The scenery is lunar. If it wasn't for the sea, it would look like a desert of rock and sand: Giant columns of grey and rust-coloured rock, suspended in the azure water; rock lattices, fragile and almost flimsy, rocks which seem alive, fiery tongues which light up at sunset. Disquieting in form and colour, the scenery of the western coast of Isola di San Pietro is softened by the aroma and colours of the mediterranean macchia and in the flight of the falcon over a crystal sea.
When there is a storm, the sea and the wind beat violently upon the rocks. The falcons remain above, a few metres from the jagged edges of volcanic cliffs: They resist the stinging Mistral, resting suspended on air, almost immobile, the tailfeathers raised and the wings partially furled for minimum wind resistence. Rolling to the side, they dip and return on high without moving a wing, letting air ripple through their shining plumage.
I didn't know the Queen's falcon well. For two summers I have been able to admire it here, in this island off the south-west of Sardinia, where a permanent colony of this rare and threatened species lives. The Queen's falcon, or Eleonora's falcon (so named in honour of the medieval giudicessa Eleonora d'Arborea), is a little and elegant falcon which lives in groups of up to around 150 individuals. In spring, after having wintered in Madagascar and other islands of the Indian Ocean, it comes to the Mediterranean in order to reproduce. This journey of thousands of kilometres finally ends on sea cliffs and rocky outcrops. The settlement of the colony and the egg-laying don't take place until all the other birds of prey have concluded their reproductive cycle.
These falcons, which for the rest of the year live mainly off insects, can benefit in this period (between the end of the summer and autumn) from the huge numbers of different types of sparrows which, tired and weakened by the long flight, are on their way south along the usual migratory routes. The Queen's falcons can prey on them just when they most need abundant food for their young. The eggs have been laid directly on the ground, in a hole or a niche, and they hatch around mid-August. The couple's activity becomes frenetic at this point: While the female stays by the nest to take care of the fledglings and protect them from the heat of the sun, the male is at sea, busy hunting. Every time a falcon returns triumphant to the rocks with a catch, the scene immediately comes alive; other falcons leave the the rocky walls and hurl themselves at the unfortunate hunter, in attempt to snatch his prey. At times it can be a quite a task to bring home a morsel.
A reaction yet more pronounced occurs when a potential predator, be it a buzzard, a seagull or an imperial crow should approach the colony. The falcons unite in defence of their territory and throw themselves in breathtaking nosedives at the intruder, forcing him to make a retreat. It is on these occasions that the strength of the group can be appreciated, and the many benefits of communal living. Advantages which go beyond defence from predators. In the hunt, the Queen's falcons frequently adopt group strategies: arranging themselves against the wind at various heights along the cliffs, forming a kind of barrier for the migratory birds heading south.
In the days of high wind the falcons prove their agility on the wing. It is a spectacle seeing them perform acrobatics composed of very long dives towards the cliffs, sudden rises, and sharp turns. Often they glide lightly along the top of the cliff, in immobile suspension, carried on the wind. Watch at this moment the movement of the head and the scintillation of the vigilant and penetrating eyes. The exhibitions on the wing are sometimes so elaborate and unpredictable that you can't help wondering if it is brought on by pure exhibitionism.
The life of the falcons of the cliffs is not without peril. The fury of the storms can cause grave losses of nests and also be perilous for the adults. If the nest is not well protected, eggs and young can be swept away by a gust of wind, but even on calmer days there is a danger of accidents. To the winged predators can also be added rats and cats, and sometimes the nests are not located in a particularly secure position.
A dark male and his lighter-coloured mate had a nest with two chicks. The couple had chosen to nest on a rocky niche well protected but with a steeply sloping floor. One day, watching through a telescope, we noticed that one of the chicks had disappeared, and that at that very moment the second one was sliding slowly but inexorably toward the blue. The mother was right beside him and seemed unable to react. A rapid decision was required. It wasn't easy to reach the nest, breathless and in fear of not arriving in time: the chick was already on the edge of the overhang. I retrieved it and carefully placed it in the internal part of the niche. The mother had moved 5 metres away, more curious and worried than shocked, and watched me while I picked up some little pebbles and placed them next to each other in such a way as to at least partly block the dangerous "slide". I removed myself and returned to my observation point. The mother had returned to the nest and was looking after the chick. We decided to give him a name: Beniamino. Two days later however, Beniamino had also disappeared; I can imagine his fate, against which my little wall had had little effect.
Almost inexplicable are the episodes of abandoned broods, which can even happen in perfectly safe and inaccessible places . Perhaps it is sterile eggs, or maybe failure of inexpert couples. Or, more simply, the result of adverse environmental conditions.
Last year, the good weather conditions and the lack of Mistral had a negative influence on the presence of the small birds usually preyed on by falcons: food became scarse and only the most able and expert couples managed to keep the "larder" stocked.
Not long ago, the Queen's falcon also had to deal with a threat from man. Poachers raided nests and put the existence of this beautiful bird of prey at risk on Isola di San Pietro.
Today the colony, made up of about one hundred couples, can count on a praiseworthy work of protection activated in 1980 by the LIPU (Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli), through summer workcamps for study and surveillance in which lots of young Italians and foreigners participate every year. Thus, the Queen's falcons can continue to enliven this part of the coast, thrilling us with the magic illusion of their flight, and living on, suspended in that border world set between sea, land and sky.
by Agnese Lussu
Eleanora's falcon is about 40 cm long and has a wingspan of 110 - 130 cm. It is doubtlessly the most elegant and acrobatic bird of prey in the Mediterranean but is also extremely rare, on the list of endangered species: There are no more than 4 or 5,000 in the world, spread over various colonies in the Mediterranean.
This falcon can be found in two colours, independent of age or sex: One (the rarer), completely dark or slate-grey and the other lighter with a reddish tint and white chest and cheeks.
The falcons arrive at nesting site in late spring but don't lay until summer, usually 2 or 3 eggs directly on the sand earth which is found in a rocky niche and cavities on the cliff-face. Brooding lasts about 28 days and is mainly done by the female while the male provides food. Also after the eggs hatch, the female spends a lot of time at the nest to protect and feed the young until they learn feed themselves from what their father brings. When they are a month old, the young can leave the nest and make their first short flights. Between the end of October and November, both adults and young by now independent, direct themselves south to go to Madagascar and other islands where they'll spend the winter.
In 1991 thanks to an agreement between Cagliari council, Carloforte council and LIPU, the OASI CARLOFORTE was set up on the north west of Isola San Pietro. LIPU itself, in collaboration with the province of Cagliari, organises every year from the beginning of August to the beginning of October a field survey of the falcons. The participants, who must be over 18 years old, survey the colony and follow excursions along the cliffs; with binoculars the observe the daily life of the colony and count and take notes on their behaviour. The stay can be of one or more weeks, sleeping in tents.
For further information, contact:
LIPU Delegazione Provinciale di Cagliari Via Sant'Antionio 57 09045 Quartu Sant'Elena Tel: 070 812549