Some YouTube videos, for anyone who’s interested. They do show live strikes and kills, so please don’t watch them if you’re averse to that sight.
A cast of golden eagles over roe deer in Germany
Saker falcons over small desert deer in Dubai
Duck hawking with a Gyr/Pere hybrid
Squirrel hawking with red tails, very grainy but some really nice flights shown.
Squirrel hawking is a bit of a daredevil sport, I wish there were more videos that showed a good squirrel hawker in action.
I would have thought the same thing before I got into horses. Now, horses are lightyears away from raptors in that horses are social animals. However, most horses are always going to prefer the company of other equines to that of humans. They’re not at all like dogs or cats. If I’m truthful, I’d have to say my horse tolerates me and knows I bring good things (usually edible), but she doesn’t love me and likely never will. It’s just not in her make up. And you know what? I’m fine with that. She is who and what she is. I can love her just fine. It doesn’t have to be returned with an animal.
Nava, I noticed you said one of the risks you encounter is that your bird will decide to fly away and not return to you. How long do most falconers keep their birds? Is it a lifetime thing for the bird, or do you anticipate that some day Arion will say “see ya” because he’s found a cute lady red tail giving him a come hither look?
I’m Naja[Nivea]–Nava is the lovely lady in Spain! 
The thing is, I don’t love my bird in the way that I love my dog or my cat or my spouse. I have a vast amount of respect and admiration for him and a huge desire to hold up my end of the bargain in our partnership, but it’s definitely a partnership rather than a loving, pet-type relationship. He works for me because I make it worth his while to do so, and I consider it a tremendous honor and privilege that he does.
How long folks keep their birds is entirely dependent on the particular situation. Some people will trap and train a new bird every year, releasing them at the end of the season (sometimes these birds show up again the next year, ready to hunt), some folks will train a bird through several seasons then release once they’ve accomplished their goals, some folks will keep a bird for life. Some will transfer birds to another falconer or release them when they decide to pursue other quarry with a different species or just to take on the challenge of training, say, an accipiter instead of a longwing or whatever. Sometimes, especially early in the trapping season, you trap a bird that ends up being dumb as a box of rocks and the relationship ends quickly. Sometimes you end up with an ideal hunting partner and you hunt together for decades.
An apprentice is allowed to hold one bird, only, at a time,* so if I wanted to pick up some experience with longwings I could release Arion at the end of the season and trap a kestrel for next year, but I couldn’t hold both at once. My intention as a general falconer is to trap and train a ferruginous hawk and hawk her from horseback. In that situation I may keep and continue to fly Arion after quarry that ferruginous hawks are too slow and clumsy to hunt. A good RTH is an astonishingly good hunting partner; apprentices in the US are extremely privileged to have access to them. Folks in other countries would give their eyeteeth to be able to trap a passage RTH for falconry purposes. They are brave enough to hunt foxes, agile enough for squirrel hawking, versatile and game enough to hunt just about anything you’ll flush for them–unlike many species which are so tuned-in to one type of prey, they won’t even look at anything else.
It’s hard to say whether or not he’ll decide some day to just take off. Some do, some don’t. Some keep coming back whether you like it or not ;). We stack the deck in our favor by keeping him hungry and focused on me as a source of food and prey. When they’re fat and comfy and their immediate needs are totally satisfied is when it’s most likely for them to disappear, though this is more a concern in the first year or two. After the relationship is well-established, sharp combat weight is less a concern. But in the end… they are wild animals and they are free to go if they please, and sometimes they do.
*General falconers are allowed to hold two birds on their falconry license, and masters three, at least in my state.
Are you sure about that? I was around horses all my young life, and I’ve seen them (often) come running when they see their favorite rider approach. I’ve seen them nudge that person, begging for a ride. My neighbors littlt kid’s pony would go stand by the rail, wanting the kid to climb on. They show affection in many (often subtle) ways.
Watch your horses’s demeanor change when you approach her.
I’ve also seen horses develope a definite dislike for someone.
NajaNivea, fascinating posts! We have a friend who breeds raptors on Vancouver Island, and we supply some of his feed. Sometimes he brings one of his birds with him when he comes for a truckload, they are always so beautiful. Your hobby sounds wonderful.
Hey, thanks 
Brave enough to take on small airplanes, actually.
When I used to fly between Wheeling and Waukegan, Illinois O’Hare’s airspace used to keep the small private planes down around 1000-2000 feet. Air traffic control used to warn pilots about the red tails hunting in the area. Quite alarming to have have them come at you. They expected YOU to get out of THEIR way. I assume they were defending hunting territories.
Some do hang around airports - nice open fields where game periodically gets flushed because of the big, noisy, metal things going by.
The only other raptor tale I have from flying is the day I was returning to the Morris airport and noticed the traffic was taking an unusual jog to the left. A bald eagle was out hunting nearby - folks were both taking a look, and giving the bird a wide berth. What a huge, majestic bird! He was clearly aware of us, periodically turning to look at the airplanes going by which I’m sure was not helping his hunting. He (or she) was part of a nesting pair in the area. Only saw him that close to the airport that one time. I’m sure the airport red tails were happy for the eagle to move elsewhere.
Ha! Yeah, they are macho little guys.
Airport fence rows make nice trapping sites. Usually the roads that run around the back of the air field (is that what it’s called?) are long, straight, and low-traffic, and as you said, they often sit the fences and hunt those open fields.
Balds are beautiful birds. NajaHusband’s aunt and uncle live out in the middle of nowhere, Minnesota, and have a bald nesting not fifty yards from their house. She’s neat to watch hunting the lake.
Our local falconer sometimes flies his birds (he has more than one) in the fields near the airport. Birds around airplanes can make pilots nervous (if you saw the Mythbusters episode on birdstrikes it’s obvious why) but the predatory birds aren’t usually the ones involved in accidents. For all their bravado and posturing, the hawks and kestrels manage to avoid collisions. It’s the smaller birds and, worst of all, the Canada geese that we have the most problems with around here from a safety viewpoint.
Airfield, airport, aerodrome… different words for the same thing.
Several years ago we had a pair of kestrels nesting in one of the local airport hangars, the main repair hangar, in fact. One of the mechanics had to be stopped from shooting them - yes, he was understandably upset that they were pooping on his tools (used kestrel food is… gross) but there are laws against that sort of thing. Another mechanic had to be dissuaded from attempting to catch and keep one as a pet.
Which is what gets me about the nature-crazies protesting that airport noise disrupts wildlife. The wildlife apparently hasn’t gotten the news, or at least a pair of kestrels nesting directly above a large space full of humans, power tools, air compressions, drills, etc. didn’t seem to care. At one point they had a fledgling get lost in a tool bench and since I’m the one with the most experience in handling birds guess who got drafted to go take care of the problem? I used a big towel to catch and restrain the little guy, who actually didn’t fight very much at all, and just released him outside the door. He had a full set of feathers and was flying, just not very strongly so I presume he had just started leaving the nest.
We also had an owl get loose inside a private just where renovation had just been completed. In fact, the owner was on the way to pick it up. Had a crew of mechanics chasing a bird around inside the airplane, hoping it wouldn’t crap on the new upholstery. They caught it, and spent a frantic half an hour re-cleaning the airplane interior. But I digress…
The thing is, the raptors don’t fear us humans the way a lot of other wild things do. Largely, they seem indifferent to us unless we’re posing an immediate threat or have become a source of food. No doubt, this is one of the reasons falconry is possible.
My falconer friend agrees. He traps a passage bird each year and generally has it ready to hunt in less than 2 weeks. Though somewhat lacking in sex appeal, they are (by the standards of falconry) low-maintenance, user-friendly and give interesting hunts on common and accessible prey (e.g. squirrels and rabbits). My friend is on the way to the permit necessary for a golden eagle - and has a western friend who will put him in touch with an available “depredation” bird (one that’s been killing sheep) when he wishes - but he says that for reliable and rewarding falconry, nothing beats a red-tailed hawk.
I’m off tomorrow to the annual Pennsylvania hawk meet.
Fortunately, they are nearly always happy to share the sky.
Like all soaring pilots, I’ve shared many hundreds of thermals with raptors - perhaps the most memorable was one that included one golden and two bald eagles. They rarely show any reluctance to share their lift with a bird 5 to 10 times their size. They like to be above you - that way, they hold the energy advantage and can keep clear were you to do something strange - but will not infrequently fly within 50 feet.
I’ve twice had golden eagles act a bit threatening. These birds (with good reason) consider themselves the absolute boss of the sky and particularly when they have young on the nest may drive away almost anything. The fact that my glider is 70 times their weight means nothing to them.
Glad you stopped the guy. Currently killing a bird of prey carries a fine around $5000 with a potential six months in jail, though fines are usually more in the $2-4000 range. Recently a couple guys in Portland were convicted of killing peregrine falcons (only a couple months ago removed from the endangered species list in this area) and the current public outrage is leading to the following:
Illegal possession of a bird of prey strangely enough carries an even bigger penalty than killing them. Possession of a single eagle feather, for example, carries a fine of $100,000 for first offense and $250,000 and two years in prison the second time around. Other species are much lower fines but include a potential six month prison sentence. Fish and Wildlife doesn’t have much of a sense of humor over the issue.
That’s awesome–it’s one of my major goals as a master falconer, ten or fifteen years down the road.
Do you know what he’s done to prepare for hawking an eagle?
NajaNivea, allow me to commend you on an excellent, fun filled, diverse, interesting, and informative thread. I’ve followed, but had no reason to interrupt the flow-- however, I want to compliment you before I get distracted, or the thread winds down.
Your explanations show a particularly deep understanding. I note, just as a single example, your discussion of the rather esoteric and often misunderstood subject of imprints. Once acclimated, wild raptors will treat us like wallpaper-- but imprints will treat us as equals. Lacking talons and lightning reactions of our own, this can be painful. But it is a lesson I have trouble imparting to some of my volunteers and even occasional staff, since it seems to be the opposite of both “common sense” and experience with psittacines.
Anyway, thank you again for an enjoyable read. Keep up the good work!
Oh! Come back and let us know what you see!
And CannyDan–thanks so much for your nice words, it really means a lot to me. It’s a subject of paramount importance in my life (obviously ), and validation from one with such experience handing birds of prey is hugely gratifying. Thanks for reading and for commenting; I really appreciate it.
I know he has some friends who’ve had eagles, and been out with them. He has first-rate facilities, with a deluxe mews. He did some hacking of captive bred (hatched in a zoo) golden eagles some years ago.
I’ll find out more at the hawk meet and report back in detail when I’m home (probably Monday).
The three different golden eagles that I’ve been able to hold on my arm all had great dispositions and were easy to be around. But this is a formidable beast. The weight alone (I think around 12 lbs) makes them hard work. The strength in their talons is frightening - and I’m speaking of a bird that was simply holding its balance on my arm, doing nothing agressive.
I’d love to hear more, everything he can tell me! Full report on the meet, too, please.
I’m back from the Pennsylvania hawk meet. It had around 55 registered attendees plus plenty of hangers-on, like me. There were 39 birds: a substantial number of red-tails, perhaps 8 harris hawks, a half-dozen goshawks and some exotics like a european eagle owl, a gyr-saker cross, and a golden eagle.
Weather Friday was bad (rain & wind), so we decided to show up that evening, allowing just one day of hunting. Saturday weather was much better (partly overcast, 40 degrees, light wind) and there were lots of good hunts. The best reports came from a group that included a goshawk, a pair of harris hawks and the gyr-saker. They had good flights and success on pheasants and rabbits.
My group didn’t fare as well. The rabbits were mostly “sitting tight” - they wouldn’t flush unless you came close to stepping on them. We put up some that gave decent flights, but no success until about 5 minutes before sunset when a goshawk nabbed one. But hawking doesn’t need lots of kills to be a great way to spend a day.
Some human blood was shed as well. One falconer stabbed himself in the thigh (3 stitches) while cleaning a rabbit. A video photographer stumbled and fell, sustaining a nasty cut (6 stitches) below his eye where his camera bit him.
The Saturday banquet was full to overflowing. Highlights were a raffle of a whole bunch of stuff and a talk by falconry guru Hal Webster.
Here’s more information on eagles from my friend:
To receive an eagle permit, you must first be a master falconer. You must show experience with eagles and have recommendations from two falconers who themselves hold eagle permits.
You then submit an application (with $100 fee) to your regional office of the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Once they have approved it, it must make its way to all the other USFWS offices for their approval - there are 7 or 8 in all, so this can take many weeks.
Once you have your permit, you need an eagle. The only legal source is a “depredation” bird - one that has been preying on livestock (i.e. sheep) and has been certified by the USFWS as a nuisance. These are typically located in Wyoming. You make an appointment with the USFWS to go out to one of the certified depredation sites and trap your eagle (with a padded leghold trap). You then haul him (males are preferred, since they are smaller) home and commence training.
My friend’s eagle permit is now making the rounds of the regional USFWS offices, so he should have it in a month or so. He says he has not yet decided to actually get a bird, and seems to be leaning against this just now - it truly is a ferocious commitment of time and responsibility.
I happened upon a really good show this morning about golden eagles titled SHADOW OVER THE SUN: A STORY OF EAGLES.
I think that at the beginning of the show they mentioned an even larger eagle, the white tail eagle.