Pretty Cool Stuff.........

[greenberetTFS]

http://www.parahawkusa.com/Home.html .........

Big Teddy

[tonyz]

That was very cool.

[JJ_BPK]

Thanks Teddy..

[BOfH]

Such fascinating birds. Excellent post, thanks!

[Dusty]

[RobertJordan]

Flying right over one of my favorite fishing spots.

That glider port is in La Jolla, CA and is adjacent to the Torrey Pines Golf Course, for all you PGA fans.

I grew up near there, but this is the first I've seen/heard of ParaHawking...

Harris Hawks are one of the easier breeds to train, very aggressive, bond to you like a dog.

Redtails are more blue collar, union birds, they don't do anything unless threatend by taking away their lunch break or food source.

Check out http://www.northwoodsfalconry.com/

FYI - Harris Hawks also hunt in packs, making the breed double-whammy cool.

Good to see someone enjoying life, his bird, and maybe making a little extra cash photographing the shore line. Good business plan, he can now expenses his entire bird habbit.

By the way, "One man, one bird, one wife vs. One man, more than one bird, no wife".

Some hobbies are worth more than marriage.

[ZonieDiver]

Originally Posted by RobertJordan

Flying right over one of my favorite fishing spots.

That glider port is in La Jolla, CA and is adjacent to the Torrey Pines Golf Course, for all you PGA fans.

I grew up near there, but this is the first I've seen/heard of ParaHawking...

IIRC, there is a nice place to grab a burger there and watch all that paragliding. That is my favorite area in SoCal. I wish they hadn't torn down the Villa Andrea motel to build a vacant lot!

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by wet dog

By the way, "One man, one bird, one wife vs. One man, more than one bird, no wife".

Some hobbies are worth more than marriage.

Wait one, WD. Won't be too long before you'll be able to marry a hawk. Kill two birds with one stone.

[rdret1]

Cool video. I always thought falconry would be a great hobby. Too rich for my blood though.

Originally Posted by rdret1

Cool video. I always thought falconry would be a great hobby. Too rich for my blood though.

Re-think, its cheaper than guns and ammo, besides, you get to walk in the woods with hands warm in pockets, drink coffee/whiskey, let a good bird dog flush game, hawk to kill, you pick up, place kill in vest, sip coffee or whiskey, pat dog on head, tell bird, "two more".

Falconry, in years past (Europe), was a "class" sport everyone participated in.

Surfs could have ravens, owls, crows, magpies. Land owners, falcons, osprey, hawks. Women, robins, doves, pigeons, etc. Children, any little bird. Eagles were flown by Kinghts and Kings only.

Trust me, there are falconers near you, my old neighborhood was pigeon free.

[rdret1]

Originally Posted by wet dog

Re-think, its cheaper than guns and ammo, besides, you get to walk in the woods with hands warm in pockets, drink coffee/whiskey, let a good bird dog flush game, hawk to kill, you pick up, place kill in vest, sip coffee or whiskey, pat dog on head, tell bird, "two more".

Falconry, in years past (Europe), was a "class" sport everyone participated in.

Surfs could have ravens, owls, crows, magpies. Land owners, falcons, osprey, hawks. Women, robins, doves, pigeons, etc. Children, any little bird. Eagles were flown by Kinghts and Kings only.

Trust me, there is a Falconers near you, my old neighborhood was pigeon free.

I took my son to a falconry exhibit close to here a few years ago. The guy had several really magnificent birds; from three or four breeds of hawk to a couple of different falcons and owls. He put on a good demonstration and spoke about some of the regulations involved, working up from smaller birds to the larger ones, etc. With building his aviary, equipment, the birds and fees, he made it sound very expensive.

Originally Posted by rdret1

With building his aviary, equipment, the birds and fees, he made it sound very expensive.

Aviary/Mews is the single most expensive item, and you should not buy the expensive hi-breds now available, however, alternatives to other needs are easy to obtain: garages, basements, spare bedrooms, etc. Hence why some falconers with more than one bird have no wife.

Several young people, living in NY City, fly their birds from their apartment windows.

Kestrals are easy, small birds, very cool and lots of fun. In the city we'd take them to McDonalds. I'd take 10" of green garden hose, split it and rest it on the driver's side door window, mid way.

After throwing out french-fry crumbs, little finch birds would gather, said kestrel would kill and return finch to car. We could collect 20-30 little birds, freeze them whole. We'd have meals ready for the Kestrel that would last weeks. So you'll need a spare microwave oven and frig in garage to store dead birds and beer.

Great enertainment, sitting in a McD's parking lot, watching people watch us with birds killing birds. Redtails are great for taking rabbits.

If work was not a priority, I'd be a bird flying, hunting, fly-fishing, blacksmith dude only, who occasionally shoots .45 ACP.

You've got to have plenty of time to keeps birds. A good hobby for dad's and kids though. Surprisingly, women excell at falconry.