HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

Go to the Wish List Forum and bump the thread for a Raptor or Birds of Prey Forum. I got kicked off a Pet forum trying to meet other falconers because I was "being offensive to all small pet owners." Yet they were all encouraging me to update how the training was going. Sorry a Falcon doesn't eat celery and sunflower seeds - but excells in hunting rabbit. So lets get a forum here for those interested in hunting with hawks, falcons, and other raptors to discuss and help each other out on their care, maintenance and training...

This is a photo of her first prey on the creance. Since she has also caught two quail. She is a Lanner Falcon form Iran (known as Wakiri):

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

Finishing off the rabbit. For those that know little about falconry - the goal is to have a falcon who can be released into the wild, get a high pitch to find prey, attack it and then wait for the falconer to come and pick her up with a morsel from the glove... the falcon catches it for the falconer and receives it's primary source of food from the glove...

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

This was her second hunt to a quail. As long as she is at a good flying weight she responds very fast. After two years of hunting vigerously in a desert - I think she is appreciating being brought to food by a falconer [8D]

The rabbit was a bit harder for her to bring down then a quail - quail she just pops the head off and it's over. Last quail she swallowed the entire head. A falcon, like most raptors eats very fast and fills a crop up before the food enters the stomach. Once in a secure area they begin to digest - and several hours later they spit up undigestable items like feathers and bone in a cast.

It is currently the offseason and she will soon begin to shed her wings (showing some signs of it now) and the day time temperature will get around 110-130. So for now, I get her prey from a local animal market - but by the late summer, early fall... she will be more than ready for free flight hunts. She is fed primarily with frozen pigeon and quail - both very nutritious. When I first got her I fed her a lot of beef steak - but she is much more submissive in training to the quail and pigeon. I hear raptors love egg yolk - but I haven't tried that yet...

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

Here is a mug shot while she is enjoying the weather with feathers ruffled and on one foot. Standing on one foot is a good sign the raptor is in good health. You need to keep at a good flying weight for a decent response during training. At the top weight, they respond to slowly... if at all. Too light though and you risk harming the bird - signs of this are lowered response and laziness (like not perching on one foot). Frequent weighing and inspection of the breast area for fullness is necessary since a raptor can drop weight rather quickly. Due to the high intelligence - general disposition is easy to determine... for mine at least. ;) Ever since I started letting her chase game, she has been very eager during the evenings to see me... during her scheduled feedings... the last few days she has been a bit vocal - almost like she is begging... and very alert.

She still needs a name too - I am horrible with names... kinda like no name is better than the wrong one [:'(] ...

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

very cool, you can count me in on that vote.


count squirrelhunter91 in also ( he's my bro)

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

I've always been intrigued at the thought of falconry , could you suggest some starting tips ? Is it an expensive venture ? Are special permits required to own Raptors ?

I'll bump you too ! :)

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

this has my vote!!! i would surely love to get into this! nice bird!

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

Very cool stuff. Great pics. Let us all know more about it. I think you have an interested audience, just not an experienced one.

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

I think that falconry is an absolutely incredible sport, and one that I've long been interested in. Unfortunately, it's a fairly exclusive venture with few practitioners, so finding a master falconer to train under isn't easy from the bit of research I've done. I also know that training and caring for a raptor requires much time and dedication, but I think the results would be worth it.

How did you acquire your falcon, if I may ask? Did you have to travel to Iran to get her?

Mike

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

I also am intrigued by falconry. Is it very expensive to start? I am very interested in hearing more. You have my vote. Good Luck. BB

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

In the US you take a test, get a permit and become sponsered by a falconer who may also inspet your mew... where you keep the raptor. Hawaii and Conneticut are the only two states theat will not allow falconry. It was illegal throughout Canada until recently - I read 2 providences have now legalized it.

Find a falcon/hawk society in your area and they can tell you what your local rates are for classes (learning what it takes to keep and train), equipment (jesses, perches, mews, telemetry) and the actual prices for a raptor (various species in different parts of the world, as well as how it was raised).

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

I do to :) - its especially amazing to see a bird you trained perform so well. Falcons train not by physically harming them - such as spanking a dogs nose may prompt it to stay off a neighbors leg - but rather via their stomach. If you keep them at a good flying weight, their instincts will be in overdrive and they learn fast.

Caring for a Falcon really is not that difficult. After the initial manning process... many keep them perched (with an appropriate length of rope tied from the jesses on her feet) outside their homes. If there is a potential threat - passing children, dogs, inclement weather... anything that could harm the raptor while it is tied down - then keeping them in the mew while unsupervised would be mandatory. They drink very little water - usually just the fluids obtained from prey.

A proper diet and spending adequate time with the raptor are probably the two most difficult things. I get frozen quail and pigeon from a local market. Both are excellent sources of nutrition and I know the meat is safe since it is meant for human consumption. Day old chicks can be purchased in bulk for a very reasonable price. Beef steak can also be used – especially when you don’t want the bird spitting up a cast for whatever reason… since beef steak lacks bones, feathers and other undigestable items. But spending time with the raptor is of paramount for a well manned bird. An Arabic man told me at least 5 hours per day. And walking with them in conjested areas is good for them - helping them not too see humans as a threat... even going for a walk in town or shopping. Many well-manned falcons come from homes with lots of noisy children ;) They must learn who you are, your voice, a feeding a call… one thing about free flying a raptor – it can leave you any time. So you have to treat her with respect and spend time with her – so she sees you like as a provider, a “mother” if you will. Some daily interaction is mandatory for as long as possible, as well as daily feeding preferably at the same time... usually evenings - whether flying on a creance to the glove or simply letting her jump to the glove for some food. The stage mine is at, I usually fly her on the creance for feedings. Day one was simply getting her to eat on the fist, then it progressed to short jumps to the fist indoors for food, then flights indoors, then short flights outdoors - and today she will fly to me from pretty far distances... sometimes before I even turn around and raise the glove she has started to fly to me. Getting her to hunt live prey was slow at first - but now she is quick at that as well - very fast learners and intelligent birds. As long as you use food as the reward, don't break her trust, keep her safe and keep her confidence high - you can be successful in training a falcon.

I am a civilian contractor in the Middle East. I purchased my Lanner from an Indian man who caught her near Iran. He sold her to me for about $190 and I started working with a couple local Arab (they have been training Falcons for over 3000 years), an American falcon vet, and reading books purchased off Amazon. The price of my falcon was very low - this is due to the offseason and I am the first human she has worked with. An experienced falcon in this area, with all other factors in good order, can commonly reach a value of up to and over 30,000 USD.

Are they hard to care for? I would say, not as long as you have the time and money to invest - almost like having a child. [8D]

RE: HELP - need raptor forum interests! PLZ
 

If anyone has further interest in this they can join me here: Birds of Prey Community Forums