dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Sam Conway) (01/28/91)
Kelly has suggested that, instead of simply telling everyone that falconry is misunderstood, I should explain those parts of it that I believe are the misunderstood parts. This is a very good suggestion. I shall point out, though, that there is differing opinion even among falconers about some of the minor points, and I don't want to start a flamewar between falconers about such trivial details as, "should the birds be given names or not." Personally, I find it the same as naming a cat: it's not going to come when you call it, but it makes it so much easier to talk about. But anyway. 1) Falconers keep birds as pets. This could not be further from the truth. For one thing, pets are usually cuddly. I've never tried to cuddle a hawk, but I suspect I would lose substantial quantities of blood. A falconer does not think of the bird as a pet; there is a tremendous amount of respect for the bird involved. There is also a definite purpose, specifically hunting, for which the bird is kept. 2) Falconers mistreat the birds This, too, is dead wrong. A falconer has to go through a tremendous amount of hassle and red tape in order to get a license to practice falconry independently. The laws that govern the sport are there to make sure that only the most dedicated individuals are going to be able to become falconers. Anyone who DOES mistreat the bird is not only jeopardizing the very tenuous trust that the bird has for him, but if the authorities get word of it the man's gluteus maximus is grass -- that is, if his fellow falconers don't get to him first! 3) Falconers deprive the bird of its freedom. Well, you do keep the bird in a cage at night, although that is actually as much for the bird's own protection as it is to confine it. The next day you go out and let the bird fly away. It doesn't sound all that confining to me. The bird very often flies back to the man or waits for him to catch up. 4) Well, the birds only do that because they are TRAINED to. Falconers' birds are not "trained", per se, by which I mean they are not made to do things that are "unnatural" to them. A falconer simply uses some of the bird's basic instincts to his advantage. The foremost of these is the bird's hunting instinct, which is why the man wants the bird in the first place. He must, however, convince the bird that he (the man) is not a thing to be feared. Once the bird comes to realize that this monstrous-looking human being isn't going to eat it, then things get relatively easy. This is called "manning" the bird: spending lots of time with it until the bird becomes comfortable with the human presence. As most hawks are territorial, they will begin to see the man's home as their territory, and the man as being just the niftiest perch that there is in that territory. 5) Falconry is exploitation of the bird. No more so than riding is an exploitation of the horse. 6) We STILL say that falconry deprives a bird of its freedom! It is said that between 50 and 70% of birds eventuall decide it's time to go back to the wild. Remember, a falconer's bird is not on a string. It is released, and goes hunting on its own. Very, very often it will fly out of sight, or out of range (depends on how the falconer is tracking the bird), and keep on going. The falconer, who has put a good deal of time (and heart) into this bird will certainly attempt to find it, but knows that sometimes he's going to lose. I recall a story from a falconer in Michigan whose redtailed hawk flew away one day while playing with the lure. He couldn't find it, no matter how hard he searched. Then, about four days later, he got a call from a man who lived nearby: a hawk had been sitting up in a tree, right at the spot where the man had been, for several days. He drove out with his glove; the moment he got out of the car, the hawk flew down and landed on his arm, all ready to go home. 7) That's because the bird had been domesticated! Now, here is where I might get into trouble with some falconers. I do not believe a hawk CAN be domesticated. It might come to view a man as something safe...but it will not develop "affection" for him. It might see him as a great perch and a steady supply of food and protection -- possibly even as an equal, but it won't "love" him. The concept isn't there. Hawks are very simple creatures, unburdened by what we call emotions. Now, falconers, don't throw tomatoes at me! The hawk is perfectly content having you around, but it wouldn't give a flying fox if you fell in a hole tomorrow and never came back. It's the way hawks are. That is about all I can think of off the top of my head. Personally, as I have said, I feel uncomfortable seeing a fully-capable bird locked up in a cage; however, if that bird is given dozens of opportunities to fly off, and DOESN'T......well, as simple as the bird is, it's made its choice. -- Sam Conway * What shape do you usually have? dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu * Mickey Mouse shape? Smarties Chemistry Dept., Dartmouth College, NH * shape? Amphibious landing craft Vermont Raptor Center (VINS) * shape? Poke in the eye shape?
miken@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (Mike Nickerson) (01/30/91)
dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Sam Conway) writes about falconry: In general, I agree with almost everything Sam writes. However, I will comment on a couple of points. > I recall a story > from a falconer in Michigan whose redtailed hawk flew away one day while > playing with the lure. He couldn't find it, no matter how hard he > searched. Then, about four days later, he got a call from a man who > lived nearby: a hawk had been sitting up in a tree, right at the > spot where the man had been, for several days. He drove out with his > glove; the moment he got out of the car, the hawk flew down and landed > on his arm, all ready to go home. My wife's first bird was an immature Swainson's Hawk which had been brought in sick just out of the nest. It was found wandering around on a road. This bird was gone several times for up to 4 or 5 days at a stretch. It would invariably come back to where she flew it to come back home. The birds are not stupid. If they don't feel they can survive in the wild, they will return to where they know they can survive. This hawk was very comfortable with captivity. It was much easier than trying to survive on her own. She even laid eggs eventually. > 7) That's because the bird had been domesticated! > > Now, here is where I might get into trouble with some falconers. I do > not believe a hawk CAN be domesticated. It might come to view a man as > something safe...but it will not develop "affection" for him. It might > see him as a great perch and a steady supply of food and protection -- > possibly even as an equal, but it won't "love" him. The concept isn't > there. Hawks are very simple creatures, unburdened by what we call > emotions. Now, falconers, don't throw tomatoes at me! The hawk is > perfectly content having you around, but it wouldn't give a flying fox > if you fell in a hole tomorrow and never came back. It's the way hawks > are. In general, I would agree with this. However, I think this is not quite true of imprinted birds. My wife's Prairie Falcon actually looks at me as her mate. Every time I am around, she greets me and performs a mating dance. I'm not sure I would call this "affection" but she definitely prefers having me around. > -- > Sam Conway * What shape do you usually have? > dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu * Mickey Mouse shape? Smarties > Chemistry Dept., Dartmouth College, NH * shape? Amphibious landing craft > Vermont Raptor Center (VINS) * shape? Poke in the eye shape? > ---------- Mike Nickerson miken@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com Hewlett-Packard Boise, ID