Falconry Displays

Well the dry hot weather has continued into August and not since 1975 and 1976 have we had two very hot long summers back to back. In 1976 the River Severn was so low you could practically walk across it at Wainlodes in Gloucestershire. Now the water is much higher due to controlled release of water much further upstream.

Looking after animals in hot weather is always a challenge and in my book ‘Falconry – aspects of care of the trained falcon and hawk’ I have a separate section called Water (section 15) which underlines the importance of its availability at all times. It sounds like a no brainer but actually birds can exist without water – obtaining the moisture they need from their food. Nonetheless it is necessary particularly on hot days when birds can often be seen sipping from their bath water after flying and throughout the day or indeed while taking a bath.

In former times with different husbandry methods with nervous wild caught passage birds who were  kept on a screen perch or when weathering out on the lawn were often too nervous to routinely hop up and down to sip from their bath water – signalling that it was not needed. We know better now. So I change the bath water every 2 days or more frequently if soiled.

Husbandry of the trained raptor is something I discuss in great detail in my book. Indeed it prompted the section of the ‘weathering loft’ as I call it. A structure where a bird  can either be tethered or free lofted. I wanted to make the point with many years of husbandry experience that many parent reared birds in flying condition unless exceptionally tame cannot be kept free lofted. They have have a habit of going wild in the loft and are practically impossible to get out of the loft for daily flying. Imprinted birds because they are imprinted on humans and very tame can in the main be kept lofted in flying condition. There is much confusion about lofting versus tethering and people postulating it should be possible for all birds. This is not so.

At other times however when the bird is not been flown – for moulting, a period of bad weather or the falconer is on holiday – then it can be safely lofted. You are not having to get it out everyday. Food can be dropped down a chute onto a feeding platform and the bird left to get on with it. The ‘Weathering Loft’ is two structures in one. Its construction is presented in my book in a step by step guide.

On to more local matters now. Since last winter – I may have mentioned it in a previous blog – I have seen on several occasions a rather ragged looking buzzard with most of its tail missing. At one point it was  being chased about by other buzzards and one could speculate on what calamity had caused its feather damage. Anyway it has been quietly hanging around and has begun to moult. Each time I see it now it is looking more trim. Despite everything it managed to survive the winter and from the moulted broken tail feather – below – I can see it is young bird from last year.

I have seen the peregrine about fairly regularly – it may be more than one bird. It gets drawn at the sight of a falcon stooping to the lure and it hangs around and until it has seen enough. I have also seen a peregrine where I walk the dog always exciting to see.

Below is our peregrine Sprite on the lure after stooping to it. You can see how dry it has been this summer from the yellow grass.