Chamber and committees

Lauren McGough submission of 16 October 2021

PE1859/N: Retain falconers rights to practice upland falconry in Scotland

After reviewing the hearing on September 1st regarding PE1859, I would like to add an international and academic voice in support of retaining falconer's rights to practice upland falconry in Scotland. I am a lifelong falconer, with a background in biology and a PhD from the University of St Andrews in anthropology, where I have focused my scholarship on the intangible cultural heritage of golden eagles in falconry.

Though I reside in the US, I have been visiting Scotland's spectacular moorland since 2006 to join friends in the most fulfilling pastime I know; giving captive-bred golden eagles the opportunity to express all their natural flying and hunting instincts in the pursuit of mountain hares. This is a native bird in its natural habitat hunting its natural quarry. As one might imagine, the skillset required to free fly eagles is highly specialized and niche, and as such we are a small group, but through us, we give our communities an unforgettable experience. Countless people have joined us on the hill to witness what I like to call 'a highly specialized form of bird watching'. The cultural and conservation value of that experience is incalculable.

The impact of falconry on any game species is negligible. The nature of what we do as falconers doesn't allow for any substantial take. These are birds that we have cultivated deep relationships with, they aren't machines, and any successful catch is hard won. A predator hunting its natural quarry will miss most of the time. The joy we feel is in the experience of watching an eagle truly get to be an eagle. As an example, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (the primary agency dedicated to wildlife management in the US) acknowledges and understands this, and as such, American falconers have their own extended game seasons that reflect this negligible impact on game populations and allows them to maximize the quality of life of their falconry birds.

The golden eagle falconry of Scotland is unique to the world. I will continue to come to Scotland as long as I can experience one of the greatest expressions of our global falconry heritage: a golden eagle soaring in the highlands, with its falconer below. It would be a tremendous loss, on many levels, for Scotland's iconic landscapes to lose its falconers. Falconry has been inadvertently swept up in this legislation, and speaking from experience where new US legislation has done similar, we have been able to get falconry exemptions without any negativity or backlash. Falconry enjoys a very positive public perception both in the US and UK.