Fascinating stuff, thank you! Please report back on your experiences as you get into falconry again. Be really neat to have a firsthand account.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon <mdixon.6...@...> wrote: > > The principles remain pretty much the same as they have for thousands of > years, but techniques to train the birds and manage them have evolved > tremendously since the 60's, when I was a kid.< We still control a bird > through it's weight and hunger response to food. But today, if a bird decides > to take off or chase another bird out of sight most falconers use telemetry > on their birds and can chase them down in a vehicle for miles and eventually > retrieve them. Another big change is that it is legal now! No longer limited > to royalty! A 2 year apprenticeship is required under a licensed falconer > helps to insure the welfare of the birds used.< Another modern feature is, > many of the birds used are now bred in captivity by falconers. This helped > restore Peregrines from near extinction and repopulate them to pre DDT > levels. The Peregrine Fund is currently breeding Aplomado Falcons and > releasing them into the wild to restore their numbers in the Southwest. There > are currently about 50 breeding pair in South Texas and another 150 captive > bred birds will be released this year in West Texas and New Mexico. It really > is an exciting time to get back into the sport. > > --- On Sat, 4/11/09, authfriend <jst...@...> wrote: > > From: authfriend <jst...@...> > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Date: Saturday, April 11, 2009, 5:18 AM > > > > > > > > > Falconry is pretty much the same as it was during > the Middle Ages, isn't it? I mean, other than things > like the hawk cam in that video, have there been any > technological or scientific advances with regard to > training hawks? Or is it just long-accumulated > experience and expertise? > > I wonder who first had the idea that a human could > train a hawk and actually managed to do it. How far > back does falconry go, do you know? > > --- In FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com, Mike Dixon <mdixon.6569@ ...> wrote: > > > > I've never read TH White but do know that Goshawks are a very intense > > raptor. They are acciptiers which are very high strung with lightening > > reflexes. They are a challenge for falconers because they are so demanding > > that you find game for them. If you don't, they will take their frustraion > > out on you! I tarined a Coopers hawk, kind of a mini Goshawk, when I was a > > kid. It nailed me in the face when it came into a keen hunting condition > > and there wasn't game available. > > > > --- On Sat, 4/11/09, authfriend <jstein@> wrote: > > > > From: authfriend <jstein@> > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam > > To: FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com > > Date: Saturday, April 11, 2009, 1:28 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com, Mike Dixon <mdixon.6569@ ...> wrote: > > > > > > Hey Marek, thanks for the hawk cam! I like to watch the > > > variuos hawking and falconry videos on you tube. I hadn't > > > seen the one you sent before. > > > > Meant to add: Have you ever read "The Sword in the Stone," > > the first volume of "The Once and Future King" by T.H. > > White? There's a haunting scene in the royal mews featuring > > an insane goshawk who has all the other birds terrified. > > > > My sister tells me that White was himself a falconer who > > tried to train a goshawk and had a terrible time. He > > wrote a book about the experience called "The Goshawk." I > > just ordered it from Amazon: > > > > http://www.amazon. com/Goshawk- York-Review- Books-Classics/ dp/1590172493/ > > ref=sr_1_ 1?ie=UTF8& s=books&qid= 1239412980& sr=8-1 > > > > http://tinyurl. com/c6yeow > > >
