Forest Falconry

[tenbears10]

I think this is the right part of the forum. I did a full day course with forest falconry yesterday. The voucher was a christmas present ages a ago but it took a while for me to get time to book it.

It was a fantastic day the approach is really hands on. we started with a small barn owl flying from a perch to your glove and moved through most of the 10 or so birds that are on site. The power and speed of the hawks and falcons is breathtaking. there were on 2 clients in the morning and only me in the afternoon so I got 1 on 1 tuition. Keith was a mine of information and had a vast knowledge of the whole subject of falconry and birds of prey.

The birds are fed on dead chicks so it is possibly not for the squeamish. The afternoon was hunting based out in the New Forest and again seeing what the harris hawk could do and how she followed us closely but up in the branches for a good view was great.

I would recommend the course to anyone interested in birds of prey and I'm seriously considering going again. Keith is having a lot of hassel getting planning permission for a couple of new aviaries on his land and could do with as much support as he can get so if any of you have thought about something like this give it a go.

If you have seen a display at game shows this is so much better and up close. Just be careful, by the end of the day you find yourself asking what exactly is involved in keeping a bird yourself. It is not as expensive as you might think.

Bill

 

[Stuart]

Just be careful, by the end of the day you find yourself asking what exactly is involved in keeping a bird yourself. It is not as expensive as you might think.

I know exactly what you mean, I went to a course earlier this year, now i own and fly a young male harris hawk called Torin

 

[tenbears10]

Well done Stuart. Did you have any other experience before the course? The 4 year old female harris we took out in the afternoon was amazing. The speed of their reactions and thinking time is unbelievable.

Bill

 

[Kim]

What a beautiful photo.

 

[Lurch]

It's a handsome bird!
I'd love to do falconry, but I just don't have the time and commitment required for a bird.

 

[Stuart]

Well done Stuart. Did you have any other experience before the course? The 4 year old female harris we took out in the afternoon was amazing. The speed of their reactions and thinking time is unbelievable.

Bill

I had no experience before the course, i spent a LOT of time researching afterwards though and got help from the people who ran the course

it takes a lot of work to train a 20 week old captive bred hawk who has never seen people to accept you and hunt with you, but its worth it when you watch them hunt

 

[tenbears10]

Yeah I can see the work involved and having done some dog training I know how long a process it is to train an animal. Dogs are less likely to scratch your eyes out if you annoy them as well

Bill

 

[Stuart]

or disapper over the horizon!!!!! :shock:

 

[tenbears10]

The guy running the course had a falcon with a tracking device and when it went in the past it covered 22 miles in 45 minutes. From the New forest it got to the other side of Dorset. That makes for quite a drive and you hope it is still there when you get there. He lost one or two totally in the past. Expensive mistake.

Bill

 

[falcon]

If you fancy a nice read on the subject during the long dark nights try and obtain a copy of "The Goshawk" by T H White (he also wrote The Once and Future King upon which the film Camelot was based - okay, I'm showing my age). I think the book was written in the 1940's when he was a master at Stowe School but its very well written and atmospheric.

 

[tenbears10]

Thanks Falcon. Good signature by the way

Bill

 

[Stew]

The girlfriends father is into falconry. At the moment he has a Harris Hawk but he lost a bird when foot and mouth was just starting. The bird took a pheasant and wouldn't return to him.
When he wanted to return to try and find it the next day, he wasn't able to because of access restrictions

He's never seen the bird since but it's probably doing ok on it's own.

 

[tenbears10]

I think if you fly them long enough you will lose one just down to bad luck.

Bill

 

[Paganwolf]

if you are worried about losing your bird buy yourself a telemetry set costs a few quid but if your flying expensive birds or you cant bear to lose them they are worth it, ive seen a friend of mines lanner hit a thermal and spec out, it was like wacky races till we caught up with it :rolmao:

 

[Stew]

if you are worried about losing your bird buy yourself a telemetry set costs a few quid but if your flying expensive birds or you cant bear to lose them they are worth it, ive seen a friend of mines lanner hit a thermal and spec out, it was like wacky races till we caught up with it :rolmao:

Just been talking to the girlfriends father and this came up in conversation. Apparently they were using a telemetry set but they hadn't switched it on!! :shock:

A nice learning experience...

 

[hootchi]

I did a falconry day with Jon Marshall. Hunting with the harris hawks in the morning, i caught a pheasant, then flying the peregrin falcons on the cliffs in the afternoon. AWESOME

 

[bushman762]

Stuart Hi, I've been reading up for sometime now on Hawking and contacted some people on the web, but so far no one appears to have any that lives close by me.

I really fancy trying my hand at this as I've had an interest since I was a lad, I'm thinking about a FHH perhaps a 2007 bird, its difficult to find a reputable breeder.

Have you any pics of your mews? could you share with me your experince of training a young bird? did you make any of your own equipment? can you post a few pics and give any advice? sorry so many questions, but I felt sure there would be someone living close to me that had a similar interest, and I could pick their brains and experience.

Best Regards,

 

[dean2]

Hi Guys,
though i havent hunted a bird for about 5 years now, due to lack of time(very time consuming) i have been a falconer since the age of 11, taught by my dad,
Harris hawks are a good bird to start with, they are known as the falconers dog, as they are gregarious and hunt in family groups in the wild, but i always preferred to hunt a male red tailed buzzard.
so if i can help feel free to contact me, though i may be a little rusty!

Dean

 

[faff]

Stuart Hi, I've been reading up for sometime now on Hawking and contacted some people on the web, but so far no one appears to have any that lives close by me.

I really fancy trying my hand at this as I've had an interest since I was a lad, I'm thinking about a FHH perhaps a 2007 bird, its difficult to find a reputable breeder.

Have you any pics of your mews? could you share with me your experince of training a young bird? did you make any of your own equipment? can you post a few pics and give any advice? sorry so many questions, but I felt sure there would be someone living close to me that had a similar interest, and I could pick their brains and experience.

Best Regards,

hi I have a female harris hawk.from what I understand in Ireland its quite hard to obtain a bird of pray.hh are easy to train took me 7days till I had her flying free.but I would do a course before you even consider getting a bird.they take a lot of your time and money.if you want an 07 bird you want to get moving I would wait till 08 now buy the time you get every thing going mews,equipment and experince.but 07 could be done.ill put some pics up for you.

feel free to pm me. matt

 

[bushman762]

Thanks guys...would like to see pics of the mews, and basic equipment, home made if possible...and of course some of the birds at work. I've been trying to track down a mentor near home, the closest is about an hours drive away, though I do plan to go see them next weekend.

Best Regards,