Gyrfalcons are the largest falcon species, and the white birds of prey call the Arctic home.
Now halfway through their nesting season on the Seward Peninsula, a speaker tonight at the Northwest Campus is presenting his findings on the animals during this critical time in their lifecycle.
Bryce Robinson is the lead researcher on the project and a masters’ student at Boise State University. And he is using some unusual tools to collect his data.
Robinson explains, “I’ve installed motion sensor cameras in a number of nests that are to monitor what prey items gyrfalcons bring into their nests throughout the entire nesting period.”
Robinson said he installed the cameras by repelling into the gyrfalcon nests.
The project is in its first year, and Robinson will use the data to assess how climate change is affecting the gyrfalcons’ food sources, and from there, how these changes are affecting gyrfalcon populations themselves. So far, Robinson just knows what has been brought to the nests.
“We’ve reinforced the idea,” Robinson said, “that gyrfalcons are very closely tied to ptarmigan as a key prey source, even in the nesting period. And the birds we’ve been looking at have also supplemented that with ground squirrels and shorebirds as well.”
Robinson’s presentation on gyrfalcons on the Seward Peninsula is at 6:30 pm tonight at UAF Northwest Campus.
