Falconry World

Well its finally here.
For those of you not familiar with Ed Pitcher, he’s a bit of a legend from the US who has dedicated his life to flying falcons and Ricardo is one of the most respected bell and knife makers in the world and a true falconer in every sense. Ed gained his fame back in 1978 for a Prairie Falcon that he got to wait on at field meets at over 3000ft!!!

This book reflects the passion of a falconer, in a manner that has only been captured by very few authors about anything. I can’t help but smile, as I read a paragraph that reflects an obsession I can truly understand, though I have much to learn and still feel after 15 years like an apprentice. I can’t help but feel relieved in some way, that there are others with such an addiction and dedication to falconry that it almost becomes an introspective practice that teaches us so much about the world around us and our place within.

Indeed Ed rights, ” We are all entangled in this web of life. It is inescapable. Falconry is a link to our past and a guide to our future; and for some, it helps illuminate the mystery of a purpose on earth.” For me, falconry transcends us from our modern lives and modern way of thinking back into our past, as we must have existed long ago, not like the physical re-enacting of some past historical event or procedure, but our mental and spiritual past, all the things we learned over centuries that we have lost but some of us are still drawn toward through bushcraft and falconry.

The book seems to have its heart firmly in native American philosophy, which would be similar to our pagan pasts which celebrated hunting and was focused upon a connection with animals mentally, so you think, or after several servings of peyote cactus, become the animal.

Many cultures believe that not showing respect for your prey will cause you to fail as a hunter. Well here Ed shows us that having respect for your falcon and your quarry can make just as marked an effect. I met Ed and Ricardo when I visited Utah as the guest of Robert Bagley and Dave Marshall my new bosses as it was to turn out. Meeting Ed was one of the highlights of the trip so I’ll retrospectively re-visit that with you at some point as well. For now just know this; if you’re aware that this book exists, you should have it in your hands. Not on your shelf with the other books doing nothing but showing your enthusiasm for the sport, but in your hands, showing your willingness to learn, no matter how long you’ve pursued this thing that is falconry.
You don’t need to agree; that’s not what it’s about, but you might just learn a thing or two about yourself and your birds through your passion for falconry. Ed states, “This is not the only way or the right way, but just a different way.” Sometimes different is good, very good.

A good pair of binoculars should be part of the kit of every falconer. Why, well not only to get the best views of yours and your friends birds (only when he’s not looking) but to pin point and find quarry. The truth be told, you could get away with a cheap pair of binoculars, if its bright and a clear day. However if its getting near sunset or grey and damp, you can really tell the difference between some cheap binoculars and a nice pair. The other false economics of cheap binoculars is in my experience, every pair of cheap’ish binoculars I’ve had, have either allowed water in and fogged up or worse still one of the prism has dropped which means you can no longer focus properly with them. I’ve had about three pairs of £80 binoculars and all of them have failed.

So although the Swift HHS Audubon binoculars retail at £269 (although if you contact me I can gets these cheaper) they are compared in build and optical quality to Swarovski 8.5×42 EL Binocular which are £950. The Classic Zeiss binocular will set you back the same amount as the swarovski’s.

The swift HHS Audubon 8.5 x 44 is a roof prism binocular, which means in simple terms they are smaller and neater to carry. They weigh a mere 720g which is light for a full size pair of binoculars and have a aluminium body for durability. 8.5 is the magnification and is about as high as you can hope to hold steady. I tried some 10X but found them much heavier and blurred unless proped up against something.

The 44 is the size of the object lense. This is the amount of light that the binocular allows in the larger the object lense the more light. To big and they are a pain in the backside to carry, to small and you can’t pick out detail in low light. Is that my friends bird and her speckeled breasts I can see on that roof top and why is his wife on the roof, that sort of thing.

All I can say is that mine have survived crow hawking, wildfowling, being dropped by me and my son on to a solid floor and being left in a dog box in the rain for two weeks. The optics are really impressive, the only real way you can get a real feel for these is to go and test them for yourself. Have a look on line for retailers, or if in the UK contact me and I might be able to sort you some out. Here’s a couple of links with other review and comments.

http://www.birdforum.net/archive/index.php/t-12649.html

http://www.betterviewdesired.com/Swift-HHS-Audubon.php

The canon 100-400mm EF f4.5/5.6 USM zoom lens has been available for some time now but is still a favorite with professional and amateur photographers alike. [Read more]

Understanding the Bird of Prey by Nick Fox, is possibly the most comprehensive book on falconry. Published in 1995 the book is 375 pages, covering everything from the structure and function of a bird of prey to hunting and training techniques.

I must admit that my falconry reading is mostly done when I take a bird from the pen and start the manning process. This means most of my books have blood stains or worse on cover to cover. It gives me an idea how much I’ve read a book. This book is quite heavily marked, so that’s a good sign. [Read more]

These are my do anything walking boots. I have had them for about two years and they fit like a pair of gloves. Although they are technically a winter boot, I have worn mine in all four season. There is a great lacing system on the boot and the tongue is shaped which adds to the overall comfort of the boot. [Read more]