Who Stole the Falcons?

California's peregrine falcons are rarer than giant condors. Only about a dozen of them have been sighted in the whole state. So when two fledglings hatched in a nest near the top of a sheer, 580-ft. rock on Morro Bay, neighborhood Bird Watchers Vernon Davy and his wife organized a round-the-clock vigil. But falconers, who want the birds for hunting, were also on the alert.

Early this month two of them slipped past the bird watchers and climbed the peak, only to be arrested on the way down. The fledglings were returned to their nest. A second raid was organized by a three-man team of falconers equipped with climbing ropes and walkie-talkies. Although two of the climbers were caught, the third escaped with the birds. The two thieves were arraigned last week and face penalties of $1000 in fines and one year in jail. But Mrs. Davy was disconsolate. "We are sick and can't eat," she said. "Those birds were part of the family."

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