On handling falcons

14 years ago

Fantastic news:

There is a program called "eyes in the sky" that operates under the auspices of the Audubon Society. They take in raptors that have been injured in one way or another and would be unable to make it on their own. Their aviary is about a half mile from my house. Well I am now a volunteer bird presenter for the program. That means I can handle a Screech Owl, an American Kestrel, a Peregrin Falcon, and a Red Tailed Hawk. We take them out of their enclosures for two hours every day to greet the public, and perhaps go for a walk through the oaks along the creek. Some of them have limited flight capabilities so they are all tethered and are content sitting on the glove or a tree branch. We also have a Great Horned Owl but the only one that handles him is Gabriele the founder of the program, as "Max" the owl is imprinted on her and thinks she's his mate and is very protective. You wouldn't want to feel his talons on your head.

My focus has been on the American Kestrel "Kachina". She's the smallest falcon in North America. She was hit by a car and has about 85 percent of her flight capability. She's a beautiful little bird with a big ego and is training me well. I've had about ten sessions with her. She sits atop a hand carved stick that I made for her when we're outside. It's her favorite perch and if I remove her from it most times she'll fly back instantly, unless of course she wants sit on the glove for a while. If you run with her on the stick, olympic torch bearer style, she'll spread her wings. So cool.

I cant describe what an honor it is to handle a live bird of prey, awesome .. and be responsible to clean her cage, weigh her, and feed her (1 mouse). I volunteer Wednesdays and Saturdays on a regular basis and sometimes fill in on other days.

Pictured is me and Kachina on her throne.

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Comments (7)

bob414
14 years ago
That does sound like it would be a good experience.
alan_la
14 years ago
That would be quite the expierence, I know Elly has done that many times because she used to work at the Rapture Trust in I think NY.
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kendra2003
14 years ago
Sounds like an awesome experience. Will she regain her flying skills and be returned to the wild, or is it too soon to know?
Elly_NJ
14 years ago
Birdist, you and your friend Kachina will be great ambassadors for raptor education!

Hi Alan. Yes, I handled birds at The Raptor Trust in Millington, NJ. Hope you're doing well in LA.
birdist
Original Author
14 years ago
kendra2,
All our birds have permanent injuries and can never be returned to the wild so we feed them well and shower them with love and give them the best life we can.
dees_1
14 years ago
I am so envious of you right now. My dream is to handle/rehabilitate/care for birds of prey. They're amazing.
lazypup
14 years ago
Last fall I was at Stanley Park in Westfield, Massachusetts shooting some scenic photos of the park and I kept hearing a whistling sound off in the distance. Finally out of curiosity I went to see what it was. To my complete surprise I found it was a guy in his backyard, which adjoins the park, and he was training a Red Tailed hawk in the art of "Falconry" (Hunting by means of a raptor). I quickly hung a long telephoto lens and began shooting pictures. In a few minutes the guy noticed me and invited me to come in a bit closer. I moved in to about 20ft where he and I could talk yet my presence would still not excite the hawk.
In our discusssion he told me that he is one of only 7 ppl in the entire state who are currently licensed to practice the art of Falconry. According to him it takes 6 years in an apprenticeship to get a license and they must have the license before they can posses a bird. During that 6yr period they must work with a raptor rehab facility to learn how to care & feed the birds as well as handling characteristics.
He also stated that they cannot buy a bird. To get a bird they have to live trap one in the wild, but they are limited to only trapping birds that are presenting some form of nuisance. In his case, his bird had taken up residence in a residential neighborhood and had been hunting bird near ppls bird feeders or small cats, most of which were to large for the bird to carry off so it just killed a cat, then consumed what it could on the spot and leaving the remains to the total dismay of the cat owners.
. .

. .

. Here is a photo of me doing my imation of a handler.....LOL

On handling falcons

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On handling falcons

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