THE CHASE -January/February 2011 by Neil Davies

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

THE CHASE THE NEWSLETTER FOR THE UK FALCONRY CLUB

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Sponsors of the International Falconry Club Marquee at the UK Falconry & Hawking Event

WELCOME TO THE CHASE EDITOR’S NOTE You will see that THE CHASE has had a redesign and that the monthly newsletter has become a bimonthly newsletter. I have taken this decision purely to the time it was taking me to produce each edition and with my work commitments growing I purely couldn’t dedicate the time to produce an edition of THE CHASE each month to a standard I would be happy with. I hope all the Club Members understand my decision. Meanwhile, as we come to the end of another hawking season we can reﬂect on the successes and failures of the season and make plans for the next. It is also the time of year, when the breeders are preparing for their season ahead and I hope over the coming months we can report on their successes. I would like to thank all of the contributors for all of their help because without them THE CHASE wouldn’t exist. Good hawking for the rest of the season and I hope you enjoy this edition as much as I have putting it together. Good Hawking All! Neil Davies - Editor PS: Advance tickets for available for the UK Falconry & Hawking Event - www.falconryhawking.co.uk

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CONTENTS

PAGE

Air sack rupture - A cautionary tale! by Tommy Miles

Trapping American Kestrels in Texas by Ben Crane

Sparrowhawk Field Meet

Ferret First Aid Kit - A Quick Guide by Neil Davies

The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime

Takagiri, the Japanese Art of Falconry

Chase -Male Imprint Goshawk by Alex Brown

What is CITES?

Harris Hawks in Yorkshire by Kevin Massey

The Art of Wildlife Sculptor Martin Hayward-Harris

The UK Falconry & Hawking Event

Exhibiting at The UK Falconry & Hawking Event

Hood Making Competition Sponsored by American Hoods & Falconry Bells

Supplement - Technical Aspects of Kiting for Falconry by Gerry Plant

UK Falconry Club Application Form

Cover picture: Peregrine on Cliﬀ, 18x14in (45x35cm) Watercolour © Mark Upton - www.markupton.com The Chase is the bi-monthly newsletter of the UK Falconry Club. Articles written by contributors are not necessarily those of the UK Falconry Club, publishers or the Editorial team. If you wish to advertise or submit an article for The Chase. Please contact the Editor, Neil Davies by email: neil_davies@ukfalconryforum.com

January - February 2011

Air sack rupture

Words & Pictures

Tommy Miles

A cautionary tale!

presented me with a further bill! and then took me to see ‘Blondie’ who, I thought would be happy to see me! (First mistake) She promptly made a grab for my face. Which lucky enough did not connect but the fact she was so lively made me laugh and home we went with ‘Blondie’ sitting on the passenger chair of the truck watching the world go by. Within an hour of being home, a blister appeared on her wing and then the head started swelling again. Oh No! not again and off we went back to Neil Forbes’ Clinic. Arriving very late fortunately my wife had called the Clinic to inform them I was on my way, now driving her car did cut down the journey time some what! and to this day I do not know how I did not receive a ticket or two.

I returned home from work early morning and as is my routine I check the hawks and feed them. Then onto the ferrets and then to my parrots and ﬁnishing with the ﬁsh on the way back in to the house. As usual the dogs followed on - leaving a calling card for me to clear up later! All was well the morning sun just rising above the skyline. Next job, coffee and a chat with ‘Blondie’ the imprint, who by now usually is calling with her new found chant something I never tire of hearing. But, today there was no calling just a twittering and on inspection I saw she had not passed over her evening food. I looked again to realise that what appeared to be a full crop was in fact a swollen keel area, but only on one side. I touched it and the feeling was like a water balloon. As I looked more carefully, I could see that her back and legs were also enlarged. PANIC struck and a quick phone call was made to my local vet, who was not due into work till 9 o’clock. He very kindly attended the clinic within the hour by which time her head was twice as big as normal. After a brief discussion, he diagnosed an ‘Air Sack Rupture’ something he had never seen in a raptor before. After chatting he decided to operate. Which involved two insertions being made into her back and another in her neck. I received a call from him later that afternoon to say ‘Blondie’ was up and about and she was making plenty of noise and would I come and collect her. So upon collection I was also presented with a very hefty vet bill! That night went without incident ,but on my return from the night

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shift at work, my thoughts were for ‘Blondie’ and I broke my usual habit of feeding the gang and went straight to check her. She was asleep in the dogs bed, her now usual place to spend the dark hours. To my horror ‘Blondie’ was back to square one! She was swollen all over which now included her wings. I rang my vet and he suggested that she go to a more experienced vet. I suggested Neil Forbes, which he agreed was the best place for her. Well it seemed an age before Mr Forbes replied to my vet’s message (6 hours) and Neil Forbes instructed him to send the hawk to him ASAP, so off we went to Swindon. On arriving at the referral centre at Swindon, Mr Forbes explained that there is no known reason for this rupture and that it would be almost impossible to detect the rupture as the sack was so fine. He inspected the surgery by my vet and said he would carry out ‘CORRECTIVE SURGERY’ those words stuck in my mind on the way home, but at the time my primary concern was the well being of ‘Blondie’ . I was asked to pay up front for the surgery by Neil Forbes which I did. I received a call late that evening from Neil saying he had completed the surgery and all we could do now was keep our fingers crossed and he would keep her with him for a couple of days just in case. The two days passed slowly and it was all I could do to not ring him. When the call finally came saying she looks OK and no further swelling had accured. Happy does not explain how I felt and I set off for Swindon again, on arrival the Clinic Nurse

On arrival at the clinic, Mr Forbes took one look and said the only thing we can do is put a stent in her neck and hope or I could let him do the un-thinkable. This was not an option for me so I agreed to the operation and asked to be allowed to wait for the operation to be completed and return her home with me and the parting words from Mr Forbes were, “I doubt this will work but if it does do not ﬂy her this year”, as we headed off home but not before handing over another bundle of cash and home we went. Now its here, that my fortune started to change. My good friend Matt Burden rang and offered to free loft her down at his place for has long as it took for her to repair her body which to me had been through more than was possible for a ten week old hawk. I might add at this point that the breeder Adam Burns was in contact throughout all of this and along with Lee Featherstone who kept contact and took great lengths to inquire from other vets and offering to help in any way they could. Which to this day sits well with me should they ever need my help. Ten days passed and the stent was removed and too my relief ‘Blondie’ remained in good condition she went off to Matt’s for her holiday, where she stayed for several months. She was picked up a few weeks back and has screamed the place down ever since and on the odd occasion gave me a few hand shakes when I relax too much. I currently ﬂy her PR sister at the moment and can’t help looking at the frustration in ‘Blondie’’ body language. Still there is always next year.

Cost in vet fees: £1600.00 Drugs: £335.00 at one stage she was taking 7 different drugs four time a day!

January - February 2011

Trapping in Texas

Trapping American Kestrels in Texas by Ben Crane

There are many ways to try and improve as a falconer in the UK. One can ďŹ&#x201A;y a multitude of hawks at a variety of indigenous game, breed, do a little release pen conservation, make equipment and perhaps run a dog. However there is one contentious issue which the general public and the law of the land prohibit and that is trapping a wild hawk for the purpose of falconry. In many respects I can understand why this is so. Unlike other countries worldwide, the UK is comparatively small, over populated, holds a multitude of talented falconers and has no government legislated program of apprenticeship. One could only imagine what would happen to the natural stocks if every falconer were able to trap their own hawk within this context. However, regardless of the above, trapping is a key activity that completes a direct timeline with the past and our shared heritage. This initial activity, above all else, is the one thing that sets in motion an extended process which hopefully ends with a sporting kill or food for the table.

THE CHASE

Words & Pictures

Ben Crane

Ed & Dustin with author holding a freshly trapped American Kestrel

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January - February 2011

With the help of several organised trapping organisations, I am beginning to appreciate levels of commitment required to tacitly observe and understand the behaviour of a variety wild raptors. Some of the more interesting trapping stories are almost too fanciful to believe. I have spoken to one US falconer who hid under a blanket on a beach along the migratory trail of passing falcons. In his left hand he held a pigeon and in his right nothing more than fresh air. It took time and patience but success was undoubtedly his, with pictures to prove it. In fact some of the earliest medieval prints from the UK show how this technique was fairly common place; this method was also mentioned in a lecture I attended about hunting Salukis in Oman. After one protracted course, the party stumbled across a falconer hiding in a hole with just his eyes poking over the edge. A crow was attached to a short length of twine and he had been waiting a number of days for a passing falcon to make a mistake and investigate. As with many things, falconry included, the modern world moves on. The principles and hardware remain but the techniques and context change. So no matter how many in-roads are being made into allowing UK falconers access to trap for falconry. I am very much resigned to the idea that I will have to travel further aﬁeld than to adequately educate myself. With this in mind, I had been in contact with Ed Thomas of the Texas Hawking Association (THA). He graciously invited Anthony Rigby and myself to take some time out, ﬂy down to Southern Texas and try and trap a raptor in its natural environment. We also planned to join a couple of other members and watch some passage Red Tails do what they do best, over the land which they truly belong. It was going to be a long hard trip, the plan was to drive up from Corpus Christi, up to Austin and then further still to Fort Worth. We would do this return journey in 5 days dead. The itinerary would include a day’s trapping and a couple of days hunting, followed by long roads, late nights and lots of motel coffee. After a arduous drive across state, we met Ed and Dustin in a small gas station just north of Austin and began a quick investigation of the equipment. The traps were a variation of the ‘Bal-Chatri’; looking back through some of my historical text, both Berger and Mueller (1959) describe its origins as thus: “As with most trapping techniques, the device is an adaptation of an ancient idea. For many

THE CHASE

years the East Indian falconers have taken hawks in horsehair nooses affixed to the exterior of a cane cage which contained several live lure birds. MacPherson (1897) designates this trap as a “Shikra Trap.” Craighead (1942) gives Bal-Chatri (“boy’s umbrella”) as the Indian name of this trap. The latter has become the accepted name. In our Bal-Chatri we have substituted hardware cloth and monofilament nylon for cane and horsehair and changed the dimensions to enhance portability.” As one would expect Ed and Dustin had substituted cane for small wire mesh and had found that a grey mouse worked exceptionally well. They had somewhere in the region of 100 nooses covering the 12 x 12 x 4 inch cage. The weights on the bottom were long strips of high tensile Steel and Iron. As the law dictates traps cannot be dropped from a moving vehicle, we adhered to this rule and experienced no problems with the cage failing to right itself or for that matter the Kestrels being shy and flying off. Ed and Dustin are locals and as such could more or less pinpoint the exact time and location any hawk or falcon hunted. The base instinct of apex predators must remain the same the world over, this ice cold focus needs no improvement. I have three such European Kestrels on my drive home from work, also a Sparrow hawk that has regularly flown at the Blackbirds I have flushed while out with my own Spar. But it still remains you have to know what you’re looking for; to be in receipt of this knowledge is profound on many levels. Our first trapping opportunity came along a teased road with houses scattered like water droplets over dust. Occasionally farm trucks lumbered into view, but passed slowly enough not to cause too much consternation. A front line cross wind was pushing through hard and the Kestrel wobbled horizontal on the pole. We swept by and came back round with Dustin in the front seat. The trap was set and we moved away scoping the little falcon at a safe distance. Almost immediately she dropped down onto the mesh, but just as fast lifted up and hovered over the trap in that inimitable Kestrel manner. She made several lunges only to be bumped by a passing truck. She swung left and above the folding tundra, before steadily drawing back towards the trap. She was working hard for a difficult meal and once again swept over the trap, road and up onto the pole. Unsure if she could see the mouse due in the long swaying grasses, we made in and picked the trap up. This hard little hawk, no

more than a few ounces, shifted further back along the poles and let us reset the trap right under her. After a few cursory flights she spooked and began to drift off out into the brush, the last we saw of her was as a small speck on a Mesquite tree. Over the next hour or so, we criss-crossed the county as the skies thickened fast and the night bumped in. About 20 minutes before total darkness I spotted a dark silhouette centre mark on an overhead cable 100ft from the truck. We passed at a normal pace and swung round. The Kestrel sliced and shuffled a little on the line. About 200 ft further down we pulled back again and stopped as Dustin lowered the trap. Slowly surging forward we pulled over at a safe distance, faced the Kestrel and watched. The little falcon popped off her perch and bounced down onto the mouse. She lifted again and became angry, turning and then dropping once more. This time she opened her wings, lifted an inch before crashing over on the trap. She was on and we sprung into action, leaping out the car and running at a speed common only to antelopes. I cannot add much to the moment other than it was what every falconer imagines trapping a wild hawk should be. I cannot talk of any other species yet; but for this little Kestrel there was a complex fire in the eye. She contained a tangible maelstrom of anger and venom, the iris dark and calm while her little body twisted and spun around in a tiny muscle tensed struggle. But something more indefinable warmed the feathers; it was not fear as such, more like sheer incredulity at being caught. A confidence and an almost arrogant glare, not unlike the ferocity of a wasp trapped in a jar. On closer inspection she had absolutely perfect plumage. Her nape, back and decks outstripped everything I had seen in the most well managed hawk. Maybe it’s something in the diet, the weather or genetics; perhaps a combination of all three. Whatever it was came directly from the land and is hard wired to the perceptible evolution spiralling through and across the Kestrels miniature frame. I suppose anything less than perfection in this environment would perish. As if to compound this anger, the little Kestrel bit me hard, before being allowed to fly free. Instead of taking off into the nearest cover, she arced round flying hard into the wind and settled more or less on the self same wire above our heads. She remained their even after the laughter had subsided and we had eased the jeep off down the long and winding road and into a purple bruised sky.

That night, stunned and in thrall Anthony and I managed to celebrate to the tune of 190 dollars worth of Tequila. So the next day in the heat and concrete suburbs of Austin we wandered lost and very ill. By the following morning we had made the drive north and met up with Brandi and Kylie two infamous falconers of the Texas Hawking Club. As with all apprenticeship Red’s the one we saw flown had been caught on passage and had now become a full and experienced adult under the careful tutelage of Brandi. She was resplendent in her adult plumage and the sheer size and scale dwarfed any comparable Red’s we had seen bred in chambers back in the UK. In fact ‘Harley’ was well known in the THA for managing to lift the trap a fair few feet in the air before escaping, only to be caught at a later date. Now this was a damn fine trap, one that followed a John Graham design and which had secured hundreds of hawks without incident. As with a lot of ‘private’ rabbit hawking in the US, we were bordering a semi-industrial environment. This is in no way similar to the UK as the space the Americans have is far superior. Ours was a strip running alongside a Del Monte factory, measuring about 1000 yards about 500 yards wide. Because the environment is preternaturally tough in this part of Texas, the flora and fauna is not much different from many of the vast ranch’s further south. The influx of industrialization or roads have not, on the face of it, had a detrimental effect on the Cotton Tail

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population, or the plethora of small finches, insects and tiny budding desert flowers which were in abundance. This may make it sound like paradise, but 10 minutes walking through the cover soon changes that. It is extremely hardy, painful and the crackled burst brown earth is swathed in violent roots, grey Mesquite and tangled razor sharp hedge. Without the stubborn, brutal, sheer aggressive nature of a Red Tail, this place would prove too difficult to hunt. Many similar sized hawks would simply fail to break through and successfully hold a Cotton Tail. The hawking our group witnessed was therefore a testament to natural evolution and the growing skill of Brandi as a falconer. Harley was let go and a slow and deliberate climb onto the main side of the factory. This allowed a perfect vantage to attack any rabbits we flushed in the intense dry heat. Way out in the distance cars shimmered as waves of heat sent the wild Red Tails thermalling up on huge soaring journeys. The hunt began to a backdrop of aqua blue sky and giant white yellow orb bouncing heat of the earth and onto our skin. Almost as soon as we had fanned out and began moving through the brush, Harley glided over our heads and made a slow and calculated drift into place. She folded her wings and shrank her considerable bulk into a blunt dart and thudded onto the brush. No matter how many times I have heard it, the force of a Red Tail going over full tilt

at quarry is impressive. In this case Harley sounded like a lump of concrete being thrown off a bridge. I didn’t investigate but I am pretty sure there was a dent left in the ground. Either way she was a little too slow and so Brandi gave her a small reward and cast her back up into position. A few more minutes and a second CottonTail made good it’s escape; the third and final rabbit was not so lucky. Harley had eased into position 50 ft above the group and was drunkenly moving on the thermals near a grey brush pile. With alarming violence, Harley folded into a death roll and plummeted down through the shoulder high cover. There was a rushing crash and a hollow thump not dissimilar to a bomb going off underground. Harley had burst through the tangled mess and the inevitable scream went up along with a round of laughter from the UK contingency. By this time the heat had beaten me fairly and squarely so I had to retire to the cool of the hotel. I was happy to witness the pinnacle of Red Tail hawking, namely a passage hawk catching indigenous wild quarry in a stylish and fair flight. Anthony and the others were made of sterner stuff and later the next day regaled me of beer, home cooked chilli, Coopers Hawks and more Cotton-Tails. With more time this could well have become a sprawling American falconry odyssey. As it was, we had fore filled our plans and witnessed some spectacular hawking.

January - February 2011

David Rampling will be exhibiting at the UK Falconry & Hawking Event

DAVID RAMPLING WILDLIFE ARTIST

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UKFC Inaugural Spar Meet

Words & Pictures

Ben Crane

Shropshire

Allegedly Sparrowhawks are tricky raptors to own and train. This may be true, but far harder is getting them to ﬂy correctly in company. Like any falconer I have any number of wonderful and prosaic excuses for bad falconry. In fact I always surprise myself at the extent of my excuses for a poor performance and a lacklustre recall. In the past I have used many excuses including ‘bad dogs’, ‘poor light’, ‘over weight’, ‘under weight’, the ‘wrong quarry’ and the standard, ‘you should have seen her yesterday’. However, what is even more complex and convoluted is getting more than 5 Sparviters together at the same meet. There are plenty of reasons why, the most obvious being that only a few people ﬂy them and even less want to come under the scrutiny of their peers. This is a great shame and is a strange anomaly the United Kingdom seems to suffer from. I have been speaking recently with Hilary White in Ireland, who tells me that because of the Republics ability to harvest wild raptors that he, Liam O’Brion and Roland Eutace have all shared in the countries ‘Spar-hawking Safaris’. This is a tradition whereby groups of falconers would hunt the hedgerows collectively with wild taken Sparrowhawks. This is a similar approach to falconers in the East and is perhaps something we have lost in the UK along with the privilege to harvest indigenous raptors

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(This will be covered in greater detail later in the year with a new book on Sparrowhawks which is currently being written by Ben, Hilary, Nigel King and others ed). So it was with a bit of trepidation that I began to arrange a UKFC speciﬁc Sparrowhawk meet. The initial feedback was positive, however it was tricky just to get attendees and even though I received a small amount of negative feedback after the initial cancellation, a new date was arranged.

I felt that as it was the first one, then there should be no spectators and I was happy to host it free of charge on my own personal land. But even with these concessions the numbers went from 3 to 2 and the first Spar meet for the club membership officially became a mini meet and not ‘Woodhall Spar’. Being a falconer of a positive persuasion, what was particularly special was that the only other attendee was flying the younger sister to my hawk ‘Lexi’. Neil was flying a bird of the year and I was flying an inter-mewed hawk. Both hawks were out of the mews of Den Lucey, bred from his most successful Spar ‘Bo’. Lexi had only been out of the chamber a couple of weeks before as I had flown a Musket for the first half of the season and Neil’s hawk had been grounded for the week previously. As such they were not at their peak fitness or motivation. Flying Sparrowhawks (or any raptor for that matter) always becomes easier with colder weather. Not only does it seem to switch the hawks on, but fundamentally it puts the quarry in an awkward position. If I were to describe the perfect set up for a Spar meet it would be not necessarily be about a single day. Crucially for a Sparviter there needs to be a heavy wind and strong gales a week before. This brings in some of the 55 million Turdus Merula migrants. Ideally this should be followed by cold low pressure, frost and clear skies for a couple of days to harden the ground and make any food source scarce.

January - February 2011

Lexi

In pursuit

THE CHASE

Eyass Sparrowhawk

We had all three before Saturday the 27th of November 2010. Conditions were absolutely perfect. We had a dusting of snow and crystal clear skies and plenty of quarry to fly at. The land I have is varied and not particularly suited to perfect Sparrowhawking. It is both hilly and the hedgerows are either high and broken or low and continuous. A head count is not high; killing three Blackbirds in an afternoon for example is impossible. As there were only the two of us, I felt it prudent to split the day into two. I would have the first few hours and Neil would have the last two after lunch. This way we could beat for one another and help each other if there were any accidents or problems. What myself and Neil were looking for were short sharp flights, one or two open ground pursuits, a fast wing beat and a decent recall. But above all it was agreed that we should relax and just have a good time in each others company. It goes without saying we both possessed the appropriate paperwork and that the only kills would be legal and carried out with respect for the quarry. Lexi was batey around Neil as she was around 255 grams. This was about 20 to 25 grams above her previous year’s weight. The first flight is always a nervous one as you never know what may or may not happen. The Turdus broke from behind me even though Neil was beating a hedge in front and high above me. Lexi spun back off the fist but pulled up quickly into the branches of an Oak. Her recall to an empty glove was instant and on we went. I have found that the Blackbirds on my land can be regularly found depending on the food source. It took us about 10 minutes to reach the prime spot of red berries on thorns, by which time Lexi had settled and roused. We began our approach and Ellie and Neil began working the left hand side of a long hedge that split two sets of field containing winter stubble. After an initial 70 yard beat the Blackbirds began to break and scatter along the hedge. They came out in black blobs and fluttered in 2’s and 3’s and then jinked back into the cover. Of the half dozen, one seemed a bit slower and more lacklustre than the others. She flipped out from the thorn, chattered several times but either ducked into the centre of the hedge or went low under the gaps. She didn’t fly as far as the others and was easily marked down the third time when once again she went low under an old stump which was covered in Ivy.

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I called for Neil to stop and whistled Ellie to remain stationary. I re-adjusted Lexi and then we all moved forward. The Turdus Merula broke right and skittered out machine gunning across the snow. Lexi kept close to the hedge, but after about 30ft turned off and landed. She wasn’t low but I hedged my bets and fed her a few mouthfuls of quail. Suddenly another member of the Turdus family popped out along the hedge and just as quickly sort cover. The dog was told to stay and both Neil and I inched forward. The quarry zipped out of the hedge and took flight. Lexi was off and breathtakingly close behind, she was fully committed and flying hard and fast. I saw her stretch out and grasp at the tail end of the Turdus as it flared round and back into the hedge. The little bird let out a scream and I ran in to dispatch, but yet again a clump of feathers and one very hacked off Hawk! I fed her another chunk of Quail and we walked along slowly and let her settle. We then turned right and walked another long hedge line. Lexi was clearly still tired and let several slips go. After about a 10 minute walk we had crested a small gully and there was a lot of quarry breaking right and left and bombing along seeking cover ahead of us. Towards the end of the beat, there were half a dozen birds breaking out and dropping back into the cover. We were about 40ft from the end of the hedge and the only escape route was to fly hard and fast over open ground. We got the chase we required and Lexi set off at a very fast speed and closed the gap down over about 40ft. They both twisted right and there was a thudding rattle. I was very close behind and running fast. I found Lexi once again on the ground with a dusting of small feathers. However she was also tangled up in a fence and had clearly hit it at full speed. Ordinarily I would feed up and call it a day, but the netting was not taught and Lexi regained the fist easily and without any sign of distress. We gave her a good 20 minute break as we walked slowly to another sweet spot. This time Neil walked the entire length of the hedge line and for the first time beat quarry towards me. Ellie was sat next to me but we failed to see anything of value break from the high hedge line. We had split the hedge into two sections, so I made my way towards the final point and Neil carried on beating. We had a good flight which started at least 30ft back from the flush point. Lexi once again was fully committed and in full view closed the gap down.

The Author with Lexi

A small fence forced the bird up and over into Lexi’s flight path. Both Neil and I watched as Lexi struck out with her right foot and tried to bring the quarry to ground. She flipped over and we shouted out and ran to investigate. But once again we had been beaten fairly and squarely. By now we had been out for about 2 hours and Lexi had begun to really switch on. Neil and Ellie were working well and with Ellie running in front of me and pointing Blackbirds I was able to give instruction to Neil about where to beat. We were at the right angle of hedges near the corner of a stubble field. Ellie was in front by about 30ft and was pointing high in the hedge. Neil sneaked up the other side and began to beat the hedge. A cock Blackbird rattled left on a wide arc. The quarry was fully aware of the situation and was pushing at full speed out over the snow. Lexi clipped left dropped down and went hell for leather after the Turdus. She was pumping hard, but the Blackbird was slowly moving ahead of the hawk. Both hit a large hedge at full speed and passed through a small gap. They both jinked right and the last time I saw them was when Lexi pulled off the climbing Blackbird at 200 yards and 40 feet of the ground. Out of the clear blue sky she arced round and came back toward my empty glove and frost covered whistle. She gave a scream of frustration as she came in. By now, even with top ups, her fitness was beginning to show. After another 3 or 4 flights along hedgerows all pointed by Ellie and Neil bashing the lea side of the hedge,

January - February 201113

I decided to feed her up and head home for lunch. Neil and I both agreed Lexi had flown with passion and style and had been very unlucky not have made a kill. After a bit of roast chicken, we headed out with Neil’s hawk. Neil has only been flying Spars for a season; in fact this was his first. He had taken a good head and had one or two partridge under is belt. She was in fine fettle and looked the spitting image of Lexi. A Spar taken out of a set routine becomes tricky to tweak. They need consistent flying and hunting and it can take up to a week to fine tune them into tip top condition. Neil had taken on a rescue spar and it had perished through lack of care in a nonspecialized vets. This inadvertently meant his hunting charge had sat on a bow for a week. She behaved accordingly and today was not her day. We flushed as many Blackbirds as possible but she only just bobbed her head. We carried on into the last available daylight but it was clear that she was not interested. However, as we walked back to the cottage it was agreed we would repeat the day later in the year, at the second UK Falconry Club Sparrowhawk meet in Yorkshire on the land of Kevin Massey and Phil Dinsdale.

THE CHASE

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January - February 201115

The updated Second Edition is now available online at www.leeshawksandcockers.9f.com

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*UK Only - Overseas customers please us for shipping costs

Ferret First Aid Kit

Words & Pictures

Neil Davies

A Quick Guide

It is highly recommended to always have a ﬁrst aid kit on hand so you will be able to take care of your ferret should the situation arise. The below is a listing of some recommended items to include: • Veterinarian’s phone numbers • Scissors (small and curved to avoid accidental injuries) • Nail clippers (always ensure you do NOT cut into the quick of their nails, which is their vein) • Styptic powder/bar of soap (necessary to stop the bleeding if you do accidentally cut into the quick of their nail while clipping) • Tweezers (for removal of foreign bodies on their skin or in their coat) • Ice cream/lollipop sticks (very useful if you need to apply a splint)

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• Antiseptic (to clean any cut or abrasion) • Antibiotic Powder/gel/lotion (apply to wounds after thorough cleaning to ward off possible infections) • Children’s Benadryl (in case they should happen to get stung by a bee or wasp and consult your vet for proper dosage before hand) • Cotton balls (for wound cleaning and applying ointments) • Bandages (small size to cover wounds to secure splints) • Surgical gauze (padding for wounds and to stop/slow bleeding) • Hydrogen Peroxide (ﬂush dirt from wounds and counter infections)

• Sodium bicarbonate (apply wet compresses to help reduce swelling) • Pedialyte (aids in rehydration) • Karo Syrup (Helps bring ferret out of a seizure from insulinoma) • Preparation-H (relief for prolapsed rectums) • Laxatone/petromalt (aids in dislodging hair balls) • Syringe (for measuring and administering liquid medications and food - Ideal size for medicine is 1cc and 3cc, for food 35cc) Finally in the unfortunate event of an injury to your ferret... • Please consult your local Vet

• Alcohol (aids in tick removal)

January - February 2011

What is PAW?

The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime

The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) brings together the Police, the UK Border Agency, and representatives of Government Departments and voluntary bodies, with an interest in wildlife law enforcement. It provides a strategic overview of enforcement activity; considers and develops responses to strategic problems; and looks at issues of strategic concern. Its main objective is to support the networks of Police Wildlife Crime Ofﬁcers (PWCO) UK Border Agency Ofﬁcers. All Forces now have at least one PWCO. Another objective is to draw attention to the growing problem of wildlife crime and to raise awareness of the need for tough enforcement action. PAW views the enforcement of wildlife law widely, and is looking at awareness raising, publicity, training and education, as well as supporting investigations.

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PAW’s work is guided by a Steering Group, jointly chaired by Chief Constable Richard Crompton of Lincolnshire Police and Francis Marlow, Head of Defra’s Wildlife Species Conservation Division. Further information about PAW, how it operates, and how organisations can get involved is set out in the PAW pack. Any groups wanting to join are invited to complete and send the ‘Statement of Commitment’ form to: PAW Secretariat, Defra, Zone 1/11 Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6EB. or you can send an email to: paw.secretariat@defra.gsi.gov.uk

are ordinary Police Ofﬁcers who have volunteered to take on an extra role as well as their normal day to day job and specialise in the investigation of wildlife crime. They would have undertaken a nationally recognised course that covers the investigation of all types of wildlife crime offences e.g. badger baiting, deer/ﬁsh poaching, egg theft, illegal hunting, destruction of habitat and trade in endangered species. They work closely with other agencies like the RSPB, RSPCA, CCW, DEFRA, Wildlife Trusts, and voluntary animal and wildlife protection groups when investigating incidents or sharing information and intelligence.

Police Wildlife Crime Ofﬁcers

Each police force in the UK should have a number of PWCOs.

Who are they and what do they do? Police Wildlife Crime Ofﬁcers or PWCOs

To ﬁnd out who your PWCO is contact your local police station.

We are manufacturers of quality falconry products at aﬀordable prices. Suppliers to both the general public and the trade. We can fabricate anything you want and reﬁne it to your requirements. We have a wide range of quality equipment available from stock: • Indoor & Outdoor Falcon Blocks • Bow Perches • Gloves • • High Perches • Swing Perches • Training Perches • • Leather Falconry Furniture • Bullet Jesses • Bells • Leashes • • Bird Baths up to Eagle Size • Swivels • D Links • Hoods • • We cater for all sizes of bird from Merlins or Golden Eagles • All enquires welcome and we look forward to doing business with you.

Telephone: 01562 744 379 Email: info@mastersofthemews.co.uk www.mastersofthemews.co.uk

Falcon Vitamins Suppliers of vitamin supplements for raptors from leading Italian veterinarians GEAVET. Products available • LeucaSpray • LeucaGel • • Falcon Top • Falcon M • • Falcon B • Contact Wayne Spencer 07886 324 270 Email: enquiries@falconvitamins.co.uk

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Takagiri, the Japanese Art of Falconry

Falconry Demonstrations in Hamarikyu Teien Gardens, Tokyo

Japanese Falconer with Goshawk

Goshawk in ﬂight

If your lucky enough to be in Tokyo, Japan head to the Hamarikyu Teien one of Tokyo’s largest parks. Visitors are given daily falconry demonstrations from members of the Suwa Falconry Preservation Society and on the ﬁrst weekend of the January, a much larger demonstration on Takagiri, the Japanese art of falconry is given. www.falconers-hermitage.com Eyass Peregrine

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Suwa Falconry Preservation Society

www.falconers-hermitage.com Japanese Falconer in traditional dress with eyass Peregrine

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January - February 2011

Chase

Male Imprint Goshawk

THE CHASE

Words & Pictures

Alex Brown

CHASE

Imprint Male Goshawk When I was asked to write a short piece about ‘Chase’. I wasn’t really sure where to start, but thought at the beginning would be the best place! ‘Chase’ was bred by John Shipley in 2009 out of a disabled wild female and a nice large pale male, he was bought with the intention of becoming a breeding bird and imprinted with that intention; however he didn’t make the size the buyer wanted so started his journey around a few folk before arriving with me just before Christmas 2010. I had been told he had hunted at all different sorts of weights ranging from 1lb 12oz to 1lb 14oz, but decided to ignore all of that and fly him on response and not given weights, the first week was all about manning him down and getting him friendly as he was a bit skittish. He didn’t take long to show how well imprinted he was and he quickly settled down and I was able to introduce to the creance. For the first couple of days he was slow to show any great commitment, but with careful tweaking of his weight, he quickly came on in leaps and bounds. After, 8 days after collection ‘Chase’ went free at 1lb 12oz. I continued to tweak his weight to see how he reacted to feather and fur. I quickly realised he needed to be a fair bit lower to take on bunnies, but at just over 1lb 11oz he took his first bunny a few days later. I was more interested in catching feather, so with lots of flying and a fair bit of weighted jumps and feeding twice a day, I pushed his weight up to 1lb 11 3/4oz and could feel the difference in his muscle tone on his breast, it also showed in his commitment when chasing feather. Over the next couple of weeks, he continued to show exactly how good a hawk he could have been, if flown hard from the beginning of the season. With some very long and some stunning chases on both Partridge and Teal along with some of the best flying I have seen on Woodcock. Up to now, he has taken Partridge, Pheasant, Rook, Herring Gull, Rabbit and Woodcock. Sadly, he has not taken a duck as of writing this article, but ‘Chase’ has had some excellent chases on both Teal and Mallard. Some of the slips, I realise in hindsight I should never have taken, but they did result with some incredible flights with the only thing stopping him from taking the quarry is his lack of fitness.

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January - February 2011

One day in particular sticks in my mind. Ron, good friend of mine joined me for a day out with ‘Chase’ in a local area called ‘The Brooks’, a nice flat area with a mix of brush, streams, ponds and long grass. We had gone down to help train his young Munsterlander pup ‘Amy’, but we were treated to some of the best flying I had seen in a fair while. The first slip was after a Teal which got up about 40m in front of us on a small stream, I decided to slip as it would give him a wing stretch, be he reeled the Teal in twisting and turning along the stream with the Teal finally panicking and bailing into a weeded bank to escape. ‘Chase’ then had a flight after a Snipe. Again the Snipe making safety after a 250m aerial battle. The last slip of the day was a group of 6 Mallard, which got up of the same stream about 80m or so in front, all I heard was Ron saying “No chance on them!” but ‘Chase’ was pumping for all his worth as the Mallard gained height in to the wind, after about 200m. ‘Chase’ was about 30 feet below them and gaining height all the time. He was looking up as if to select a target and then exploded up towards the ducks and hit one hard from below only to lose it on the way down, sadly this was over a large pond which the duck all bailed on to. No matter how hard we tried we couldn’t get them to lift. However, it was a great day of flying, despite having nothing in the bag. ‘Chase’ was put him away on the 31st January with the hope that in the spring he copulates or even better donates. If he does neither, he will get another full season of hunting and I hope I will see him fulfil his full potential.

THE CHASE

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January - February 2011

What is CITES?

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Widespread information nowadays about the endangered status of many prominent species, such as the tiger and elephants, might make the need for such a convention seem obvious. But at the time when the ideas for CITES were ﬁrst formed, in the 1960s, international discussion of the regulation of wildlife trade for conservation purposes was something relatively new. With hindsight, the need for CITES is clear. Annually, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. The trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants to a vast array of wildlife products derived from them, including food products, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios and medicines. Levels of exploitation of some animal and plant species are high and the trade in them, together with other factors, such as habitat loss, is capable of heavily depleting their populations and even bringing some species close to extinction. Many wildlife species in trade are not endangered, but the existence of an agreement to ensure the sustainability of the trade is important in order to safeguard these resources for the future. Because the trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the

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www.ukcites.gov.uk

effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. CITES was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation. Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs. CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union). The text of the Convention was ﬁnally agreed at a meeting of representatives of 80 countries in Washington DC., United States of America, on 3 March 1973, and on 1 July 1975 CITES entered in force. The original of the Convention was deposited with the Depositary Government in the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish languages, each version being equally authentic. CITES is an international agreement to which States (countries) adhere voluntarily. States that have agreed to be bound by the Convention (‘joined’ CITES) are known as Parties. Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level. For many years CITES has been among the conservation agreements with the largest membership, with now 175 Parties.

Management Authorities Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Wildlife Species Conservation Division Zone 1/07c, Temple Quay House 2 The Square, Temple Quay BRISTOL BS1 6EB Tel: +44 (117) 372 87 49 Fax: +44 (117) 372 82 06 Email: cites.ukma @ defra.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.ukcites.gov.uk Francis Marlow, Deputy Director Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Wildlife Species Conservation Zone 1/07c, Temple Quay House 2 The Square, Temple Quay BRISTOL BS1 6EB Tel: +44 (207) 238 56 32 Email: francis.marlow@defra.gsi.gov.uk Trevor Salmon, Head of CITES Policy Unit Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Wildlife Species Conservation Division Zone 1/07c, Temple Quay House 2 The Square, Temple Quay BRISTOL BS1 6EB Tel: +44 (117) 372 83 84 Email: trevor.salmon @ defra.gsi.gov.uk Competent to grant permits Animal Health Wildlife Licensing and Registration Service (WLRS) Attn: John Hounslow, Head Zone 1/17, Temple Quay House 2 The Square, Temple Quay BRISTOL BS1 6EB Tel: +44 (117) 372 87 74; 372 88 31 Fax: +44 (117) 372 82 06 Email: wildlife.licensing@animalhealth.gsi.gov.uk john.hounslow@defra.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/cites

January - February 2011

Yorkshire Harris Hawk Meet December Field Meet

We had arranged to meet a service station just a short way from the hawking venue. When I arrived Martyn was already there and we were quickly joined by Jason. Unfortunately, a few others had to cancel due to things cropping up last minute. So not wasting any time we all headed down the road to the hunting ground. On arrival we parked up, made ourselves and the two Harris’ ready for the off. Heading across the fields to the warren Jason’s male Harris was nominated for the first slip. We quietly got into position and I directed Jason where to stand for the first slip with a series of hand gestures and mouthed where to stand in anticipation for the bolting quarry. I placed the ferret into the hole and soon enough a rabbit was bolted for Jason’s Harris. The rabbit ran along the side of the bank and turned and ran upon over the bank, all the while with the Harris in close pursuit. Unfortunately, we didn’t see the whole flight as the rabbit with Harris Hawk in close pursuit headed over the bank and when we found the Harris, it was looking down a rabbit hole. The next slip, was on an open warren and Martyn was to have his chance with his female. Again I entered the ferret in the warren and almost immediately a rabbit bolted across the field. The Harris was slipped and she was off like a train, she closed it right down and as it started to go up a small bank, a combination of her momentum and the rabbit jumping in the air, the rabbit evaded capture. We had a couple more short chases, only to see the rabbits bob back down the holes before the birds could close in on them.

THE CHASE

Words & Pictures

Kevin Massey

We then headed to the top of the bank where Jason was to take the next slip. Looking down across the warren, there were potential bolt holes all over the place. A rabbit bolted from a hole behind Jason at the top of the bank. The slip itself was a funny one with Jason’s male headed one way and the rabbit the other at first, but the Harris soon turned and got on track and made real short work of it and took the first rabbit of the day. (I was relieved and happy!) After several more slips and a couple more rabbits in the bag and the both Martyn & Jason wondering what the hell these quick aerial rabbits were all about. Having seen many of the rabbits evade capture by jumping over a foot in the air just as the Harris’ were about to connect. Even the ones which we caught all performed some amazing leaping performances, especially when being chased by Jason’s Harris. As the day was coming to the end it was decided that Martyn and his female were to take the last slip of the day. So again the ferret (who had worked tirelessly all day) bolted a rabbit from a hole to the right of us at the end of the warren. Martyn’s Harris was slipped and she was away like a train. Now quite often the rabbits will head for the safety of another warren but this one just kept running across the field. The Harris was closing it down with every wing beat and she struck the rabbit but her momentum carried her passed the rabbit as it slipped down a hole. ‘One very lucky rabbit!’ It would have been nice to finish the day on another kill, but the chase was worth it and it was agreed the rabbit more than earned his chance for another day. It was a great day out with both Martyn and Jason and hopefully we will get another day out together next season.

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January - February 2011

Martin Hayward-Harris Wildlife Artist & Sculptor

Above: Peregrine Falcon detail Peregrine Falcon Signed with Monogram on base Edition of 8 Cupric Patina 460mm High x 190mm wide Bronse Base

the art of wildlife sculptor

MARTIN HAYWARD-HARRIS It is by no coincidence that over the last twenty years Martin Hayward-Harris’ work has been represented in may of the great institutions of the world. He trained at The Natural History Museum for ﬁve years producing a bench-mark sculpture of a Blue Whale which is still on show in the south Kensington today. In 1988, Martin was head-hunted for a similar post at the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, where he worked with some of Europe’s greatest wildlife artists. Ten years later Martins work was chosen by The Daily Mail to be the centrepiece of The Hampton Court Flower Show which became a sell-out.

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Martin working in his studio

Martin’s work is represented in many private and public collections including: • The National Museum of Wales • The Woburn Estate • The Wellington Estate

The way Martin creates his bronze life size animal sculptures would not be possible without the innate love of nature and his unique knowledge of the physiology of the animals. In the physical presence of his work a tactile response is demanded - a sculptural equivalent of the impressionists. The simplicity of form and sensitivity to the material he uses gives each piece a stillness, an ageless form yet parallel to this unmistakeable classic feel. This is something contemporary too. More recent achievements include a monumental abstract bronse for the far East. He is a member of the Artists for Conservation group based in Vancouver and incuded in their Exhibition this year.

www.hayward-harris.co.uk Horus Falcon (Hobby Falcon)

Signed on base with Monogam Limited Edition of 10 Cupric patina 450mm highx 240 mm wide x 140mm deep Bronze column and stand Featured in Artists for Conservation Exhibition 2010

The Horus Falcon cast by the world renowned Pangolin Editions Foundry. Martins limited editions are truely collected worldwide and the latest Peregrine Sculpture has gone to Australia. In Dec 2010 Martins work will be featured in the new publication ‘Bird Art and Photography’. All images © Copyright 2010 Martin Hayward-Harris Martin can be contacted by: Tel: +44 (0)1491 652 006 or via email: martinhaywardharris@btinternet.com www.hayward-harris.co.uk

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January - February 2011

The UK’s largest collection of Bird’s of Prey. Open 7 days a week from 10.30am to 5.30pm. (Centre closed December & January) • Over 300 birds on public display • • Daily Flying Displays • Conservation • • Captive Breeding • Falconry Courses • • Photography • Schools & Groups Welcome • The International Centre for Birds of Prey Boulsdon House, Newent Gloucestershire GL18 1JJ T: 01531 820286 or 01531 820286 Email: jpj@icbp.org

www.icbp.org

Paul Hawkyard Wildlife Artist Tel: 0115 920 3682 www.paulhawkyard.co.uk

The UK Falconry & Hawking Event at the ICBP, Newent Gloucestershire 3rd & 4th September 2011

The United Kingdom Falconers Club (UKFC) and Jemima Parry-Jones MBE are proud to announce the launch of The UK Falconry & Hawking Event taking place on the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of September 2011 at the spiritual home of UK falconry, the International Centre for Bird of Prey in Newent, Gloucestershire. The Event is a Falconry based country show which is held in the grounds of the ICBP which houses one of the largest collections of birds of Prey in Europe and visitors both falconers and non-falconers will have the opportunity of seeing a fantastic collection of birds of prey, many of which have been bred at the Centre. Over the weekend visitors will see a wide range of falcons, hawks and eagles being ﬂown by some of the countries leading display falconers. Alongside, the ﬂying demonstrations there will be demonstrations from two of the countries leading dog trainers and there will be an extensive programme of seminars from leading experts in breeding, equipment and a lectures from leading vet, Neil Forbes. There will also be a UK and International Falconry Club Marquees (Sponsored by www.gamehawker.net) a Art Marquee featuring work from leading Wildlife artists

such as David Rampling, Paul Hawkyard, carl Bass and sculptor Martin HaywardHarris and a large selection falconry trade stands such as Gamehawker, Ian Vance & Falconry Innovations amongst others. There will also be an extensive food court and bar areas adjacent to the flying ground and the UK Falconry Club Marquee beside the lake. Running alongside with the UK Falconry & Hawking Event is an International Falconry Hood Making Competition sponsored by American Hoods & Falconry Bells with cash prizes for UK Junior & Senior Classes, European and World Championships. So if you are an experienced falconer or just want to learn more about this ancient sport please come along and witness the thrill of falcons in breath taking stoops, hawks flying as they would in the wild and witness skilled dog handlers putting trained dogs through their paces. Please make a note in your diary for the first weekend in September and we look forward to seeing you there. Advance tickets from £10.00 for Adults (over 16’s, Children tickets (Under 16’s) £6.00 and family tickets (2 Adults/2 Children) £30.00. Camping available for Saturday night. Please see website for prices .

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January - February 2011

Exhibiting at the Event

TO NEWENT

CARPARKING ENTRANCE & EXIT

CLUB CAMPING

CARPARKING STAND HOLDERS PARKING

Shedding 3m x 3m

Food Court E ICBP DISABLED ENTRANCE PARKING WC

RESTRICTED AREA

ICBP CENTRE

TO CLIFFORDS MENSE

Art Marquee Space Only Stands

FLYING ARENA

Headline Sponsors Children's Marquee Marquee & Play Area

Space Only Stands

Booking a stand Stands space is strictly limited and the UK Falconry & Hawking Event Committee aim is to offer competitive priced stands for all manner of quality falconry equipment makers and suppliers from leading British and International manufacturers. To book a stand please ﬁll in the booking form on page 39.

Stand Prices 3m x 3m Shedding Stands is £125 +VAT (Limited to 30 stands 3m x 3m)

2m x 1.5m SME’s Marquee Stand (Space Only) is £65 +VAT (Limited to 36 stands at 2m wide x 1.5m depth)

2m x 1m Art Marquee (Shell Scheme Only) Stand is £100 +VAT (Limited to 12 exhibitors at 2m wide x 1m depth)

2m x 1m UK Falconry Club Marquee (Space Only) £45 +VAT (Restricted to Hawkboard registered clubs 2m wide x 1m depth)

2m x 1m International Falconry Club Marquee - FREE The International Falconry Club Marquee has been kindly sponsored by Gamehawker Ltd - www.gamehawker.net (Limited to 12 exhibitors at 2m wide x 1m depth - Space Only) Please note: Exhibiting within the International Clubs Marquee is restricted to IAF recognised International Falconry Clubs.

LECTURE THEATRE

Int. Clubs Marquee RESTRICTED AREA

Small Businesses Marquee

CARAVANS

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UK Clubs Marquee

Space Only Stands

PUBLIC CAMPING

RESTRICTED AREA

www.falconryhawking.co.uk

the uk falconry & hawking event

exhibitors booking form Name: Address:

……………………………….................…………………………………………………………… Please use block capitals …………………………………………..................…………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………..................…………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………............….

Post Code: ………………….....…………………………………..

Tel. No:

…………………...............………………………..

Mobile: ……………………….....……………………………….

e-mail:

………………..............…………………………..

Web Site: ………………………………….......................................

Brief description of items or services for sale: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................…… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................…… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................…… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................…… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................…… Please note: All stands will be subject to approval by the Organisers.

I/We wish to book the following:

Cost

SH1

3m wide x 3m deep Shedding Stand @ £125.00 exc VAT

………………

FCM

2m wide x 1.5m deep space only within UK Falconry Club Marquee @ £45.00 exc VAT

………………

SME1

2m wide x 1.5m deep space only within SME Marquee @ £60.00 exc VAT

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AM-17

2m wide x 1m deep Shell Scheme within the Art Marquee @ £100.00 exc VAT

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TAB

Trestle Tables 6’ x 2’ 3” @ £10 each exc VAT - Number required ………….

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Please make cheques payable to “The UK Falconry Club” & return with this form to: The UK Falconry & Hawking Event, Rosslyn, Burgage, Wellington, Somerset TA21 8NB, UK No bookings can be accepted without full payment. To take advantage of the pre VAT increase in January full payment must be paid before 30th December 2010. A receipt will be sent as conﬁrmation of your booking.

I have read the attached Terms & Conditions and agree to abide by them. Please tick the box: Signed:……………..............................………….......………………. Date: ……………………………………......

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Name:……..................................………………………………....……

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January - February 2011 37

Hood Making Competition

Sponsored by American Hoods & Falconry Bells

Competition Catagories The British Hood Making Junior Championships (Under 16’s ONLY) - Entry fee: £5.00 Winner to receive Trophy & £50.00

The European Hood Making Championships (16 and over) - Entry fee: £15.00 Winner to receive Trophy & 250.00€

The British Hood Making Senior Championships (16 and over) - Entry fee: £10.00 Winner to receive Trophy & £150.00

The World Hood Making Championships (16 and over) - Entry fee: £15.00 Winner to receive Trophy & $500.00

“I hope that this event will help launch a new generation of hoodmakers to the attention of falconers across the UK and the World and in turn raise money for the ICBP, The UK Falconry Club and the Campaign of Falconry” Neil Davies, American Hoods & Falconry Bells

THE CHASE

the uk falconry & hawking event

hood making entry form Name: Address:

Post Code: ………………….....…………………………………..

Tel. No:

…………………...............………………………..

Mobile: ……………………….....……………………………….

e-mail:

………………..............…………………………..

Web Site: ………………………………….......................................

I wish to enter the following:

Entry Fee

Prize

The British Hood Making Championships (Under 16’s)

£5.00

£50 & Trophy

The British Hood Making Championships (16 and over)

£10.00

£150 & Trophy

The European Hood Making Championships -

£15.00

250€ & Trophy

The World Hood Making Championships

£20.00

$500 & Trophy

Please make cheques payable to The UK Falconry Club & return with this form to: The UK Falconry & Hawking Event, Rosslyn, Burgage, Wellington, Somerset TA21 8NB, UK. Terms & Conditions. 1. Only one entry per person in each catergory. 2. Winners of British (Over 16’s-ONLY) & European Championships will get free entry to World Championships. 3. All hoods will become the property of the UK Falconry & Hawking Event and will be auctioned for fund raising for the ICBP, UK Falconry Club and The Campaign of Falconry. 4. Hoods must not be signed or have any trademarks. 5. All hoods must be made by the entrant. Any entries not made by the entrant will be disqualiﬁed. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Canvassing the Judges will result in disqualification. All winning competitors will be notified by post prior to the UK Falconry & Hawking Event. The Judges decision is final and no discussion will be entered with any competitors. The competition is open to amateur and professional hoodmakers. All materials used must come from legal sources.

I have read the attached Hood Making Terms & Conditions and agree to abide by them. Please tick the box: Signed:……………..............................………….......………………. Date: ……………………………………......

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Name:……..................................………………………………....……

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January - February 2011 39

Technical Aspects of Kiting for Falconry Supplement

Over 30 years ago falconers began experimenting by using helium-ﬁlled weather balloons carrying bait to entice falcons aloft. Around 15 years ago in North America David Scarbrough went a step further by introducing kites so that falconers who lived in the windier parts of the world could do a similar thing when training their falcons to take a pitch on the way to becoming high-ﬂying gamehawks. I know of a number of kiting ‘methods’ used by successful British and North American falconers. They will of course differ in the detail from falconer to falconer but are broadly as follows; 1. A short stint on the kite up to modest heights (2 weeks) followed by traditional entering to game. Advantages • Hawk is entered to game/killing at a natural time in its development. • Hawk is entered on young, inexperienced game birds. • Hawk’s footing ability develops steadily from low pitches upwards.

Advantages • Hawk’s footing ability develops at low pitches before a big stoop on game is required. • Hawk will have that base-level of fitness/ muscle for the rest of its life. • Hawk will know the kite so benefits of it are available to falconer in future. • Hawk focussed on falconer for first flights sans kite. Disadvantages • Hawk is introduced to game later in season when it is faster, stronger & more experienced. • Hawk’s final pitch as a made gamehawk depends upon other variables (so is less predictable) such as natural ability of hawk and falconer’s ability. • Hawk misses out on natural developmental ‘window’ for killing by entering later. NB - this disadvantage can be removed by the use of pigeons during advanced training where a country’s laws/ethics permit.

• Hawk may have an appreciation for height.

3. A moderate period on the kite (1 month) up to big heights then the serving of game with the kite still in the air before gradual weaning off the kite by alternating kite/bait with kite/serve.

• Hawk knows the kite so that later use in terms of recovering lost hawks, improving ability in strong winds & getting ﬁt after the moult can all be utilised.

Advantages • Hawk will have a good/high/superhigh pitch from ﬁrst game ﬂight of season to last.

Disadvantages • Hawk’s pitch may not be improved by use of kite in this way.

• Hawk’s ﬁnal pitch more predictable since it is less dependent on variables such as natural ability of hawk, falconer’s ability, hawking-ground & quarry.

• Hawk is given a head start in terms of ﬁtness.

• Hawk’s final pitch as a made gamehawk depends upon too many variables (so is less predictable) such as natural ability of hawk, falconer’s ability, hawking ground & quality of game. • Extra fitness gained from the kite may allow young hawk to catch check. • Falconer will have to put up with gamehawking flights from poor pitches until he can develop this over the season. • Hawk will never have that base level of fitness/muscle that hawks kited for longer have. 2. A short stint on the kite followed by ‘advanced training’ to focus the hawk on the falconer & improve footing ability then back onto the kite to big heights before entering to game.

40 THE CHASE

• Hawk will have that base-level of fitness/ muscle for the rest of its life. • Hawk will know the kite so benefits of it are available to falconer in future. • Hawk focussed on falconer for first flights sans kite. Disadvantages • Hawk’s footing ability slow to develop. • Hawk misses out on natural developmental ‘window’ for killing by entering later. • It can take a long time (and a lot of hard work) to successfully wean from the kite. • Hawk is introduced to game later in season when it is faster, stronger & more experienced.

4. A long stint on the kite (2 months) up to big heights then remove the kite so that the young hawk is making big pitches before learning to focus on the falconer and wait-on prior to entering to game. Advantages • Hawk will have a good/high/superhigh pitch from first game flight of season to last. • Hawk’s final pitch more predictable since it is less dependent on variables such as falconer’s ability, hawking-ground & quarry. • No long, drawn-out, complicated period of weaning from kite required as hawk is habituated to flying high - just remove the kite & the pitch of your choosing is there. • Hawk will have that base-level of fitness/ muscle for the rest of its life. • Hawk will know the kite so benefits of it are available to falconer in future. Disadvantages • Hawk’s footing ability slow to develop. • Hawk misses out on natural developmental ‘window’ for killing by entering later. • Hawk is introduced to game later in season when it is faster, stronger & more experienced. • Hawk totally un-focused on falconer for first flight sans-kite. Please be aware that there are many other ways of kiting falcons used in the UK but as they generally include a period of kiting at the end of more traditional training I don’t consider them to be successful since the advantages of using the kite would be far outweighed by the disadvantages. For more information on the method developed and used by the author (No.4) please see his other articles; http://www.deltas.freeserve.co.uk/gplant.html http://www.deltas.freeserve.co.uk/gplant2.html EQUIPMENT When using kites in order to train hawks a certain amount of thought needs to be given over to the fact that different or modified equipment will be required over and above that equipment used by regular kiting enthusiasts. The Kites There are numerous types of kites available for all sorts of kiting activities but what is required for falconry training is a singleline kite that will hold steady and maintain as steep an angle as possible in the sky

by Gerry Plant

Delta kites are designed to operate within a certain range of wind only and there isn’t a single model of kite that will cover all of the wind conditions that a falconer will be likely to train a hawk in. For this reason a falconer hoping to utilise the kite to train a falcon to achieve pitch in a variety of wind speeds will require at least two different kite models and in all likelihood, three or four. This is because most deltas are designed to cover only two wind-types on the Beaufort scale and flying in lighter winds than recommended will result in the kite stalling whilst flying in stronger winds may result in damage to kite or line. For example I use the following Dan Leigh kites to cover wind speeds from 1mph up to 25mph; Clipper GPX – Light Air (1-3mph) & Light Breezes (4-7mph) Clipper – Light Breezes (4-7mph) & Gentle Breezes (8-12mph) Wildcard – Gentle Breezes (8-12mph) & Moderate Breezes (13-18mph) Trooper – Moderate Breezes (13-18mph) & Fresh Breezes (19-25mph) You will notice that there is a certain amount of overlap between the kite models I use and there is good reason for this. Wind is akin to a living thing that has a great deal of variation in terms of speed and direction and seems to have a ‘mind’ of its own at times. Every wind will have both a ‘gust’ speed (highest speed reached at a particular altitude and within a certain area & time frame) and a ‘lull’ speed (lowest speed) together with a great deal of variation in between. What the falconer will need to do is match the most appropriate kite to the situation (whilst remembering that no two winds are exactly the same) if he is to enjoy a successful training-session and avoid potential damage/loss to both kite, line and other equipment attached to the kite or line. If he is successful he will have a kite flying in a wind that will neither be too light nor too strong for that particular model but under certain conditions even using four kites as I do won’t enable the falconer to make a risk-free choice of kite. For example, in a wind fluctuating between 10mph & 25mph

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or 4mph & 14mph you will be hard pushed to find a kite able to cope and will almost certainly be taking risks if you choose to put a kite aloft. When used for falconry your typical delta will need to have modifications made that allow for attachments at the front (for attaching line), back (for attaching 40ft tail & transmitter) and an extra ‘D’ ring about 6” behind the normal towing-point on the ‘keel’ of the kite (for attaching certain rigs that hang bait directly from the kite itself). There will be occasions when there is simply not enough wind for even the best of light wind kites and these occasions can be extremely frustrating for the falconer to say the least. The balloon might seem to be the answer and, indeed, in some parts of the world local conditions dictate that the balloon gets more use than the kites. However, generally speaking and particularly in the UK, when there is no wind at or near ground-level there is frequently a decent breeze high aloft. In terms of flying a balloon this will mean that it gets blown further away from the anchor-point until the flying-angle becomes so shallow that most of the desired altitude is lost. The answer is a hybrid between kite & balloon called a Kytoon which was invented over 60 years ago by Domina Jalbert – the modern version of which is called a Helikite and will fly in no wind but also in moderate breezes so that at least a 45 degree angle is always maintained whenever the wind blows. Unfortunately this is a very expensive option since not only is the Helikite’s purchase price high but so is the cost of helium to refill it! Line The line you use will be influenced by several factors; • Kite-type • Wind strength • Downrigger-type • Line handling equipment/techniques There are a number of falconers that believe that the use of a single kite in conjunction with several different lines of various breaking-strains is the answer to kiting in different wind conditions and avoiding damage to the equipment. Whilst using heavy duty line in strong winds will probably ensure that the line doesn’t snap it is the kite that will be taking the brunt of excessive wind speeds and damage to a very expensive item will be the likely result. Also the use of overly heavy line will affect the aerodynamics of the kite in terms of the drag

Supplement

whilst also carrying a certain amount of weight in the form of baits, rigging and, of course, the line. Whilst other kites have been experimented with from time to time with varying degrees of success there can be little doubt that delta kites and their derivatives ﬁt the bill almost perfectly when used for training hawks.

on the line caused by not only the weight of the line but the effect of the wind on the line itself. This will prevent the steep angles that are required when kite-training hawks and will signiﬁcantly affect the outcome of the session – especially if the falconer is restricted to using the ‘slide-down-the-line’ method.

The answer to operating in different wind conditions is to use a single-line set-up and choose the correct model of kite for each situation. Braided line of some description is what is required – do not use monofilament as it can and will break without warning with potentially disastrous results whereas braided line will show signs of wear before eventually succumbing although flying the wrong kite for the conditions can of course still cause a break without warning. The lightest, thinnest, strongest materials are probably specialist kite-lines made from Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) such as Spectra, Dyneema or Coramid although there are some excellent & comparable deep-sea fishing braids available made from the very same gel-spun polyethylene fibre. These lines have high strength-to-weight ratios, are resistant to moisture & UV light and exhibit low stretch when compared to Dacron. However this low elasticity is a drawback in the case of stress absorption in terms of sudden jerks or snatches on the line. One of the other characteristics of this material is its inherent slipperiness which makes for problems when tying knots and difficult handling even when using gloves but means it is highly abrasion-resistant. The choice of material is down to personal preference although if you are using the ‘slide-down-the-line’ method then one of the safest choices is Dacron as these other, better performing braids have a rather low melting-point when exposed to friction. Certain of the alternative high performance lines used in the past on stuntkites and the like are totally heat-resistant unlike UHMWPE but extremely abrasive under tension and due to the extremely small diameter in comparison to Dacron are more likely to cut into flesh which can result in serious injury to both falcon & falconer if things go wrong! Both UHMWPE and Aromatic Polyamide (Aramid) & its derivative, Para-Aramid (Kevlar & Twaron) lines should therefore be used with great care with the sliding-rig for different reasons. When choosing the weight of the type of polyester known as Dacron (manufactured from Polyethylene Terephthalate or PET) you are looking for 50lb minimum breaking strain for the light wind kites (anything

January - February 2011 41

thinner will break too easily) and 100lb for use with stronger wind kites (anything thicker attracts too much drag) although for the recommended single-line set-up a 7585lb rating is ideal. When choosing weights of line from other, higher performing, materials you would be well advised to go for 100-200lb rating since that would still be less than Dacron of around 50-100lb in both weight and diameter but will give you the extra margin in terms of breaking-strain which can be vital in terms of increased ‘snatch’ breaking-strain’. In terms of length of line required this will vary with what the individual falconer hopes to achieve by kite-training his hawk but certainly when kite-training for pitch I think that a minimum length of 1000ft and a maximum length of 3000ft is what is required. The shorter length will give between 600 & 900ft of vertical height depending upon conditions and equipment used and the longer length will give around 1200-2000ft since the ‘law of diminishing returns’ kicks in as drag increases its effect upon your line. I would suggest that kiting to less than 500ft would probably not be worth it in terms of attempting to positively influence the pitch of your hawk and kiting to more than 2000ft would mean that even the largest of falcons would be almost invisible to the naked eye at such heights. Whilst I have recommended a single-line set-up this doesn’t preclude the use of different lines with the appropriate kite for the wind conditions. For example the use of 50lb Dacron with a light wind model might mean the difference between flying or not or 100lb Dacron on a particularly breezy day might save you from losing a kite to a broken line. Personally I use a single-line set-up with four different kites to cover a wide-range of wind speeds so use 75/88lb Dacron with my rolling-rig and since my rig incorporates a block-pulley and rolls down the line very efficiently the larger diameter of the Dacron compared to the high-per lines helps avoid snagging & therefore safety/friction problems. However I mostly use the ‘O’-rig with my kites or a fixed/sliding rig with my Helikite so that allows me to use better performing lines. My choice is 0.38mm/56.2Kg Stealth High-performance Braid from the range of Spiderwire deep sea braids as I get high angles due to its low drag owing to high strength versus minimal diameter characteristics whilst still avoiding the safety/ friction problems of some other high-per lines due to its inherent slipperiness & Teflon coating.

42 THE CHASE

Reels Kiting enthusiasts will generally use a hand-held reel of some description whilst actively flying a kite. However when kiting for falconry a static reel that can also be anchored to the ground in some way will be required. Hose reels have been used by some falconers but have generally been found wanting as the reel isn’t strong enough to withstand the pressure of the line wrapped around it under tension. Other falconers have gone to the other extreme and had reels purpose-built or adapted winches to provide an excellent although expensive solution. Electric fence reels probably fit nicely in between these two extremes as they are relatively inexpensive yet will last a season or more of frequent use if treated with care and the plastic/rubber parts anointed regularly with silicone lubricant where they come into contact with metal prior to powered rewinding. They also come with mounting posts so that the post can be sunk into the ground and the reel bolted onto the post but care should be taken to also add an anchor/safety line between the reel and post just in case the bolt ever comes loose from the post and the reel is pulled by the kite at high speed over the ground – an incredibly dangerous situation if there are houses, roads or railways nearby! A further advantage of using electric fence reels is the fact that drill rewind adaptors can be purchased that will allow the fast, easy rewinding of kite-line when used with cordless drills. Some falconers use automatic winches that will wind in the line slowly whilst the kite is still in the air but great care must be taken as tremendous strain is put on equipment. A less risky solution is to bring the kite down, remove it from the line then wind the line in over the ground at the end of the session. Tails Tails are used to stabilise the kite when flying in turbulent conditions and vary in length from 6ft to 40ft or more although the longer tails are more effective. They work by adding weight/drag to the rear of the kite in a bid to prevent the kite from turning over and flying nose-first towards the ground or ‘dive-bombing’. In really extreme conditions a weight can be tied to the very end of the tail. Alternatives to a tail exist in the form of a ‘Drogue’ - a small wind-sock on a line or a ‘Tube-Tail’ – a hybrid between a tail and drogue that allows air inside it and both can add stability to your kite in rough weather. Downriggers When using a kite for falconry there are various methods used to bring the hawk

back to earth once it has ﬂown up to the bait and the pieces of equipment used to accomplish this are known as ‘downriggers’. There are parachute rigs, sliding rigs, remote-control rigs and rigs that bring the kite to earth at the same time as the falcon. All of these rigs have their devotees but when making a decision the important things to consider are the weight of the rig (the lighter the better) and how much open space (devoid of roads, trees, power-lines, fences, houses etc.) the falconer has available for kiting. Remote control rigs require less space than other rigs since the bait/lure is dropped from the kite once the hawk has climbed almost all the way to it and the kite is wound-down directly rather than running the line down over the ground. The drawbacks are the weight that the kite has to carry and the fact that the falconer has to possess a certain amount of technical knowledge in order to make one of these rigs. Sliding rigs involve the running down of the kite/line once the hawk has grabbed the bait so therefore the falconer has control of where both hawk & kite come to earth. This can be advantageous where space is limited since the falconer can ‘bend his run’ around objects that would otherwise make kiting hazardous. They are light in weight and can be easily homemade but there is a very slight risk that the hawk can be injured (even with Dacron) if it grabs the main line as it is sliding down whilst running down 3000ft of line over uneven ground can be very taxing for the falconer. When using these rigs a roller or smooth stainless steel bar can be utilised to make running the kite down easier with minimal friction on the line and avoiding friction burns to skin and damage to leather gloves. A slight variation on the sliding-rig is the ‘rolling-rig’ which utilises a yachting-type block with a ball-bearing sheave (wheel) instead of the usual karabiner so that it will roll down the line without the falconer’s assistance from heights up to 500ft or so. Another plus-point with this rig is that it eliminates the karabiners’ tendency to go up the line in strong winds once the bait is released by the hawk. Parachute rigs require a lot of open space completely devoid of hazards since the hawk has a certain amount of freedom as it isn’t connected to the kite/line in any way although the drag on the chute itself should prevent the hawk going too far. Like the sliding rigs they are lightweight and can be made at home by the falconer and like the remote control rigs the kite can be wounddown directly out of the air.

The final type of rig is little used but is the simplest of them all. This is the fixed-rig and requires the falconer to run the kite all of the way down to the ground since the hawk simply binds and hangs on to bait attached to the kite-line. This rig is best applied to the Helikite where the amount of helium is carefully controlled according to the size/ weight of the hawk flown so that the hawk is able to pull the whole thing downwards. Bait The choice of the item that is attached to kite or line in order to entice the hawk upwards is largely a personal one. However the main consideration will be one of whether to use artificial or real baits and here is where the choice can be critical. A hawk will venture upwards for as little as a ‘sock’ or for an ungarnished lure of some kind provided that it has been accustomed to receiving a reward for retrieving such an unattractive item. The next step up will be a garnished lure but the most practical, safe and attractive of items would be a whole bird of some description. Of course a secondary consideration will be weight so the final choice may well be a compromise. Wind Meters Unlike the above items, wind meters aren’t essential equipment but the falconer will be making things easier for himself if he is able to make an educated decision prior to putting a kite into the air. Just spending a few minutes determining gust & lull wind speeds with an anemometer will influence the choice of kite as well as the decision of whether to use a tail or not.

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WEATHER Whilst weather conditions such as fog, mist, falling snow or heavy rain can severely affect visibility and therefore make flying both kite & falcon inadvisable it is the wind that will dictate most of your actions when in the field. It is a ‘living thing’ and will change not only according to time & location but also with altitude and whilst wind speed can be affected by landforms and pressure systems in a phenomenon known as ‘wind shear’ wind direction is influenced not only by prevailing winds and landforms but also differences in temperature – for example between sea and land. This makes kite-flying extremely haphazard and fraught with difficulties since the very nature of wind can prove unpredictable. Due to the above it is far from simple to give advice that can be followed by every falconer in every situation and still be successful. However, due to many years of experience in the field flying falcons to kites, I can outline some of the important considerations when attempting to fly a kite for a falcon successfully, safely and without incident. The normal way of things is for there to be more wind the higher you go which means that the falconer will have to decide whether the kite he is flying will still be safe to fly at high altitudes. However there will be freak conditions where the wind up higher will be less than at ground-level or even nonexistent. This is known as ‘dead-air’ and is the reason why on some days (usually in summertime) the kite will not climb above a certain height. The answer to this is either to put up your lightest wind kite in the hope that there is enough wind to take it through the dead-air zone or ‘fly’ your kite through the dead-air by letting out more line then winding line in quickly or even running against the wind whilst holding the reel........ unless you own a Helikite! Another problem you will encounter is when the wind speed varies so widely that a single kite will not be able to cover both gust and lull. The most serious situations will involve the lull wind speed being less than half of the gust wind speed. In these freak conditions the falconer will then be forced to fly a lighter wind kite than he would want to in order to prevent the kite stalling out when the wind drops to its lowest level. A similar set of circumstances to the above can occur in the lightest of breezes when the lull wind speed drops to zero for more than a few seconds and the kite literally drops out of the sky. The only options available to the falconer are to actively ‘fly’ the kite into

a higher position in the sky in the hope of picking up a higher lull wind speed or ﬂy a Helikite instead.

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The ‘O’-Rig was invented by a group of falconers from Oklahoma and facilitates the kite being brought to earth at the same time as the hawk once the bait is grabbed. It is lightweight and easily homemade and has the big advantage that the kite doesn’t have to be brought down by the falconer and the line can be quickly reeled in at the end of the session. This makes it extremely useful when training multiple hawks in one session since the kite can simply be re-baited and the rig re-set before sending the kite back up for the next falcon. It requires as much space as the sliding rig with the disadvantage that the falconer cannot control where the hawk lands other than knowing that the hawk & kite will come down at the end of the line and roughly downwind of the reel. A further problem can be setting the tension accurately for the release mechanism when ﬂying in very turbulent weather if you are to avoid either premature release or failure to release.

By far the most dangerous of wind conditions the falconer can be faced with occurs with a combination of a widely fluctuating wind speed with a marked variation in wind direction (by an eight point of a compass or more e.g. N to NW). This combination means that as the kite begins to stall-out the wind direction changes and puts the kite into a vertical stoop towards the ground that can only be arrested by rapidly letting out more line. Whilst the conditions remain so will the likelihood of such unnerving ‘dive-bombing’ kite behaviour. A tail can help considerably when flying in such conditions and also in the turbulent conditions described below. In fact I always use a tail when flying my kites in a moderate breeze or above because of the greater risk of potential problems.

Another problem that will be faced by the falconer is when launching a kite or attempting to fly it at a low altitude. In the Atmospheric Boundary Layer nearest to the earth’s surface the ‘surface drag’ causes turbulence which gradually reduces with height above the ground. It is this turbulence which can cause the kite to fly erratically until it is high enough to stabilise and it should be borne in mind that the rougher the landforms on the surface the higher the ABL will extend. Linked to the above and for similar reasons the falconer should be aware of the presence of ‘dirty air’ or turbulence caused by the presence of objects upwind of the position of the kite. Particularly when attempting to launch the kite the falconer should ensure that he is downwind of any such object by a distance of at least five times the height of the object if he is to be able to launch without difficulty.

Judging Heights When it comes to judging the height of the kite that the hawk is to fly to there are many methods. Range-finders & Altimeters are some of the more modern ways to determine the height of a kite above the ground but marking the line in 100ft increments then guessing the angle before using mathematical trigonometry (sines & cosines) to arrive at the answer have been used for a good many years and will give you a good idea prior to the flight. My own method is to estimate the angle of kite-line from vertical just prior to the flight then pace the length of line out along the ground post-flight before using the following simple calculations

January - February 2011 43

(based on cosine tables) to determine the height; 25 degrees – reduce total length of line by 10% 30 degrees – reduce total length of line by 15%

45 degrees – reduce total length of line by 30% 55 degrees – reduce total length of line by 40% 60 degrees – reduce total length of line by 50% By walking a known length of line it is possible to determine how close your stride is to a yard and then adjust accordingly for all future calculations – I take off 10% from the paced out line result since my stride is slightly less than 1yd. Telemetry It must be borne in mind that a kite is an expensive item which the falconer can illafford to lose for two important reasons; financial & practical. It can put a big hole in a falconer’s wallet if he has to replace a lost kite and time taken to obtain a replacement will be an important consideration if he has a new eyass to train. Put a transmitter on the spine or keel of the kite for this reason. Legal Considerations When planning to use a kite for falconry training it would be wise to check on your local laws in respect of the heights that tethered objects can legally be flown without permission of the authorities. In the UK Civil Aviation legislation applicable to kite flying is contained in Section 1 of the Air Navigation Order 2009 and the Rules of the Air Regulations 2007 Schedule 1 (Section 9). These are amended from time to time but for the purposes of these documents kites are classified as aircraft. The relevant parts of the above in relation to kites state that:(2) Except with the permission of the CAA — Article 164 (2) (b) A kite must not be flown at a height of more than 30 metres above ground level within the aerodrome traffic zone of a notified aerodrome during the notified operating hours of that aerodrome. Article 164 (2) (c) A kite must not be flown at a height of more than 60 metres above ground level.

44 THE CHASE

(a) not less than 40 centimetres in diameter and 2 metres in length; and (b) marked with alternate bands of red and white 50 centimetres wide at intervals of not more than 200 metres measured from the basket or, if there is no basket, from the lowest part of the balloon. (2) A kite flying by day at a height exceeding 60 metres above the surface shall have attached to its mooring cable either: (a) tubular streamers as specified in paragraph (1); or (b) at intervals of not more than 100 metres measured from the lowest part of the kite, streamers not less than 80 centimetres long and 30 centimetres wide at their widest point, marked with alternate bands of red and white 10 centimetres wide. The above is an extract from the full regulations. For further details of the Act above look at the www.caa.co.uk. For permission to exceed the limits stated above you are required to complete an application form. Details from; David Miller Airspace Specialist 5 (AS5) Airspace Utilisation & Off-Route Airspace (AU&ORA) Directorate of Airspace Policy (DAP) Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Tel: 020 7453 6585 (direct line) 020 7453 6599 (AU Operations) Fax: 020 7453 6593 Email: David.Miller@caa.co.uk Permission will be granted for 3 months at a time and 28 days notice will be required from application submission to start date. Each application will be dealt with according to the above legislation and also with reference to certain ‘Flying Restrictions’ as contained in the Air Navigation Order pertaining to the Scottish Highlands, Nuclear Installations, Prisons & other ‘specified areas’ notably in and around central London. Your individual permission will dictate where, when and to what height you can fly and in the case of flying near to Airports & Aerodromes may contain other provisos such as a call to the Air Traffic Control tower prior to flying. Sometimes this can place further restrictions on a kite-flyer

dependant on METARs (weather reports) & TAFs (Terminal Area Forecast) given out by the local ATC containing information about visibility and cloud height. Your permission will act as a NOTAM (Notiﬁcation to Airmen) so that other airspace users will have an obligation to avoid the airspace at certain times.

Supplement

35 degrees – reduce total length of line by 20%

Rule 53 Captive Balloons and Kites by Day 53.—(1) A captive balloon ﬂying by day at a height exceeding 60 metres above the surface shall have attached to its mooring cable tubular streamers which are—

Martin Hayward-Harris will be exhibiting at the UK Falconry & Hawking Event

MARTIN HAYWARD-HARRIS artist & wildlife sculptor Tel: +44 (0)1491 652 006 www.hayward-harris.co.uk

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46 THE CHASE

Ian Vance Falconry Furniture will be exhibiting at the UK Falconry & Hawking Event

Ian Vance Falconry Furniture Suppliers of quality falconry equipment Large stocks available for immediate despatch

Tel: 0115 920 3682 www.falconryequipment.com

Falconry Innovations Sponsors of ‘Wessex Bird of Prey Rescue’

Falconry equipment at aﬀordable prices

Tel: 01202 771 661 Tel: 01202 666 958 www.falconryinnovations.co.uk Email: falconryinnovations@msn.com Falconry Innovations, 7 Kelly, Close, Poole, BH17 8QP Falconry Innovations will be exhibiting at the UK Falconry & Hawking Event