falcon

Hunting birds used by warriors and knights.

First learned by a page, falconry or "hawking" was a major part of learning to
hunt. A page would have to learn the difference between falcons, how to
train a falcon to attack, how to feed them, and how to call them. From then
on, a knight would know how to use a hawk for hunting, a favorite sport of
the knights. Hawks are kept hooded in order to keep them calm. In
addition, bells are put on the birds feet to help find birds that stray

                        Falconry is the art and sport of training birds of prey to hunt in their natural habitat.
      The main objective of the falconer is to train a bird to return to the fist when called, and then to train the
      bird to hunt with the falconer. Falconry is called a sport because it is a type of hunting and it is often
      referred to as an art because some of the interaction with the bird, and interpretation of the bird's
      behavior, is based on intuition.
      Falconry was a sport practiced by the Arabic and Asian peoples and did not come to the Europeans
      until after 800 AD. At that time it was practiced primarily by the nobility, with each rank of nobility only
      being able to use a certain species of bird for falconry. Although some of the lower classes were allowed
      to use certain species. The yeoman had access to goshawks and sparrowhawks, the holy water clerk
      was allowed to train male sparrowhawks, and pages were allowed a kestrel. Falcons and most birds of
      prey were protected because they were valued as hunting companions. Only the nobility were able to
      hunt on the land owned by the king. Anything which hunted on the kings land was put to death this applied
      to humans as well as predatory animals. With the invention of the firearm the falcon lost its position as a
      hunting companion and became just another predatory animal. The falcon was no longer protected and
      instead was shot on sight.

Many falcons were used in a sport called falconry. Falconry started in ancient China and Persia. Soon
falconry was popular in ancient Egypt. About 1000 years later falconry was still popular. During the
middle ages only the Counts and Earls used Peregrine Falcons. Ladyships would use Merlins.
The male falcon is called a Tercel by falconers. Female falcons are simply called Falcons by the falconers.

Falconry
History

Hunting with birds of prey probably originated with the nomadic peoples of the Asiatic plains. The nomads used their tame falcons to help procure the food necessary for survival, in perhaps one of the first methods of

hunting ever used by man.

Later, falconry developed into a sport, and this fascinating co-operation between man and bird is one of the oldest of all open-air pastimes.

Falconry has long been regarded as a noble art. The falconer was seen as a figure of authority - mounted on his horse, surrounded by his hunting companions and with his falcon descending from the sky to rest on his hand. As he controlled his falcon, so he controlled his territory.

Throughout history the falcon has been the symbol of high birth and luxury, and its care and training have always been given particular importance. It is known as a superlative hunter, and is particularly valuable in the desert, where climatic conditions are extreme and no protection from the elements is available. Here, the falcon can pursue its prey from a great distance, and with a speed and accuracy second to none. It is no wonder that the desert nomads have always appreciated the stamina and hunting instincts of the falcon. The Bedouin people in particular used this bird to hunt game, which provided an important and nutritious
addition to an otherwise monotonous diet.

                                             The chief falconer is highly respected, as he is responsible
                                             for the birds' daily training and care. The falcon requires
                                             much human contact and careful attention on a daily basis, or
                                             it will quickly grow wild and therefore unreliable. When
                                             hunting, an experienced falconer drives his bird ahead to
                                             pursue the prey, following at speed to ensure that he is on the
                                             spot within a few seconds of the falcon's landing of the game.
                                             It is essential that the falcon's talons are well placed in theprey
                                             before it lands.

The falconer also needs to ensure that there is no fighting between the falcon and its prey, to avoid injury to either bird. The falcon is less skilful on the ground than it is in flight and may lose its courage when confronted with a larger bird.

Finally, the falconer must be present to ensure that the game is killed.

In falconry, the splendid gyrfalcon (falco rutsticolus) is much prized for its size and the handsome appearance of its grey-white plumage. The peregrine falcon has darker, brown-and-cream plumage, and can pursue its prey at a tremendous rate, often achieving speeds of over 200km/h, making it the fastest of all living creatures.
The peregrine falcon has been threatened with extinction, but as a result of intensive research by falconers, it is now being successfully bred in captivity, and its numbers are again increasing.

The conservation of these noble birds ensures that the sight of a falcon soaring upward from his master's hand will always be a breathtaking and unforgettable experience.

Training falcons and hawks

revised by Tamboura in March 2000

Use a hood, smaller birds have a much higher metabolism and the hood has a calming effect that insures their health. It is eye opening to see these smaller birds consume nearly two or three times the caloric intake of a larger bird and lose weight. Every bird that one has the pleasure to train should be a learning experience for the austringer while the utmost care in taken to insure the proper health of your new partner.

My falcon sat hooded for several days before her hood was removed for the first time. This bit of training technique is as old as falconry. The ancients would seal the birds’ eyes. I fed only one-third of the merlin’s meal bareheaded the other two-thirds being consumed through the hood . This bit of slyness keeps the bird excited about the hood. If you feed your bird up completely, then put on a hood, they get wise. After several days you will have used the hood to reinforce the END of the meal. Not a good idea if you wish to use the hood on your hawk. By feeding the larger portion of your meal through the hood you encourage the bird to hood and then feed up. It makes a difference.

Any annoyance or danger caused by a poor fitting hood is worse than no hood. The falcon will sit on the perch moments after being removed from the trap; at any time the hood can be replaced and the bird is immediately calmed. The one word of warning is that you must have a proper fitting I believe the hood is a requisite for the smaller, more nervous birds now that I have seen proven benefits from using one. You can introduce the bird to food without a lot of excitement; she will sit on the perch moments after being removed from the trap; at any time the hood can be replaced and the bird is immediately
calmed.

Before moving outside your falcon must have flown to the glove hundreds of time indoors. Another training plus is eating with constant movement and people around. Before my falcon ever had her first free flight, she had consumed many quails indoors on her perch. While I did not think of this as positive training at the time, when she began to catch her first wild game I recognize how beneficial it was. She never attempted to carry no matter how far away she made a kill, nor how small the quarry was that she caught.

She would leave the fist when she got ready and fly to who knows where, but we never made a kill. She
chased many times but I could tell she was only playing and not serious about killing. Fortunately for me, she was well trained to the lure and with a shout and swing of the lure, she would be on her way back from half a mile away.

Not wanting to risk spooking the feeding birds which where on the ground,
flying to and from the trees and everywhere else, I took, the hood off my falcon, stuck my arm out and waited. I did not have to wait long. My falcon bobbed her head once or twice and bolted. She flew past every near bird and chose one farthest away. Well just as the starling saw her coming, it tried to fly. The fellow got
about two feet off the ground before my falcon slammed him back to the ground. She seemed to know that I was there to pick her up so she immediately killed the starling with the infamous bite to the neck. I sat still for a while allowing her to pluck and begin to eat her quarry. While she ate I attached her leash, then picked her up, while she finished her meal.

I flew her everyday that her weight allowed (usually daily) and she never missed. There were several slippery chases that required some aerial stunt flying you would have to see to believe.

My falcon sat in the middle of my home on a weighted bow perch. She ate all of her meals there whenever she didn't fly to the glove for it.