There is a definite winter feel to the air these days, crisp cold mornings with the last of the leaves giving up their green and slowly turning to brown. Any damaged feathers the birds have not moulted out yet will probably be held on to ‘til next year. My little female hobby which I had great plans flying again this year was extremely slow and only dropped half her tail feathers so she needs a little bit of repair work on her tail if I am going to get her going again.
My good 3 year old female Lanner falcon has been as unpredictable as the Irish weather, On a good day, once the winds are light she has been heading for the clouds but if she has to battle the winds she quickly comes back to me, lands within a few yards and calls to me looking for her dinner without having to do any flying. I am finding it hard to put a couple of extra ounces on her so food is not an issue. Hopefully she will be back to her old self; flying for the fun of it, disappearing behind the clouds and only returning when that little female brain of hers misses my company!
It is time now to give my Saker falcon a bit of exercise to the lure before the next shower.
Tom.
Hello Tom.
I have kept birds for over 15 years (albeit only british finches) I am an active hunting/shooting/fishing man and being a bird lover have always admired the Hobby, I have watched them on numerous occasions hunting swallows and swifts but have not heard of any being flown for the purposes of falconry.
I just wondered if you had any information on using them for falconry and whether or not they are a good bird to start with in falconry terms? Are there any books on hunting with hobby’s or even a DVD? Thanks for a very interesting article on a great site!
Kind Regards
Matt Kelly, Suffolk, England
Hi matt, and thank you for your compliment on website,
I have searched books and the web on flying hobbies but could not find much at all.
It is known that these birds were trapped, flown and hunted in the Summer months and then released back to the wild in Autumn,or on a part-time basis, and I think this is where the word “hobby” came from as they were flying it as a “hobby” so any other part-time past-time became a hobby. (Tom’s theory only so feel free to shoot holes in it!)
I don’t know of anyone flying a hobby for falconry purposes so if you do hear of anyone please let me know.
I stopped flying my female hobby when she broke up her tail, so put her up for a moult.
I found it hard to get her to chase wild birds though so there is a lot that has been lost on the subject of hunting with hobbies.
please join my forum on the site, it’s just getting started so all are welcome
Thanks,
Tom
Hi Tom,
Great website I have to say. I’ll definitley call up and see the centre soon. I live outside Rathdrum. I’ve kept birds for most of my life from finches to sparrowhawks. I’d like to get back into falconry sometime. I learned a lot from Pedro Soltani and Colin Irwin (whom you may have heard of) but as you said, you never stop learning! I havent had any birds these last five years till the end of last summer I was given a Magpie chick to rear but thats a horse of a different kettle!! Talk soon and all the best with the centre. Seighean