Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!think.com!paperboy!hsdndev!dartvax!eleazar.dartmouth.edu!dragon From: dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Sam Conway) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Falconry: some unanswered questions thereupon. Message-ID: <1991Jan28.214012.9549@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> Date: 28 Jan 91 21:40:12 GMT References: <1991Jan28.031742.21037@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> Sender: news@dartvax.dartmouth.edu (The News Manager) Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Lines: 113 I received some mail in which a number of questions were put forth; as I imagine that there are others who may wish to know the answers, I shall post them. -- Where do the birds come from? Are they mature or immature when they are aquired? That is the point that probably creates the most uproar, unfortunately. Sometimes the birds are taken as eggs from nests; this, however, gives you an imprinted bird, which won't have very much hunting experience, and will have to be taught. Most falconers trap their birds as adults. Oh, I can hear the voices being raised already about this being a cruel thing to do. Opinions vary on this point. Just bear in mind that the birds are not trapped indiscriminately; they are carefully chosen by licensed professionals who are very careful to see that no harm comes to them. Also, if the bird cannot be "manned", it is released. There is no point in trying to get a hawk to do something that it doesn't want to do, and falconers are aware of this. -- How many falconers are there in the US? I haven't the foggiest, and couldn't even hazard a guess. Lots, in those states where the sport is legal. -- Is this (falconry) how people hunt? Yes, it is. You could call it "recreational" in that I am certain the falconer enjoys the sport, although it is first and foremost a hunting technique that goes back at least 3000 years. Traditionally, a dog would be sent out to flush the game; the falcon would then be released to strike it down, and then the man would retrieve the kill and reward both animals. If he didn't have a dog, he could use a convenient peasant. I find it interesting that in the old folk songs that I enjoy so much, the proper nobleman always has three things: a hound, a hawk, and a lady fair. Note the order with which they're usually presented! -- How long does it take from when the bird is aquired until the bird has a chance to be released unrestrained? This varies, from several weeks to several months, depending on how amenable the bird is to having the man around. Once again, if it becoms clear that the bird simply doesn't want the job, it is released again. Hawks are very singleminded; if it doesn't want to do it, it ain't gonna do it no way no how. Once the bird accepts the man, he will begin "training", meaning he'll try to entice the bird to take food from his hand. Once that is accomplished, he will either begin flying it indoors, or on a line outside. Most hawks stay with their falconer for a good long time before they decide that it's time to head off on their own, and the falconer must then obtain a new bird. -- How is the bird usually tracked once it is released? Traditionally, bells would be tied to the bird's tail with a thin string. Hawks, particularly the accipiters, shake their tails quite often, so the bells would ring and let the man know where the bird has gone, if he has lost sight of it. This doesn't work if he's out of earshot, though, and after a while, through preening, the bird will lose the bells anyway. These days, particularly rich falconers use a tiny radio transmitter attached to the hawk; again, this has a range, and once out of that range, it's the hawk's decision whether he wants to return or not. -- Is there anything on the legs? The traditional "jess" was a leather thong tied around the hawk's leg. This might or might not get in the way if they hawk escaped, though. Today, the Almeyrie (gads, how DO you spell that??) jess is used. It is a single leather loop with a metal ring set in it that goes around the bird's leg; a leash is then attached to it. This way, if the bird gets away, it only has a little leather bracelet, which it can show off to the lady-birds at sleazy avian bars. These are used during training, and also while travelling to keep the hawk from falling off the man's arm. (hey, try to keep your balance if you're hooded!) -- Once you find the (escaped) bird, how do you try to get it back? You either trap it, if it's dumb enough to fall for that again, or you write it off. If the hawk doesn't want to come back to you, it isn't going to. -- Are there problems with people selling birds to each other, or other people/countries, and if so, is this legal or not? There is a problem with this, and it is highly, HIGHLY illegal! No bird of prey can be sold, no matter what the circumstances, to ANYONE, and if anyone is doing it, you'd better hope the Feds find you before I do! *calming down* There is still a problem with the illegal sale of peregrine falcons, which still are very much endangered in this country, to foreigners, particularly in the Middle East. "Falcon Gate", as it is being called by some, was recently lauched by USFWS, and resulted in the arrest of a very prominent American falconer and well-known author on the subject, who sold an immature peregrine to an undercover agent posing as an Arab prince. Remember...even if you, like myself, can't abide seeing a healthy bird kept in captivity, just bear in mind that the bird kept by a falconer is kept mostly of its own will, and is given many opportunities to head back to the wild...which, eventually, most of them do take. Falconers are probably the most capable people for the job, too. It is in their own best interest to see to it that the bird gets the best of everything, so have no fear that the hawks are mistreated. -- Sam Conway * What shape do you usually have? dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu * Mickey Mouse shape? Smarties Chemistry Dept., Dartmouth College, NH * shape? Amphibious landing craft Vermont Raptor Center (VINS) * shape? Poke in the eye shape?