Falconry

[itsnoteasy]

All birds of prey in the U.K. are captive bred ,or they are illegal. Goshawks are fantastic to watch fly, not a real pest control tool more a dedicated hobby, but fantastic to watch none the less, I have had a couple of lads fly them to rabbit for a day out with me and the work they put into these birds to get them right takes up most of their spare time, you have to be really dedicated to work them, you also have to look after them really well as they are so temperamental and won't fly right if not in tip top shape.

[VillaGuy]

Goshawks are tricky as they are so temperamental and they burn energy fast so they need a very high quality diet, Sparrowhawks have an even higher metabolism so are even trickier due to their delicate nature. The true accipiters (Goshawks and Sparrowhawks in the UK) are the most exciting types for woodland or enclosed country flying, they are very rapid in acceleration and have great maneouverability. In this country and the working hours I'm expected I can't possibly fly a bird, I tried but simply couldn't do my bird justice so released it into the wild, I'd rather do that than get money for it and not knowing how well it would be looked after. That's why I want to emigrate, to have more of a better work-pleasure balance.

[itsnoteasy]

Goshawks are tricky as they are so temperamental and they burn energy fast so they need a very high quality diet, Sparrowhawks have an even higher metabolism so are even trickier due to their delicate nature. The true accipiters (Goshawks and Sparrowhawks in the UK) are the most exciting types for woodland or enclosed country flying, they are very rapid in acceleration and have great maneouverability. In this country and the working hours I'm expected I can't possibly fly a bird, I tried but simply couldn't do my bird justice so released it into the wild, I'd rather do that than get money for it and not knowing how well it would be looked after. That's why I want to emigrate, to have more of a better work-pleasure balance.

They are fantastic to watch, no doubt, and the time it takes to look after them is unreal. The lads who used to come through , even when not flying the birds had to bring them with them as they had to feed them at specific times and they were obsessed with getting the weight of food right. Stunning birds up close and truely majestic to watch work but far to much effort for me, give me a jukel any day.
Believe me you couldn't get these birds to do anything they didn't want to, they either won't fly or just feck off when you let them go lol.

[VillaGuy]

They are fantastic to watch, no doubt, and the time it takes to look after them is unreal. The lads who used to come through , even when not flying the birds had to bring them with them as they had to feed them at specific times and they were obsessed with getting the weight of food right. Stunning birds up close and truely majestic to watch work but far to much effort for me, give me a jukel any day.
Believe me you couldn't get these birds to do anything they didn't want to, they either won't fly or just feck off when you let them go lol.

You know a fair amount, I've got to say. It's a very time consuming interest, with a fulltime job or family life it's very very difficult if you want to be a falconer

[ADR147]

Where I live it is still used as pest control.

[VillaGuy]

Apart from tourism/leisure, it still pays as a pest control for a career. Falconers are often employed at airports and refuse dumps to keep away problematic gulls and crows.

[itsnoteasy]

Where I live it is still used as pest control.

I don't want to go into it as some folk are a bit sensitive when you talk about control of animal numbers, but catching the odd rabbit isn't control , control is a numbers game, the birds just aren't up to it. They are ok for scaring things away for a bit, I think they use them at Wimbledon and at airports to clear runway areas to prevent bird strike but even there they aren't controlling numbers, just scaring them away. Not bringing them down as they are truely majestic to watch.