THE MODERN APPRENTICE APPRENTICE So you think you want to be a falconer... Welcome! Both legally and logistically there are some requirements and considerations. You must be over 12 years of age in some states, and 14 in others depending on the regulations. You must enjoy working with animals as there is a lot of training involved. These are animals that see you as a food source, not as a source of affection, and they do not give affection back. Working with animals is much easier when we see them desiring to be with us. Cats, dogs, and horses all have a built-in desire for relationships. Most of these species of birds do not. This may make it not as rewarding of an experience to you and is something to consider. You must be able to meet the bird's needs. This means a facility to house her, quality food, and medical care as well as your time and attention. You must enjoy the outdoors. You will be outdoors with your bird hunting - cold days, wet days, and beautiful days. You must enjoy hunting or be wanting to hunt. The sport is for the purpose of hunting, not for the purpose of pet keeping. Exotic species may be purchased for that and without much of the legal overhead. You must be willing to spend years dedicated to the sport. You will have a minimum of two years as an apprentice directly under the supervision of a general or master falconer. This is a commitment on both sides. You must be able to spend a portion of each day, every day, with your bird. Some days this is just feeding, some days this is training, and on hunting days you could be spending sun up to sundown out in the field.
You must be patient - getting through the legal paperwork will take some effort. Manning the bird will take patience. Getting out in the field and successful will test your patience. Can you be patient and persistent? This is not meant to set anyone off the path they are interested in. The falconry community needs more people supporting it, both practicing falconers and those who just like to watch. Almost anyone can be a falconer given time and patience. You need to decide if you would rather spend your free time in other ways and be involved in the falconry community as an observer, or if you want to spend your time caring for and training a hawk. Your success as a falconer will depend on your ability to adapt your lifestyle to the needs of your bird, your ability to secure high quality food that is the best for her species, and your ability to gain access to land with an abundance of legal quarry and adequate daylight hours for hunting.
HEALTH Properly managing a raptor's health takes knowledge and skill. Raptors, as every other animal, have very specific nutritional needs. Unlike most pets, these cannot be met through typical mass-market outlets. Even many licensed veterinarians have no knowledge of avian medicine, and raptors in particular. If at all possible, find a veterinarian who is knowledgeable and skilled in the care of raptors for your bird's medical needs This page is also available in Russian http://mybirds.ru/health/rap_health/ You should be familiar with your raptor's basal condition and be prepared to describe typical or a typical behavior to a veterinarian. Some of the data points they will be interested in include:
• General temperament and demeanor • Activity level • Appetite • Castings • Mutes • Rate of crop emptying • Thirst • Discharge from eyes or nares • Change in voice • Recent weights • Diet You should always have an avian first aid kit on hand along with instructions and review the avian disease information and the recommended raptor veterinarian list. However, many common issues cannot be solved by anyone other than a vet. This guide is no replacement, but meant to give some direction as to what to look for to determine when to go to the vet. Overall condition A healthy bird has some energy. She preens, feaks, watches her environment, bates, mutes, rouses, and even plays. A bird who is bathing regularly and preening, bating a little and interested in her surroundings is most likely healthy. Also good signs are a bird who is eating and interested in food. Likewise, a bird who does not preen or rouse, and particularly shows not interest in her environment is most likely not in top health. If she shows neither interest in attacking food nor uncertainty towards some things in her environment, then there may be something wrong. Some birds lay down regularly, others never tuck their heads behind their wing to sleep. Some birds play continuously while others show no interest in additional objects in their mews. Each bird has a normal pattern of behavior that should be understood by their handler.
If the bird is listless or lethargic, there are problems. If the bird's eyes look bigger than normal, there may be problems. Puffiness around the eyes and a general listlessness are definite indications that you need to see a vet. If the bird stops eating normally, there is a problem. This means that the bird might take in food, but disgorge it out of the crop, or it may mean that the bird tears at food, but flicks it away. It may just appear that a bird is more polite than normal. Any reduction in food intake or interest should be monitored. Is there an offensive smell to the mutes? If your bird is standing staring at the ceiling or with the head backwards over the shoulders, consider if there is an inflammation of the brain caused by a lack of Vitamin B1. This is commonly called Stargazing Syndrome. The vitamin deficiency can be addressed by feeding a whole food diet and using raptor specific vitamins. What's normal for your bird? If feaking after eating is normal and she ceases to feak, pay attention to that. Perhaps the most important things for your bird are high quality food, good ventilation, and a good source of water. Given proper housing that protects your bird from the weather, the bird's nutrition is, above all, the most important element to her health. External Your bird may get scratched or scraped while hunting, and at the worst could be attacked by a wild bird or bitten by prey. If there are more serious scratches or punctures, apply Neosporin. Punctures (such a talon wounds from another raptor, Panopthalmitis) or bite wounds (such as from a squirrel) should be seen by a vet. General wounds can be treated with amoxycillin/clavulanic acid combination as it will cover a wide range of bacteria. Respiratory
Any labored breathing, shallow breathing, wheezing, or a change of voice or lack of vocalization in a normally vocal bird are indicators that Aspergillosis is brooding. Asper is a fungal infection of the respiratory tract and is usually treated with ancoban or amphotericin B. Prevention includes maintaining a well ventilated facility for the bird and clean facilities. Pneumonia is a common secondary infection in an asper bird. Pneumonia is a bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract and is commonly treated with antibiotics. Any bird showing signs of asper should also be checked for pneumonia. Nasal discharge that is clear and watery is normal as a lubricant. This frequently starts running at meal time and may drip a few droplets from the beak. A milky white discharge that is globby is rare, but would indicate a microplasm infection and would usually be coupled with a swelling around the eyes and supraorbital ridges. Mouth Flat cheesy plaques inside the mouth are the tell-tale signs of frounce or Trichomoniasis. The bird most likely is messy in its eating due to the growths impairing the tongue. This is typically treated with Flagyl, Spartrix, dimetridazole, or metronidazole. A swelling at the side of the throat can be an infected salivary gland. Looking down the throat may reveal a pus "plug" where the gland outputs into the mouth. Having a vet clear this plug and treating with antibiotics should resolve the situation. Another injury which may appear, at least initially, to be similar happens when the bird gets a small cut on the mouth and develops an infection. This happens when a bird eats a bone that just happens to be a bit too sharp and it scratches the corner of the mouth or otherwise cuts into that area.
A bulging crop left from the previous day's feeding and bad breath is usually a sign of sour crop. Sour crop can be brought on by antibiotic use while treating another problem or by over-feeding a thin or weak bird. Feeding Pedialyte will keep the bird hydrated and help flush the crop contents while cleansing the system. If there is no improvement within 8 hours, see a vet. Castings should be well formed and regular (i.e. produced within an amount of time of eating).
Beak Coping the beak is important. Only cope with a power tool or Dremel if you are highly skilled at this. It is far too easy to make a wrong move and have a disfigured or severely injured bird. The experience itself is also highly stressful with the noise and motions. And moreover, the heat buildup is very difficult to control. Coping your bird's beak Feet Any sort of injury to the feet is potentially very problematic. A small corn on the bottom of the foot is the beginnings of Bumblefoot. The corn will swell, become warm to the touch, and begin to turn red and the hawk will try to lay down to prevent having to stand on the sore foot. Proper perching surfaces and nutrition are the best preventions. Bumblefoot will usually respond well to external cleansing of the site and removal of the corns that have formed as well as an external antibiotic. A "proper" perching surface is up for debate. Some recommended surfaces range from a tire to Astroturf, however there is much debate around the optimal surfaces. One vet I consulted with commented that every Bumblefoot case he has seen has the "welcome mat" type of Astroturf in the recent history. The speculation was from
the physical characteristics to the chemical properties, but the advice was to avoid it. The most highly recommended types of perch surfaces are those of natural origin - hemp rope wrapped perches, sisal, cocoa mats, bark, and cork are all natural fibers and provide a variety for the bird. Be aware of any chemical treatments that have been applied to these as additives such as formaldehyde are discouraged. A variety of perch diameters will also help to ensure that the feet are not worn unevenly. Leaving a bird perched on icy, hard surfaces can insult the skin on the foot. Removing any sharp surfaces from the bird's vicinity will prevent her from injuring her foot and starting an infection. Soaking the feet as needed or scrubbing the feet with a soft toothbrush and Dial antibacterial soap are good ways to keep them clean and healthy. Pay special attention to keep the underside of the talon where it meets the skin free of dried meat. Frequently this is a site where meat and blood collect and eventually irritate leading to an infection. Cleaning along that site will prevent the problem. Massaging a tiny amount of foot salve into the feet can also be beneficial. Care should be taken here to prevent dirt from collecting on that surface as it would be worse than not doing anything. Also use a tiny amount massaged in fully else the bird will wipe the salve off onto her feathers when she pulls a foot up. A simple yet effective salve can be made by mixing one part anhydrous lanolin with one part Dermaclense. The horse hoof care ointment Corona is also a thick salve combining moisturizing and antibacterial properties. Rubbing a salve of this type onto a minor foot problem twice a day can quickly revert the problem. Talons As with the beak care, only use Dremels or power tools if you are highly skilled at this. Use the emery board to shape back the talons to the proper shape. "Spiraling"
talons can be seen in many captive birds. Use the emery board to correct the spiral and encourage it to grow straight. Soaking talons does not produce needle sharp talons quickly. Use the emery board to get the desired shape. Some birds will even stand quietly and allow you to gently shape the talon rather than being cast. Taking a picture right after trapping can give a reference point as to what the bird's talons looked like and should be reshaped to. Reference shot for the bottom of feet. Particularly look under the talons where they meet the flesh of the toe, and the creases on the bottom of the feet. These are places that are very likely to begin with a foot infection. Spots or lines of red indicate the beginning of an infection. Older Bumblefoot may have a more natural color, but will be hard or raised, almost like a wart. Mutes Mutes come in many forms - very watery to very chalky. The fecal portion can be an almost tan color to a tarry black color and from a consistency of a hard pellet to a tarry goo. Green in the mutes usually indicates that bile is being passed through. Although the bird is not typically in immediate danger from this, it is an indication that the bird is low in weight. The diet will also effect the coloration and consistency of the mutes. A lot of rabbit meat will produce pale mutes that look almost like soft chalk. Lots of bone material will produce mutes almost beige in color. A diet heavy in day old chicks will produce mutes that are beige or yellow.
A normal mute from a healthy bird. A solid, large, dark fecal with a clean urate. Flecks of red in the mutes indicate coccidiosis. See your vet immediately as this is highly treatable in this stage. Later signs as this progresses will be watery black mutes and slimy dark brown casting which smell. Greenish or bright green mutes may be an indication of Frounce. Check the mouth and throat region. Watery grey-ish green-ish fecals may indicate a bird is well hydrated or may indicate a parasite presence. One way to tell if there are problems is to put the bird into her hawk box for a few hours or overnight to see if there is a distinct and offensive smell to the fecals. This would definitely point to a parasitic presence. What is normal for your bird? If you are collecting mute samples for a fecal float for the vet, one trick is to lay wax paper down around her perch or line her hawk box with wax paper (Note: this will cause the mutes to slide all over and probably out any crack of
the box, so setting this on newspaper or paper towels is advised). Castings Castings can be many different colors and consistencies, mostly based on the food that was taken in, but also based on the bird and her health. If a bird is not casting up when a casting is expected, then that is not a good sign. Know you bird's typical casting schedule and the general look, consistency, and smell of castings. If things are not coming up properly, then there may be an impaction preventing a casting from being brought back up.
Five normal castings. From left to right: a small quail casting (you can make out the feather vanes), two rabbit castings (one white rabbit and one dark rabbit), a mouse casting (three mice), and a rat casting (one whole rat eaten on the ground). Bathpans Some state regulations require that we have bathpans, even though many passage birds will not use them. Proper bathpan use includes not always putting the bathpan out for the bird. The constant presence of the bathpan may not induce the bird to really get in and get wet, soaking off blood and tissue and getting their feathers wet enough to induce preening. Putting the bathpan out
for one afternoon a week and making it a limited time offer can assist here, however you are taking the responsibility to make sure that your bird is properly hydrated. You can drill a small hole in the bottom to allow the water to slowly drain such that all you have to do is fill it up and it empties itself out. Using the hose spraying nozzle to spray water into the air to fall on the bird creates a shower for birds uninterested in dunking in the bathpan. This does nothing for their feet, but it may get them wet enough to interest them in preening. Disinfectants and Cleaning Keeping things clean can be a challenge, but is necessary. The best disinfectant is bleach mixed with water such that it's a 1 part bleach to 20 parts water mixture (roughly one cup of Clorox bleach to one gallon of water, or about a 5% bleach solution). When you have soaked whatever it is you are cleaning, let it sit on the surface for at least 15 minutes. I'm overly cautious in working with any chemicals and will rinse the surface well and then leave it out in the sun/rain for at least a day before putting it back with the bird. This lets the bleach disintegrate so it is not active on the bird's skin or evaporating and being breathed in. Another good solution is calcium hypochlorite, commonly used as swimming pool chlorine. It is equally as effective as bleach but not as noxious. A simple 1:30 (roughly one cup of calcium hypochlorite to 2 gallons of water) is sufficient for regular cleanings, and a 1:20 ration (one cup of calcium hypochlorite to 1 gallon of water) for any specific problematic cleaning. Bleach is very poor at cutting through grease, and if you've been feeding on a surface the fat from the meat will have left grease behind. Scrubbing the surface with Spic 'N' Span or liquid Tide, then rinsing well, will cut through the grease and clean the surface in preparation of bleaching.
A power washer can make quick work of cleaning mutes and dirt off of almost any surface, however be warned. The spray into the air is carrying bacteria and fecal matter. Keep any bird away from an area that has been power washed for a little while - at least until the air has exchanged and the particulate matter has dissipated. If you have just cleaned out her hawk box with the power washer, let the box stand in the sun for at least a few hours to air out and dry before introducing the bird. Many birds have been known to get sick off the matter that this throws into the air and care should be taken else the birds become infected. Parasites For feather lice, these are very easily taken care of in one or two treatments. A simple spray-down starting at the neck and moving down the rest of the body, then repeated ten days later will usually solve this. Ticks are sometimes found attached to raptors. Besides removing, antibiotics may be necessary. Roundworms and tapeworms may be passed, but more frequently there are no signs. Many birds are infested with low levels of these parasites and it can be the cause of refusing slips, general lethargy, delayed moult, or odorous mutes. Vets recommend worming a bird at the time of trapping followed by a follow-up treatment two weeks later, and then an annual check-up and worming at the end of the hunting season both to clear the system from anything picked up during the season as well as prepare for the moult. One favored drug currently is Panacur. It can be given several ways including injected into a hunk of meat, but the most effective is to use a small tube dropped into the crop (let an experienced vet do this - if you get the tube down the windpipe you will drown the bird with the medicine or cause pneumonia through even a drop inhaled into the lungs).
Capillaria (gapeworms) is a frequent parasite, but usually in very low levels (1 per field in a fecal float). It is actually not a worm at all but rather a nematode. At these levels there is no effect known to bother the raptor and the solution is expensive, time consuming, and not guaranteed. Unless Capillaria levels are significant, it's best just to acknowledge the existence and keep an eye on it. Recovery For any bird recovering from any illness, it is important to reduce stress. Reduce visual stress, any auditory stress, and anything else that makes sense. Keep the bird comfortably warm and dry. Keep the bird on a diet of quality food, appropriate vitamins and supplements, and clean water.
BIOLOGY Raptor biology is a fascinating subject. Understanding the basics of the bird's body and its functions will make you a better falconer. Alula Three small, stiff feathers control the flow of air over the wing during flight. Beak The keratin covering of the mouth protecting the tongue and mouth opening. Blood feathers Feathers which still are still growing and have blood supplied through the shaft.
Cere The smooth, featherless skin just above the beak where it attaches to the forehead. Also called the operculum. Choanal slit The slit in the roof of the mouth which connects to the bird's sinuses. Cloaca The external opening to expel fecal matter. In birds there is a single opening for intestinal (fecal matter), urinal (urine and urates), and genital tracts. Commissure The delicate corner of the mouth, also called the commissural point. Coverts Row of feathers which run down the wing above the primaries and secondaries. This is the generally referred to feathers when somebody says "coverts". There are other covert feathers over the body such as those on the tail and over the alulas. Crines The short hair-like feathers around the cere and beak. Crop The crop of the bird is like a pouch along the esophagus. It is where food is initially placed before it moves into the stomach. Food comes here for quick storage and to soften it and to separate out the digestibles from the indigestibles. It is useful to note that owls have no crop. This photo shows a bird just after eating. My index finger is at the bottom of her gorged crop and my second finger is resting above her crop. You can feel the enlarged pouch when a bird has a full crop and you can even separate the top layer of feathers to see the skin stretched over the crop.
Crural The feathers that cover the leg from the upper leg to the abdomen. In some species the crural feathers cover the leg to the top of the foot. Deck The two center tail feathers in the train. Ear Raptors have ears placed on each side of their head, although there is virtually no external structure to it. Fret marks A line across feathers created when a bird is starved or diseased while she was growing the feather. Also called stress marks, stress bars, or hunger traces. Gape Referring to the breadth of the bird's mouth opening from corner to corner. Sometimes people use this term to mean the opening of the mouth in general, but it specifically is referring to the opening across the delicate corners of the mouth, the gap. Often used with comments about how a particular hood is fitting. Glottis The valve at the base of the tongue that closes the trachea to food or liquid. Hallux The toe which faces backwards on most raptors. In hawks, this is the talon most responsible for puncturing the vitals of prey. Technically, this is labeled toe #1. The innermost forward toe is toe #2, the next toe outside of that is toe #3 and the furthest front-facing toe is toe #4. With regards to the feet, most raptors have three toes facing forwards and one toe facing backwards. This conformation is called Anisodactyl. Some birds, such as owls, have two toes facing forwards and two facing backwards. This conformation is called Zygodactyl. And then the Osprey has the unique ability to swivel her third toe to be in either conformation.
Keel The large bone running vertically up the bird's breast. This is the site of the breast muscle's attachment and is a very important bone. The term feel the keel means to put the keel between your thumb and finger and judge the amount of fat and muscle along the sides of this ridge. A healthy, well muscled bird will have a dense padding along the sides and barely any ridge of the bone to be felt. A bird who is in low condition will have a sharp ridge of bone sticking out with very little muscle or fat along side. A fat bird without a lot of muscle will be well padded, but not with dense muscle. Because of the way that falcons are structured, they will tend to be better muscled than a comparable hawk. They depend on those muscles more than a hawk does and the muscles reflect that. Mail The breast feathers. Malar stripe The dark streak of feathers beneath a falcon's eye. The biological theory for this is that, much like athletes putting blacking under their eyes to prevent glare, this also prevents glare from reflecting off their feathers. The picture here shows a Lanner with the dark streak. Also called the facial stripe or eye stripe. Mandible The upper and lower jaw and the beak. (Image also shows tongue and open beak.) Nare The nasal opening in the cere. In falcons this is a circular opening, and in all member of Accipitradae this is an oval. Nictitating membrane The nictitating membrane is sometimes called the third eyelid or the "haw". It is a thin, white membrane that can operate independently of the eyelid. The purpose is to have a form of protection over the eye while still retaining some amount of vision.
Note: In the graphic, the first image has the eye exposed and the membrane open while the second image shows the eye covered by the membrane. The arrow is pointing to the membrane Pannel The stomach region (UK). Patagial The "arm pit" region. Pendant feathers The feathers behind the thighs (UK). Preen gland Formally called the uropygial gland, this is a gland at the base of the tail that produces oil important to proper feather and beak health as well as waterproofing. The bird spreads this oil over the feathers and body through preening actions. Preen video clip: 562 Kb Primaries The primaries provide the main forward thrust for flight. On the wing, these are the feathers most distal (located nearest to the tip; furthest from the center of the body). Also called beam feathers in the UK, flight feathers or phalangeal feathers. Principals The longest two feathers on a hawk's wing. Pygostyle The tail bone that supports the tail muscles and feathers. Rectrices The paired tail feathers. There are, generally, 12 tail feathers in total. This is a term used in general biology, and not usually in falconry. Remiges The primary and the secondary feathers are together called remiges. Sarcel British term for the outermost primary feather.
Secondaries The feathers most proximal (just inside from the primary feathers; closer to the center of the body) on the wing are the largest surface area of the wing. Also called flags in the UK. Superciliary Line The line of feathers above the eye similar to the eye brow. Supraorbital ridge The ridge just above the eye; the brow bone. Immature birds are frequently not seen with a developed supraorbital ridge. Talon A raptor's toe nail. Tarsus The leg between the foot and first joint. Tomial tooth The tooth (and often referencing the corresponding notch) in a falcon's beak specialized for snapping the neck of their prey. Sometimes just called the notch. Trachea The tube at the back of the bird's tongue which leads to the lungs. Train The 12 tail feathers. Formally called the retrices (singular retrix). Vent The external surface of the cloaca. Birds are unique in that their fecal and urates come from a single outlet which is the cloaca. The fecal is the dark portion and is the stool. The urate is the white solid portion. The liquid clearish is the liquid urine. Wing butts The forward angled section of the wing analogous to our wrist.
More information on avian biology in general: Plumage and moults http://www.scricciolo.com/Plumages%20and%20Molts/plu mages_molts.htm Avian skeleton and biology http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/skeleton.html
TRAINING Training a hawk for falconry is an incredible process and awe inspiring to even the experienced. Apprentice birds are typically trapped from the wild after they have started supporting themselves but before their first moult. These birds are therefore already hunting and the falconer is not there, at first, to train the bird to hunt. She has already been doing that, although with varying degrees of success. The training initially is to acclimate the bird to accept the falconer's presence, both as her keeper and as her companion in the field. Because most of these birds are not social, cooperative hunting is a tentative relationship and a delicate one. Traditionally the process of acclimating the bird is called manning. It consists of first getting a bird over her fears and then working to get her to allow you to do more with her. One way to man a bird is to flood her senses with her new environment. Traditional methods such as waking take advantage of a bird's state of shock after being trapped. The bird's mind is in shock as she is prepared to be mauled or eaten. She literally freezes and the falconer can take advantage of this. The combination of the falconer holding the bird and letting all of the normal experiences of what will be her new life wash over her acclimates a bird very fast to the household, TV, dogs, children, other
people, and more. Many falconers practically hold a party to ensure that this period of time is fully taken advantage of. The bird is not allowed to sleep for an extended period of time, usually more than 24 hours as the sleep deprivation helps the manning process. The bird's system is also left empty for a day or so allowing her to come down to her flying weight - that weight at which she is most motivated to be hunting. Many birds that have gone through this process are rock steady around any number of unusual objects or experiences. However, there is also a very common occurrence where the bird will develop a deep seated fear of one or several things from this. This could be a fear of hands or hats or red dogs. It's very difficult to predict how some of the fear will manifest itself and most falconers will just manage the fear as addressing it can be very complex. The opposite approach is to deprive her senses of her new environment and introduce pieces slowly. The Japanese and some European falconers have traditionally used another method whereby the bird is kept without the ability to see. It may be hooded or in a dark room, but whatever the method, the handler controls the speed at which her new environment is introduced. The birds are so visually focused that if they do not see anything scary, then there is nothing scary to be afraid of. Gradually the light in the room is raised allowing her to take in the objects and the people slowly. The advantage of this system is that the bird has very little stress either on her system or from bating. There is almost no fear as nothing scary has ever happened to her. Many birds who were trained by this method, or variants of it, can be flown at much higher weights and with less fear of being lost. The disadvantage of this method is that it can take much longer and can take more patience on the part of a falconer. This method can take a month or so to be out in the field and hunting with dependability. Both ways work, as do many others. Each has a drawback
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Training Beyond manning is the process of training a bird. A well manned bird has no fear, but that does not mean he is well trained. This encompasses everything from basic husbandry (to have the bird allow you to clean her talons, for example), to conditioning the bird, to getting the bird turned on to new quarry. The basic philosophy that I ascribe to is operant conditioning. This was introduced to falconry by Steve Layman who has been using it and experimenting with the techniques on various raptors for decades. Operant conditioning (OPC) is commonly known as clicker training in the equestrian and dog training circles. It is a training method usingpositive reinforcement to achieve results. Classical conditioning is often described as stimulus response. Operant conditioning is response - stimulus, or stimulus - response - stimulus. An example of the response - stimulus chain might be a trainer watching a dog in a room. As soon as the dog performs an action that the trainer wants repeated, a treat is produced. If the dog is wandering around in the room, sits down and a steak appears, he will try sitting down again to see if another steak appears. An example of the three-step chain might be asking a dog to sit (stimulus is the word, "Sit!"), the dog sitting (response is the dog's action of sitting down), followed by the trainer handing the dog a treat (stimulus of the dog getting what it wanted). The second stimulus is a reinforcement.
Reinforcement Reinforcement makes a behavior more likely - the behavior is reinforced. In the above case, the
reinforcement was positive because the dog was trying to get that same stimulus to occur again. The reinforcement was a positive to the dog. A negative reinforcement is when a negative is removed to produce a behavior - the dog is trying to avoid a stimulus. This can be seen with dogs. If you push down on a dog's hind quarters, most dogs will resist slightly. The instant that the dog stops resisting and begins to sit down, the pressure is taken off the hind quarters. In that case the removal of the pressure is a reward to the dog for sitting down. All the reinforcers described above are primary reinforcers. Primary reinforcers are those that biologically are desired by the animal. Food is an excellent example of this and a frequent primary reinforcer used by trainers. However food is not always convenient or desirable to use. It is not very precise and can become too dissociated from the exact action that is to be rewarded. If a dressage rider wanted to reward her horse for a particular movement, it could take a moment or two to stop a horse, reach down, grab a sugar cube and get it to the horse's mouth. For several reasons, a secondary reinforcer is used. A secondary reinforcer, or conditioned reinforcer (CR), is one which must be learned, the animal is conditioned to it. If your three year old son did something good, would he prefer a lollipop or a small green piece of paper? And yet every day many of us go to work for small green pieces of paper as we know they are good - we have learned about them and are conditioned to work for them. Similarly if we want to use a secondary reinforcer we must teach the animal that it is good and to work for that as much as a primary reinforcer. The reinforcer may be anything. The popularity of clicker training has made the small "clickers" highly popular. However some animals are afraid of the sharp sound and, more importantly to me, I cannot manage all the individual pieces of equipment along with a
clicker in my hand. The positive reinforcement could be a flash of light, a hand movement, a word spoken by the trainer, or any other event. Sounds are very easy to produce and the animal doesn't have to be looking in any particular direction in order to be rewarded. However, the sound must be consistent each time so that it is recognizable. An effective CR is one which is specific, precise, and recognized. I give a short whistle as my CR. The process of creating a conditioned reinforcer is called conditioning. Some texts refer to this as "charging up" the secondary reinforcer. In dog training this may be done by clicking a clicker as the dog eats or clicking while treating the dog. The dog learns to associate the clicks with the very positive event of eating. Initially when the dog is rewarded he will receive a secondary reinforcer and a primary reinforcer at the same time - a click and a treat. As the dog becomes conditioned he will only receive the click with treats at various intervals or schedules. Schedules It would be highly effective for your boss to sit next to you all day and hand you a $10 bill for every correct action you did. However, he only has so many $10 bills to hand out and he could run out at noon if you got very good at what you were doing. So he would need a way to tell you which actions were correct and keep you motivated without it costing him a lot. This is where scheduling comes in. A primary or secondary reinforcer may be given after every correct action. This is called continuous reinforcement. However, there may only be a finite amount of reward (treats, money, etc), or the trainer may want to start shaping the behavior, or the animal may start trying to do less work. To get more correct behaviors from an animal without using as many reinforcers, you could reward every 3rd behavior, or every 4th behavior. This is a fixed ratio schedule - the interval between reinforcements is fixed. This will stretch out the training, but then the animal learns
that immediately following a reward, there will be a stretch without a reward and he may perform accordingly. In order to produce the most dependable behaviors, a variable reward schedule is best. Layman describes this as the slot machine - it can keep a person fixed in place for hours while they wait for the next pay out. Likewise, it will maintain the same response for a very long time. Punishment Punishment makes a behavior less likely. The word "punishment" has so much baggage and conjures up so many thoughts that we must be precise about what a punishment is. For an animal like a dog, getting petted for sitting down is a positive reinforcement - he wants to be petted and will sit down for that. If that same dog has started barking and his owner leaves the room, he has just been punished. The owner's presence was a positive for him and a desired thing. Removing that was a punishment to the dog. The dog may take a while to connect his barking with his owner leaving him, but the event was a punishment. Many people, and even trainers, confuse the concepts of negative reinforcement and punishment. The most simple way of thinking of this is that a negative reinforcement is actually desired by the animal while a punishment is not. If a child misbehaves he may go to bed without dessert - he has been punished for the behavior. Shaping Shaping behavior is what trainers do to get a desired result out of an animal. However, if I want to shape a behavior, I need to select for a certain part of a current behavior to modify it into the behavior I want. The way I describe this is through a scenario. If I am training my bird to do fast jump-ups, then there are several components she can jump up to the fist quickly, she can jump high or powerfully, or she may throw out a behavior that I want to select for, like jumping and turning at the same time. If I
start to reward only those times that she leaps quickly after she has landed on the perch, then she will start to jump faster spending less time down on the perch. I may also select for the turn-arounds so that she is doing extra work to jump fast and turn around in mid air. In order to be effective and start using operant conditioning, it doesn't necessitate using fancy language or even understanding the concepts fully. You're not going to break your bird (or any animal) by starting to use it. The terminology is there for higher level discussions so that people can be precise in their communication about what they are doing and why they are doing it. Don't be put off by the language and science. It is a very powerful methodology and yet can be applied at some level by anyone. Applied properly this methodology will always work. For more information on Operant Conditioning and falconry, Karen Pryor's Hawk Chalk article is available here: http://www.clickertraining.com/node/282 Training your first longwing: http://www.americanfalconry.com/FirstLongwing .html Training a hawk with OPC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7B-JGowL4
EQUIPMENT Equipment (referred to as "furniture") is critical to proper falconry and raptor maintenance. Good equipment need not be expensive or fancy, but properly working equipment is a necessity. There are many designs and opinions. Some falconers find certain equipment works better for them; some species have slightly different equipment
needs, and some individuals have particular equipment needs. Note: If video clips do not launch automatically on your machine, right-click the link and select Save Link As... to save the video clip locally. The clip can be saved to your desktop, double-clicked, and played from there. Aba A cloth wrap that immobilizes a bird to calm her or hold her for examination. Anklets The leather strap which goes around the bird's leg. The jesses are attached to this. Sometimes also called a bracelet. Aylmeri Leather anklets and jesses designed by the late Guy Aylmeri; replacement for traditional jesses. Bal Chatri A traditional trap used by many raptor banders, rehabilitators, and falconers commonly called a BC. This is one of the safest and simplest traps available. It is a small cage for bait keeping them separate from an attacking bird, then small monofilament nooses over the top that will ensnare the toes. Band A plastic or metal identification ring that goes around the bird's leg. Some states require certain wild taken species to be banded, other states require all wild taken birds to be banded, and other states have no such requirements, however most states require captive bred birds to be banded. Bells Exactly that: small bells attached to the bird's tarsus, tail, or around the neck. The benefit of this is to be able to hear the bird when she is in trees hidden by leaves or on the ground on quarry hidden by brush. Bewit Small strips of leather which attach the bells or
other hardware to the bird's leg. If a different material is used as a bewit, it should not be attached directly to the leg, but rather to the anklet. A cable tie is a great convenience, but must never be attached around the bird's leg. Block
perch The
traditional
perch
for
a
falcon.
Bow net A trap that, when set, looks like a circle laying on the ground. When the bird comes in to investigate the bait, the trap is sprung causing the circle to release over the bird creating a semi-circle and a bag of net over the now trapped bird. Bow
perch The
traditional
perch
for
a
hawk.
Braces Straps on the hood which open and close it. Brail A leather thong used to restrain one wing on a bird to prevent it from bating, especially during manning. Button The folded section of leather that acts as a stopper for the jesses against the anklet, or the braided end of a leash. This may also be called a knurl. Cadge A frame used to carry several birds at once. Chaps Chaps are leg protectors for a bird, primarily used when hunting squirrels as the squirrel teeth can severely damage a bird's leg or toe. Creance A long line or cord attached to the bird while training. Ten yards is going to work for most situations, but for free flights to verify that your bird is ready to be taken from the creance, many recommend 50 yards in length. Dho-gazza A trap consisting of a net suspended between
a bird and bait. The bird flies into the net and the net collapses around the bird entangling her. This can be more stressful than some other traps as the bird must be sorted out from the netting. Draw the braces To pull the braces of a hood such that they tighten and close. Gauntlet The glove worn by the falconer, traditionally on the left hand. Halsband The German term for a strap of leather looped around the bird's neck and then hung down to help propel the bird (mainly Accipiters). Also called a jangoli. Here it is pictured with an accompanying neck bell. Photo courtesy of Kory Koch. Hawk Box The box used to contain a bird for travel; also called a giant hood. Red-Tailed Hawk loading into a hawkbox video clip: 2.5 meg Hood The leather head covering used on hawks and falcons. The purpose of the hood is to hide the stimulus of the world from the bird to calm her or prevent her from reacting to things. Hooding video clip: 803 Kb A bird should hood calmly Jangoli A strap of leather looped around the bird's neck and then hung down to help propel the bird (mainly Accipiters). Also called a halsband. Here it is pictured with an accompanying neck bell. Photo courtesy of Kory Koch. Jess Traditionally, these are leather strips which go through the anklets so the falconer can hold the bird or attach the leash. Modern jesses are of many types of material including parachute cord and various braids.
Jess Extender This piece of furniture has two functions. First, it requires dexterity to slide the swivel up the jesses and then back through. The jess extender can make this easier, especially for those less deft. Second, the jess extender extends the swivel away from the bird. With a perch such as the Meng perch, a bate will cause the swivel to pass through the tail and damage it. However, if there is a jess extender long enough that the swivel is not allowed to pass through the tail, then the tail will be saved. Extending the swivel beyond the tail tip by 1" or 1.5" is far enough. Leash Traditionally leather, this is what attaches the bird to the perch or falconer's glove. Modern leashes have taken many forms and many materials are used. Lure A fake quarry used to train a bird. For training birds to feathered quarry, a feathered lure which looks like a bird is used, sometimes even mimicking the wing beats. For training to rabbits, birds such as Red-Tails are not terribly picky and will respond to almost anything they are trained to. Mangalah A cuff used instead of a gauntlet in the Middle East. Sometimes also called a mankalah. Mew The bird's secure enclosure where she lives; the hawk house. Ring perch A perch made out of a circular piece of metal where the hawk stands on top. Scale A modern addition to falconry, but used by most modern falconers to ensure their bird's health. Much like an athlete knows his nutritional intake and his varying weights, so the falconer carefully watches his bird's condition. Large birds such as eagles do not need a finely
graduated scale. Smaller birds such as a Kestrel need a scale which can weigh out to the tenth of a gram, and smaller birds need to be weighed several times a day. Some falconers prefer manual balances and others prefer digital scales. A kitchen quality scale will not be precise enough for this task, though, but digital scales have increasingly become more accurate and stable, although they can still be less accurate at low ambient temperatures or high humidity. A spring-loaded scale (like a food scale or a cheap postal scale) will vary with temperature and age. Most falconers will apply Astroturf, cork, or another comfortable surface to the balance pan for the bird to stand on. Others place a short T-perch onto the pan for the bird. Almost every species of bird should be weighed in grams (not ounces or pounds) so that you get the most granular measurement of your bird's weight. Screen perch A perch made of a vertical wall or screen topped by a bar for the bird to stand on. Swivel Small metal joint used in between the leash and the jesses. When these birds are on the perch, they make many small movements turning around and such. Without the swivel they would very quickly become entangled and endanger themselves. Tail guard The feathers of an Accipiter are notoriously brittle. To prevent unnecessary tail breakage, a cover is placed over the tail or many of these birds. For Goshawks this is frequently made of X-ray film paper and for smaller birds like a Sharp Shin, this is made of overhead projector film, or another stiff, but light-weight film. These are attached to the tail by a tail mounted bell/transmitter and are removed for hunting and much of the weathering. Birds who are not allowed to weather without the guard on will develop even more brittle tails as they are prevented from properly preening their tail feathers. Tail guards can
also hold moisture and allow feathers to rot if left on for extended amounts of time. Telemetry Modern evolution of bells. A small transmitter is attached to the bird and the falconer has a receiver tuned to the bird's frequency. If the bird is unable to be found, the telemetry is used to locate her. This is one of the most revolutionary changes for modern falconry allowing falconers to fly the same bird for a longer period of time without her being lost, allows other falconers with receivers to assist in finding a lost bird, and allows the falcon to be flown at higher weights then ever before. Varvel A less used piece of equipment. This flat silver or brass ring served several purposes. It was attached at the end of a leather strip as the attachment for the leash, but also served as the quick release mechanism when hunting. (A single strip of leather or rope could be attached to the glove, passed through the rings, and held by the falconer. When the falconer cast the bird from the fist the strip would be released allowing it to pass through the varvels and the hawk to be released.) It was usually engraved with the owner's coat of arms as a way to identify the bird. These have almost all been abandoned as they tend to tangle in brush and grasses. Yagi The hand-held telemetry.
antenna
receiver
portion
of
Although not required, a very good idea is to place a small ID tag on your bird with your name, phone number, and REWARD. These are able to be purchased through many falconry suppliers, but one falconer I know creates his own out of Shrinky-Dinks. He is able to make them small and lightweight, but legible. As always, any additional equipment carries a risk. A small tag may have an attachment ring or a hole which a bird could catch a beak
tip or a talon in. Falconers concerned about additional equipment often write the information onto the anklet with a leather marking pen. Many falconers also create business cards for themselves listing their name, that they are a falconer, their phone number, and email address so that they can hand it out to falconers or others whom they meet in the field. Getting access to land to hunt on can be easy or difficult depending on the local culture and relationships. Some states require a signed document stating that the falconer has permission to hunt on the property carried on them in the field while others do not. Some falconers have created a Landowner Permission form to help explain to the landowner what they are asking permission for, and to keep everything legal. These can be kept in a binder, and even with a map of the area showing where the falconer has permission. Many remember their landowners with cards or Christmas gifts to ensure they know how much they are appreciated.Permission to access land for falconry A template for conveying what falconry is to landowners and gaining written permission from them. You will need to edit this inserting your own name, and editing it for your purposes. NOTE: This is not a document carrying any legal weight and is not intended to convey legal information to the possessor or to agents. It is for assistance in your creation of your own document based on your state's laws on your understanding of the laws. This has been based on many different falconers' forms and has some good notes for any falconer.
BIBLIOGRAPHY It is very important to me that responsible falconers put themselves into the public's eye to ensure a positive view
and accurate representation of falconry. If all responsible participants of any group withdraw from the public's view then it is only the irresponsible of that group that are left from which the public will form a perception. When falconry birds are seen to be healthy and eagerly cooperating with their falconer as the vast majority are, it cannot be said that these birds are being coerced or mishandled. Because of this view, I have donated my personal time to the projects of others when I have been fortunate enough to be asked in order to further the accurate understanding of falconry. I have written original materials for some groups, donated pictures to some, and spent time personally educating others. Indeed the entire site is intended to open all aspects of falconry for the public to understand, and hopefully support. The original materials here have been used for education in such a variety of places as the Klamath Bird Observatory, the American Birding Association, the IFF Beginner's Starter Pack, the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences, and articles have been reprinted in the California Hawking Club Journal. I have been fortunate enough to contribute to a number of publications, both publicly available and private. Links to some of the articles and sources can be found here. I also have hand-outs on a variety of topics related to ecology, conservation, raptors, and falconry and use them in education. These are made available for download, printing, and sharing. If you use these in your own education, please cite this site as the source of the information. 2012 - The Journal of Washington Falconry carried a paper analyzing the causes of mortality among falconry raptors. The data covered 10 years of Washington State falconry reports giving a substantial insight into the causes of death of falconry raptors. mortality.pdf
2012 - The anthology The Passage Cooper's Hawk and Those Who Fly Them was published. The opening chapter is a narrative of training and hunting with a passage Cooper's Hawk. September 2007 - The National Red Setter Field Trial Club published the Falconry FAQ to compliment an article by one of their members on the Red Setter in falconry. February 2007 - New Jersey Audubon Society's Nature Center of Cape May produced educational lesson plans for their Cumberland County Winter Eagle Festival's Raptor Discovery Days. The videos and much information for many of their programs came from this site. November 2006 - Speaker at Raptors on the Prairie conference. Authored a presentation on the use of raptor mutes as a leading indicator of disease and illness. Hosted by the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center The full PowerPoint presentation is available here mutes.ppt December 2005 - Writer for the North American Falconers Association. This research paper was featured in the December 2005 issue of the NAFA Hawk Chalk. The full paper is available here. Longitudinal Analysis of Cases, Violations, and Citations involving the MBTA Regulations from January 1, 2000 through April 20, 2005 April 2005 - Authored research paper on the current population pools of native raptors, the impact of falconry, and the population trends of our wild raptor populations.Population Pools of Native Raptors March 2005 - Guest writer for the Primitive Ways site. This article has subsequently been selected for their exclusive CD. Falconry - Modern and Traditional
Sample inspections report form. I have several copies of this printed out and available with my falconry papers so that if I am inspected by officials, I have a method to drive the inspection and ensure I have met the criteria of our regulations. Note that this is not an official publication by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, but an inspection report form that I have worked with our state association and law enforcement to ask the WDFW to standardize on. Washington is still working through all the approvals on this. Falconry Inspection Report form Mews Sign For placing on your mews with your appropriate paperwork. Gives emergency numbers and a bit of deterrence to any visitors. NOTE: This is not a sign carrying any legal weight and is not intended to convey legal information to the possessor or to visitors to your mews. It is for information, contact numbers, and to act as a kindly worded deterrent to the casual visitor who may not realize that they need to respect the mews and the bird's space. Permission to Temporarily Possess Raptor A template for those times when another falconer, or other appropriate permittee, will be caring for your raptor. Cites specific regulations and helps you hand over a raptor for temporary care with all the necessary information. Just print a copy, fill it in, attach a copy of your bird's 3-186A, and hand it over to your raptor sitter. NOTE: This is not a document carrying any legal weight and is not intended to convey legal information to the possessor or to agents. It is for assistance in including the proper information when handing your raptor for shortterm care to another properly permitted person. Permission to access land for falconry A template for conveying what falconry is to landowners and gaining
written permission from them. You will need to edit this inserting your own name, and editing it for your purposes. It can also be useful to hand landowners information on pasture management. NOTE: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. This is not a document carrying any legal weight and is not intended to convey legal information to the possessor or to agents. It is for assistance in your creation of your own document based on your state's laws on your understanding of the laws. This has been based on many different falconers' forms and has some good notes for any falconer. Card for carrying to access land for falconry A template for a card you can carry and give to a landowner securing written permission for accessing land for hunting. NOTE: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. This is not a document carrying any legal weight and is not intended to convey legal information to the possessor or to agents. It is for assistance in your creation of your own document based on your state's laws on your understanding of the laws. This has been based on many different falconers' forms and has some good notes for any falconer. Disease Card For placing in your wallet in case of medical emergency. Raptor rehabilitators, falconers, and hunters come into contact with a variety of diseases that are not typical in the general population. Because of this if you develop symptoms which are difficult to treat or diagnose, providing your physician with a sampling of common zoonotic diseases can help them diagnose and treat you. Raptors A general educational
handout
on
raptors,
useful for settings.
Pasture Management A handout on managing pastures
and
fields
for
wildlife.
The Modern Apprentice has been featured in the Birmingham News and many times by the Washington Falconers Association's Mewsletter. The handouts and information available on The Modern Apprentice has had the distinction of being used by rehabilitation organizations to help train their new volunteers, several falconry organizations in their educational efforts, authors researching books, and historical re-enactment groups to supplement their outreach programs. If you use the materials, please let me know how they worked for you!
s a corporate speaker, Lydia Ash has had many speaking engagements, a few include: October 2008 - Chair for the Google Test Automation Conference 2008 (GTAC 2008) January 2008 - Panelist for the Women in Leadership Symposium July 2007 - Panelist for the New York Test Engineering Forum co-sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers http://www.swe.org/SWE/regionE/Sections/sweny/Miscella neous/GoogleEvent072507.pdf July 2007 - Speaker at the Conference of the Association for Software Testing (CAST) Data Set Analysis: Approaches to testing when the build is the data Identifying some simple approaches to some complex problems.
July 2007 - Panelist for a QA SIG/CAST testing exhibition http://www.qasig.org/calendar.html March 2007 - Speaker to the Society of Women Engineers Working in the Innovation Factory December 2006 - Speaker at University of Washington Essential Skills for Web Testers September 2006 - Speaker at the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference 2006 (PNSQC) A Peek Inside Google's Innovation Factory April 2006 Invited speaker at Amazon 5 Things to Make Your Web Testing More Effective Lydia Ash focuses on effective testing - making the testing efforts the most effective they can be. As such, her talk will focus on 5 high impact things testers can do to be more effective immediately, yet with a small additional cost to their time and effort. Suggestions are concrete with immediate results that set a firm foundation for web testing. April 2006 - Invited speaker to Association for Women in Computing (AWC) AJAX in Action: Asynchronous JavaScript And XML Sold out engagement to AWC's engineers! Topics covered include: • • • • • • •
What is AJAX? Components of modern web applications How Gmail works Pros and Cons of AJAX Public AJAX libraries Similar burgeoning technologies Testing AJAX applications
March 2006 - Speaker at Google - Network Analysis
Lydia Ash's book The Web Testing Companion has received much recognition as one of the foremost books on testing web applications, and is now one of the foundation books given to new Google employees. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471430218 Wiley online site for The Web Testing Companion http://www.wiley.com/compbooks/ash/ Lydia was a consulting expert on the recently published book Software Requirement Patterns by Stephen Withall. http://www.amazon.com/Software-Requirement-PatternsBest-Practices/dp/0735623988/
Sites Citing The Web Testing Companion An Introduction to Quality Assurance http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2005/01/13/quality_assurance. html
Wikipedia Software http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_testing
Testing
Software QA and Testing Resource http://www.softwareqatest.com/qatbks1.html
Center
StickMinds Book Review http://www.stickyminds.com/sitewide.asp?Function=edetai l&ObjectType=BOOK&ObjectId=617
Microsoft Technical Careers - Recommended Reading List http://blogs.msdn.com/jobsblog/archive/2004/07/29/20114 3.aspx
Microsoft Security Booklist http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/secnews/securit ybooklist.mspx
HotCoding Software Development http://www.hotcoding.com/Programming/perl/200611/3483 8.html
Plynt Penetration Testing http://www.plynt.com/resources/learn/penetration-testing/
VideoGameKnowledge Localization http://www.videogameknowledge.com/search/Software_lo calization
COQAA
-
Recommended
Answers.com Software http://www.answers.com/topic/software-testing
R.S. Pressman http://www.rspa.com/spi/webe-test.html
Reading Testing
Resources
How to Test Like Leonardo a Vinci http://blogs.msdn.com/kintan/archive/2005/04/27/412476.
aspx
Software Test Engineer's Bookshelf http://forums.sureshkumar.net/testing-tools-qa/21032software-test-engineer-s-bookshelf.html
Testing web applications in http://www.dsic.upv.es/workshops/wwv05/preproceedings.pdf
practice
Quality Assurance and Software Testing booklist http://quality-assurance-softwaretesting.blogspot.com/2005/07/software-testing-booksamazoncom.html
Dinesh Bhat's blog http://blogs.msdn.com/dinesh_bhat/archive/2005/01/08/34 9206.aspx
Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 http://blogs.msdn.com/testing123/archive/tags/Testing/def ault.aspx
The Web Testing Companion is also used as a university textbook for several courses including: Institute for Advanced Studies in Software Testing University of Leeds http://ics.leeds.ac.uk/icsmodsb/ay2006/COMM1730.doc
University of Calgary - Software Reliability and Testing 521 University of Calgary - Software Reliability and Testing 635
Lydia Ash's recent paper Data Set Analysis published in the CAST 2007 proceedings describes the foundations to testing data accuracy and relationships in large-scale sets of data through simple approaches to complex problems. Data Set Analysis
Lydia Ash's professional resume
GLOSSARY Glossary All of these terms are found elsewhere on the site, but have been collected here for convenience. I personally prefer to learn new terms in context, but having a vocabulary list is also useful. All the pages of this site can be found at http://www.themodernapprentice.com/list.htm. This page is also available in Russian: http://mybirds.ru/groups/lovch/glossary.php Note: If video clips do not launch automatically on your machine, right-click the link and select Save Link As... to save the video clip locally. The clip can be saved to your desktop, double-clicked, and played from there. Falconry terms that change our language http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz2527591cf 05d0.html
Bird body glossary http://www.birding.com/glossary.asp
Aba A cloth wrap that immobilizes a bird to calm her or hold her for examination. Aerie A raptor's nesting place, usually high up such as on a cliff. Alula Three small, stiff feathers control the flow of air over the wing during flight. Anklets The leather strap which goes around the bird's leg. The jesses are attached to this. Sometimes also called a bracelet. Austringer A person who flies short-wing or broad-wing hawks, also called a Shortwinger and sometimes (mostly in jest) "dirt hawker". Aylmeri Leather anklets and jesses designed by the late Guy Aylmeri; replacement for traditional jesses. Bal Chatri A traditional trap used by many raptor banders, rehabilitators, and falconers commonly called a BC. This is one of the safest and simplest traps available. It is a small cage for bait keeping them separate from an attacking bird, then small monofilament nooses over the top that will ensnare the toes. Band A plastic or metal identification ring that goes around the bird's leg. Some states require certain wild taken species to be banded, other states require all wild taken birds to be banded, and other states have no such requirements, however most states require captive bred birds to be banded.
Bate The action of the bird attempting to fly from a perch or the fist while attached by a leash. The bird may be startled and wanting to leave, may have seen something attractive and curious to fly to it, or may be impatient to be flying or hunting. Bate video clip: 290 Kb Bathe Getting into a bathpan and soaking her feathers. It is an important part of raptor husbandry to encourage a good soaking. Bathing video clip (short): 311 Kb Bathing video clip (long): 1.9 meg Beak The keratin covering of the mouth protecting the tongue and mouth opening. Bechin A
small
tidbit
of
food.
Bells Exactly that: small bells attached to the bird's tarsus, tail, or around the neck. The benefit of this is to be able to hear the bird when she is in trees hidden by leaves or on the ground on quarry hidden by brush. Bewit Small strips of leather which attach the bells or other hardware to the bird's leg. If a different material is used as a bewit, it should not be attached directly to the leg, but rather to the anklet. A cable tie is a great convenience, but must never be attached around the bird's leg. Bind To grab and hold; a bird can bind to quarry, a lure, or the falconer's hand. Block
perch The
traditional
perch
for
a
falcon.
Blood feathers Feathers which still are still growing and
have
blood
supplied
through
the
shaft.
Bloom The healthy sheen to the feathers indicating proper nutrition, management, and waterproofing. Bob Up-and-down head movement showing interest; thought to be for judging distance to an object. Bobbing video clip: 862 Kb Bow net A trap that, when set, looks like a circle laying on the ground. When the bird comes in to investigate the bait, the trap is sprung causing the circle to release over the bird creating a semi-circle and a bag of net over the now trapped bird. Bow
perch The
Bowse To Bowse
traditional
video
perch
clip:
for
256
a
hawk. drink. Kb
Braces Leather straps on the hood which open and close it. Brail A leather thong used to restrain one wing on a bird to prevent it from bating, especially during manning. Brancher An immature bird who can only jump from branch to branch; has developed pin feathers but has not flown. Break in To tear into the catch and begin eating. Button The folded section of leather that acts as a stopper for the jesses against the anklet, or the braided end of a leash. This may also be called a knurl. Cadge A frame serving as a perch used to carry several
birds
at
once.
Cast There are several definitions of the word "cast". In bird behavior cast means to bring up the indigestible pieces of a meal, often in the morning or before becoming more active. The casting is a round or oblong wad of feathers, fur, and bones which are left after the nutritious parts of a meal are digested. The act of casting can sometimes appear to be concerning to those who are not used to it. The bird extends her neck, arches it, wrenches it down, may shake her head violently and appear to vomit. Birds who successfully bring up a casting and settle back down are only exhibiting healthy, normal behavior. Cast can also mean to hold a bird down for examination, as in the phrase "We cast the bird to cope her." The meaning here is that the bird was held down so that her beak could be trimmed and shaped. Cast may also mean a group of birds (typically Harris' Hawks) flown and hunted together like a pack. Cast video clip (head motions normal before casting followed by a bird casting - casting is from domestic white rabbit fur): 917 Kb Cast away To vomit the contents of the stomach and crop. Rarely used term. Cast off With the bird on the fist, this is the action of pushing it to be airborne. Casting The lump of indigestible fur, bone, and other material that a bird casts up. This is usually called a pellet in owls. Cere The smooth, featherless skin just above the beak where it attaches to the forehead. Also called the operculum.
Chaps Chaps are leg protectors for a bird, primarily used when hunting squirrels as the squirrel teeth can severely damage a bird's leg or toe. Choanal slit The slit in the roof of the mouth which connects to the bird's sinuses. Cloaca The external opening to expel fecal matter. In birds there is a single opening for intestinal (fecal matter), urinal (urine and urates), and genital tracts. Commissure The delicate corner of the mouth, also called the commissural point. Coping To re-shape the bird's beak into its optimal form; to trim the growth and shape it up. Coverts Row of feathers which run down the wing above the primaries and secondaries. This is the generally referred to feathers when somebody says "coverts". There are other covert feathers over the body such as those on the tail and over the alulas. Crab To fight or tussle over a catch; two birds of a cast may crab each trying to gain control and break in to the catch. Creance A long line or cord attached to the bird while training. Ten yards is going to work for most situations, but for free flights to verify that your bird is ready to be taken from the creance, many recommend 50 yards in length. Crines The short hair-like feathers around the cere and beak. Crop The crop of the bird is like a pouch along the esophagus. It is where food is initially placed before it
moves into the stomach. Food comes here for quick storage and to soften it and to separate out the digestibles from the indigestibles. It is useful to note that owls have no crop. This photo shows a bird just after eating. My index finger is at the bottom of her gorged crop and my second finger is resting above her crop. You can feel the enlarged pouch when a bird has a full crop and you can even separate the top layer of feathers to see the skin stretched over the crop. Crouch The action of lowering the body and extending the wings slightly in anticipation of leaping into flight. Crouch video clip: 875 Kb Crural The feathers that cover the leg from the upper leg to the abdomen. In some species the crural feathers cover the leg to the top of the foot. Deck The
two
center
tail
feathers
in
the
train.
Dho-gazza A trap consisting of a net suspended between a bird and bait. The bird flies into the net and the net collapses around the bird entangling her. This can be more stressful than some other traps as the bird must be sorted out from the netting. Draw the braces To pull the braces of a hood such that they tighten and close. Ear Raptors have ears placed on each side of their head, although there is virtually no external structure to it. Enseam To bring a hawk out of her moult by nutritional management, weight management, and exercise, sometimes also called reclaim when there is manning to be done after the moult as well.
Enter To introduce a bird to a particular quarry while hunting with her falconer. The bird may well have taken particular game while in the wild, but she is still entered when she first experiences this with her handler. Eyass A downy baby raptor; no pin feathers started. This can also refer to a bird taken from a nest as a downy chick. Feak The action of rubbing the beak against a surface to clean it; sign of content bird. Feak video clip: 1.1 meg Fledgling An immature bird who has flown at least once, but is still not in control and under the care of adult birds. Foot To grab something with the foot and talons; this action is done to a lure or quarry to subdue or kill it. Free loft A management technique where the bird is allowed the full roam of her mews without being tethered. Some birds do not acclimate to this well and some situations are not set up for this to be safe. Fret marks A line across feathers created when a bird is starved or diseased while she was growing the feather. Also called stress marks, stress bars, shock marks, hunger streaks, or hunger traces. Full summed Referring to the end of the moult when a bird has grown in the full set of the new feathers. Gape Referring to the breadth of the bird's mouth opening from corner to corner. Sometimes people use this term to mean the opening of the mouth in general, but it specifically is referring to the opening across the delicate
corners of the mouth, the gap. Often used with comments about how a particular hood is fitting. Gauntlet The glove worn by the falconer, traditionally on the left hand. Glottis The valve at the base of the tongue that closes the trachea to food or liquid. Gorge To fully feed a bird as much as she wants to eat in a meal, typically as a reward for a significant effort or forward step in training. Hack To allow a bird complete freedom to come and go as she pleases, however usually the falconer still provides food and shelter. This is most typically done with immature birds who are being raised without imprinting. The falconer will then capture these birds just before they would take off for migration or to hunt on their own. Hacking is also done when transitioning birds back into the wild as a soft release. It may also be done with birds during the summer months when the falconer has, for all intents and purposes, released a bird to the wild, but the bird continues to return on her own. It serves as a softrelease. Haggard A wild bird in her adult plumage over one year old. Hallux The toe which faces backwards on most raptors. In hawks, this is the talon most responsible for puncturing the vitals of prey. Technically, this is labeled toe #1. The innermost forward toe is toe #2, the next toe outside of that is toe #3 and the furthest front-facing toe is toe #4. With regards to the feet, most raptors have three toes facing forwards and one toe facing backwards. This conformation is called Anisodactyl. Some birds, such as
owls, have two toes facing forwards and two facing backwards. This conformation is called Zygodactyl. And then the Osprey has the unique ability to swivel her third toe to be in either conformation. Halsband The German term for a strap of leather looped around the bird's neck and then hung down to help propel the bird (mainly Accipiters). Also called a jangoli. Here it is pictured with an accompanying neck bell. Photo courtesy of Kory Koch. Hard penned Referring to the shaft of the feather after the blood supply has rescinded. While the feather is growing the base of the feather shaft is blue from the blood supply. Once the feather has hardened and the base turned white, the blood supply is no longer flowing to the feather and the bird is referred to as hard penned. Hawk Box The ventilated box used to contain a bird for travel, also called a giant hood. Red-Tailed Hawk loading into a hawkbox video clip: 2.5 meg Hood The leather head covering used on hawks and falcons. The purpose of the hood is to hide the stimulus of the world from the bird's sight to calm her or prevent her from reacting to things. Hooding video clip: 803 Kb A bird should hood calmly Haggard An adult wild bird, or a wild bird who is more than 12 months old and carries the mature plumage. Imp Cutting a broken or damaged feather and replacing it with an undamaged feather. Imping usually involves cutting the shaft of the bird's broken feather, trimming a feather that the falconer has on hand to the right length, and the gluing the shaft of the replacement feather to the
shaft
of
the
broken
feather
on
the
bird.
Imprint A bird raised by humans and not by other raptors; the bird will also tend to identify with humans, but this is a long and complex topic. Intermew To moult a bird in captivity. A three times intermewed bird is one who has spent three moult seasons in captivity. Jangoli A strap of leather looped around the bird's neck and then hung down to help propel the bird (mainly Accipiters). Also called a halsband. Here it is pictured with an accompanying neck bell. Photo courtesy of Kory Koch. Jerkin A
male
Gyrfalcon.
Jess Traditionally, these are leather strips which go through the anklets so the falconer can hold the bird and attach the leash. Modern jesses are of many types of material including parachute cord and various braids. Jess Extender This piece of furniture has two functions. First, it requires dexterity to slide the swivel up the jesses and then back through. The jess extender can make this easier, especially for those less deft. Second, the jess extender extends the swivel away from the bird. With a perch such as the Meng perch, a bate will cause the swivel to pass through the tail and damage it. However, if there is a jess extender long enough that the swivel is not allowed to pass through the tail, then the tail will be saved. Extending the swivel beyond the tail tip by 1" or 1.5" is far enough. Jokin (UK) Sleeping. Adult birds can sleep simply standing, but they typically tuck their heads beneath a wing appearing headless at first glance.
Keel The large bone running vertically up the bird's breast; the sternum. This is the site of the breast muscle's attachment and is a very important bone. The term feel the keelmeans to put the keel between your thumb and finger and judge the amount of fat and muscle along the sides of this ridge. A healthy, well muscled bird will have a dense padding along the sides and barely any ridge of the bone to be felt. A bird who is in low condition will have a sharp ridge of bone sticking out with very little muscle or fat along side. A fat bird without a lot of muscle will be well padded, but not with dense muscle. A good falconer will regularly check the keel feeling the musculature and level of fat on the bird regularly. Because of the way that falcons are structured, they will tend to be better muscled than a comparable hawk. They depend on those muscles more than a hawk does and the muscles reflect that. Knurl The Lanneret A
leather male
buttons. Lanner
Falcon.
Laying Down Some birds, when very relaxed, will actually lay down. This is more often seen in immature or imprint birds, but some birds who are very comfortable in captivity will develop this as well. Laying down video clip: 1.2 meg In this clip, notice how alert and aware the bird is. Laying down can signal illness in some birds, especially if the bird is dull or lacking energy. This bird is just very comfortable. Leash Traditionally leather, this is what attaches the bird to the perch or falconer's glove. Modern leashes have taken many forms and many materials are used. Luggaret A
male
Luggar
Falcon.
Lure A fake quarry used to train a bird. For training birds to feathered quarry, a feathered lure which looks like a bird is used, sometimes even mimicking the wing beats. For training to rabbits, birds such as Red-Tails are not terribly picky and will respond to almost anything they are trained to. Mail The
breast
feathers.
Make in To carefully approach a bird on her kill. Malar stripe The dark streak of feathers beneath a falcon's eye. The biological theory for this is that, much like athletes putting blacking under their eyes to prevent glare, this also prevents glare from reflecting off their feathers. The picture here shows a Lanner with the dark streak. Also called the facial stripe or eye stripe. Man To acclimate a bird to your presence. A bird is said to be "well manned" when she is comfortable around people and accepting of their presence. Mandible The upper and lower jaw and the beak. Image also shows tongue and open beak. Mangalah A cuff used instead of a gauntlet in the Middle East. Sometimes also called a mankalah. Mantle The action of stretching out the wings to hide food; there is a secondary meaning describing the action of stretching a wing and the same side leg out to one side of the body. A Harris Hawk mantling over her food. A Gyrfalcon mantling by stretching one wing and the same side leg. Mantle (hiding food) video clip: 526 Kb
Mantle
(stretch)
video
clip:
719
Kb
Mew The bird's secure enclosure where she lives; the hawk house. Microhawking Hawking with the smaller birds - Kestrels, Sharp-Shins, or Sparrowhawks. Very popular, especially for the suburban falconer without large fields or large spaces for mews facilities. Molt In most raptors, this is an annual shedding of the feathers. A successful molt starts in spring or early summer, concludes in autumn, requires a bird to be healthy, and with proper nutrition to produce a new set of feathers. Musket A
male
Sparrowhawk.
Mute Referring both to the fecal matter and to the act of defecating. To mute usually refers to falcons defecating where the material drops from the cloaca straight down, whileslicing (or propelling the matter out of the cloaca) refers to hawks. The common term mute is often used as a general term for all. The dried white urates are also referred to as chalk or whitewash. Muting video clip: 694 Kb Nare The nasal opening is in the cere. In falcons this is a circular opening, and in all member of Accipitradae this is an oval. Nictitating membrane The nictitating membrane is sometimes called the third eyelid or the "haw". It is a thin, white membrane that can operate independently of the eyelid. The purpose is to have a form of protection over the eye while still retaining some amount of vision. Note: In the graphic, the first image has the eye exposed
and the membrane open while the second image shows the eye covered by the membrane. The arrow is pointing to the membrane Pannel The
stomach
region
(UK).
Passage A passage bird is one trapped from the wild before it was 12 months of age or, more simply, an immature wild bird. This term can also take on the meaning of referring to a bird as being of wild origin - a three times intermewed passage bird would be a bird that was trapped from the wild several years prior that has since been in captivity. She was wild but has been flown for several years as an adult bird. Patagial The
"arm
pit"
region.
Pendant feathers The feathers behind the thighs (UK). Pitch Referring to the height that a falcon will achieve when they rise. From this height they will go into a stoop at prey or the lure. Plumage Primarily this references a bird's feathers, however this is also a traditional term for tirings from birds such as a pigeon wing. Preen gland Formally called the uropygial gland, this is a gland at the base of the tail that produces oil important to proper feather and beak health as well as waterproofing. The bird spreads this oil over the feathers and body through preening actions. Preen video clip: 562 Kb Primaries The primaries provide the main forward thrust for flight. On the wing, these are the feathers most distal (located nearest to the tip; furthest from the center of the
body). Also called beam feathers or phalangeal
feathers in
the
UK, flight feathers.
Principals The longest two feathers on a hawk's wing. Put over The process of the bird moving the contents of her crop into her stomach; also called endew in the UK. A hawk has "put away her crop" when the crop contents have completely emptied into the stomach. Put over video clip: 869 Kb Pygostyle The tail bone that supports the tail muscles and feathers. Quarry The game that you are hunting such as rabbit, pheasant, crow, or quail. Rake away To pull out of a flight, particularly to pull out of a stoop. Rangle Small, smooth stones ingested by a bird to help clean out her crop. Rangle both refers to the stones used and the action of feeding the stones. Rectrices The paired tail feathers. There are, generally, 12 tail feathers in total. This is a term used in general biology, and not usually in falconry. Remiges The primary and the secondary feathers are together called remiges. Ring perch A perch made out of a circular piece of metal where the hawk stands on top. Robin A
male
Hobby
Falcon
is
called
a Robin.
Rouse The action of a hawk erecting its feathers and then
shaking them; part of grooming; a sign of a relaxed and content bird. Rouse video clip: 637 Kb Rufter A British term for a trapping hood or a hood that's not polished and precise, but versatile fitting many different birds. Sakeret A
male
Saker
falcon.
Sarcel British term for the outermost primary feather. Scale A modern addition to falconry, but used by most modern falconers to ensure their bird's health. Much like an athlete knows his nutritional intake and his varying weights, so the falconer carefully watches his bird's condition. Large birds such as eagles do not need a finely graduated scale. Smaller birds such as a Kestrel need a scale which can weigh out to the tenth of a gram, and smaller birds need to be weighed several times a day. Some falconers prefer manual balances and others prefer digital scales. A kitchen quality scale will not be precise enough for this task, though. A spring-loaded scale (like a food scale or a cheap postal scale) will vary with temperature and age. Most falconers will apply Astroturf, cork, or another comfortable surface to the balance pan for the bird to stand on. Others place a short T-perch onto the pan for the bird. Almost every species of bird should be weighed in grams (not ounces or pounds) so that you get the most granular measurement of your bird's weight. Screen perch A perch made of a vertical wall or screen topped by a bar for the bird to stand on. Secondaries The feathers most proximal (just inside from the primary feathers; closer to the center of the body) on the wing are the largest surface area of the wing. Also
called flags in
the
UK.
Sharp Referring to the feel of the keel. A bird is sharp if the padding of fat and muscle on either side of the keel is recessed leaving the edge of the bone easily felt. This can also be used to refer to a bird's mindset and that she is acting sharp even though her physical condition does not match. Slice The throwing of a mute as what Accipiters, hawks, and eagles do forcibly ejecting the material. Falcons mute straight down while the other raptors fling their fecal matter out with a bit of velocity. Slip The term for the quarry setup whereby it is in a position to be caught, usually referencing birds to be caught such as ducks or crows, giving the bird an opportunity for a flight at the prey. Snite To
sneeze
St Hubert The patron saint of falconry and falconers. Stoop The act of a bird (usually a falcon) flying high in the sky folding her wings back and dropping quickly at a bird or the lure; stooping also is used to describe lure flying where the bird is stooped to the lure making repeated shots at a lure. Short line lure stooping - USAF cadet stooping a GyrSaker cross Stoop video clip: 318 Kb Pole lure stooping - master falconer Ron Kearney stooping a Peregrine to the lure Stoop video clip: 644 Kb Video courtesy of Bridget Rocheford Strike There are several meanings for the work strike. The obvious meaning is for the bird to hit its prey. The other, and more common meaning in falconry, is to loosen the
braces of the hood and pull the hood off the bird's head. This is striking the braces. Superciliary Line The line of feathers above the eye similar to the eye brow. Supraorbital ridge The ridge just above the eye; the brow bone. Immature birds are frequently not seen with a developed supraorbital ridge. Swivel Small metal joint used in between the leash and the jesses. When these birds are on the perch, they make many small movements turning around and such. Without the swivel they would very quickly become entangled and endanger themselves. Tail guard The feathers of an Accipiter are notoriously brittle. To prevent unnecessary tail breakage, a cover is placed over the tail or many of these birds. Talon A
raptor's
toe
nail.
Tarsus The leg between the foot and first joint where an anklet will go around. Telemetry Modern evolution of bells. A small transmitter is attached to the bird and the falconer has a receiver tuned to the bird's frequency. If the bird is unable to be found, the telemetry is used to locate her. This is one of the most revolutionary changes for modern falconry allowing falconers to fly the same bird for a longer period of time without her being lost, allows other falconers with receivers to assist in finding a lost bird, and allows the falcon to be flown at higher weights then ever before. Throw Up To pull out of a stoop and rise at a steep pitch on fixed wings without flapping, usually after missing an
intended
strike
or
to
avoid
an
accident.
Tidbit A small piece of meat to feed the bird. Tidbits can be as small as 60 per ounce of food. This is also called bechins in the UK. Tiercel A male raptor, although technically this applies to a male Peregrine Falcon in particular. Tiring Tough piece of meat and bone that will keep a bird occupied for a long period of time. This usually also has the quality of conditioning the beak and exercising the neck and back muscles, although not necessarily. A chicken or pigeon wing removed at the shoulder, a rabbit or duck head, or a rabbit foreleg with much of the meat removed, make an excellent tirings as they have very little meat distributed over a large surface making it difficult to get ahold of the edible parts. The bird will work and work on a tiring for a period of time. In absolute correct terms, a tiring is from a mammal, such as a rabbit foreleg, and a plumage is from a bird, such as a pigeon wing. Tomial tooth The tooth (and often referencing the corresponding notch) in a falcon's beak specialized for snapping the neck of their prey. Sometimes just called the notch. Trachea The tube at the back of the bird's tongue which leads to the lungs. Train The 12 tail feathers. the retrices (singular retrix).
Formally
called
Turk's head knot The knot used at the top of a hood. The primary function is to give the hood a solid handle to manipulate it, but it has also become decorative. Typically two knots are used together or a knot and a bead. More
decorative
versions
include
feathers
or
plumes.
Varvel A less used piece of equipment. This flat silver or brass ring served several purposes. It was attached at the end of a long slitless jess as the attachment for the leash, but also served as the quick release mechanism when hunting. (A single strip of leather or rope could be attached to the glove, passed through the rings, and held by the falconer. When the falconer cast the bird from the fist the strip would be released allowing it to pass through the varvels and the hawk to be released.) It was usually engraved with the owner's coat of arms. These have almost all been abandoned as they tend to tangle in brush and grasses. Vent The external surface of the cloaca. Birds are unique in that their fecal and urates come from a single outlet which is the cloaca. The fecal is the dark portion and is the stool. The urate is the white solid portion. The liquid clearish is the liquid urine. Wait on To soar either circling or hanging on the wind above the falconer waiting for quarry. The bird will then stoop at the quarry. Wake One process of manning whereby a bird is exposed to all types of experiences while kept awake for an extended amount of time. Warble The action of stretching both wings up over the back simultaneously. Warble video clip: 436 Kb Washed meat Meat that has been set to soak in cold water to pull much of the nutrients from the meat. The advantage is that a bird can be fed very large amounts without gaining much weight by ingesting fat and calories,
similar to eating reduced-fat or low-calorie foods. Weather To put a bird out into the open air and sometimes sunshine. This is generally done in a weathering yard where she is protected from any other raptors, dogs, or cats, has the opportunity to bathe or drink, and can spread her wings and soak up the sun or pull up her foot in the shade. Her weathering yard is typically watched by the falconer whenever she is there. Wing butts The forward angled section of the wing analogous to our wrist. Wing over To change direction flipping over in mid-flight, often when chasing quarry that has changed direction. Yagi The hand-held telemetry.
antenna
receiver
portion
of
Yarak A state of complete focus on the hunt, usually referring to Accipiters. An Eastern term referencing when the bird's training, weight, and mental focus all comes together in the field. The hawk is riding the fist in anticipation of the hunt and is ready to go.
LINKS A library of links interesting to falconer and enthusiast. All pages and videos for this site can be found listed here: http://www.themodernapprentice.com/list.htm Several of the pages of this site are now available in Russian. Thanks to Natalia Grechanaya for her translations. • •
http://mybirds.ru/health/rap_health/ http://mybirds.ru/health/rap_health/mutes.php
Regulations I strongly encourage all falconers to carefully print, read, and understand the following and keep copies in your mews or preparation area: US Fish and Wildlife Service Title 50 CFR Part 21 (Migratory Bird Permits) http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/textidx?c=ecfr&sid=3b6afee2a70cb2022be0a9e4a13eec5b&r gn=div8&view=text&node=50:6.0.1.1.4.3.1.9&idno=50 I strongly encourage all falconers to carefully print, read, and understand the following and keep copies in your mews or preparation area: Washington State Title 232 WAC Chapter 30 (232-30 Falconry Regulations) http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite =232-30 3-816A Online Reporting Page (for states on the new federal regulations) http://permits.fws.gov/186A 3-186A Online Filing Form https://migbirdapps.fws.gov/falconry/prg/frmFalreg.a spx US Fish and Wildlife Service - Migratory Bird and Eagle Permits http://www.fws.gov/permits/mbpermits/birdbasics. html And eagle take http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/CurrentBirdIssues/ BaldEagle/FEA_EagleTakePermit_Final.pdf
Federal Propagation Regulations http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-0523/html/2011-12519.htm Washington
Department
of
Fish
and
Wildlife http://wdfw.wa.gov/ Washington Association http://www.wafalconers.org/
Falconers
Falconry exams Online falconry test http://www.onlinefalconry.com/USFederalFalconryExa m.htm Falconry test Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Falconrytest/ Falconry study flash cards http://www.flashcardmachine.com/falconry.html Raptor videos UNESCO Falconry Heritage video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o4c2bRXeqA The UN has declared falconry to be an Intangible Cultural Heritage http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=e s&pg=00335 Eddie Brochin The Sport Kings http://www.myoutdoortv.com/shows/ultimateoutdoors-with-eddie-brochin
of
Immature urban Red-Tail Hawk - showing just how comfortable a wild bird can be hunting and eating around people http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN35qQnHzaM PBS' Jungle Eagle The Eagle http://video.pbs.org/video/2166128141
Harpy
Abu Dhabi's state of the art falcon hospital http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/06/10/fa lcon.hospital.uae/index.html
Bald Eagle swimming to shore with fish http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c59_1202800919 Peregrine hatching http://www.thecouriermail.com.au/extras/frodoca m/default.htm Internet Bird Collection - various raptor species and videos http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia =30 The Birds of North America http://bna.birds.cornell.edu
Raptor Biology and Aviculture Falconry raptor harvest rates http://www.netexpress.net/~okeefe/Temp/Falconry% 20Harvest%20Rates.pdf Bird population and migratory monitoring http://www.birding.com/blnksvey.asp Necropsy class http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/AvianNecropsy-Examination/ Raptor talons and killing method http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34242212/ns/techn ology_and_science-science/ Washington Nature Mapping program http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/ Audubon Christmas Count http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count Species
abbreviations
and
Bird
species
profiles http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/bird/ Cornell - an incredible amount of information about birds http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna Raptor feet http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/11/ne ck-breaking_disembowelling_constricting_and_fishing__the.php?utm_source=networkbanner&utm_medium=link Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/field_ma nual/field_manual_of_wildlife_diseases.pdf Avian necropsy class http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/Avian-NecropsyExamination/ Avian Orthopedics http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/orthopedic. html Bird beak anatomy and care http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=15&cat =1829&articleid=2752 Bird Exotic
Skulls http://www.skullsite.com/index.htm Pet
Vet http://www.exoticpetvet.net/
How hawks see world http://www.wimp.com/hawkssee
the
Species population trend maps http://www.mbrpwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm03/trend2003.html Life
Histories
of
North
American
Birds
by
Bent http://www.birdsbybent.com/ Avian Biotech sexing http://www.avianbiotech.com/Index.htm Project
DNA
OwlNet http://www.projectowlnet.org/index.htm
Bird sleeping http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/birds/weekly feature/sleepingbeauties/ Plumage and moults http://www.scricciolo.com/Plumages%20and%20M olts/plumages_molts.htm Wildlife Diseases http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7153-10370_12150_12220---,00.html Parasite Image Library http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Image_Library .htm Long-Billed Hawk Syndrome (three-quarters of the way down the page) http://www.usaref.org/news_update.htm Parasites of Raptors by Neil Forbes FRCVS http://www.falconers.com/articles/vets_corner/inde x_files/page0001.htm Crop Needle Technique http://www.birdhealth.com.au/bird/er/erformula. html Biosafety of Disinfectants http://www.netpets.com/birds/healthspa/bios afety.html
FLAP Fatal Light Awareness Program http://www.flap.org/new/nocturnfr.htm BaywingDB Harris Hawk database http://home.comcast.net/~baywingdb/baywingho me.htm Stellar
Sea
Eagle http://stellerseaeagle.blogspot.com/
Night time owl migration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtfSS0xYLiY Saw-Whet Owls http://jimmccormac.blogspot.com/2007/11/northernsaw-whet-owl-invasion-update.html
Falconry and Raptors in the News Target Field has a new fan base: bird watchers http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/93321459.ht ml?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU Abatement using raptors at World Cup games http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/20 10/05/30/2003474214 Hawk in Library Congress http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federaleye/2011/01/hawk_in_library_of_congress.html
of
Nazi pigeons vs British Peregrines http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/Nazi%20P igeon.htm Target Field has a new fan base: bird watchers http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/93321459.ht ml?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU
Target Field has a new fan base: bird watchers http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/93321459.ht ml?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU Merlins Nest in North-Gate Area - Merlin population seen for first time west of the Olympic Mountainshttp://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnew s/2008065173_merlins22m0.html Red-Tail attacks bystander - nesting birds can be dangerous http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/ mlb/04/03/hawk.fenway.ap/index.html?cnn=yes Bald Eagles rehabilitated after diving into truck http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&vid=415bc8054bbc-4e7d-a545-135f2acd495e Field & Stream: Hunting with Hawks http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/hunting/ photogallery/article/0,13355,1537023,00.html Falconers trap wounded bird after weeks of attempts Wounded hawk caught, treated http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-hawkraug04,0,6070690.story Hawk Wanders Golf Course With Arrow In Leg - Shooting Red-Tailed Hawk Is Federal Crime http://www.nbc10.com/news/9595455/detail.html The Eagle Hunters http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200501/t he.eagle.hunters.htm The Colbert Report - Stephen Colbert points out one of many flaws in Alan Parrot's claims that falconry is
funding terrorism in the Middle Easthttp://www.comedycentral.com/partners/blinkx/playvid eo.jhtml?itemid=59706 Indianapolis Star Blog http://blogs.indystar.com/falconblog/
Falcon
A Boy and his Hawk http://wvgazette.com/section/Woods%20&%20Wate rs/2005102223 Red-Tailed Hawk vs Rattlesnake http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=dcfae757e49a-40b0-a27d-067acb2c3570&f=email TV Tower Wires Kill 400 Birds in One Night http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051006/ap_on_re_us/ bird_kill Woodland Park Zoo's 11-year-old falcon missing again http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/20 02492436_webmissingfalcon13.html Stork pays visit to high-rise hawks - Pale Male and Lola start new family in rebuilt roost http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7195688 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - Pursuits of Power: Falconry and the Samurai, 16001900 http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/pursuits-ofpower.html Discovery Channel - Pompeii Neighbor sics Falcons on Pigeons http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20050131/fa lcon.html Nature Photographers - Peregrine Encounter (great
photographs of a Peregrine taking a wading bird) http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0205/bs0 205-1.html BBC Calls over birds of prey killings http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4231131.stm The New York Times - a lesser-known NYC Red-Tail rescued - surely would have been among the unlucky majority of wild raptorshttp://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/22/nyregion/22ha wk.html?ex=1104731868&ei=1&en=9ed37824a39efecf Barton County Community College covers their own Biology professor who is also a falconer http://www.barton.cc.ks.us/hilltopics/featurestories /sportofkings04.htm The News Journal The Return of Falconry http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/spor ts/2004/12/16thereturnoffalc.html National Geographic - Falconry Used to Secure North American Airports http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/0 3/0325_030325_falconry.html Popular Mechanics Let Us Prey http://popularmechanics.com/outdoors/outdoors/200 3/8/let_us_prey/index.phtml Middletown Press - Falconry Faces Obstacles in State http://www.middletownpress.com/site/news.cfm?BR D=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=10856&newsid=12566940 PBS A Falconer's Memoir http://www.pbs.org/falconer/falconry/index.htm
Christian Science Monitor Flying with Falcons http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1223/p22s02hfks.html Falconry The Real Sport of Kings http://www.strangehorizons.com/2001/20011126/fal conry.shtml Forbes Billionaires on Vacation http://www.forbes.com/2002/09/19/0919feat_prin t.html
Other Harry McElroy's Hawking http://www.deserthawking.com
Sites Desert
Baine Carruther's excellent site http://www.pbase.com/baine
photography
Charlie Butler's excellent falconry blog http://www.GhostHawking.BlogSpot.com Falconry World
Forum of
-
video
UK http://www.falconryforum.co.uk Owls http://www.worldofowls.com
Falconry Meet in the Czech Republic - excellent photos of a variety of birds http://www.oook.cz/events/opocno06/index.html e-Training for Dogs - Dog training courses http://www.etrainingfordogs.com/ Merlin Falconry http://www.merlinfalconry.com/index.htm
Eduence Field Production Japan http://www.efp.jp/
-
Falconry
International Wildlife Rehabilitation IWRC http://www.iwrc-online.org/ Falconers Pages http://www.falconersyellowpages.com Matthew blog http://matthewmullenix.blogspot.com/ Stephen
Bodio's
Hawk
House
Eagle
Council
in
-
Yellow
Mullenix'
blog http://www.stephenbodio.com/ Art http://www.hawkhouseart.com
Falconer http://www.eaglefalconer.com
Borch's Falconry Falconry in Denmark http://users.cybercity.dk/~ccc12787/homeeng.ht ml Falconer
in
Denmark http://www.falconer.dk/
Microhawking Sparrowhawk blog http://wakayamatakagari.blogspot.com/
hunting
Hunting with Harris Hawks in the UK http://harrishawks.t83.net/ Online Falconry http://www.onlinefalconry.com/summernewsletter .htm Falconry Canada - Roy Priest http://www.falconry.ca/ West
Coast
Falconry
Academy http://www.westcoastfalconry.com/ The Falconry and Raptor Foundation http://www.falconryacademy.com/ Falconry
Education
Links http://www.FalconryLinks.com
HuntingNet http://www.huntingnet.com Owl
Pages http://www.owlpages.com
Zyra's Falconry Links http://www.zyra.org.uk/falconry.htm Exmoor Accipiter
Falconry http://www.exmoorfalconry.co.uk/ Enterprises http://www.birdsofprey.net/
MyBirds.ru Russian site http://mybirds.ru/groups/hish/
raptor
CONTACT This website is provided as an introduction to those who are interested in the sport, either as an end to itself or with the intent of becoming involved. It was created and is maintained by Master Falconer Lydia Ash with a great deal of input from Steve Layman and Dr. Tom Ray. Other valued contributors include Salman Ali, Tim Aigne, Geoff Hirschi, Bridget Rocheford, Ron Kearny, Seth Layman, Al Ingram, Doug Pineo, Richard and Becky Brunotte, Marten Benetar, Kory Koch, Griff Morgan-Jones, Ken Hooke, Kazuhiko Sugisaki, Gaylen Gerrish, Bob Beagan, W.J. Miller, Baine Carruthers, Brian Kellogg, Derry Argue, Will
Lake, David Maritz, Dr. David J. Kersting DVM, Dr. Carmen Lindheimer DVM, Dr. Mike Hooper, Dr. Lane Preston DVM, Dr Melissa Hill DVM, Jayme Perlman, Shirley Needham, Linda Huff, Cody Fields, Justin Tanner, Mike Todd, Richard Jones, Dion Thomson, Steve Huy, Jim Rogers, Natalia Grechanaya, Johann Hanekom, Marra Apgar, Cindy Alverson, Charles Redding, Jason Caldwell, Jo Turley, Natasha Leong, Valerie Baldwin, Carla Wakeman, Dion Thomson, Steve Dickson, Bill Rhinehart, Johann Hanekom, Chris Maack and the Bird Treatment and Learning Center, Gary Hampton, Bill Rhinehart, Linda and Dr. Joseph Chalk, San Bernardino County Raptor Rehab Center, Karen "Kitty" Carroll, Hubert Quade, Lee Slikkers, Lt. Col. William Muldoon and the cadets of the US Air Force Academy falconry program. Raptor electrocution expert Rick Harness also must be thanked for reviewing the section on raptor electrocutions. Veterinarian and author Dr. David J. Kersting, D.V.M must be thanked for reviewing the section on mutes. Russian translations are now available on the web provided by Natalia Grechanaya. The images and text is not permitted to be used without the explicit permission of myself or the original author/photographer as per credited. As well as being a Master Falconer, licensed rehabilitator, and an accomplished rider, Lydia has a B.Sc. degree in Biology, works in the software industry, is a frequent corporate speaker, and is the author of The Web Testing Companion. She is also a recognized fiction author. Lydia and her ever tolerant husband Chris can no longer claim to be raising their Small Munsterlander puppy, who is nearly seven years old and tolerating the year old pup that has joined the team. Lydia is the Northwest Director on the board of the nonprofit Washington Falconers Association, a member of the North American Falconers Association, and a member of
the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. She also is exam and lab certified by the IWRC through their Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation course.
FALCONRY HISTORY Falconry is the art and sport of hunting with raptors. In this modern age it is a highly regulated sport that demands time and serious commitment. Currently there are an estimated 4,000 falconers in the United States with roughly 5,000 birds. Falconry has been practiced in many forms for thousands of years by many cultures. Some speculate that falconry dates back as far as 4000 - 6000 BC in Mongolia, Egypt, and possibly Asia, however there is no concrete evidence to support that. It is known that falcons were given as presents to Chinese princes as early as 2200 BC, but these may have been for pets and not for hunting. Modern falconry, particularly as practiced in North America, has elements of many ancient practices, yet looks modern in many other ways. The modern falconry lifestyle is varied, yet the integration of the people with their raptors is common through all practices. A Falconry Timeline 722-705 BC - Assyrian Bas-relief found in the ruins at Khorsabad during the excavation of the palace of Sargon II (or Saragon II) depicts falconry. A. H. Layard's statement in his 1853 book Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon is "A falconer bearing a hawk on his wrist appeared to be represented in a bas-relief which I saw on my last visit to those ruins." 680 - Chinese records describe falconry E. W. Jameson suggests that evidence of falconry in Japan surfaces 4th Century BC - Gold coin pictures Alexander the Great with a hawk on his fist. It is assumed that the Romans
learned falconry from the Greeks, although it was uncommon; there are accounts of Caesar using trained falcons to destroy pigeons carrying messages 384 - Aristotle and other Greeks made references to falconry 200 BC - Japanese records note falcons given to Chinese princes 355 AD - Nihon-shoki, a historical narrative, records falconry. It is said that the first Japanese falconer was a woman named Kochiku, and her only daughter was also a falconer. 500 - E. W. Jameson pins the earliest actual evidence of falconry in Europe is represented in a Roman floor mosaic of a falconer and his hawk hunting ducks. 600 - Germanic tribes practiced falconry 8th and 9th century and continuing today - Falconry flourished in the Middle East 9th century - Japanese records mark the presence of women falconers 875 - Western Europe and Saxon England practiced widely; Crusaders are credited with bringing falconry to England and making it popular in the courts 1066 - Normans wrote of the practice of falconry; Following the Norman conquest of England, falconry became even more popular. The Norman word 'fauconnerie' is still used today. 1600's - Dutch records of falconry; the Dutch city of Valkenswaard was almost entirely dependent on falconry for its economy 1801 - James Strutt of England writes, "the ladies not only accompanied the gentlemen in pursuit of the diversion [falconry], but often practiced it by themselves; and even excelled the men in knowledge and exercise of the art." 1934 - The first US falconry club, The Peregrine Club, is formed; subsequently died out during World War II 1961 - NAFA formed
1970 - The Peregrine Fund is founded mostly by falconers to conserve raptors, but focusing on Peregrines A special thanks to Noriko Otsuka for her information on the Japanese falconry history and for historian David Zincavage for his review of some of this data. Famous Falconers Between 500 AD and 1600 AD falconry was an incredibly popular sport, art, and pastime in Western Europe being as popular through society as golf is today. Just about any historical figure that could be named during this time had an association or dabbled in falconry. Falconry still has strength throughout the Middle East and Asia, but its popularity declined throughout Europe during the 18th century with the invention of the gun and land restrictions. It was so common that for any given historical figure of this time period, the chances are that they engaged in falconry at some point. Perhaps the most famous falconer was Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Sicily and King of Jerusalem. He was such an avid falconer that in 1274 he wrote a comprehensive book, De Arte Venandi cum Avibus (The Art of Hunting with Birds or The Art of Falconry), taking over 30 years to complete. As he was such an opponent of the Church, he did not receive much credit for his work for many years - his writings were even prohibited. Finally published in 1596, it was only "discovered" by ornithologists in 1788. This was one of the first scientific works and laid the foundation for ornithology. Frederick was such an avid falconer that he was said to have lost a military campaign when he opted to go hawking instead of maintaining a fortress siege. Pope Leo X was a frequent hunter with his birds. The Bayeux tapestry depicts King Harold taking a falcon and hounds on his visit to William of Normandy. The two are known to have hawked together during this meeting.
William brought with him Flemish falconers when he conquered England. Albertus Magnus, the Catholic saint, wrote extensively on falcons and falconry. His real name was Albert von Bollstädt and he was a teacher and doctor at Cologne and also a Dominican friar. As a chemist he was the first to make arsenic in its free form. There is some speculation that Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun were also falconers. Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan most definitely was a falconer. Marco Polo wrote of him, "takes with him full 10,000 falconers and some 500 gerfalcons, besides peregrines, sakers, and other hawks in great numbers, and goshawks able to fly at the water-fowl..." Nobility and falconry were synonymous for centuries. Some of the ruling class that were avid falconer were: Empress Catherine of Russia - her favorite falcon was the Merlin Mary, Queen of Scots - was allowed to fly a Merlin from her window during her imprisonment Edward III of England - during the invasion of France, he brought 30 falconers and 70 foxhounds to occupy his knights between campaigns Ethelbert II of England - likely the first English king to be a falconer Alfred the Great - also wrote on falconry King Henry - called Henry the Fowler for his love of falconry Canute the Great - King of England Edward the Confessor - King of England Athelstan of England Henry VII Henry VIII - had very elaborate mews built where the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square stands today Francis I of France - kept 300 falcons and 50 masters of falconry
Queen Elizabeth I - one source claims she had a woman Grand Master of Falconry, Mary of Canterbury Maximilian I - Holy Roman Emperor King Richard - took his birds with him on the Crusades; when he was captured part of his ransom was 2 white Gyrfalcons King John - had a passion for crane hawking with a cast of Gyrfalcons which were a gift from the King of Norway James I - commissioned the translation of the Bible into English; a falconer, but also experimented with cormorants and osprey to take fish; kept white-tailed sea eagles for hunting teal James IV - ran large, organized hunts on horseback; believed to have spent 1,000 pounds on a pair of Gyrfalcons from Scotland Henry II - favorite birds were eyass Peregrines from Ramsey Island (Wales); he and his nobles were known to bring their hooded birds to the table during meals Charlemagne - believed all gentlemen should be trained in falconry Ottoman Sultan Beyazid - kidnapped the son of Philip the Bold and turned down the ransom of 200,000 gold ducats accepting 12 white Gyrfalcons and a jeweled gauntlet paid for by Carl VI of France King Cardoman Edward III Edward IV Edward the Black Prince - took 30 falconers with him when he invaded France Other famous falconers, or falconers well-known outside the falconry community, are: Heinz Meng - one of the first to breed the peregrine falcon in captivity; credited with being one of the most influential people to save the Peregrine from extinction and one of the most influential people of the 20th century environmental movements; developed a style of perch known as the Meng perch
Pedro Lopez de Ayala - Spanish statesman, historian, and poet Gace de la Bigne Juliana Berners - prioress of Sopwell nunnery near St Albans, wrote the Boke of St Albans George Turberville - English poet Symon Latham - Author Edmund Bert - English author of Treatise of Hawks and Hawking (1619) Colonel Thomas Thornton - noted sportsman and founding President of The Confederate Hawks of Great Britain Gerald Lascelles - Deputy Surveyor of the New Forest; instrumental in keeping the sport of falconry alive in Britain as Secretary of the Old Hawking Club through the 19th century Gilbert Blaine - Author Frank Beebe - Canadian artist and naturalist; favorite bird is a tiercel gyrfalcon Franks and John Craighead - American naturalists Field Marshall Hermann Goering, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, President of the Reichstag, Prime Minister of Prussia Jack Mavrogordato - Attorney-General in the Sudan; expert with both short and longwings James Robertson Justice - British actor; enjoyed grouse hawking T.H. White - author (The Once and Future King, The Goshawk) Philip Glasier - British naturalist Edward Blair Michell - barrister (at one time legal adviser to the King of Siam) and author and possibly the greatest authority on Merlins until his death in 1926 Cpt Guy Aylmeri - falconer who developed the revolutionary two piece jess system Links
Ancient Falconry http://www.firstscience.com/SITE/articles/dobney.asp Sports and Pastimes of the People of England http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/spe/spe06.htm
BIRDS There are four main types of birds used in falconry today. All of these are of the same order - Falconiformes. Taxonomic Classification: • • • •
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Falconiformes
The birds in each genus are ordered from smallest to largest to help give an idea of how they all relate. Likewise, the males of most species are smaller than the females, although the sizes may have some range of overlap. Because of the niche that the males occupy, they also tend to be a little more skittish, nervous, and on the move than the females, yet they also seem to be able to be hunted later into the spring than the females as their own biological niche is to continue hunting and not to be waited on. Hawks, Accipiters, and Eagles are more closely related to each other than to Falcons. They are all in family Accipitridae. They all share some common features such as large, oval nostrils and incompletely ossified nostril bones. These birds all have strong feet and talons which is their main weapon. Accipiters and Buteos also start moulting the primaries with the 10th primary (the one closest to the body). Falcons start moulting their primaries with the 7th primary from the wing tip, or the 4th from the
body. Each has 10 primary feathers per wing. Falcons can be distinguished from those in family Accipitridae by the shape of their beak, their eye color, nostril shape, tail length relative to their body size, and wing relative to their body. At a distance there is a distinct difference in their flight silhouettes.
Hawks Hawks are of the family Accipitridae and the genus Buteo. They are often called "broad wings," and in the English vernacular "buzzards". Members common to falconry: Buteo swainsoni Swainson's Hawk Buteo lineatus Red-Shouldered Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Red-Tailed Hawk Buteo regalis Ferruginous Hawk Long, broad winged, broad, short tailed birds, these are masters at soaring and can hang motionless on the merest threads of wind. They are heavy bodied birds particularly adapted for soaring or using gravity to drop on their prey. These birds use their powerful feet and strong talons to bind to their prey constricting it in their grasp and puncturing vitals. Accipiters Accipiters are in the family Accipitridae and the genus Accipiter. They are often called "true hawks" and "short wings" and sometimes the "yellow-eyed hawks". Members common to falconry: Accipiter striatus Sharp-Shinned Hawk Accipiter nisus Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter cooperii Cooper's Hawk Accipiter gentiles Goshawk These birds are marked by their broad, round wings that are shorter than Buteos, short neck, and long tails.
Juvenile eyes are yellow turning to red in adulthood. The name "Accipiter" comes from the Greek meaning "swift wing" in reference to their quick wing beats. These are quick birds off their perch and will easily overtake their prey. Their typical flight pattern is a flap-flap-flap followed by a glide. Soaring isn't a preferred flight method as they are just so efficient at their flapping-glide. These birds seem to be in a constant state of motion, and almost nervous. They are prone to apoplexy and seizures, although the smaller of the species are more prone having faster metabolisms than the larger members. Accipiters are said to have an "inky mouth" since their tongue is a dark, almost blue, color. Accipiters prefer to be stealthy hunters preferring to whip around a tree to catch their quarry off-guard or to stoop down before the target ever sees them. When they lack the element of surprise, they can be put off even a straight-forward flush. Once their prey is caught, they foot it repeatedly puncturing the vitals.
Eagles Eagles are in the family Accipitridae and the genus Aquila. There are 9 members of this genus. These birds have long, broad wings and a medium tail. Bald eagles are not used for falconry, but have an interesting iris in that it starts as brown and matures to be yellow. Members common to falconry: Aquila chrysaetos Golden Eagle Falcons Falcons are in the family Falconidae and the genus Falco. They are often called "long wings" and sometimes the "dark-eyed hawks" or "pointy wings". These are the most widespread land-bird family covering all but the high arctic and Antarctic regions. Members common to falconry:
Falco sparverius American Kestrel Falco tinnunculus European Kestrel Falco columbarius Merlin Falco femoralis Aplomado Falcon Falco mexicanus Prairie Falcon Falco peregrinus Peregrine Falcon Falco cherrug Saker Falcon Falco rusticolus Gyrfalcon Falco biarmicus Lanner Falcon These birds have a much different body form than the others listed here. They have long, pointed wings due to the long second primary and third primary feathers, and a long tail. The short, hooked beak has a unique notch specifically for snapping the neck of prey. The notch is sometimes referred to as a tooth, but more completely called the tomial tooth. Their toes are long and thin with knobby nodules to help hold on to small birds when they grab them. They have less substantial talons than hawks or eagles. All falcons have 10 primary feathers and 16 secondary feathers on each wing, but may have anywhere from 12-14 tail feathers depending on the species. Smaller falcons tend to take birds as well as lizards, grasshoppers, insects, and mice. Most known for their stoops, there are actually several very different pursuit methods employed by the members of this genus. They all also share a plumage feature called amalar stripe or facial stripe just beneath the eye. One theory regarding the presence of this stripe is that it functions similar to the blacking used under the eyes of football players to prevent glare. While members of Accipitridae have oval nostrils, falcons also have small, circular nostrils in their cere which are formed to maintain proper respiration during stoops. Their nasal bones are also completely ossified, which is in contrast to the other raptors. These birds do not build their own nests, but rather use ledges, hollow trees, or old nests built by others. Many
require
cliffs
for
their
nest
site.
Other Birds The Harris' Hawk (Parabuteo) has been one of the most successful recently used raptors. Coming from the American SouthWest this bird works in groups and is highly social. It makes a great beginner bird (and is commonly used in Europe as such) for many reasons and is one of the more leisurely birds to fly. These are often lumped into the same category as Red-Tails as they share many attributes. Owls (Strigiformes) have been used with various amounts of success. The Eurasian Eagle Owl is more common in Europe and used more as a display bird than as a hunting partner. Great Horned Owls have been used to catch game as well. The Strigidae family of owls have 10 primary and anywhere from 10 - 19 secondary feathers on each wing. They all have 12 tail feathers. There are other raptors which have been used or attempted with varying degrees of success. Although Osprey are commonly asked about, we know of only one person who has actually hunted one. With the new regulations there are birds that will be hunted with that have not been used in the United States since prior to the first falconry regulations going into effect. Many falconers are looking forward to being able to try hunting partnerships with owls such as the Pygmy Owl, the Snowy Owl, Harriers, Osprey, and more. There is a tradition in North American falconry of trying any and every species and many in the past have worked with species we have not seen used for decades due to regulations. These are exciting times and falconers will be doing some interesting things in the coming years. Raptor ID - IWRC information to identify various raptor species http://theiwrc.org/raptorID/RaptorID.html
Internet Bird Collection - various raptor species and videos http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia =30
QUESTIONS Falconry is a sport surrounded with much myth, romanticism, and history. There are always many questions when someone finds out you are a falconer or sees you with a bird on your fist. Is it legal to have a hawk? Absolutely! It does require the proper permits and licenses. Can you have just one bird? While you're an apprentice you may only have one bird. Usually it is either a Red-Tail or a Kestrel. Is it OK for them to be alone? Yes - In the wild they spend most of their time alone except during the breeding season. Don't they get bored? These birds are not like parrots or parakeets. They are not looking for social interaction, for the most part. There are some individuals and some species that are highly social, and as the bird develops a stronger bond with the falconer she interacts with him differently. Some falconers provide toys or interactive perches for their birds, however these birds are doing just what they would do in the wild waiting for their next meal. What kind of a cage do you keep them in?
These birds are not kept in cages, but have their own enclosure called a mews. This is typically a sizable with perches, bathpan, and more for the bird. Some falconers keep their bird in the house or in the garage and then have a separate secure area outside called a weathering yard that the bird is placed in to sun and spend her days. Do they come back to you when you release them? That's the way it is supposed to work. When hunting, the falconer takes off her equipment, releases the bird, and starts to get game up for the hawk to chase. The falconer may decide to change to a different location or stop hunting for the day altogether, and will call the hawk down to the fist. Just in case she does not come down, or has been chased away by a larger hawk, most falconers fly their bird with telemetry which transmits radio signals for the falconer to find the bird. In a way, we're like bird watchers who bring our own birds to the field. At the end of the day the birds get to decide if they want to go back home with us or return to the wild. Do the birds ever go back to the wild? Most do. Many falconers will trap a passage bird in the fall, hunt with her through the spring, and then release this healthy bird who is in peak physical condition back into the wild. Other falconers will keep a bird for many years and eventually release it back to the wild breeding populations. Some birds unintentionally return to the wild by getting swept away by a strong wind, chased off by larger raptors, or through migratory instincts. Even those birds lost which were imprints have successfully bred in the wild. Why do the birds come back? Falconry birds are trained to come back for food. When released to hunt, they are free to return to the wild, but most return to their falconer time and time again. Even birds recently trapped return to their handlers. Some of
this is acclimation to returning to the falconer on cue, but much of it can be attributed to the bird realizing that the falconer provides good quality food, safe habitat, and security. Many falconers report having released their bird to the wild only to have her return to the mews the next day expecting food or return the next season to continue hunting in the environment and with the advantages that only a falconry relationship provides. All wild animals evaluate if they are in a good position - does this valley provide a way to survive, or is there a better way? These hawks also have evaluated their falconer and their falconry relationship. Every night they get warm food, they never starve, and they are protected from danger. These birds come down to their falconer because they have chosen to continue their relationship. Do you have to starve them to get them to come back? Just as top athletes pay close attention to what they eat and their caloric intake, their weight, their fat, and their muscle mass, falconers pay close attention to their birds. An athlete cannot perform to his full potential unless he maintains the right balance of these and exercises daily. So must a falconer work his bird to keep her in top form exercising her daily and carefully measuring her food to track her caloric intake. She must have enough fat reserves and energy to successfully chase game for, sometimes, hours on end. A starving bird cannot do this. Tying them to a perch seems cruel - is it cruel? Tying a bird to a perch is not cruel, and much effort is taken to ensure birds are physically and mentally taken care of. Falconers design their mews for the bird's best physical and mental condition. Often times this looks odd to our eyes. The inside of a mews would appear to be a prison to a person who does not understand raptors there are vertical bars on the windows, and the windows are small. In reality many birds are more bothered by
seeing things outside their mews than they are trying to enjoy a view. The walls are smooth to prevent a bird from perching in the wrong place and damaging the feathers of her tail. Birds like Red-Tail Hawks will sit for hours at the top of a light pole, the same as she will sit in her mews. A bird like a parrot may become bored or even destructive, but a raptor is wired very differently mentally. The falconer may move her through the day to weather her, weigh her, bring her in the house for socialization, or to exercise her. Birds usually have a bath pan so they can bathe as much as they want when they want. When a falconer decides to tether a bird, the falconer has decided this is the best way to manage the bird, to prevent her from injuring herself or prevent something else from injuring her. Isn't trapping a bird like stealing it from the wild? Not exactly. Many studies have been done on this and the impact of falconry on wild populations. When a falconer takes a chick from a wild raptor's nest, research shows that the remaining chicks actually have a better survivability rate. There are regulations directing falconers for how chicks can be taken and how many must be left in a nest, which falconers comply with. When a chick is removed, the parents have fewer chicks to feed and focus their resources on. Many times when a falconer has been to a nest he has also noticed parasites and treated the chicks to help them survive. When a falconer takes a flighted bird from the wild, it is always under one year of age. Many times these birds have been found to have disease or parasites that make them less fit. The falconer will treat them and, when they are released back to the wild, the individual will actually be more fit. All research done to date on the impact of falconry has used very conservative estimates for the raptor calculations, and worst-case numbers for the falconer impact. And all research has concluded that falconers have absolutely no negative impact on wild raptors. The
WFA is currently looking at some data around this to go beyond worst-case numbers and look at actual net impact over time. This research is very promising to definitively show that falconry actually has a positive benefit to wild populations. In addition to the birds the falconers take and release, many falconers also rehabilitate raptors. They use their knowledge from handling and managing birds to impact wild birds in a positive manner. They often work closely with the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife to coordinate and handle injured wildlife. Do you breed them? Breeding raptors takes a special license separate from the falconry license. Many falconers are also breeders, but there are many falconers who will trap or purchase their birds and not produce their own. What do they eat? Falconers try to create a diet as similar to the wild diet of each species and as pure and balanced as it should be. They feed rodents, quail, pigeon, chicken, rabbit, insects, beef, and even road kill. They are careful to get the optimal balance of nutrients from known food sources. Many birds receive vitamin and mineral supplements as well. Do you raise their food? Some falconers raise pigeons, chickens, quail, or rabbits for the food. Others store the bird's catches for food and supplement by purchasing frozen foods. Are they trained to bring their catch back? Normally they do not bring it back to you. The bird is trained to follow you while you try to flush game. Much of what will be caught is larger than the bird can carry - even
a large Red-Tail would have difficulty dragging a rabbit out of a bush to find you. It is the falconer's job to go find where the bird caught the quarry. Sometimes the bird needs help controlling or dispatching it and the falconer will assist here, too. Can you take them out in public, like to a school or mall? Sometimes, and that depends on the falconer. The falconer may decide to let his bird also be useful educating the public and he may speak to scout troops or other organizations in efforts to educate on raptors, conservation, or nature. However, these birds are not commonly taken out in public otherwise unless they are hunting. Some states disapprove of taking the birds out in public as they believe it would encourage the wrong sort of people to become falconers. Are owls ever used? Sometimes, although they are not as commonly used as many of the other species. What do they do in the cold? They do the same as wild birds would do. Some birds are very good at taking the cold weather, Gyrfalcons are arctic birds and Red-Tails are very sturdy to the elements. Other birds such as Kestrels have to be protected from the elements. Typically the falconer brings the bird into the house or other temperate place. Can they hunt throughout the year? The bird is able to hunt throughout the year, however state laws determine what you can catch. There may be some things which are able to be caught in your state that will allow you to hunt year-round. More typically falconers put their birds up for the moult leaving them in the mews and weathering yard and feeding them up so the bird will have the energy to produce a new set of feathers. When this is
complete and hunting season is back, then they will resume hunting. Can I invite falconers to hunt on my property? Of course! Falconers love being invited to hunt on property that has various kinds of game from pigeons to rabbits to quail. Depending on the setup, it may not be safe or advisable to have the birds hunt on the property, but the falconer can let you know that. In Washington, land owners are protected when allowing others to hunt on their land by RCW 4.24.210, and many other states have similar protections for land owners. Many landowners have extended invitations to falconers in our Horse and Hawk Connection. How long do they live? In the wild about 70% of the raptors that hatch will die before they are one year old. This varies some depending on the species, but is a rough figure. About 90% will die before they reach five years old. The wild is a very dangerous place full of parasites, predators, collisions, starvation, and freezing among other dangers. Hawks in the care of a falconer are subject to some of the same dangers when they hunt. They can be taken by another raptor, or collide with a tree while hunting just as any wild bird can. But they also get excellent quality food, protection from the weather and most predators, and medical care. There are many falconers who have birds seven or ten years, and I know several who are in their teens and twenties still highly active and hunting. Most of the raptors that falconers take from the wild are returned to the wild, and in better shape than they would have been had they stayed in the wild. There have been a few very lucky and capable birds that have survived to such ages in the wild, but these are extremely rare.
Twenty-seven year old Red-Tailed Hawk taken into rehab http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/nyregion/20towns.htm l?_r=3&ref=nyregion Are my cats in any danger? Cats can be in danger, or they can be a danger. If the bird is in the house and the cat gets too close, there could definitely be injury to the cat. However, if the mews or weathering yard is not secure, it is also possible that the bird can be in danger from the cat. Cat bites and scratches can also carry serious infections, so if the wound itself does not harm the bird, the secondary infection might. Do they attack on command? No, these birds are so quickly triggered by a visual of their intended prey that the instant they see it they will take off to attack it. A command to "attack" is really unnecessary because of this. What is the hat for? The hat is actually called a hood. The hood has been used for centuries. Hawks are very visual and the falconer wants the ability to control what the hawk is seeing. If there is no visual input, the hawk has nothing to react to and becomes much more calm. If the falconer knows that he will be taking the bird into a situation where there will be a lot of things that will be unsettling to the bird, then he will hood the hawk to prevent her from being frightened. What negative impact does falconry have? Falconry has been shown in every study performed to have no negative impact, and even to have positive effects. It was falconers at the core of the Peregrine breeding projects and re-introductions. Raptors in the wild face very high mortality rates. There are "natural" mortalities such as predation, fratricide, infection, and
injuries (i.e. falling out of the nest). There are "unnatural" mortalities such as electrocutions, poison, accidents, and shootings. Most birds who die are never found serving as a link in the food chain. However, even with many unknowns, the studies on raptor populations all come to similar conclusions. Within 12 months of hatching, 70 90% of raptors hatched will die. Of that 10 - 30% that survives past their first birthday, most will die due to predation, malnutrition, or other natural causes. Comparably, birds which have been taken from the wild for falconry frequently enter breeding projects, enjoy good health and medical care, and most are released back into the wild within a few years - in better health than they left the wild population and at an age where they can breed in the wild. The positive impact that falconers have had on conservation efforts is immeasurable. Much knowledge of behavior, habitat, natural history and ecology is brought to light by this highly dedicated community. Where can I get a hawk? You can only have a hawk with a license. To start that process, think about how your lifestyle would allow for you to be a successful falconer. More on the steps to becoming an apprentice are on the Apprenticeship page. How much time does it take to have a hawk? For the initial training of the bird, it can take several hours each day. This may last for a few weeks to a month, and sometimes more. Once the bird has the rudiments of training, then you can be out hunting. This may be an all day activity, or just a few hours, and once a week to three times a week or more - the more time in the field, the better the bird will be. On non-hunting days, the amount of interaction may be very little - just weighing her, refreshing her bathpan, checking her general well being, and feeding her - in total, perhaps 20 minutes. However, this is every
day, and there are very few people whom you can hand the responsibility to if you need to go out of town on business or vacation. Every day you must think ahead, defrost food, and interact with her. Less frequently you will be cleaning her mews, ordering food, making equipment, traveling to the raptor vet for check-ups, and going to field meets. There are many people who just are not in a position to have a hawk right now due to work schedules, travel schedules, location, or other commitments. And there are very few falconers who would agree that they practice the falconry that they want to practice. Either they have other commitments (family or work) which they dedicate time to, or they are not in an area with as much game as they would like or the type of game they like, or they simply are not in a location to be hunting frequently. There are many who are practicing good falconry in spite of these setbacks, and are very successful. It may take tradeoffs, and falconers are nothing if not excellent at managing tradeoffs. But falconry needs just as many supporters as it can get. If you are not able to be a falconer now, joining the falconry lists will educate you over time and introduce you to many in the falconry community. Joining a local club and finding out what you can do to help falconers in the political realm is of great value. And if you have property, managing it for raptors, or even inviting falconers to hunt your property, will benefit yourself and the ecology. What is the toughest part about falconry? This question will have a different answer for each person. Some people have a lot of financial constraints. Others have a lot of time constraints between family and work and have a difficult time getting out in the field. Any suburban falconer has a difficult time finding land to hunt on and game. Many of us will end up driving an hour to
get to a field that is safe to have the dogs and the hawks in it and has a probability of game. The toughest part for most apprentices is locating fields and quarry. If you are a pre-apprentice, start driving around now to locate potential fields to fly. Some of these may disappear by the time you are able to hunt, but you will have the practice of locating fields and recognizing signs of quarry. I've been invited to go out hunting with a falconer. Are there any rules of the field? Although there are no "rules" in the field as there are in fox hunting, there are some general guidelines you should be aware of. Never touch the falconer's bird without asking permission, it is dangerous for both you and unnerving to the bird. Keeping a respectful distance from the bird until the falconer invites you closer will help her acclimate to you. Walk on the side opposite to the one falconer has the bird on. Typically the falconer will carry the bird on his left fist, so stay to the falconer's right hand side. Raptors don't like strangers near them or behind their back. Avoid making loud noises or a lot of movement near the bird unless you are trying to flush quarry. These are sensitive animals and they prefer strangers to keep a distance from them. If the bird catches something, stay well behind the falconer so he may retrieve his bird and deal with the quarry. Follow the falconer's lead. If they start walking into the woods, follow along with them and keep close so you can watch. If the falconer hands you a lure or quarry, keep it well out of sight of the bird. Don't wear fur out hunting. Although fur trimmed hoods or fur earmuffs may be warm and comfortable, the bird may mistake them for quarry.
Watch the falconer in the field. Watch how he handles the bird and the equipment, how he interacts with the bird and the dogs, how he makes in on the kill and assists the bird with dispatching the quarry. How do I get started? The first place to start is to contact a local club. See if there are any events, meets, or other gatherings that you might be able to attend. Join a list like hawk-l, On-Wing, or Raptor Repertoire and start just listening to the conversations. That will give you a good idea of the amount of time involved, the issues that are dealt with, and the fun it can be. Those lists have folks from every state and a post there asking for more information or local contacts can usually turn up some leads. Contact your state's Department of Fish and Wildlife and ask for their falconry packet. Most states have a list of falconers who are available as sponsors. Contacting a potential sponsor and finding out if they are receptive to a tag-along in the field gets you the best introduction. Good luck!
LEGISLATION Staying legal is sometimes complex in falconry as it is a sport highly regulated by complex federal and state laws. Even those who strive to keep legal may only be meeting the spirit of the law and not holding to the letter of the law or meeting the individual interpretations that different officials apply. Others may not have kept all the documentation that they should to protect themselves. This is a collection of thoughts on how to make sure you are in compliance. It is not to be taken for legal advice; I am not a lawyer. I also recently heard from law enforcement officials that they didn't understand the behavior of falconers or why falconers were so standoffish
towards law enforcement. I have provided some thoughts below. First, don't do anything illegal. Second, understand both the spirit of the laws and the letter of the laws. Laws vary from state to state. This is a mixture of thoughts from a variety of regions and states. With the new federal regulations, some states adopting them and others not, there is currently a patchwork of regulations across the country. This section is not being updated to the letter of today's Washington regulations and is being left with the older, more demanding, regulation details. Be sure to read your state regulations to understand them. Paperwork Always have your paperwork up to date. Keep copies of everything. Keep copies of paperwork you fill out, papers agencies send you, checks, and any official cards. Keep copies of import/export permits, letters from people for whom you have cared for birds in the past, letters from the state or federal agencies concerning falconry, facility inspection reports, license copies, permit copies, and any paperwork you fill out that is sent to agencies. Consider keeping a scanned copy in PDF format, and consider if that should or should not be on a computer or other hardware drive. If you fax information, keep the coverletter and fax report that shows what number the information was faxed to, the total number of pages faxed, and the acknowledgement that it was transmitted fully. Keep your paperwork for at least 5 years, and this means that you must keep the paperwork related to a particular bird for an additional five years after that bird is no longer in your possession. By law (50 CFR 13.46) you must keep it for 5 years, but holding it for longer should not hurt, and keeping it stored permanently is a very good idea.
Keep your paperwork in chronological order, make copies so that if the originals are lost or damaged you will have copies. Do not lose your paperwork. Although I know of no falconry example, some licenses are considered void if they are not able to be produced by the holder. Just don't lose it. Don't relinquish control of your license. Although awkward, legally handing over your paperwork to anyone and physically releasing your hold on it can be construed as relinquishing control of it. A few cases (non-falconry) have been upheld that although the documents were produced and handed over for the intent of inspection, the confiscation was within the limits of the law. Always have your bird accompanied by a copy of the proper paperwork. Carry a copy of your paperwork with you whenever you are with your bird - traveling or hunting. Although unnecessary it can resolve many issues. Put a copy taped inside the hawk box, a copy inside the first aid kit, a copy inside your hawking bag, a copy inside your car, and a copy on your mews. Copies are cheap and take up almost no room, so use this to your advantage. If you are housing or handling another person's bird in their absence, be sure to have a letter signed and dated stating that you are caring for the bird in their absence. This sort of letter is now good for 180 days. A sample template can be found on the Publications page. If you are handing a bird over to a very trusted friend, also consider granting Power of Attorney. Theoretically this means that the person could write another 180 day temporary possession paper and sign it for you. It also means he could sell your house, though. If you are leaving a bird in the care of another falconer, leave them at least with a signed letter. Contacting your raptor vet and leaving a note with him explicitly stating that the falconer who is caring for your bird during your
absence may authorize veterinary work is also a good idea. Keep records. If in doubt, when you send mail to the department officials send it via certified mail, keep track of phone conversations, names, and topics. If you need to track a payment, a postal money order can also be tracked. Facilities Keep all falconry equipment in one place, preferably not in the house. Keep it in a separate shed or building if possible, or at the very least in your garage. Keep all necessary equipment such as your legally required scales and food in this location. If there is an inspection that goes further than a basic inspection, the rest of your home is not open for a falconry inspection without a specific search warrant. Keep your mews clean. Not just for the comfort of your hawk and her health, but to ensure that any stray bird that gets into your mews and loses a feather or may be killed by your hawk is cleaned up. Bones or feathers in the mews might be suspected to indicate prey items you have intentionally fed to your bird, and could include prey not legal to possess. Clean out feathers, bones, castings, and any feathers that could be interpreted to indicate prey that should not be fed outside of acidental take situations. If you have a personal or hunting diary, keep it elsewhere. Some falconers also post a sign on the door to their mews informing that the bird is kept according to federal and state laws and interfering with the facility is prosecutable. A sample template can be found on the Publications page. If your mews could inadvertently be opened, keep a padlock on the door. Have a copy of the latest pertinent rules and regulations printed out and carry that with you or put it in your mews/weathering yard. If you have a doubt whether something is legal or not, ask.
Consider a no trespassing sign at the entrance to your property, however make sure that this sign does permit FedEx and general mail delivery. A sign stating "All inspections regarding falconry, rehabilitation, game, or raptors shall make arrangements for an appointment. Appointments are taken upon reasonable request by calling 555-1212." If you plan on voice recording or videotaping your mews or facilities, you must state this with something like "Visitors may be monitored by video camera and/or voice recording while on premises."
Inspections If you are inspected, be cordial, courteous, and cooperative. Do not be confrontational. The people who are inspecting are from Law Enforcement and they typically have already reviewed your paperwork and know what they are coming in to review. Be polite, give information, and make sure you are honest. When inspected, greet the inspectors and establish the protocol up front. A basic inspection should take less than 30 minutes. If this is more than a basic routine inspection, then there needs to be a search warrant. Ask to schedule all but the basic inspection for another time when you can arrange to have your attorney present. Do not lie or try to pull a fast one on inspectors. They are not idiots and are there to do their job. Don't make it difficult for them to complete their inspection. Lying to an inspector is a felony. Unless presented with a legal search warrant, inspection and review of your paperwork can be conducted outside or in a designated place of your choosing, like your mews. The exception being if your dwelling also serves as the facilities where your bird is kept. Otherwise, keep the records with the bird. One falconer I know keeps the paperwork in the mews and paperclips the business card
of a good attorney as a subtle and unspoken hint that they are informed and above reproach in their activities. I also include the business card of my veterinarian displaying that this bird is cared for and displayed in case of emergency. If you are inspected by any officials, State or Federal, have a portable tape recorder at hand and let them know the conversations will be tape recorded. Keep a record of the day, time, number of inspectors and their names as well as the general overview of the inspection. If you have not alerted inspectors that you are recording the communications by means of a sign on the property, and you wish to record the proceedings, you must alert them before recording. A conflict may be avoided by saying, "I'm sorry, I have a terrible memory. Do you mind if I record this?" If you are ever inspected, the location where you keep your hawk's food may also be subject for inspection. If your freezer is outside your house, this restricts inspectors from entering your house to inspect your freezer. Make sure your freezer is completely legal with regards to game and possession limits - review its contents occasionally. If you are asked about activities of another falconer, do not guess what the other falconer may or may not have done - simply refer the questioner to the other falconer. If asked, a polite response of, "That's not something I would know, and so I'll point you to Mr. Smith as I would hate to give you the wrong answer because I was ill informed." If you are asked about information other than that which directly involves a facilities inspection, politely wrap down the facilities inspection and insist that any other questions should be in the presence of your lawyer. Make an appointment for such an interview. Don't answer vague questions and don't answer with vague answers. It is not your role in this to provide extraneous information or decipher what is being asked for. Everyone wants to cooperate and even assist law
enforcement, however your role is simply to answer questions relating to your falconry honestly and succinctly. Don't lie, don't bend the truth. If you must respond to a question that you are uncomfortable with, a response such as, "That is not a part of my facilities, my hunting, or my falconry," or, "That is not pertinent to an inspection," may be appropriate to keep to the issue. Falconers have no obligation to respond to questions not pertaining to the inspection of falconry equipment and papers. Although the regulations merely state that you are to have certain furniture, regulators may infer that you are to use them, or use them all the time. If in doubt or have circumstances that might arise where your legality will be called into question, hedge on the side of over-legal and put out the bathpan filled with water, even if your bird would never use it. Although proper raptor management may mean not always having a bathpan available, regulators may not understand this. Officials should understand that you are disinfecting or cleaning the pan and that it has temporarily been removed. Without a specific search warrant, your computer is never subject to viewing, inspection, or confiscation. If you are found to have a paperwork problem, you should do everything you can to correct it. However, if you do have a problem with your paperwork, expect a citation. According to NAFA legal counsel Frank Bond, if a citation is given and the falconer agrees (usually through signing the citation), all permits and licenses may be subject to revocation under 50 CFR 13. Signing any paperwork is your agreement with a citation. Legal discussion may be warranted between a cited falconer and the permitting offices to have assurances that if the fine is paid (acknowledgement of guilt) then permits and licenses will not be revoked. This may not be the outcome, but it is a possibility.
If you are cited, seek legal advisement immediately! Your legal counsel should pay particular attention to CFR 50.13 which addresses "reconsideration or appeal." Hunting Do not take more than the legal limit of game per day. Do not have more than the legal limit for holding in your home, even in your freezer, even if it is destined to be fed through the bird's moult. It is still not legal, even if the intent is to provide the bird the best nutrition. Some states do not consider dressed game against the possession limit, others do not consider dressed and cut up game against their limit. If you plan on freezing game you take through the season for your bird's moult food, make sure you are possessing it in a legal manner. Do not remove live game from the field. Staged releases in the field and catch-and-release practices are acceptable, but many states restrict transporting live game to another location. This includes the intent to stock another field. Bring your Accidental Take form with you while you hunt as it is to be filled out prior to leaving the field. Although you can record the following before leaving the field on a separate piece of paper, having the form, or a copy of it, is a good idea. It requires: falconer's name, falconry permit number, date, species, sex (if known) of the quarry, and exact location of the kill. Trapping Be sure you know which trapping methods are allowed in your state. Some states, such as Washington, have legislation regarding certain types of traps that make this a grey area of the law. Bal-Chatris, pigeon harnesses, and even Dho Gazzas may fall into this category, but appear to be legal. (Without case law specifically addressing falconry trapping, we can only extrapolate current case law regarding gill nets, USDA categorization of BCs as
separate from body gripping traps, and the I-713 language and intent.) Be sure you are within your wild take limit for any 12 month period. If your state requires bands, make sure they are properly attached and on the bird as soon as possible (in the field if your state gives bands before trapping). I would even make a copy of the band itself to keep in your files, or have a picture of your bird with the band on for your records. If somebody else has trapped for you (or taken an eyass) and you are not present at the trapping, be sure they fill out a 3-186 and do a formal transfer to you. Receiving a bird that does not have the proper paperwork with it will put you and your license in jeopardy. Even if your intent is honorable, you do not want to receive an illegal bird. If trapping for another person, you may not accept payment in any form (money, favors, etc). This legally is not a favor that the person did for you (indicating he is repaying something), it is a gift. Label your trap. It is illegal in many states to use a trap, snare, net, harnessed bait bird or other implement that is employed in an attempt to capture a raptor without said equipment being legibly marked with the name and address of the user. Some states specify that unattended traps must be labeled. No trap for a raptor should ever be completely unattended except for a Swedish Goshawk Trap. Maintenance Don't let anyone talk you into anything you are skeptical of. Some folks are out there wanting to make trouble and you don't need to be a part of it. If you don't think something is legal, don't get involved. If somebody begs you to take a lovely bird off their hands as they "just can't take care of it" and it happens not to be properly papered, don't try to be kind and help the fellow and the bird out -
that's not legal. The best intentions can lead to the worst results, and there have been instances of entrapment by agents of law enforcement to lure falconers to engage in illegal activities. You will need to notify the state, and possibly the feds, if you: change address, lose a bird, have a bird die, change your name, or have any other status change. Do not allow your license to lapse, even if you are between your apprentice and general and do not have a bird. Always have a current license covering you. You will need to renew federal papers by Dec 31 of its second year - they are valid for no more than 3 years from when it is issued or renewed, and will expire on the date designated on it. When to renew: Falconry permit - expires in a maximum of 24 months from the date of issuance; always expires December 31 prior to the end of the 24 months Hunting license - expiration varies - Washington and some other states this expires March 31 of the next year; for Minnesota and some other states, this expires on the last day of February; for Iowa and still other states, this expires on December 31. Club memberships - typically expire on Dec 31 of each year Specifics Some states have very specific laws and regulations to be aware of. Your falconry and hunting license are not quite the same as a driver's license. Going hunting or even just traveling with your bird to another state involves more than you may think. If you are visiting another state with your bird (driving or flying) always call the Department of Wildlife of the destination state and find out what regulations they have. Be aware that these can change and go into effect in the span of a day. The intent is to prevent diseased animals from crossing into their state
and immediate lock downs are sometimes necessary. Just because you remember a state having one set of regulations does not mean that is still how they read. States such as Washington have no regulations on entry or exit. States such as Oregon have an exit permit required. And states such as Colorado and Utah have an entry permit required. Others will require both or another form of registration. This is usually as simple as getting a health certificate within 30 days of traveling and then calling the proper state department for an ID number. In the case of Utah, the Department of Agriculture is the department that assigns the entry permit IDs. Some states are looking for specific statements from the vet who issues the health certificate positively identifying your animal as not having a particular disease. If you are flying, call the airline and verify what they require for paperwork and for the bird's accommodations during the flight. Make sure you are speaking to a knowledgeable person as sometimes the staff is mistaken, even on what their own airline requires. Verifying any FAA regulations can clear up any confusion. For hunting licenses, some states such as Washington and Texas require those born after 1972 to have completed a Hunter Education course. Others, such as Kansas, require those born after 1957 to have completed a class. As far as I know, all states honor all other state's hunter education cards. In order to be able to hunt in any state whenever you want to, taking a Hunter's Education course and carrying your card as now will allow you more freedom later, and taking one sooner is easier than trying to take one later. One recent local Hunter's Education class had space for 30 enrollees - and turned away 160. North Carolina also requires something called a Green Card which can take several weeks to obtain and costs about $10. If you plan on hunting out-of-state in North Carolina, be sure to request a Green Card application well
in advance so that you can receive it by the time of your planned trip. The MBTA regulations are technically 16 US Code 703 et seq. They cover 832 species and are constantly updated. There are currently 30 types of MBTA permits issued. Raptors were covered by the regulation in 1972. Title 50 CFR is the administrative implementation regulations. Parts 1 - 16 and 18 - 199 of or interest to all MBTA permittees. 50 CFR 10 contains the list of native species. Part 13 contains the general permit procedures including the process for suspensions, revocations, reconsiderations, and appeals. Part 21 is the miscellaneous section and many additions come under this heading including selvage, education, and others. Give yourself a voice Join your local or state falconry club. In Washington, we have the WFA, which is an excellent organization, and apprentices under the age of 18 receive free membership. Join NAFA. If you are a hunter, join the NRA and other hunting organizations. Dates to Remember March 31 - Washington State's hunting permit expires April 1 - Accidental Take Report forms are due cataloging the previous year's accidental takes Links Federal Migratory Bird Permits http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/mbpermits.html WA state hunting regs http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=232-12 WA state seasons http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=232-28
Operation Falcon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Falcon_%28USFW S_operation%29 I strongly encourage all falconers to carefully print, read, and understand the following and keep copies in your mews or preparation area: US Fish and Wildlife Service Title 50 CFR Part 21 (Migratory Bird Permits) http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/textidx?c=ecfr&sid=3b6afee2a70cb2022be0a9e4a13eec5b&r gn=div8&view=text&node=50:6.0.1.1.4.3.1.9&idno=50 I strongly encourage all falconers to carefully print, read, and understand the following and keep copies in your mews or preparation area: Washington State Title 232 WAC Chapter 30 (232-30 Falconry Regulations) http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=232-30 3-816A Online Reporting Page (for states on the new federal regulations) http://permits.fws.gov/186A 3-186A Online Filing Form https://migbirdapps.fws.gov/falconry/prg/frmFalreg.aspx Notes for Law Enforcement Officials I recently had a great discussion with several state law enforcement officials. In the course of the discussion, I asked if there were any issues or topics that our association members should be aware of, or anything that we needed to be aware of within the community. The officials let me know that our falconers were highly respected by them and good partners - when there were issues it was rarely the falconers, and even then only a specific individual or two.
They then turned the question on me and asked why falconers tend to be so sensitive to encounters with law enforcement, even in routine encounters. I had never thought such a topic needed to be covered, and had thought it to be self-evident. However, they genuinely were interested. I realized I owed that community a small write-up on this topic, too, to help them understand our community. It is not to be taken for legal advice; I am not a lawyer. These were long time law enforcement officials who have seen a lot of programs, practices, and myths come and go. They remembered vaguely a 1984 operation and how it netted no real criminal activity. Operation Falcon was largely a case of entrapment to uncover illegal activity that was not actually occurring: http://resourceclearinghouse.blogspot.com/2010/04/operat ion-falcon.html This used the myth that falcons are being sold to the Middle East for millions of dollars. An attractive myth, but still a myth. Consider the market for race horses. Certainly there are a few top earners who are so prized that they sell for obscene amounts, but the vast majority are available for a few thousand, or end up being sold for meat market prices. There are birds that sell for extreme amounts in certain markets, but these are sourced through breeding projects where the birds can be bred, selected, trained, and purchased, and these are very rare. The reality is that in the state of Washington when there was a limit of three Gyrfalcons per year that may be taken from the wild, these birds simply are not so desirable that falconers will take them - for free. And the ones that are taken tend to be returned back to the wild. Falconers regularly pass these birds to each other, for free. The state of Washington has had Peregrine take for several years, and although there is a waiting list for these birds,
frequently people pass up their opportunity to get a free Peregrine. The envisioned black market where fortunes are made is simply a mirage. In 2004 more than 50 falconers were simultaneously inspected by state and federal authorities in an effort to sweep the state of the imagined illegal activity. There were some very sad stories of people being interrogated, property confiscated including computers and papers and birds. Birds died in the care of federal authorities. There was not one single case or violation that was charged against any falconer. The mentality of falconers is that they are constantly under the gun and with just one dispute in an interpretation they could lose their permit and the birds they love. When law enforcement shows at a falconer's door, encounters a falconer in the field, or casually meets a falconer under other circumstances, the falconer tends to be on the defensive. If officials showed up at your house and started asking questions without any context, say they wanted to see all the proper paperwork on your dogs and cats and could be removing them on the spot if there was a dispute, you would similarly be defensive. How would you react? If you see plain clothes officials looking through the windows of your house, as they have done to ours, how would you react? If you come home to law enforcement officials on their hands and knees combing through your yard in search of some stray feather, as they have done to people I know, how will you react? Your heart will be racing, you will demand to see ID, and be very careful with this situation. A falconer sees law enforcement stand on their front porch, and they will react in certain ways. They will likely be formal, polite, but curt. Do not be offended if you are
not welcomed and invited in, and they instead leave you outside and bring the required equipment out to you. Falconers tend to be informed on some points of law enforcement encounters. Many have read through FlexYourRights.org and watched advice such as: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqMjMPlXzdA A falconer will want to understand what you want, and will seek to provide it, to the letter of the regulations. They are not trying to be evasive, and are not trying to hide anything. Their behavior is not driven by guilt, but by caution. When they let law enforcement know that the proceedings are being recorded by audio and/or video, it is to protect the proceedings and protect them, not because they are trying to cause problems for you. The inspection isn't about you, law enforcement, it is about protecting the falconer and their birds from the perspective of the falconer. Law enforcement showed up on their doorstep making demands, not the other way around, and so the falconer is working from this perspective of defending themselves. The falconer will probably first try to understand what you need to make you go away, and this will probably start with a review of the appropriate paperwork. They will probably show you their falconry permit card, or a legible copy, and their 3-186A papers for each bird they currently possess. They will want to ensure you are satisfied before moving on. Commonly the paperwork that officials are aware of does not match what is present or what the falconer possesses. There may be several reasons for this. Up until very recently, 2009 I believe, all transactions were submitted via mail and on paper to both federal officials and state officials. Some states kept the papers without entering information into a database. The federal authorities entered only wild take into a database, but not reports of loss, escape, release, or death. As such, pulling
the data from the database would show that the falconer possessed birds that he had since released, and he had the papers to prove. Some states, such as Washington, have had their computerized records corrupted. Washington's database was corrupted in 2007 and they have stopped entering data in anticipation of the new federal database system. When federal officials dig deeper, they usually manage to find the papers, possibly at one of the regional offices. Papers could also be lost in the mail, at the department, or misfiled into another folder. If discrepancies are found, dig deeper to uncover the most likely cause rather than assume malicious intent on either the part of the falconer or officials handling paperwork. The regulations state that certain equipment must be possessed, or the materials to make the equipment must be possessed. The falconer may have this equipment on the bird, or have an extra set laid out just for satisfying the points of the inspection. They will produce the anklets, jesses, leash, swivel, bath pan, and weighing device per regulations. Again, they will want to ensure you are satisfied that the regulation criteria have been met before moving on to other points. The regulations require some housing of some sort. It is left up to the falconer to meet the needs of the bird in whatever way they see fit. It is perfectly legal in most states to only have a perch - the perch can weather the bird outside or inside the house. The house does not need to be inspected as simply having the structure is sufficient, but the perch would be able to be inspected. As long as the management is reasonable then the system is acceptable. Even a bird who has been injured or is sick may be from other aspects. Your dog or child may become injured or get sick and that doesn't make you an unfit parent or owner. Accidents happen, even when using the best techniques and practices.
If the bird is lost, temporarily with another person, or is breeding, it will not be able to be inspected itself. Bothering a breeding bird can upset an entire breeding project and even injure the chicks. Better to return at a later time when this is able to be accomplished without adverse effects. Inspecting of the bird is typically done at a distance as she may not accept a stranger up close or trying to touch her. From several feet away it can easily be determined if the bird is the right species, is alive, and appears to be in reasonable health. Inspections of bands or microchips could be done if that is a concern, or photographic evidence may be produced to help ease this. (Be aware that microchips are notorious for migrating in birds due to the thin skin. Migrating microchips are difficult to locate for identification purposes and may cause problems in the bird if they migrate to a sensitive position. Some veterinarians insist on placing a microchip in the avian muscle to prevent migration.) There may be additional birds if the falconer is temporarily holding birds for others, rehabilitating wild raptors, propagating raptors, or involved in abatement activities. Exotic birds such as a Lanner Falcon, a Barbary Falcon, or a Eurasian Eagle Owl are fun to look at for anyone, including law enforcement, however are not subject to inspection. These are the main points of the inspection and will satisfy the regulation requirements in most states, however many law enforcement are genuinely interested in falconry and have questions that will come up during the inspection. Be sensitive if the falconer is not forthcoming with unrelated information. From the falconer's perspective, this is a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation. Consider first the issue of federal officials asking a question. It is a felony offense to lie to federal officials, and in many cases incomplete statements have been prosecuted as felonies. When I have been inspected and a federal official has
asked, "Wow, so what all do you hunt with these birds?" My first reaction is to ask if this is a necessary question to satisfy the inspection. Please understand that I am not trying to be rude, but you as an official are asking me official questions. If I forget to add in pheasant because I bought a pheasant tag a few years back, are you going to prosecute me? I don't want to chance it. I have been asked by federal officials, "So who all do you hunt with?" I want to know if this is part of the inspection and, if so, will go through my records to provide what is necessary. But again should I leave out a person, a person that may have visited with a group of us in the field but didn't have a hawk that day, are you going to prosecute me? This is what is in my mind. This is why we may seem unfriendly or uncooperative. We are being exactly as cooperative as the regulations require. Anything beyond that will require a search warrant - not because we have anything to hide, but because this is official business and we must do it officially. Just skimming a book like Three Felonies a Day can give some perspective of what falconers, and any citizen, see as being on the line. Falconers understand that their permit allows for an inspection that the regulations are being followed at any reasonable time of day. Most even have a copy of the regulations printed out and will refer to it should a conflict arise. Some have a reasonable inspection report form printed out from which they will drive the inspection. Please be sensitive to falconers and the birds they love when conducting official business. To learn more about the level of violations of MBTA regulations, read through this report Longitudinal Analysis of Cases, Violations, and Citations involving the MBTA Regulations from January 1, 2000 through April 20, 2005
If you do not have a standard inspection form developed for your state and your regulations, consider working with your state falconry association to develop one based on your precise regulations. Sample inspections report form. I have several copies of this printed out and available with my falconry papers so that if I am inspected by officials, I have a method to drive the inspection and ensure I have met the criteria of our regulations. Note that this is not an official publication by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, but an inspection report form that I have worked with our state association and law enforcement to ask the WDFW to standardize on. Washington is still working through all the approvals on this. Falconry Inspection Report form