# Falconry Equipment



## Pyrite (Oct 13, 2012)

Lately I have quite the particular interest in falconry and I am doing a lot of reading. Although it's very limited this is the best option I have thus far apart from talking with the local hunters who hunt and trap illegally, which I must admit am not particularly interested in talking to as I am pretty sure their information will be misguided or the methods they apply on their wild caught falcons would be harsh.

So I'll avoid that as much as I can. 

The local falconry centre is also unreliable. As much as they claim that their goal is to rehabilitate wild injured falcons, they also do not have their legal requirements to make such a claim.

Infact a few years ago police confiscated over 8 falcons which were being kept illegally.

You can read all about it Here

You can also view their "Opening Video" Here and see for yourself what kind of mockery it really is.

So really this is the best option I have to actually get some decent information.

Now before **** hits the fan I want to make one thing clear, I DO NOT OWN a bird of prey yet, I am still doing research and trying to gather as much information as possible.

One particular bird I am dead set on and to own one day is a Eurasian Kestrel or American kestrel. There is not much game going around here apart from a wild rabbit here and there, mostly it's small rodents such as voles or wild mice or lizards. So basically I would like to have a companion to fly and hunt small critters over the weekends. 

I would like some help on the equipment and housing as I am getting very confused and over whelmed with the information presented to me.

So far I have understood that the anklet goes on the legs of the bird, the jesses in the anklets and the leash on the jesses correct?

Do birds of prey require a cage? My idea is to keep the bird in the cage when either I am not around (for example college hours/work hours..etc) and at night when I am asleep and no one is around to keep an eye on it cause obviously everyone is sleeping.

Do they require some kind of box/nesting box to sleep in/retreat to?

What kind of watering system do you need? Is a bowl of water enough? Do they need a big bowl of water to bathe in?

What's the exact purpose of the perch? 

From what I have read I am assuming the perch is there so the bird is not inside a cage all the time. A particular perch I am interested in is the bow perch as it's very easy to build and already have the materials available to me to build one.

I also have read that the perch needs to be on eye level so that the bird does not see you as a threat but I have also seen videos where the perch is just on the ground.

Can I go "_hunting_" (I am using the term _hunting_ very lightly here, again for the lack of game) with my kestrel when it's still attached to a leash?

As references I am using The Modern Apprentice and for training purposes The Basics on Training an American Kestrel for training.

Sorry for the long post :whistling2:


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## mcdougle (Jan 20, 2009)

Pyrite said:


> Lately I have quite the particular interest in falconry and I am doing a lot of reading. Although it's very limited this is the best option I have thus far apart from talking with the local hunters who hunt and trap illegally, which I must admit am not particularly interested in talking to as I am pretty sure their information will be misguided or the methods they apply on their wild caught falcons would be harsh.
> 
> So I'll avoid that as much as I can.
> 
> ...


 
i haven't done much falconry but what i do know would apply to most birds in general, so dont think of me as an expert but i'll answer as best i can to the questions you have. a bowl of water large enough to bath in would be ideal because birds do regularly bath in order to keep their feathers in good condition, an averie would be a good idea if your only planning to take them out on a week end as it provides a proper chance to strech wings and have some exercise, before you fly you should not feed them the day before as a bird with a full belly will have no reason to come back to the food your offering to it, and when providing perches they should be of varying thicknesses so the feet can be held in different possitions throughout the day as if they only have one thickness of perch they can develop (or so i believe) some kind of stiffness or arthritis in their feet. this is just info i learned from doing a bit of work with dave bunkel the falconer at dartmoor zoological park, and also through a mate who had a parrot (the perch info) but as i said i'm not a pro, this is just rule of thumb info :2thumb:


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Better late than never!!



Pyrite said:


> Lately I have quite the particular interest in falconry and I am doing a lot of reading. Although it's very limited this is the best option I have thus far apart from talking with the local hunters who hunt and trap illegally, which I must admit am not particularly interested in talking to as I am pretty sure their information will be misguided or the methods they apply on their wild caught falcons would be harsh.
> 
> So I'll avoid that as much as I can.
> 
> ...


Completely understandable, but hands-on experience is a necessity before getting a bird of prey, as well as having a reliable mentor on the end of the phone when you have your bird. Particularly with one such as a kestrel!



> There is not much game going around here apart from a wild rabbit here and there, mostly it's small rodents such as voles or wild mice or lizards. So basically I would like to have a companion to fly and hunt small critters over the weekends.


You may think you just have the odd thing here and there, but it's a whole other matter when you go out in the twigs with a couple of ferrets and/or a decent dog. 

No bird of prey is suited to being flown only at weekends. If you're after a companion/flying bird rather than a hunting bird, I'd recommend a Common Buzzard. Beautiful animals, and very fun on the lure! Also quite good as a 'starter bird' (I hate that term!). They'll teach you a lot and they're very fun and interesting to train.



> I would like some help on the equipment and housing as I am getting very confused and over whelmed with the information presented to me.


Grab yourself a couple of good books - I like Falconry and Hawking by Phillip Glasier as a base. Other decent authors include Jemima-Parry Jones and Emma Ford.



> So far I have understood that the anklet goes on the legs of the bird, the jesses in the anklets and the leash on the jesses correct?


Anklet on the bird's legs, mews jess through the eyelet on the anklet, swivel through the slit on the mews jess, leash through the smaller hole on the swivel.



> Do birds of prey require a cage? My idea is to keep the bird in the cage when either I am not around (for example college hours/work hours..etc) and at night when I am asleep and no one is around to keep an eye on it cause obviously everyone is sleeping.]


They need an _outdoor_ mews and aviary. Cages and other indoor housing is not suitable for a bird of prey. They need to be specifically designed for the purpose. Most ready-built aviaries are completely unsuitable and will result in an injured/feather damaged, stressed, unsteady bird. They should also be perched outside in suitable weather (which is most days, really!) with a bath so that they can bask, bath and drink. At least a few times a week, unless the bird is free lofted in a large aviary with partially open roof. And excepting for birds free lofting in moult.



> Do they require some kind of box/nesting box to sleep in/retreat to?


Somewhere to get out of the wind is needed, but most often a small wall in the aviary parallel with the front, coming off the side of a solid wall (preferably 3/4 walls should be solid) with a suitable perch behind is plenty and will cause minimal feather damage. Although owls tend to prefer an enclosed box ime.



> What kind of watering system do you need? Is a bowl of water enough? Do they need a big bowl of water to bathe in?


They should be offered a large, sturdy bowl of water when the weather's suitable to both drink from and bath in. In my experience, birds won't bother drinking from somewhere that they can't bathe in, with a few exceptions here and there. Most of their moisture comes from their food, though.



> What's the exact purpose of the perch?


If you're referring to the weathering perch, it's so that you can safely put your bird out to weather on a lawn whilst providing a good surface for its feet. What perch you need depends on the bird, particularly the species.



> A particular perch I am interested in is the bow perch as it's very easy to build and already have the materials available to me to build one.


We've built 2/4 of our bow perches, and it definitely is far from easy! They need to be a particular size, shape and thickness so that the bird's feet and legs are kept in top condition. Bad feet/legs = no bird. They're made to particular sizes and shapes so that the bird doesn't get caught up, won't get bowed legs or poor feet, has minimised feather damage, and can access all sides of the perch.



> I also have read that the perch needs to be on eye level so that the bird does not see you as a threat but I have also seen videos where the perch is just on the ground.


Horses for courses. It isn't absolutely necessary. We started ours off on bow perches which they were and still are fine with, but we now use ring perches with the perching surface around shoulder level, and I much prefer them, as do the birds. 



> Can I go "_hunting_" (I am using the term _hunting_ very lightly here, again for the lack of game) with my kestrel when it's still attached to a leash?


Definitely not. It's very dangerous.


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## Mogzel (Jan 2, 2013)

I'd be very dubious about keeping a bird of prey on Malta, as you've already pointed out there is a lot of hunting of birds that goes on around the island. However if you can be sure you're in a safe area and that you will spend enough time manning (training) your bird so that it comes to your glove but are aware that it may just decide to fly off one day, they are wild after all, then go for it; do research, see if you can find a course, in the UK we have the LANTRA, and be sure you have enough money and a very good local vet.


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## Pyrite (Oct 13, 2012)

mcdougle said:


> i haven't done much falconry but what i do know would apply to most birds in general, so dont think of me as an expert but i'll answer as best i can to the questions you have. a bowl of water large enough to bath in would be ideal because birds do regularly bath in order to keep their feathers in good condition, an averie would be a good idea if your only planning to take them out on a week end as it provides a proper chance to strech wings and have some exercise, before you fly you should not feed them the day before as a bird with a full belly will have no reason to come back to the food your offering to it, and when providing perches they should be of varying thicknesses so the feet can be held in different possitions throughout the day as if they only have one thickness of perch they can develop (or so i believe) some kind of stiffness or arthritis in their feet. this is just info i learned from doing a bit of work with dave bunkel the falconer at dartmoor zoological park, and also through a mate who had a parrot (the perch info) but as i said i'm not a pro, this is just rule of thumb info :2thumb:


I am not sure about the perches varying in thickness. I know for sure that it applies mostly to parrots, and parakeets but like you I am uncertain. As far as I know from all the videos, information online and what I've read in books they all use basically the same structure for birds of prey. Obviously the thickness of the perch varies depending on what species of raptor you're keeping due to the footing but all of them require some kind of fake turf.


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## Pyrite (Oct 13, 2012)

LoveForLizards said:


> Better late than never!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thank you so much for the reply!! :2thumb: Answered my questions perfectly and just what I wanted to hear as well, very informative! I apologize for the late reply but I didn't get any answers for like a week so I just sort of let it die :whistling2: I guess it's just a slow moving forum on this end.

Unfortunately keeping any kind of buzzard is illegal over here otherwise I would love to acquire one and see what my experience would be like as I am looking for a companion.

I've done the responsible and smart thing and did not acquire a kestrel at all. In fact I just sort off let my idea(dream?) die. Probably was a bad idea.

I'm always reading on how difficult it is and a lot of the information I found/read was discouraging so I sort of let it go.

However recently I've been getting interested again. I started working at our local birdpark and I've been handling owls for a while now. Scops owl, Bobook Owls, Barn Owls, Bengal Eagle Owls, Great Greysl...etc

Infact there is this barn owl and Bengal eagle owl that you can cuddle with and literally they would do nothing, infact they seemed like they enjoyed it when you hug them and tickle under their beaks as the close their eyes and raise their heads. You kinda get the feeling they are about to start purring.

Keeping owls is very legal here fortunately and I've been considering rearing a baby barn owl. I've done my research, do have experience but again, most of the information tells you don't and that it's a very bad idea.

But there's that saying "_The best thing in life is doing things people say you can't_"

Again I am not sure, I would really love to but I like being wise.

Sorry for the double post


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## vukic (Apr 9, 2010)

LoveForLizards said:


> Better late than never!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I am also very interested in falconery, and.would love a companion bird as the.is.very.little game here.. I'd thought of hand rearing a barn owl and breeding.my own mice as feed, that way I could possibly release a mouse or two into a field for the owl or BOP to hunt down???

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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

vukic said:


> I am also very interested in falconery, and.would love a companion bird as the.is.very.little game here.. I'd thought of hand rearing a barn owl and breeding.my own mice as feed, that way I could possibly release a mouse or two into a field for the owl or BOP to hunt down???
> 
> Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2


A hand reared barn owl won't hunt much more than a few leaves and a beatle if you're lucky. 'Baggy' food (releasing an animal with the intention to hunt it in that way) is illegal, as well as live mice and rats being dangerous for a hand reared owl of that size.

Barn owls aren't really recommended as a first bird although it can work, but certainly not to hand rear from a young age. You'd be best looking to get one at 5-6 weeks when it's past the vulnerable ages and it's eating proper food by itself, and nearly ready to go outside permanently. : victory:


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## vukic (Apr 9, 2010)

LoveForLizards said:


> A hand reared barn owl won't hunt much more than a few leaves and a beatle if you're lucky. 'Baggy' food (releasing an animal with the intention to hunt it in that way) is illegal, as well as live mice and rats being dangerous for a hand reared owl of that size.
> 
> Barn owls aren't really recommended as a first bird although it can work, but certainly not to hand rear from a young age. You'd be best looking to get one at 5-6 weeks when it's past the vulnerable ages and it's eating proper food by itself, and nearly ready to go outside permanently. : victory:


I thought it might be illegal but wasn't sure... So hand reared barnys won't hunt??? What about the common buzzard?? What would be the best bird to start off with??

Tiger

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