BIRDS of PREY
FALCONRY LENDS A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON WILDLIFE FOR
AVID HUNTERS AND OUTDOOR NOVICES ALIKE.
BY JOE RADA
A
peregrine falcon glides above a brushy field at forest’s edge. The crow-sized animal’s blue-gray back, brownand-white barred breast and legs, black head and white throat are a blur as it spirals gracefully upward, gaining
1,000 feet of altitude, becoming a mere speck against the clear blue of a morning sky. Changing course with a
few agile flaps of its 3-foot wingspan, the bird of prey suddenly dives straight downward, wings folded tight, a
feathery missile reaching speeds in excess of 200 mph. With stunning power and accuracy, it strikes a startled pheasant
making a too-late attempt to rise and flee.
A man and a dog head to the spot where the falcon positions its body possessively over the dispatched pheasant. The falcon
leaps to a leather glove on the man’s outstretched fist in a brief rush and accepts a piece of prepared quail meat from an earlier
hunt as reward for a job well done.
Few people forget such eye-widening moments once they experience falconry firsthand. In addition to witnessing a trained
bird of prey, falconry interests expert hunters and novices because of the partnership between human, dog and raptor—any
predatory bird including owls, eagles, hawks and falcons. The professionals who train these birds, called falconers, help to
create a sporting experience people seek out at hunting clubs where the ancient art is seeing a resurgence.
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