at the Rouge River Bird Observatory (RRBO), Darrin O’Brien and Kim Hall, discovered this juvenile Gyrfalcon during the annual Christmas Bird Count. RRBO, which is based from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, a WHC certified site, is an essential partner in Ford’s local wildlife habitat programs. The staff and volunteers provide key documentation of the wildlife activity at the several Ford corporate sites, including Dearborn Research and Engineering Center, Ford Rouge Center and Henry Ford II World Center, all WHC certified. www.rrbo.org
"These pockets of urban habitat are becoming an integral part of the wildlife corridors and are attracting a variety of species to Ford sites. The sightings of the Gyrfalcon and other rare species validate the continual improvement of Ford Motor Company’s sustainable land management initiatives. Our community partners, like the RRBO and WHC, are key supporters as we move forward in the implementation of these initiatives," said Dan Ballnik, Ford wildlife habitat program coordinator.
The Gyrfalcon is the world’s largest falcon, a group of hawks that have long pointed wings and feed on birds through rapid pursuit or spectacular high speed dives from above. At 18-22" in length, Gyrfalcons prey mainly on larger birds (sometimes mammals), including ptarmigan, seabirds and ducks, flushing them from the ground in their tundra habitat by approaching in a rapid, low flight. The Gyrfalcon breeds in the high arctic on mountain crags in tundra and on sea cliffs, from Alaska across arctic Canada into Greenland, Iceland, northern Scandinavia and east across northern Siberia. Due to this remoteness, their life history is not well known. Unlike its highly migratory relative, the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), the Gyrfalcon is generally not migratory and is thus much more rarely encountered by humans.
In winter, adult Gyrfalcons on occasion wander south of their breeding range in a nomadic quest for prey in response to food shortages farther north. The young birds often wander the farthest, but only rarely being found south of the Canadian border. As these birds are primarily in search of food resources, a small concentration of Mallards, a favorite food of this bird of prey, and the availability of unfrozen water invited the bird to linger in the habitat areas at the Ford Dearborn locations.
The allure of the Gyrfalcon to birdwatchers, some of whom came from as far away as Ohio and Kentucky to catch a glimpse, is the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with this charismatic and spectacular raptor, as well as the bird’s overall rarity in the United States. Being rather fearless of humans, as many high arctic birds are, many were able to photograph and document its visit. Gyrfalcons engender reverence from humans that all large, powerful raptors do, and all who saw the bird were surely very impressed and deeply touched.
As a dedicated member of WHC since 1992 and long-standing supporter on the Board of Directors, Ford Motor Company has asserted environmental leadership in creating and maintaining wildlife habitat at sites throughout the continental United States and abroad. With 49 active programs in partnership with WHC, Ford’s emphasis on becoming a leading contributor to a more sustainable world begins locally with their employees and with people in the communities that surround Ford facilities. www.ford.com
Wildlife at WorkSM provides the foundation for WHC programs and focuses on involving company employees, community groups and government agencies in the long-term, active management of company property to improve wildlife habitat and raise environmental awareness within local communities. Once Wildlife at Work programs are in place, they may become certified corporate wildlife habitats. Since 1990, WHC has certified 353 programs worldwide. The certification program recognizes outstanding wildlife habitat management and environmental education efforts at corporate sites, and offers third-party validation of the benefits of such programs. Certification requirements are strict and require that sites apply for periodic renewal.
The Wildlife Habitat Council is a nonprofit, non-lobbying organization dedicated to increasing the quality and amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private and public lands. WHC devotes its resources to building partnerships with corporations and conservation groups to create solutions that balance the demands of economic growth with the requirements of a healthy, biodiverse and sustainable environment. More than 2 million acres in 48 states, Puerto Rico and 16 other countries are managed for wildlife through WHC-assisted projects. www.wildlifehc.org.
Associated Link:
Ford Motor Company Member Page
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