# Bird of prey



## Guyfawkes

Hi there im about to go on a three day falconry course with the intent of getting my own bird in the near future id really like a ferrugnous hawk but on some sites they say a harris is a good first bird but thats like 20 yrs of ownership while wanting something else any advice please


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## varanus87

Best stater bird .... Harris hawk ....or red tail 


And IMO if u get a good female Harris . .... U wont need more if ur hawking with her ...

If u start with a true accipiter like a goshawk it may b to much for u to start with ..


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## Guyfawkes

cheers


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## miss_ferret

if you really want a ferruginous, then hold out, put the work in and get one. dont get a bird just because its a 'good starter' then either leave it in an aviary once you've got the bird you want or try to sell it on (emphasis on try, theres very little market for second hand, adult harrises, though you may do ok selling on a redtail).

however if its a ferruginous you really want, i'd amend the 'near future' part of your plans. they arnt easy birds (though well worth the effort im told) and they can and will do you some damage if you dont know how to handle it.

i would say your best bet is to find yourself a EXPERIENCED mentor who has successfully flown a ferruginous for a few seasons at least and learn to deal with one thats having a bad day before you decide if its the bird for you.


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## biomass

If you are planning taking on a Ferruginous, do not, if you have haven't trained a raptor before, its not fair on the bird and you. 
To fly one you need open country, they live in Prairie habitat in the wild, vast open areas, not a field in the UK.
As someone has said, get a Harris hawk, or Redtail, if you you really want a ferruginous, then I would try a red tail first. If all good, then go ahead.


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## Guyfawkes

Thankyou all for your replys i appreciate them


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## DAZWIDD

miss_ferret said:


> if you really want a ferruginous, then hold out, put the work in and get one. dont get a bird just because its a 'good starter' then either leave it in an aviary once you've got the bird you want or try to sell it on (emphasis on try, theres very little market for second hand, adult harrises, though you may do ok selling on a redtail).
> 
> however if its a ferruginous you really want, i'd amend the 'near future' part of your plans. they arnt easy birds (though well worth the effort im told) and they can and will do you some damage if you dont know how to handle it.
> 
> i would say your best bet is to find yourself a EXPERIENCED mentor who has successfully flown a ferruginous for a few seasons at least and learn to deal with one thats having a bad day before you decide if its the bird for you.


Best advice in this section, Mentor first every time, a 3 day course at a good centre is worth while, but a good "hands on" mentor is always best


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## Scoffa

The best thing to do is to complete a course that will give you the LANTRA Beginning Falconry Award. This should then help you choose a bird that is suitable to you and your circumstances ie time and land available. Why are you interested in a ferruginous? A harris hawk is easy to get some sort of result and could be hunted at the weekend - handy for the falconer who has work commitments, but it will in no way prepare you for a ferruginous buzzard. A red tail buzzard takes a lot more time and effort to get a good result, for best results they need to be flown/hunted daily and a couple of seasons with a female red tail would provide you with enough experience to take on a ferruginous.

Do your homework, read plenty, and try to find falconers with the birds I have mentioned.


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## anthony reilly

People say its ok to fly harris's on a weekend but if you have work commitments then any bird will suffer whether its a harris's or redtail or even ferruginous. Lantra only teaches you basics, a mentor can teach you more. 1 thing no one has mentioned here is a redtail/ferruginous hybred. best of both worlds..


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## jb1962

Agree with miss ferret..
Get someone that is willing to help you and try to find one without a ego as ego's and falconry are a pain in the arse..
Been there seen it..
I had a female harris and I saw rt's and goss's but the hh was just what I feel in love with for the fact they are better at settling without all the drama .. You get it wrong with a rt and it will make you pay over and over . get it wrong with a gos and it's off and gone ..


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## clumsyoaf

I would suggest joining your local club, I'm in one down here and although I don't own my own bird we are working towards everyone having their LANTRA award (one of the members is an assessor) but also the contacts you make are worth a million times more than the club itself. I have made friends with very experienced falconers with 20+ birds who are always on the look out for willing helpers (for flying, cleaning, standing with at shows whatever) and between them have a HUGE range of birds  

Mr. Google helped me find my club and the club helped me find falconers who are happy for me to tag along. the course will be good, but a winter hunting with experienced guys will help you really decide what you want and if you can handle it


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## HABU

i wish that i could have a red tailed hawk... that would be sweet!


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## raptor1968

Hey bud,firstly go and enjoy your course learn all you can,this is a taster for what your letting yourself in for!
try your local or near by BOP center ask to volunteer,help out as much as you can and see if anyone will mentor you..Then think about all the equipement you'll need from jessies to telemetry,once you have this then is the time to think about the bird you want to fly..Harris hawk the great all rounder if trained properly,Redtail a male is a nice bird to train,the female is more aggressive and great to hunt with.. But if you know the type of bird you want to fly,with the experience you gain from a mentor and through volunteering you should be able to train and fly what you want..This bird you buy will be with you for 20-25 or more years so get the right one for you..
good luck bud,enjoy it!! I do every day!


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## 17624

Please please please do not get a "learner bird" I adore feruginous hawks but haven't got the permission to suit one as they need vast open spaces etc, I've had birds for over five years now and see so many harrises brought, trained wrong and passed/sold on with bad vices, I've recently taken another on myself.

If you've made your mind up what you want, make sure you get all the correct training and knowledge and have the right permission for the bird as you don't want it stressed


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## raptor1

Well....I have been a falconer for over 30 years, so here is my advice for what its worth. 

Firstly ask yourself why you want a raptor? Some people just like to keep some as a pet. Usually a Barn owl -or European Eagle owl.

Some folk just want to fly birds without having to hunt them. -Falcons such as a Lanner, or Lugger to use as a lure bird.

Some folk like keeping birds, again dont want to hunt them but have a keen interest and breed them.

A falconer is a person who hunts with birds. If you fall into this group - well 
I doubt you will have - or get enough permission to fly a falcon at game. If you do - my experience is you will have to join several clubs, so you can go on organized field meets to fly at game. This can become expensive - as you have to pay membership to clubs and pay for the field meets and of course fuel costs - as you may have to travel some distance.

If however you only want to hunt rabbit then a shortwing will be your choice of bird. I would either get a Male Red, or a Female Harris.( in my day I started with a Buzzard) Also I would get a new bird - for the simple reason is so you learn everything from scratch - the manning etc. 

Equipment -
Of course you will also need Telemetry, you can usually pick a second hand one up for around £300, Glove Scales,Perches, Bath jesses,Giant Hood (Traveling box for car) (hood?) Vest or bag approx £300 -£400

I can not emphasis enough if it is a hawk or falcon you want to hunt with - Make sure you have the land to do the bird justice on. Getting permission is so hard now - hence why I no longer hunt with any birds. 
Good Luck!


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## 17624

You should buy telemetry before you even come close to getting a BOP, it's the most important bit of kit and so many scrimp, don't bother with it and then there's another poor hawk flying around loose with equipment on


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## 17624

I may even have a telemetry set and transmitter for sale


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## Matt king

raptor1 said:


> Well....I have been a falconer for over 30 years, so here is my advice for what its worth.
> 
> Firstly ask yourself why you want a raptor? Some people just like to keep some as a pet. Usually a Barn owl -or European Eagle owl.
> 
> Some folk just want to fly birds without having to hunt them. -Falcons such as a Lanner, or Lugger to use as a lure bird.
> 
> Some folk like keeping birds, again dont want to hunt them but have a keen interest and breed them.
> 
> A falconer is a person who hunts with birds. If you fall into this group - well
> I doubt you will have - or get enough permission to fly a falcon at game. If you do - my experience is you will have to join several clubs, so you can go on organized field meets to fly at game. This can become expensive - as you have to pay membership to clubs and pay for the field meets and of course fuel costs - as you may have to travel some distance.
> 
> If however you only want to hunt rabbit then a shortwing will be your choice of bird. I would either get a Male Red, or a Female Harris.( in my day I started with a Buzzard) Also I would get a new bird - for the simple reason is so you learn everything from scratch - the manning etc.
> 
> Equipment -
> Of course you will also need Telemetry, you can usually pick a second hand one up for around £300, Glove Scales,Perches, Bath jesses,Giant Hood (Traveling box for car) (hood?) Vest or bag approx £300 -£400
> 
> I can not emphasis enough if it is a hawk or falcon you want to hunt with - Make sure you have the land to do the bird justice on. Getting permission is so hard now - hence why I no longer hunt with any birds.
> Good Luck!


Very good advice, I am lucky to be able to fly falcons at game but it has taken me years to be able to do so. Without the generosity of landowners, working for myself and an understanding wife I wouldn't be able to. It is a major commitment to fly any bird regularly at quarry. Even if you just want a bird to fly and not necessarily hunt with there are very few pieces of land that isn't owned and are you prepared to dispatch anything that your bird might catch ?


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## broomy

listen to jpster he has it spot on. I have kept BOP's for 16 years from spa's to gos's.
go with something that will test your every patience and knowledge.
IMO a male Red Tail is the way to go for anyone first bird. 
Harris hawks are great birds and very social but so easy to ruin with inexperience. You may go out and spend a couple of hundred quid on a brown bird (youngster) and turn it to a screamer within weeks, you then flog for £50 because it screams 24 hours a day and trust me they do. Very easy to train and very easy to get wrong. Remember a BOP remembers every mistake you make but a Harris hawk will seem to progress even if you are doing things wrong.
my first bird when I was 16 was a lovely 12 week old male Red tail. It learned me a lot and from then I progressed to Harris, gos hawks and spa's with the odd peri/saker thrown in.
Just make sure your ready for the commitment also, they need flying hard nearly every day to get it to some kind of fitness, unless u use it as a display bird.
I moved house 3 years ago and had to loan out my 2 gos hawks as didn't have the facilities at my new house, then kids came along and so on. My mate still has my 2 finns now as I just don't have time to do them justice but hopefully in a few years will get them back and flying again
read read read
Good luck


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## 17624

Thanks Broomy,

I hope your well.

I really feel for people trying to get in to falconry these days. But I feel more for the birds that get brought so cheap, and with all the best intentions in the world they get turned in to stressed out, screaming pains in the arse through no fault of there own.

I'm a self employed pest controller and use my birds for pigeon clearances etc.

There a part of the family.

All I say to all newcomers etc is read, read, read and you can never have enough knowledge about birds of prey, get a good mentor and be prepared to learn for the rest of your flying days.


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## AnimalLucas

Harris' are widely considered the best birds for beginners with red tails up there with them but if you want something different then you should put in the work and get what you want. Maybe volunteering at a place that has birds of prey would be a good idea. I volontered at an owl sanctuary for a week and loved every moment of it. I really learnt a lot about care and how to handle fistey birds! They had everything from little owls to some nice sized eagles so you get experience with a wide range of birds.

Hope this helps : victory:


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## Pestclearuk

*Bop*

Get a mentor 
Look at what quarry you can take on your permission 
The size and sort of land will depend on what bird is suitable
The time and commitment you have to offer
Also buy books and DVDs aswell because you never stop learning


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