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5A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 Fairbanks falconer puts in tiPe effort for loYe of ÀiJKt By SAM FRIEDMAN Fairbanks Daily News-Miner FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Dave Lorring spoke to his peregrine falcon named “80” as he unfastened the leash and sent her out on a duck hunt. “You behave now and come back to me,” he told her. In less than a minute, the female fal- con was airborne and far from the Cream- er’s Field barn. She turned in a high circle somewhere near Wedgewood Resort until she was a distant speck. Lorring repeats some kind of last-min- ute plea most times he releases one of his birds on their own. It’s an open question whether these highly-trained but independent animals will return. On their own they can fall prey to eagles, foxes, cars and telephone wires. To Lorring and a handful of others fal- coners in Interior Alaska, it’s worth the anxiety to train these birds of prey and let them free into the skies. For Lorring, seeing the hawks in Àight is the highlight. “The biggest payoff for me is just to watch the falcons in their natural state, Ày- ing high and then coming down and diving on their prey,” he said. Bird connection Eventually, 80 came back to Lorring on this Àight. But ¿rst she obstinately took a perch on a telephone pole across College Road, completely ignoring the group of mallard ducks Lorring Àushed out of a pond for her to hunt. Lorring walked over to near the Alaska Department of Fish and Game building and brought 80 back to him as he often does, coaxing her in with a live pigeon on a string and then offering her a favorite meal, quail meat. As the bird landed on the ground near- by, Lorring cursed himself for dropping his protective leather glove on the ground back by the barn. He made do by pulling his cotton sweat- shirt over his hand and barely winced as 80 Àew up to take a perch there, the bird’s sharp talons digging in. There was clearly a connection between man and bird, as Lor- ring carefully wiped a piece of blood off 80’s beak. Lorring is a commercial pilot and for- mer Alaska Wildlife Trooper. He’s been hunting with falcons since he was 12 years old. Both 80 and Lorring’s female gyrfal- con named Summit are some of the most mild-mannered raptors he’s ever had, he said. The peregrine falcon recognizes his voice and calls out to him when Lorring gets home, “somewhat like a dog wags its tail,” he said. More than a connection between a hunt- er and a dog, his connection with Summit brought to mind the trained velociraptors in this summer’s Jurassic Park movie, in par- ticular the scene where Chris Pratt’s char- acter lovingly pats the nose of a muzzled dinosaur. Lorring’s gyrfalcon went without a name her ¿rst few years. Only this year did he settle on Summit, for her birthplace near Summit Lake on the Richardson Highway. He picked 80 because his son had a col- lege classmate named 80 and he liked the name. How to train a raptor As trained birds of prey, Lorring’s fal- cons calmly tolerate Lorring taking their hood on and off. They also don’t mind the weight of a radio transmitter on their legs. They have learned to associate the sound of a whistle with food. Usually the sound of the whistle and a bird or lure on a string is enough to bring them back to him. “In initial training they’re on a leash, but pretty soon you’re going to have to take them off,” Lorring said. “On that ¿rst Àight you’re going to have to hope that bird Àies to your ¿st with no restraints.” If a bird eats while it’s out on its own, it will have no motivation to return to its master, Lorring said. The falconer will like- ly have to return to the same area in a day when the bird is hungry again. Ride the bus with a can of food Sunset Empire Trans- portation District’s Annual Holiday Canned Food Drive continues through Dec. 24. All bus drivers are accepting one can of food as bus fare for one ride on any ¿xed bus routes within Clatsop Coun- ty. “This is a great way for SETD, our riders and the community to work together to help those in need,” Ex- ecutive Director Jeff Hazen said. Canned food donations will also be accepted from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at the Transit Center at 900 Ma- rine Drive, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Monday at the Seaside Transit Kiosk located at the Seaside Outlet Mall, 111 N. Roosevelt Drive. All proceeds go to the Holiday Food Basket Pro- gram and the county food bank. Regular fare is re- quired on any connecting bus routes outside of Clat- sop County. For information, contact Hazen at 503-861-5399 or jeff@ridethebus.org SKare tKouJKts on area’s transit system The Daily Astorian Sunset Empire Transpor- tation District wants opinions about regional transit service and is offering residents a chance to do just that from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday at the Seaside Safeway, 401 South Roosevelt Dr. (Highway 101). SETD provides local and regional bus service and are undertaking a long range plan to determine the transit needs of Clatsop County. Questions include where and when pas- sengers need to travel and what service can be improved. For more information visit http://transitstudy.ridethebus. org. Free class in Astoria helps caregivers of older adults The Daily Astorian Erin Corneliussen/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Dave Lorring releases Summit, his 4-year-old gyrfalcon, to go duck hunting at Creamer’s Field in Fairbanks, Alaska. Oregon Care Partners holds a free class in Astoria for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday. The class called “Chal- lenging Behaviors: Effec- tive Approaches to Common Behaviors in the Non-De- mentia Adult Population,” is open to all caregivers of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, whether family or professionals. Registration is available online at http:// bit.ly/1OQwFRp. This class is designed to help anyone who cares for an aging Oregonian better manage challenging behav- iors that are common among older adults, such as anger, yelling, cussing, threatening others, withdrawing, self harm and physical aggres- sion. Oregon Care Partners provides no-cost, in-person and online trainings around the state. All course offer- ings provide continuing ed- ucation credits to healthcare professionals. Erin Corneliussen/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Dave Lorring holds Summit, his 4-year-old gyrfalcon, after removing her hood so she can go duck hunting at Creamer’s Field in Fairbanks, Alaska. The radio transmitter has been a key modern advancement to the ancient art of falconry, Lorring said. Before that, falcon- ers listened for the sound of bells around the bird’s ankles. Dif¿cult sport Raising a raptor is a lifestyle as much as a hobby. In addition to raising their falcons, they also often raise their food. Lorring traps pigeons at the downtown Fairbanks parking garage for use in training and feed- ing his falcons. He also orders live chukars, a type of south Asian pheasant, from Min- neapolis. He keeps a freezer full of quail meat. Lorring is one of about nine falconers he knows of in Interior Alaska, and that’s probably a near-complete list because fal- coners generally know each other, he said. The state has strict regulations on the types of birds falconers are allowed to take and which birds they use for training. Lorring’s license permitted him to col- lect both 80 and Summit from the wild. 80 came from a nest off the Yukon River. Inef¿cient hunt Falcons aren’t nearly as effective as shotguns for harvesting lots of waterfowl. Lorring came to Creamer’s Field almost every weeknight this fall, setting Summit and 80 after ducks and geese on some of the front ponds. The raptors didn’t kill any ducks or geese the whole season, but toward the end of the season they got in better Àying shape and were able to chase some ducks down a stream. Before freeze-up, the ducks were able to escape Summit and 80 by diving into the water. The peregrine falcon can Ày at speeds of more than 200 mph, making it the fast- est animal on Earth. But much of its speed comes from Àying high and diving. If 80 misses on her initial dive, she and a duck are fairly evenly matched, each Àying at about 50 mph in what’s known as a tail- chase. The falcons did catch their share of the chukars and pigeons during this fall’s season, but even these training birds some- times escaped the falcons with acrobatic Àying moves. Coming home without any ducks after two months of hunting doesn’t bother Lor- ring much. “A successful day of falconing is when you come back with the same number of falcons as you left with,” he likes to say. Harp guitarist plays Friday The Daily Astorian Lewis and Clark Bible Church, 35082 Seppa Lane, is presenting musician and storyteller John Doan with his “Christmas Unplugged — Reclaiming the Holiday Spirit” program at 7 p.m. Friday. Admission is by a sug- gested donation of $12-15 for adults and $10 for seniors and children. Doan is an international touring and recording art- ist who has appeared on radio and television across the country, including his Emmy-nominated Oregon Public Broadcasting special, “A Victorian Christmas With John Doan.” He was recently given the International Brand Laureate Award for “World’s Leading Harp Guitarist.” He has performed with a diverse range of artists in- cluding Donovan, Burl Ives, Larry Carlton, Mason Wil- liams (of “Classical Gas” fame), and as a member of the New Christy Minstrels. Doan is an associate professor of music at Willamette University in Salem. For information call 503-325-7011 or go to www.lc- biblechurch.com or www.johndoan.com Submitted photo Pictured, from left, Kathy Eggleston Swenson, Laurie Drage and Phyllis Taylor, who are performing a concert Sunday at First Lutheran Church. Pipe organ concert Sunday The Daily Astorian Kathy Eggleston Swen- son presents a Christmas pipe organ concert, “A Journey of the Season,” at 5 p.m. Sun- day at First Lutheran Church, 725 33rd St. First Luther- an members joining her are vocalists Laurie Drage and Cliff Weimer, cellist Phyllis Taylor and on the string bass, Charlene Larson. A freewill offering will be taken. Swenson has worked in music ministry in the Denver area for ¿ve decades. She recently moved to Gig Harbor, Washington, with her husband, Keith Sw- enson, a pastor. They are in Astoria for several months while he serves as the inter- im pastor at First Lutheran Church. Following the concert, there is a prime rib dinner for $15. Reservations are required; call the church at 503-325-6252. 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