Thanks to the Emirates Falconers Club, TAF was able to host a special visit by 153 falconers and guests from 34 countries for a preview of the wing during the annual meeting of the International Association for Falconry and Preservation of Birds of Prey (IAF). The visit was coordinated by falconer and Peregrine Fund General Counsel Frank Bond after stepping down as IAF Vice President, and by Bill Johnston who replaced him in that position.

Acquisition of historical materials remains a primary mission. Robert Bagley continued his program of transferring two more of the magnificent Gyrfalcon paintings by Andrew Ellis. Dr. Bill Cornatzer generously responded to our plea for contemporary American falconry memorabilia with a painting by Jon Wilde depicting their long-standing North Dakota hawking camp. Look close and you’ll recognize more than one of the figures represented there. Robert Berry provided the original of Bob Katona’s painting of a Peregrine on behalf of the North American Raptor Breeders Association. This painting was the first reproduced in a print series to raise funds for that organization.

David Wells has completed his first year as the Archives Administrator and has fulfilled all our hopes in his employment. Part of our expansion of The Archives has included adding and rearranging storage cabinets allowing for additional storage, exemplifying David’s organizational skills. John Swift continues to add rare and unusual books to The Archives, acquiring volumes not likely to be donated in the future. John and Robin Parks completely reorganized the falcon hood collection (now  over 600), making the collection more “user-friendly.” Kathleen Orlenko continues to provide technical conservation advice and assistance for the stored materials. Phil Bucher, Vicki Swift, Natalie Nicholson, and Kellie Cosho assisted in preparations for the opening of the new wing.

The Archives will continue to expand its internet and digital capabilities and improve its communications network; volunteers to help with cataloguing and conservation are always welcome. Funding is an ever-present requirement; a program for developing TAF’s Endowment Fund is in the offing.

Staff

Founding Curator/ Archivist, S. Kent Carnie; Curator of Books and Manuscripts, John R. Swift; Administrator, David Wells; Research/Editorial Associate, William G. Mattox; Research Associates: Paul Beecroft UK), Peter Devers, Harrie Knol (Neth), Patrick Morel (Belg), Natalie Nicholson; and Graphics Associates, Seth Anthony (UK), Don Garlock, Jim Hansen, and Jim Stabler.

Cooperators

Special assistance was received from H.H. Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Robert Bagley, Robert B. Berry, William A. Burnham (Est.), S. Kent Carnie, Conoco Phillips, William Cornatzer, Charles de Ganay, Emirates Falconers Club, Walter C. Hill and Family Foundation, Walter A. Huston, Ross and Genny Matteson, Michael and Sally Melvill, Patrick Morel, Jim and Karin Nelson, Morlan W. Nelson (Est.), North American Falconers Assn., North American Raptor Breeders Assn., Oregon Falconers Assn., Pennsylvania Falconry and Hawk Trust, Joan B. Shor, Scott Struthers, Steve Stuebner, John and Vicki Swift, Brian Walton, Pete and Lucy Widener.

TAF-Heritage Publications Series

Heritage - The Archives of Falconry Newsletter

At the ends of our fiscal years (Sept 30) The Archives of Falconry produces a newsletter entitled Heritage to inform its donors and supporters of the accomplishments of the previous year as well as of upcoming activities.  Also included in the newsletter is the list of the items in our annual book auction.  These are duplicate books, which have been donated by Archives supporters and made available for sale to raise additional funds for the work of The Archives.  The Heritage newsletter and the auction list are mailed each fall to Archives contributors.  If you want to receive the newsletter and auction list please Email your mailing address to The Archives at TAF@peregrine fund.org.

Col. Thornton Exhibit

Colonel Thomas Thornton was perhaps the most flamboyant sportsman and falconer of Britain's 18th century.  The stories of his sporting exploits are legend and chronicled in his books of his sojourns to Scotland, England and France.  He died penniless and most of his estate was sold in his latter years leaving very few physical items for the public to view.  His famed house Thornville Royal was torn down several years after he sold it and very little evidence remains in Yorkshire where he once lived.  For falconers, the most famous piece of his falconry ephemera is a silver-gilt tea urn presented to him in 1781 by the members of The Confederate Hawks of Great Britain, which he founded and managed for nine years.  It was last seen by the public at an exhibition of sporting Art at the London's Grosvenor Gallery in 1890.  The urn was held in the estate of the Earl of Orford until its recent acquisition and generous donation to our Archives by Patrons Bob and Carol Berry.  The Urn is on display at The Archives together with several of his art works and publications.

News

Periodically the Archives publishes information about activities and events which it is conducting or in which it is participating.  This news may have been printed elsewhere but provides important and up-to-date information to those interested in The Archives of Falconry not able to learn of it elsewhere.  It has been made available here:

The Archives of Falconry featured in International Falconer magazine.

International Falconer editor Seth Anthony visited the Archives of Falconry in November 2004 after attending the NAFA field meet in Amarillo, Texas.  He published an article about The Archives of Falconry along with several outstanding photographs in Issue 23 and has allowed us to post it so that we may share it with interested supporters.  Note the article and photographs are copyrighted and intended for personal viewing only.