Sparrowhawks

[Guest billy boy]

Has anyone flown Sparrowhawks?

Thank you Billy boy......

[Guest john5]

Has anyone flown Sparrowhawks?

Thank you Billy boy......

i have flown them , for quarey to the size of magpie,. best thing ever !

[The Ferret 0]

I would second that. I had one for a season a good few years back and loved every minute of it. Very hard to get them manned properly, but well worth it in the end. It's like having a Scud missile in the palm of your hand!

 

Ferret

[ben 0]

i got a spar mate just inprinted her i can do anything with her mate

[jasper65 6]

Has anyone flown Sparrowhawks?

Thank you Billy boy......

 

Hello Billy Boy

 

I have flown a few and enjoyed all of them but if you make a bad Imprint it will mantle like hell and can also show some aggresion although its not a problem with a spar, Birds that are dual creched and finnished off in a enclosed aviary are better mannered all round, from a sporting point of view these birds take some beating, the one in the pic was foolish enough to Bind to a Cock Pheasant in the stubble and was dragged through brambles and had the sense to let go! cracking birds and getting someone to beat for you is a benefit.

 

Cheers

 

Tony

 

 

 

 

[stollen 0]

Nice pics

Edited January 29, 2009 by stollen

[jasper65 6]

Nice One Beelzebub and Stollen

 

You're dead right there stollen they certainly get the job done! I had one I used to do High jumps with up the stairs of the house a fair while ago, in time she new the score and I could flick her down the stairs to her bow at the bottom! she was so manoverable that sometimes she would turn in the narrow gap of the stairs and hit the glove again before I could get some more meat on the glove , many times I would flick her down the stairs and in a blink should had flicked over in the air and back on the glove :whistle:, they're a class act in their own right.

 

Cheers

 

Tony

[stollen 0]

Nice One Beelzebub and Stollen

 

You're dead right there stollen they certainly get the job done! I had one I used to do High jumps with up the stairs of the house a fair while ago, in time she new the score and I could flick her down the stairs to her bow at the bottom! she was so manoverable that sometimes she would turn in the narrow gap of the stairs and hit the glove again before I could get some more meat on the glove , many times I would flick her down the stairs and in a blink should had flicked over in the air and back on the glove :whistle:, they're a class act in their own right.

 

Cheers

 

Tony

 

Edited January 29, 2009 by stollen

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

An old boy I know tells me of days gone by when you could take one from the wild and fly it a season ,then hack it back .

[Guest billy boy]

Dear Jasper65,

Many thanks for your reply and to everyone else also who responded to my question regarding the Sparrowhawks. I will try to reply to everyone who kindly gave me the interesting information, but you guys will understand sometimes, time gets a little precious!

While still at school age 15, we managed to fly 2 Muskets together as a type of cast. Both being brothers they flew well together and we attained some good success with them both. Of course we didn't fly them together all of the time; sometimes together at Black birds. Superb! My brothers bird called Roddy was a darker breasted form and my bird the more ordinary light breasted variety. Areally experienced old time Falconer many times wrote me letters regarding the 2 Muskets. He explained that through his many years of experience that he had found the darker breasted forms to be more difficult to get going.

My brother managed to catch 12 head of quarry in around 2 months. My Musket accounted for a total of 60 head of quarry in 3 months, not all small fry but also Black birds and SongThrush also. Unfortunately for myself but more so for my bird, Jez, his life was cut short while flying a Song Thrush. Hitting a barn window he died instantly!

I used a small Jack Russell Terrier to flush quarry from the hedgerows, perhaps a little unorthodox but the method worked. However, not always! For example If a Black bird had been really hard pressed into some form of refuge and refused to flush the dog would be sent in. Good bye Black bird! There is a saying that everyone is granted 1 good dog in their life. That is True for sure! If it applies to birds also then Iwas granted mine...... Good Luck to everyone on this site and keep up the good work. BILLY BOY.......

[Ricky-N.p.p 0]

Dear Jasper65,

Many thanks for your reply and to everyone else also who responded to my question regarding the Sparrowhawks. I will try to reply to everyone who kindly gave me the interesting information, but you guys will understand sometimes, time gets a little precious!

While still at school age 15, we managed to fly 2 Muskets together as a type of cast. Both being brothers they flew well together and we attained some good success with them both. Of course we didn't fly them together all of the time; sometimes together at Black birds. Superb! My brothers bird called Roddy was a darker breasted form and my bird the more ordinary light breasted variety. Areally experienced old time Falconer many times wrote me letters regarding the 2 Muskets. He explained that through his many years of experience that he had found the darker breasted forms to be more difficult to get going.

My brother managed to catch 12 head of quarry in around 2 months. My Musket accounted for a total of 60 head of quarry in 3 months, not all small fry but also Black birds and SongThrush also. Unfortunately for myself but more so for my bird, Jez, his life was cut short while flying a Song Thrush. Hitting a barn window he died instantly!

I used a small Jack Russell Terrier to flush quarry from the hedgerows, perhaps a little unorthodox but the method worked. However, not always! For example If a Black bird had been really hard pressed into some form of refuge and refused to flush the dog would be sent in. Good bye Black bird! There is a saying that everyone is granted 1 good dog in their life. That is True for sure! If it applies to birds also then Iwas granted mine...... Good Luck to everyone on this site and keep up the good work. BILLY BOY.......

 

is that what you fly them on ?? blackbirds ??

[SeanTheHawker 0]

Dear Jasper65,

Many thanks for your reply and to everyone else also who responded to my question regarding the Sparrowhawks. I will try to reply to everyone who kindly gave me the interesting information, but you guys will understand sometimes, time gets a little precious!

While still at school age 15, we managed to fly 2 Muskets together as a type of cast. Both being brothers they flew well together and we attained some good success with them both. Of course we didn't fly them together all of the time; sometimes together at Black birds. Superb! My brothers bird called Roddy was a darker breasted form and my bird the more ordinary light breasted variety. Areally experienced old time Falconer many times wrote me letters regarding the 2 Muskets. He explained that through his many years of experience that he had found the darker breasted forms to be more difficult to get going.

My brother managed to catch 12 head of quarry in around 2 months. My Musket accounted for a total of 60 head of quarry in 3 months, not all small fry but also Black birds and SongThrush also. Unfortunately for myself but more so for my bird, Jez, his life was cut short while flying a Song Thrush. Hitting a barn window he died instantly!

I used a small Jack Russell Terrier to flush quarry from the hedgerows, perhaps a little unorthodox but the method worked. However, not always! For example If a Black bird had been really hard pressed into some form of refuge and refused to flush the dog would be sent in. Good bye Black bird! There is a saying that everyone is granted 1 good dog in their life. That is True for sure! If it applies to birds also then Iwas granted mine...... Good Luck to everyone on this site and keep up the good work. BILLY BOY.......

 

is that what you fly them on ?? blackbirds ??

my mentor flew a spar at blackbirds, there one of the best prey for them

[jasper65 6]

Hello Shaun

 

Alot of people say its Magpie but I don't agree! a Spar flying half cocked can catch them with one foot in its pocket, Black birds will test them but having said that I had a female "Alex" when I lived in Licolnshire that would take them nearley every slip, it was flat and open around there and walking around the farm buildings and flushing them in the open was good sport, I also used to watch patiently as blackies would leave the trees in the garden and fly down into the crop field across the road, I would then walk onto them armed with the spar until they flushed, some of the flights across the crops was outstanding with some taken on the put in and some taken in cover.

 

Also on one occasion I walked round behind a large flat bed trailor with a low axle either end, at the far end of the trailor there was a small patch of grass with Blackies feeding, I used the other end as cover and held her out at a angle so she could just see them! she bobbed her head and off she went! in my mind I expected her to fly round the trailor but No! she flew flat out under the first axle the full legth of the trailor underneath and then with a flash she was amongst them, one Yellow billed cock quickly bolted to near by hedge and was taken.

 

My wife will vouch for this that this spar as good as cleaned out the area of Blackie's. I flew her every evening and she did Damage every time, she was wedded to them big time! the wife was none to pleased as for months we after the season we hardly saw a blackie in the garden.

 

Another tester for a good female is Collard Doves! they'll certainly get your bird burning calories .

 

Cheers

 

Tony

[Guest billy boy]

Hello Ricky,

Yes we did fly Black birds and various other types of quarry including Tree Sparrows, those being more numerous 25 years ago. I obtained a licence from the Department of Environment now called Defra.They allowed for certain types of quarry to be taken such as Partridge, Black bird and Tree Sparrow.Only a certain number being allowed to be taken.

 

Best Regards.

Billyboy.......

[Guest billy boy]

Dear Tony,

I really liked the photos I saw of the Spar on the Magpie and the collard Dove. Very good photos for sure! For you to be catching quarry like this and the Black birds also ,you must be doing something right.

Had a Female called Pricilla, caught a Wood Pigeon once, purely by suprize! The Musket flew a Little Owl on one occassion and if things hadn't turned out in a different way something could have happened nasty......

Always had a passion for Sparrowhawks and Foxes also since childhood days. The difference is I have to control Foxes......

Do you still live in Lincolnshire Tony? Just interested as a certain guy called Tony lived in the same county as us, namely Nottinghamshire. He had the Goshawks also.

It is certainly nice to hear that there are still certain people who devote their time and dedication to the Shortwings.

If any of you people want to contact me anytime please do so. In all honesty It's been along time since I was involved with the Falconry situation. Times do change!

So for now.

Best Regards. Billy boy.........