A FALCONRY THREAD!!!

[HeritageGoose13]

Falconry, along with other forms of hunting, is one of the most ancient sports known to mankind. It has been around since at least 2000 BC, perhaps earlier. It is found all over planet Earth.





edited to add: when you click on this last picture you get a long paragraph, I did not write it and am not sure how it got there! It must have been in the pictures files.

 

[TheBantyCoop]

Rides2far,

Glad to hear good feedback regarding My Side of the Mountain! I have been wanting to read it of a while now, but first I am going to finish H is for Hawk and some other books I am working on.
It is also great to hear that the book inspired the children to do more research in falconry, it is not quite so popular as it once was. It's always fantastic to see children taking interest in anything regarding the natural world!

-El

 

[TheBantyCoop]

Sourland,

Thats incredible! What a wonderfully rare experience! I see a whole lot of red tails where I live, but I have never seen a white one. Quite rare indeed! Do you have any photos?

-El

 

[TheBantyCoop]

HeritageGoose13,

Yeah falconry is an old practice, and it has defiantly ingrained its way into several cultures.

Thanks for the comments

-El

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Here is a great song about falconry with many pictures:

 

[TheBantyCoop]

Cool song!

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Very cool thread....

I have a similar experience with that book! I read it when I was a kid, I than read it again and again lol it has a sequel called hatchet if I remember correctly. I have always been intrigued and facinated with falconry. This winter one wound up in one of my traps and I had the pleasure of seeing it up close, it was a young red tail just like in the video. With out a doubt one of the coolest animals I have ever seen up close. The eyes on those birds are amazing. I released it with out issue and it's wasn't hurt at all. After I let it go it just hung out awhile with me that was also pretty cool.

I would love to train a bird someday, I think the logistics would be difficult in the winter though.

 

[TheBantyCoop]

Interesting experience, I am that the hawk was ok. When I start I think that I would go with a young red-tail, just like the one you caught! They are supposed to be the best starter birds because they occasionally partake in cooperative hunting, or hunting in groups. I have also read that Harris Hawks and Buzzards are good starters , but I don't know too much about those. Everyone I have met around my area says great things about red-tails, so they are favorite of the starters!

Here is a link to a harris hawk group hunt! It is not the video I was looking for, but it 's not that bad. The narrator claims that the harris hawks are the only social raptors, but I have heard that red tails partake in similar practices.

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/hawk_harris?source=relatedvideo

 

[HeritageGoose13]

More pictures:

 

[TheBantyCoop]

I love the first one! ORNATE HAWKS ARE AMAZING!!