I started flying a Gyr X Peregrine hybrid this week and he is the most handsome falcon. Even though he is still in his immature plumage he is such a pretty dark coloured bird. He was bred last year and the only reason I took him on, as I like to do all the training myself, is because he was owned and flown by a good friend of mine whose training methods are not too different from my own. I gave him a few days to settle down more…

If you would like to see a few of my birds, take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCpCGmqkqLM

It’s a small piece the kids done for childrens television, and please feel free to leave a comment on you tube,

thanks,  Tom

I have been watching a lot of raptors lately here in Ireland. The local pair of kestrels I see nearly everyday, battling the wind as they hover above the grassy hill, watching for beetles below and getting mobbed by the local hooded crows which take exception to their presence. Every sunny day I see more…

Different people have different ideas of what dog makes the perfect hunter’s companion. For some it’s the hyper-active Springer, a dog that just doesn’t let up and leaves no bush unturned. For others it’s the new world Labrador, a true gunner’s dog and a specialist retriever and if given a chance can be a good all-round hunter too. Many breeds that have been excellent hunters, finders and retrievers of game have sadly disappeared or become so rare in the field that they no more get a mention in working dog tales; Poodles come to mind, once thought to be the smartest of all working breeds, and the King Charles Spaniel, a small French breed, probably (and this is only my opinion) used in French falconry as the sparrow-hawkers companion. The reason more…

I just happened to be out exercising a falcon some weeks back, when I noticed someone watching me from a distance. After the bird had flown and was back up and feeding on the fist, the person approached and commented on how graceful the bird was, and what a pleasure it was to see him being put through his paces.  more…

I had a very enjoyable day yesterday with ten of my hawks, the kids and a couple of helpers, in an estate where the house and gardens are open to the public. Usually they get 40 to 50 people in on a Sunday but with the help of a large sign outside and a notice in the paper advertising the event we mananged to draw 450 people last week and in my estimation well over 600 yesterday. The hawks and falcons behaved impecably and neither them or the kids bit anyone. more…