this is something i'm really interested in. in fact, when i retire from the military, i plan to pursue this. will post some good links and book titles that are excellent in learning this art.

oh yeah, for folks who've never heard of falconry here's what it's about. the art is to train raptors (falcons, hawks, and owls) to work with you to obtain prey. it is a federally regulated hobby that requires licenses and tons of training. it is not cruel and is beneficial for both parties as long as the highest respect for these magnificent creatures is maintained. my interest in falconry is in the rehabilitive portion and to enjoy a one on one relationship with these magnificent birds. i plan to limit myself to red-tailed hawks as i've been fascinated with them for as long as i can remember. the raptors are not treated as pets (as you would a parrot or cockatiel). however, the handling is much the same with some protective measures for you and the bird. golly do i sound dry tonight (sorry, am tired)!

NO, this is pretty interesting, Wolf! How is it done? Do you enter into a programme in which you sort of get a bird to train? And is it that sort of thing where orphan animals get trained to go back to the wild?

Falconry is fascinating/ Drone on Wolfie, it is music to my ears! (...aiming for a peregrine falcon, are we?)

not for several years in the least. you have to go through an apprenticeship first where you can only handle hawks. this period lasts 5 years minimum. then one can move on to master license. both of these licenses are hard to acquire and one must test for them and have all the equipment on hand for inspection and be under the wing (as it were) of a master falconer sponsor. there is only one in my area. i contacted him several years ago but thought it would be better to wait. this sport is one enjoyed by women, children, and men of all ages. my books are packed away right now, but as soon as i get them out, i'll give you some great titles as well as a few good websites. it is still enjoyed in europe and is slowly catching up in the states. falconry is used employed as a bird deterent at airports and flightlines all over. even the military employs them to keep damage to their aircraft engines to a minimum. one can also hunt using both the raptor and dogs. and would you believe, these birds respond to your whistle and your glove!

...and you get to train them by tying some chunk of meat to the end of a rope and swinging it around your head. Is that not the first object on which the apprentice bird learns to play "catch?"

*haha* something like that. you actually train the bird to get the prey without eating it and allowing you to take it from them. the bird already knows how to hunt (you work with them as passage birds, at least 1 year old and through one season). the rope is actually baited with bird feathers to work the bird into taking other flyers in flight. and meat is used to teach the bird to sit on your arm and to learn to trust you as beneficial not harmful.

Wow, that's REALLY interesting. I think it such a cool thing that humans and animals can actually learn to understand each other, to work as a team with equal mutual respect and to do stuff that pleases and stimulates both parties.

indeed! and this is where my interest stems-the bonding between humans and animals, wild or not. because even wild animals will take a human into their territory once mutual respect and trust is earned. and that bond is amazing to me. have always believed that when an animal likes you, it's the best compliment there is. because they see who you really are. you could feed a dog snacks all day and the dog not like you in the least. and i trust that instinct of theirs.

Absolutely. Didya see 'Instinct', Wolfie? I thought is a remarkable film.

yes because i saw in this movie something deeper. a lot of people didn't get the movie but i was there!

Me too, it really haunts me. Jim says the same thing.

i understood exactly why he was the way he was. this movie was sad because it truly shows the way people react to the wild. we may have dominion over the beasts but that does not mean we can treat them any way we want. God made them too!

(Wolf)you could feed a dog snacks all day and the dog not like you in the least. and i trust that instinct of theirs. Not my dog's! As nobody has treated him badly in all his life (at least since I've had him) he will befriend anybody after a proper introduction (like, pizza-deliverers beware!), although he knows that he can completely trust only me, because I shall always tell him the truth. Like, when trying to find out whether he's going out with us or not, his "Dad" can tell him what he wants, but he'll believe it only after I confirm it. :-)

That's really sweet! Wolf, I also found that 'Instinct' tried to make a point about what real freedom is; something liberating and terrifying. It means giving up the fancy car and the fancy house and the fancy friends, stripping oneself of all the masks, then recognizing what is REALLY there, what is REALLY you, then dealing with that. But how many people are willing and able to recognize the iron bars in a car and a house, how does one deal with the fact that those things turn us into mindless prisoners? It's a very diff cult subject; I can hardly stop thinking about it all.

i saw that and i saw that animals have their own lives not much different from our own. that who is the real savages?

Your points hit right where I live, Ree and Wolfie. We are indeed prisoners of our possessions!

The most tragic thing about it is that we are WILLING prisoners and savages.

Yup!...even when we are willing to admit it we remain in this sorry state!