How do people describe falconry?
Many people don’t know it exists. They think it is a fantasy. These women build relationships with their birds and develop long-lasting partnerships. These hawks are only 3 years old when they are trapped. This is because they are all juveniles. They have some hunting experience and basic skills before they reach 3. They are taken in by their trainers. [they]Give them 5-star food and Olympic-level training. These women share their lives with the birds, but they don’t love them. Falcons are not pets, but they know that they are a part of their lives and will provide food for them. They also trust this person. They are training these birds to hunt and asking them if they would like to work with you to hunt prey.
There are many people doing this in New England. I chose to focus on women. I come from a large, female-oriented family and I feel much more comfortable around women. They have become good friends over the years. It’s not just something I do on Sunday mornings.
How do I train a bird?
A newly trapped bird is usually afraid of humans so it is important to earn their trust and ease their fears.
The first step in training a bird-of-prey is the most difficult: They must eat from the falconer’s glove. They must remain calm and composed, even if they have a piece meat on their glove. Before the bird eats, it must be thoroughly examined to determine if it is healthy, hungry, or starving. To allow the bird to eat from the gloves, they must expose their necks and make a leap of faith with the human. The bird is used taking its food and running to find safe places to eat. Wild animals can be dangerous so the bird is accustomed to this. This bird has started to trust humans and feel comfortable.
They then move on to hopping or stepping onto a glove and to flying 15 feet away with a short leash. Then they progress to free-flying which is a significant moment in their falconerbird relationship. It is a leap in faith that they make their first jump off the glove. They’re gone. It’s beautiful that the hawks can have their freedom while working with falconers and choose to return. It’s also trust from falconers. The birds can live their own lives. Most falconers release the birds after a while. The birds continue to do what is best for them, which is to hunt for food and reproduce.
It is nice to see falconers doing only what is natural, but doing it alongside humans. They must be so generous to falconers that they become wildlife experts, trainers, and trappers in return.
Falconers are not allowed to trap juvenile Hawks in order to protect the breeding population. The juvenile hawks are not allowed to be trapped. Rate of mortalityFrom 60% to 80%. Rodenticide, also known as rat poison, is a major risk. Car strikes are another big danger. Many falconers hate the latter and advocate against it. It can disrupt entire ecosystems. Falconers can keep young hawks safe and in good physical condition until they are ready to reenter nature and search for mates. This helps to ensure future generations of raptors.
