Falconry chat

She then mentioned how she had a keen interest in wildlife and had read a little about falconry in times gone by and was surprised to learn that people still flew and hunted with hawks to the present day. She then wanted to know exactly what was involved in the keeping and flying hawks in Ireland in this day and age. 

I thought about this for a moment and replied that; first you would need to learn how to handle them, get to know their personalities, their likes and dislikes, know a bit about their anatomy and physiology, how each species differs in their habits and behavior. 

I then explained about their feeding habits; preparation and storage of food; how some of the freshly caught prey is chopped up, dissected and prepared. I also explained about the leather equipment they wore and just why they wore such things as jesses, anklets and hoods and how these must be made to fit each individual bird. 

I further went on to talk about the training involved, in putting a regime in place for each bird to follow, whether it be for a game hawk, a rook hawk, or a display bird, and how important it was to know if something was going wrong and how to steer it back on track again. 

Another important factor to consider was how to get a bird physically fit for whatever task you had set for him, and how this fitness was steadily built up and hopefully improved upon with each passing day. 

It definitely helps if one has a good knowledge of wild hawks; how to identify them and their particular ways of hunting in the wild, their different prey species and their ways and habits. 

Lastly, I said it was vital to have at least a very basic knowledge of good husbandry, and what could lead to health problems later. How to tell a healthy hawk from an ailing one and as much as possible about the diseases that can affect hawks. 

“Let me get this straight”, she said, “If I was to take up falconry, I would need to be a butcher, a leather-worker, an animal trainer/ psychologist, a physiotherapist, be an avid bird-watcher and naturalist AND an amateur veterinarian! IS THAT ALL?”

“No”, I said, hoping not to dissuade her, “It also helps to have the patience of a saint! 

But before she ran away to take up golf, I explained that most of the above were just things that were picked up along the way, as with any hobby or pastime, if the original interest or fascination is there to begin with, all else seems to fall into place. Learning new skills should be enjoyable; it’s when it ceases to be exciting that a change is called for.

Taking up falconry in Ireland today is not rocket science. Thanks to the internet it is much easier to find local falconers willing to help and hopefully overlook your progress, and it is a lot more accessible than it was just two decades ago.

Any help I can give please feel free to contact.

Tom