sparrow hawk

[paulus 26]

not the best picture quality on my phone

[jasper65 6]

not the best picture quality on my phone

 

classic , how did she do on the blackbirds

 

Here's a few pic's of one on a young magpie which it ditched in a small dyke and collard dove taken in a cow field which was quickly snapped with the old camera and scooped up as the cows was running over! as you may of guessed I'm scared shitless of cows.

 

and a old one of a little Musket I took with the kodak camera a good many moons ago! and guess what he's caught? he was a cracking little fella and a real gem to fly back then....

[paulus 26]

i havent flown one for over 20 years ive taken teal,pheasant poults,woodies,magies,partridge,moorhen athough you have to get in there quick as there leathel when there on their backs with them feet, loads of other quarry various shall we say starlings are good they go up like larks oh and ill say this quitely blackbirds

[mick1212 389]

not the best picture quality on my phone

 

classic , how did she do on the blackbirds

 

Here's a few pic's of one on a young magpie which it ditched in a small dyke and collard dove taken in a cow field which was quickly snapped with the old camera and scooped up as the cows was running over! as you may of guessed I'm scared shitless of cows.

 

and a old one of a little Musket I took with the kodak camera a good many moons ago! and guess what he's caught? he was a cracking little fella and a real gem to fly back then....

great pics jasp bet you feel like getting another like the musket

[jasper65 6]

i havent flown one for over 20 years ive taken teal,pheasant poults,woodies,magies,partridge,moorhen athough you have to get in there quick as there leathel when there on their backs with them feet, loads of other quarry various shall we say starlings are good they go up like larks oh and ill say this quitely blackbirds

 

thats one nice looking yellow bill, he looks like he's been well house trainned .

 

sounds like you've had some cracking sport with the spars in the past Paulus , they're definitely gamey with a capital G.

 

 

great pics jasp bet you feel like getting another like the musket

 

Me and a pal had a Musket each that season, both was reared to around 15 days and creched on a ledge together until penned, both came out lovely! a bit wild at first but soon steadied up without all the mantling and aggresion with some imprint female spars.

 

we bother flew together through most of the season but my pal got out with his more often than me as at that time I was also flying a Pere x Prairie at the black stuff, no doubt about it Keiths was a better bird for it taking much more quarry than I ever did. mine once bound to a collard dove feeding on some loose corn on the edge of a field, he came down with the dove in a puff of feathers but lost it.

 

I can't say I would ever like to fly one again! I'm confident I wouldn't do it justice which wuldn't be fair on the bird, there's far to many other things on my plate these days mate which take priority .

[paulus 26]

i havent flown one for over 20 years ive taken teal,pheasant poults,woodies,magies,partridge,moorhen athough you have to get in there quick as there leathel when there on their backs with them feet, loads of other quarry various shall we say starlings are good they go up like larks oh and ill say this quitely blackbirds

 

thats one nice looking yellow bill, he looks like he's been well house trainned .

 

sounds like you've had some cracking sport with the spars in the past Paulus , they're definitely gamey with a capital G.

 

 

great pics jasp bet you feel like getting another like the musket

 

Me and a pal had a Musket each that season, both was reared to around 15 days and creched on a ledge together until penned, both came out lovely! a bit wild at first but soon steadied up without all the mantling and aggresion with some imprint female spars.

 

we bother flew together through most of the season but my pal got out with his more often than me as at that time I was also flying a Pere x Prairie at the black stuff, no doubt about it Keiths was a better bird for it taking much more quarry than I ever did. mine once bound to a collard dove feeding on some loose corn on the edge of a field, he came down with the dove in a puff of feathers but lost it.

 

I can't say I would ever like to fly one again! I'm confident I wouldn't do it justice which wuldn't be fair on the bird, there's far to many other things on my plate these days mate which take priority .

 

 

have to admit to making a right pigs ear of the first couple, the worst was a female called mew who was a mall imprint, social imprinting hadnt been discoverd in them days 1979 had to make a sound proof box to keep her in as i was living with my parents at the time she was horrible to handle but by god did she take some stuff mind was out strieght after i got home from school untill it got dark and every weekend i think she was probably the fittest bird i ever had. she became an expert at catching old man worthingtons raceing pigeons they use to come down onto the gravel around these big brick circle things at the local sewarage works she would go full on about 12 inch off the deck round the circle and catch them unaware she came to grief on a moorhen in the end ripped her wide open.

[jasper65 6]

have to admit to making a right pigs ear of the first couple, the worst was a female called mew who was a mall imprint, social imprinting hadnt been discoverd in them days 1979 had to make a sound proof box to keep her in as i was living with my parents at the time she was horrible to handle but by god did she take some stuff mind was out strieght after i got home from school untill it got dark and every weekend i think she was probably the fittest bird i ever had. she became an expert at catching old man worthingtons raceing pigeons they use to come down onto the gravel around these big brick circle things at the local sewarage works she would go full on about 12 inch off the deck round the circle and catch them unaware she came to grief on a moorhen in the end ripped her wide open.

 

nearly fell of my chair at the old man worthington bit

 

Its funny mate I feel the same! there's not a chance in hell I would ever get a bird fit like some previouse birds, time is the esance and I simply can't spare it. there was a time I would fly Sunday to friday and feed up on the friday as Saturdays was shooting day! the bird would be bang on again for the sunday! it also helped to have pal who was on his game knocking on my door kicking my arse to get out and fly, it then got to the stage on the days I didn't fly I felt guilty.

 

probably also have to say the birds was in tip top flying condition and so was I, as the bird got fit I got fit keeping up with them , I think these days I would be in traction trying to keep up.

 

Cracking post Paulus

[doctor dolittle 1]

CHARLIE, MANY YEARS AGO NOW I FLEW A MUSKET' 'A MALE SPARROW HAWK ' AT BLACKBIRDS AND TREE SPARROWS AND I WAS ALSO GRANTED TO TAKE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PARTRIDGE WITH A FEMALE. AT THE TIME IT WAS THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE WHICH AT THE TIME WAS BASED I THINK IN BRISTOL.WE ACHIEVED CONSIDERABLE SUCESS FLYING A CAST OF MUSKETS TOGETHER. HOWEVER, THEY WERE USED ALONE AT VARIOUS QUARRY ALSO. THAT'S WHEN LICENSES WERE GRANTED TO FALCONERS.

GOOD HAWKING. DOCTOR DOLITTLE.

 

P.S. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A DAYS SPORT OUT WITH A SPAR OR A GOS. REFERENCES COULD BE PROVIDED.......... THANK YOU.

[macavelli 8]

just found this thread if any of yous who disagree with blackbird hunting and say youv never read about it in any books well yous havent read any good books take a read of jack mavrogordato hawk for a bush there the ulitmate quarry for a spar and he says if only 7 were caught in a season uv done bloody well my p/r spar took 65 magpie a gull and a few various last season she also flew several blackbirds hard and the latter escaped her clutches ive apllied for a blackbird license this year as there guna be my main quarry as the flights are aboustlutely remarkable flying magpies gets boring if a magpie can outfly a spar then theres sumthk wrong its to easy for the sparrowhawk so many people disagree id say the blackbird is 1 of the hardest quarry to catch along with snipe and teal...

p.s and remember its the flight that count most escape any caught are bonus

atb

Edited September 15, 2011 by macavelli