A Brief history
The history of falconry can be traced back as long ago as 2000 BC, to the Middle and Far East. It was perhaps most popular in medieval England though, where it was the favoured field sport for over four centuries. Falconry was probably introduced into England from the continent about A.D. 860
At this time, hunting with birds, was popular with anyone who could afford to buy and keep a bird of prey, almost to the extent of it being a craze. Having your own falcon was seen as a status symbol. It was a particularly expensive hobby to maintain, and this is why it became most popular amongst many kings of England. These kings were so anxious to have the best birds, and therefore the best kills, that they introduced the Laws of Ownership. This stated that certain birds could only be held by certain ranks, and one couldn’t hunt with a bird that had been assigned to a higher rank. So, the King would have any bird at his disposal, but would choose one that was only available to himself, such as the eagle or vulture.
Other royalty had gyrfalcons, an. earl the peregrine, a yeoman the goshawk, the priest a sparrow hawk, and the knave or servant the “useless” kestrel.
The men who trained the falcons for the king, the falconers, were very well respected. They held certain privileges, and rewards were particularly good if, when hunting, a heron, bittern or crane was caught.
The birds were trained to catch prey both on the ground and in the air, but it is the latter form that was most popular.
The bird would be hooded, until near the time of release. Hooding a bird helped to calm it down, preventing the falcon from sensing new and/or potentially stressful experiences i.e. other birds in the group
Falconry lost its popularity due to the introduction of other forms of hunting, most notably the introduction of the shotgun in the 17th century. At this time forests were also being cut down, to make space for fields for farming, therefore reducing the natural habitat for these birds of prey. This form of hunting was also in decline because of the spiralling costs, which were already extremely expensive. By the turn of the 20th century all birds of prey were viewed as vermin, as they were in competition with mankind for quarry at this time they were at their most unpopular in the history of falconry. Indeed Some gamekeepers today still regard and treat BOPS as vermin, believing that they are responsible for the destruction of their young game birds, Harming them in anyway is of course illegal.
Eventually though, the art became more popular again, and numbers of people practising the art grew, especially in the United States.
Some falconers will try and shroud the sport in mystery, claiming it to be very difficult. And trying to preserve an amount of elitism Sure you need a lot of free time initially, and a lot of patience, but I hope to show that there is no great mystery to the sport. But the bird’s welfare must be paramount.
Falconry birds are generally classified into three categories concerning hunting – the short-wing broad-wing and long wing.
Short-winged birds are generally all hawks The Harris’s & Goshawk are two prime examples, these are quick and adept at flying over short distances. They are also very manoeuvrable. Especially the Gos & male Harris,
However The red tailed hawk or RTB a North American species tends to be a little like a bulldozer ploughing through hedgerows, a Harris will think about it next move, the RTB, Well they are just RTB’s non the less a popular choice and a nice looking bird as well, there is however the risk that as they mature into breeding condition, they can become aggressive to their handler or anyone that happens to be there at the time, Females are the worst. Males to a less extent.
Broad-winged birds such as eagles or buzzards will soar for hours high in the sky. They experience problems when flying close to the ground; & they find it a lot easier to thermal and wait for a slow or weak prey to appear before dropping on it from a great height.
Long-wings or falcons; (falcon by the way, is actually the term for a female peregrine & the male a tericel, ) these are slower over short distances but are quicker once they build up some momentum. They also have more stamina than the short winged variety.
Peregrines, one of the most popular long wings, have been clocked at over 180mph in a stoop. (Dive)
You do need a large area to fly these from a ringing flight, from a height of around 1000ft (various claims are frequently made as to the height that these birds attain)
Anyhow, at an air speed of approx 180mph, from something like this height they wont, just end up in your neighbours fields, they will very soon end up in the next county
That’s when telemetry comes into its own. ( An electronic tracking device)
So therefore People who hunt with BOP’s bear these facts in mind, and adapt each hunt to suit their own particular birds and the type terrain they have to hunt on.