my new hawk , any falconers out there ?

lol ive done the falcon thing , i got fed up tracking the thing down after it chased a pigeon over 3 counties
 
just some friends out on the estate with their budgies not my first choice but nice to watch
 
unfortunately the stubbornness is on the buzzard side of life we had a redtail and she was fantastic to fly
 
meet blue , my new ferugitail , ( redtail x feruggenous hybrid)
Hi Scots_stalker
I have had falcons and hawks for around 26 years, I breed Goshawks and peregrines and peregrine/Hybrids.
I have 3 young male goshawks left from this years breeding. good luck with the ferugitail, what game are you hunting with it.
Regards
Paul
 
Beautiful bird. What will the quarry be? I would guess the flight capabilities of the Ferruginous with the hunting strength of the Red Tail will be pretty effective.

I used to hunt Harris Hawks years ago - over ferrets for rabbits or walked up rabbits and pheasant in woodland. Fantastic fun and the unique pleasure of watching a pair of Harris Hawks hunting together never lessened.

Unfortunately, falconry - like Salmon fishing... and now deer stalking... :rolleyes: - is something I don't really have the lifestyle (or cash!) to do often enough to begin to call myself anything other than an interested amateur. But for what it's worth, I believe they are all similar in being rooted in a love of the countryside and a passion for wildlife and conservation that is conveniently over looked by folk that would criticise me and others for pursuing these fieldsports. Some of the most memorable hunting flights I have experienced ended with a rabbit's rear end disappearing down a distant hole rather than ending up in the game bag but I suppose it would be boring if it was easy... bit like salmon fishing and stalking then?!
On a related note I was called downstairs by the family the other day to dispose of a "big bird" that had just clattered into the conservatory. Not the blackbird I was expecting, but this female sparrowhawk!

Sparrowhawk.jpg

Shame, but a chance to give the girls (3 and 6) a close look at a beautul bird of prey. Never too young to get them interested and a bit more aware of the realities of nature and make sure they are not squeamish townies. It seems to be working as when I called home a few weeks ago to tell them Daddy had finally shot his first deer the 3 year old's first question was "did you shoot it in the head?" :eek:. Glad she is not berating me for killing Bambi but I will need to have a work about the ethics of headshots...
 
My mother was getting annoyed with a Sparrow Hawk killing all the baby woodpeckers on our lawn. It would sweep down the side of the house over the gate and on to the lawn. She put some netting on top of the gate to stop its normal dive bombing run.

I get a phone call the next day my mother is in a total flap. It turns out the Sparrow Hawk saw the netting at the last second and altered it course to the only way out which was in to the open kitchen window :lol:

We have a African Grey Parrot that was not at all amused by the arrival of a very ****ed of Sparrow Hawk in its space. The 2 Labs did not think much of it either (they dont think much of the parrot either). After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing I told her to throw a towel over it and let it go.
 
andyf, looks like the intended meal bird went to a better flight school than the Sparrowhawk,:D, or he was short on local knowledge, unlike his quarry,& that picture of the Ferrugywhatsit is pure prettyness!:)
 
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That has got to be one of the most stunning birds I have seen (Feathered,not getting into the Nigella thread that's been running), it just looks like it's ready for business.
 
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