Last Saturday my friend and I were out shooting scenics at a local park when I heard a strange low whistling sound behind me. Out of curiosity I turned to see what it was, and to my surprise I saw a man kneeling low and their was a Red Tailed Hawk on a perch about 20 feet from him. He blew his whistle again and the hawk took off, flying over and landing on his gloved hand.

I quickly switched from a wide angle to a telephoto lens and moved a bit closer, yet keeping a respectable distance so as not to disturb their activity. In the next 15 or 20 minutes I shot 40 or 50 photos, then the man, with his hawk on his arm, walked over in my direction. He came up to within about 5 feet and he and I chatted for about a half hour, an all the while I continued to take photos.

I was fascinated as he explained to me that he is currently one of the seven individuals who are licensed to practice the art of Falconry in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

He stated that it takes a minimum of 5 years to get the license and you must have the license before you can posses a bird. In fact, the laws protecting raptors are so strict that it is against the law to even posses feathers from raptors unless you are a Native American, a licensed handler or a member of a bona fide agency involved in treating and releasing injured raptors.

I asked him how he came to have his bird and he said that although there are some raptors available that have been raised in captivity, the law requires that when one gets a license for Falconry, he or she must capture their first bird in the wild and train it. This particular bird is an adult male Red Tailed Hawk approximately two years old and was captured in the urban environment where it had formerly been a nuisance raiding local bird feeders and chasing cats.

He told me that while true Falcons primarily hunt birds, hawks, such as his primarily hunt rabbits, rats, mice and other small rodents and snakes.

One fact that I found fascinating is that when the birds molt the handlers keep the discarded feathers, then, in the event that a bird happens to damage a primary flight feather, the damaged feather can be cut off and a section of a discarded feather can be glued on to repair it. He said that is commonly done when they capture injured birds, which they nurse back to health, then release back into the wild. The repaired feather will function normally, and it will later be discarded in the natural molt as the bird grows a new feather.

In the past I have seen documentary films on Falconry, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have an opportunity to see it first hand.

I have sent a small photo array to the handler and he in turn has invited me to come watch him work with his bird any time I want, and you can be sure I will take advantage of that offer. He even offered to allow me to go with him on a field hunt later this fall.

I thought I might share a couple of the photos with everyone here.