S
ince the day I met Myron back in June of 1987 I knew he would
show me a world that even I had never dreamed of. The Birds…
Although we did lots of cool stuff like snowboarding, going to
the lake, sailing the lake circuit and The Bay Area on our J-22 we
eventually did some racing and did pretty well. Later there was
also windsurfing and surfing. Myron even started shaping surfboards. He
was quite the artist. He also had a passion for finding gold too. Actually that
was his job, a real job, Gold Mining. He worked in mining, drilling and gold
recovery for over 37 years and loved it.
His real passion was for the birds… He was into falconry at such a young
age. It seems so many of the old school falconers came from the same area in
Southern California.
After watching Myron and Dave Myers fly their birds I became thrilled
with birds and falconry. So I started reading
everything I could. Myron had the patience
of a saint teaching me about the birds of prey
and falconry, while I was just learning the
understanding of falconry. It was the exploring
of falconry and birds of prey that led us on
many journeys and kept pushing all of us to
achieve new levels. We shared our experiences
of trapping, training, flying & hunting our
falcons with friends whether on a local level,
at CHC meets or traveling to different states to
club meets and NAFA meets (Utah, Wyoming,
Kansas and Texas) to name a few. The knowledge
gained from studying the different prey, their
habitat and hunting led to so many good stories.
Scouting the game was just as exciting as flying.
There was always so much excitement with the highest flight, the flush, the
hottest pursuit, the sizzle of the stoop and the pursuit of the different game
and game caught.
We hunted upland game with our falcon Sultan, a Gyr x Saker from Dave
Jamieson and our GSP Ruby locally in the Rice Fields in Northern California,
Utah, Wyoming, Kansas and Texas. Ruby became a pro at the game. She could
hold a point for so long whatever it took. There were even a few falconers
that got to fly over her. There is nothing better when you’re in the field with
friends all with birds on their fists all with their dogs and your dog goes on
point and it’s your turn to fly. “Put your bird up Janey” Myron would whisper.
Strike the braces, take the hood off and so the flight begins. It was like an
orchestra out there. Those were such good times shared by all.
Myron was always thinking of new ways to improve high flying training
and equipment for all of our birds and became a master at that as well.
We would train 10 or 11 birds all by 10 o’clock. With all
that combined knowledge always improving the birds
performance we were eventually successful with our high
flying falcon, a Gyr x Peregrine, Cane from Dave Jamieson
at the CHC Sky Trials over the years. There were so many
good falconers and high flying falcons.
Myron was also into the little bird flying with his Peregrine,
Jag from Jimmy Adamson. There were lots of good flights.
Myron was truly a good person, husband and friend with a
heart of gold and we all did so many fun things together. I
think it was really all about the journey and as I look back
at all the different times shared with Myron, our friends
and family I see how he always had a smile on his face, you
couldn’t help but smile back too… Peace, Janey Rand
In Loving Memory of Myron Rand
February 9, 1954 – June 18, 2021
“Myron was a happy
guy. He enjoyed life
and all that it offered.
He had fun with
everything he did. It’s
true you can’t think of
him without smiling.”
-Cindy Rand Siegfried, Myron’s sister
IN MEMORY OF MY BROTHER
by Cindy Rand Siegfried
and on behalf of Myron’s brothers: Tim and Kent Rand.
My brother, Myron Rand. How do you describe Myron or
say his name without smiling?
Myron was a happy guy. He enjoyed life and all that it oered. As his
wife, Janey, said, “Myron had a zest for life.”
Myron was born on February 9, 1954, in Whittier, California to Wayne and
Roberta Rand. He was named after our grandfather. He grew up in the
1960’s and 70’s in southern California....an exciting time. He graduated
from Wilson High School in 1972.
There were four kids in our family: Tim, the oldest. Myron, me (Cindy),
and Kent. Growing up with three brothers and my dad certainly gave me
a thick skin with all the joking and teasing.
The Rand household was a busy one. Myron discovered birds at an early
age. I can’t remember a time when Myron did not have birds around him.
Our dad worked at a trucking company and he took us to the eet yard
one weekend where Myron trapped two pigeons. That was the start of
his birding. He built a pigeon coop and raised homing pigeons. From
there he met Dave Myers, who become our fourth brother. They were
inseparable. Sparrow hawks were part of the family. Then red tails and
a Great Horned Owl named Roi. The special “family” bird was Bubba, a
peregrine falcon who was with us for 18 years. Myron took us all ying
with him and it was always spectacular to have Bubba y close by you
and Myron yelling “Don’t move”!!!! Myron mentored our brother Kent in
falconry and they enjoyed several years ying birds together.
Myron was interested in lots of hobbies. He could ride a unicycle. He
surfed. He made surfboards. When he was in grade school he made a
parachute to see if it would slow him down on his bicycle. He took an
old sheet, painted the Batman emblem on it, and tied it to his string ray
bicycle. Down the street he went as fast as he could and he released the
parachute! It worked! He was going to try it o the roof, but our mom
stopped that.
Myron made a balsa wood airplane. Spent several weeks on it and it
involved lots of details and tissue paper for the wings. We all went to an
area of clis for the big launch. Myron tossed the big plane; it ew for
about 15 seconds till it hit the ground. It was an exciting attempt!
Myron was the cool dude. We went to high school together and he
would drive me home from school, which was pretty cool when you’re a
lowly freshman. He would take me to the beach with him,to Huntington
or Newport, to relax while he surfed. I joined in when he would go trap
a new falcon or y a bird. Myron took me to the Wardman Theater in
Whittier when I was 14 to watch Woodstock, the Movie! Myron and Tim
would hang out at the beach and surf or boogie board, and they “cruised
down Whittier Boulevard”!
Our family moved to Grass Valley in 1971 and Myron joined us in 1973
after graduating from high school. I had the cool, surfer brother with
long, blond hair, AND he was a falconer! All of a sudden, I had lots of
girlfriends, trying to meet Myron!
Myron had a VW bus and lots of us played all over Nevada County. We
went to the Yuba River, Cascade Shores, Greenhorn Creek. Lots of
parties, bonres, dancing; all while listening to Crosby, Still and Nash,
Grand Funk Railroad, and the Guess Who. Myron made lifelong friends
wherever he went.
Myron worked in the gold elds and for local mining companies.
He worked with Pete Siegfried and they were good buddies. I was
introduced to Pete and his two kids, Amber and Jake, and we married in
1987. Myron taught Jake how to snowboard. For several ski seasons,
Pete, Jake and Myron went every week to Boreal to hit the slopes.
Through all the years, Myron had a ball. Marrying Janey gave him his
special best friend and they continued to y birds, sail, surf, and enjoy
each other for many years!
Myron was a kick. It’s true you can’t think of him without smiling. He
had fun with everything he did. He made a game out of everything. Our
friend, when learning of Myron’s recent passing, said “I always wished I
could spend just one more weekend with Myron!” Another friend, said
“No, not Myron; he represents our youth”!
We will miss Myron but will certainly smile every time we see a bird of prey
y over to say hello.
“It was the exploring of falconry and birds of prey that led us on many
journeys and kept pushing all of us to achieve new levels.” -
Janey Rand, Myron’s wife
In Memory of Myron Rand Master Falconer
by Dave Myers, originally published in the California Hawking Club Newsletter December 2021 Volume 51 Number 3
I met Myron when I was thirteen years young; we were both trying to trap the same sparrow hawk in a small eld in East LA. Since then we have been lifelong friends
in the world of falconry. Being self taught in the sport of falconry in a time of no sponsors, no captive breeding, no frozen quail delivered to your home and no internet;
we read old falconry books from England, such as: Manual of Falconry, Sport of Falconry and morphed all this into our own techniques. We went to all the California Hawking Club
meets in the early 70’s, where we absorbed falconry information from some of the early greats: Scott Frances, Mike Howl, Bob Coleman, Jimmy Adamson. A school
mate of mines Dad was Ed Harrison; a millionaire tycoon in West Hollywood. He had the world’s largest collection of raptor study skins and eggs. He had monthly get-
togethers with guest speakers, such as Brian Walton, Heinz Ming, Lloyd Ki, Ben Olandorf, Tom Cade, Carl Thelander and James Enderson. The information learned
there fueled Myron and I’s falconry excursions to places like Calgary for Merlins, Wyoming for Praire falcons and Arizona for Harris hawks. Myron was a true self-taught
man in many ways: gold mining, sailing, snowboarding and fast cars.
After Myron married Janey in 1990 we both moved from Grass Valley, where we perfected our sport to the high-ying. With high-air training leading to several rst
place nishes of sky trials with multiple falconry clubs. Myron and Janey hunted pheasants with one of the rst Gyr-Saker falcons produced by Dave Jameson and their
trusty pointer dog Ruby, this falcon lived for 28 years; Myron was old school, when you got a falcon you stuck with it and you made it the best of what it is. In closing
Myron’s memory will live on at the wall of remembrance at the falconry archives in Idaho, along with many other dedicated falconers that made a dierence in the
world of falconry.
Myron with his peregrine Jag
Sultan
Myron’s memory will
live on, along with
many other dedicated
falconcers that made
a dierence in the
world of falconry.
Ruby on Point
Dave Myers & Myron Rand with the
Big Falcons