Our lovely new female gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is 20 years old.  Originally bred by Bob Berry, she was hunted at grouse for 2 years before being placed back into Mr. Berry's breeding program.  For the next 18 years she produced young, and is now too old to lay eggs.  Being the largest falcon species in the world (females can weigh around 60 oz.) she can be expected to live at least another 5 years with us. Scroll down to see more of our visit.

As final preparations were being made to place our new “gyr” in the car, we were treated to a surprise visit by the resident lesser sandhill crane.  These cranes normally winter in the Texas Gulf Coast area and south-central New Mexico into eastern Mexico, but the 7 year old female pictured here is a year-round resident, semi-imprinted and released at Mr. Berry’s ranch to come and go as she pleases.

Bob Berry is the first person in the world to successfully breed the orange-breasted falcon (OBF)/(Falco deiroleucus) in captivity.  This rare and little-understood falcon is found in Central and South America, where it occupies areas above the forest canopy, nesting on cliffs, ledges and occasionally emergent trees.  It also tends to be crepuscular, feeding on bats and many species of tropical birds.