Falconry.

[ArchieHood 3,692]

I was out  with the dogs the other day and could see the falconer flying a Saker on the airstrip to keep the seagulls on ther toes.You can get a good view from the perimiter fence so i watched for a few minutes when BANG, a female Peregrine took it clean out of the sky.It smashed 2 concrete roof  tiles before landing stone dead in some poor guys back garden.The Falconer said Peregrines are becoming a real problem locally  and he would have to  consider wether to keep flying his birds. 

[low plains drifter 10,821]

  On 10/04/2021 at 18:31, Greb147 said:

Look at them things, could do damage couldn't they.

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Apparently they're about twice the strength of a pit bulls jaw, and could crush a human skull with little trouble

 

[Greb147 6,809]

  On 10/04/2021 at 19:29, ArchieHood said:

I was out  with the dogs the other day and could see the falconer flying a Saker on the airstrip to keep the seagulls on ther toes.You can get a good view from the perimiter fence so i watched for a few minutes when BANG, a female Peregrine took it clean out of the sky.It smashed 2 concrete roof  tiles before landing stone dead in some poor guys back garden.The Falconer said Peregrines are becoming a real problem locally  and he would have to  consider wether to keep flying his birds. 

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I imagine a peregrine could kill an eagle if it hits it in the right spot. 

[Greb147 6,809]

  On 10/04/2021 at 20:15, low plains drifter said:

Apparently they're about twice the strength of a pit bulls jaw, and could crush a human skull with little trouble

 

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They say so but I find that hard to believe tbh, I've never felt the grip of one so couldn't give an assessment. 

I've read that owls have more power though? 

[neil r 1,902]

  On 10/04/2021 at 19:29, ArchieHood said:

I was out  with the dogs the other day and could see the falconer flying a Saker on the airstrip to keep the seagulls on ther toes.You can get a good view from the perimiter fence so i watched for a few minutes when BANG, a female Peregrine took it clean out of the sky.It smashed 2 concrete roof  tiles before landing stone dead in some poor guys back garden.The Falconer said Peregrines are becoming a real problem locally  and he would have to  consider wether to keep flying his birds. 

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I used to do it on the tip and the peregrines used to try on there . The little tiercel used to stoop at a female gyr/saker but never hit her . She used to spin over just before he got close to grab it and it would jib and try again a couple more times before bottling it . It was amazing to watch how she could see it and time it right and the reactions of the tiercel to avoid getting nailed himself .

This little male gyr/saker was hit by a peregrine on there but luckily didn’t suffer any damage other than loosing a few feathers , he also survived getting run over in a dozer , luckily he went between the tracks and even more fortunate it wasn’t the bomag . On the flip side one of the other lads on another site told me his female tribrid nailed a peregrine on site , I’m assuming it was a tiercel that it got hold of . I also got sent a pere/saker from a site down south that had a thing for nailing red kites , it had 4 in a week so they took it off site and sent it up here . 

[j j m 6,566]

a good watch

[tatsblisters 10,482]

  On 10/04/2021 at 16:25, downsouth said:

Ive flow Harris Hawks and a Gos in the past and would love to do it again but know that its not something I could give enough time atm to do it properly but for the life of me Ive never been able to see the fascination in flying them big plodding eagles.

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I used to ferret on club days for the Yorkshire falconry club and have been in the company of those flying eagles and have been in the company of one well known chap who fly's them tbh i was not impressed and would sooner see the Goshawk or the Harris hunting .

[tatsblisters 10,482]

  On 10/04/2021 at 16:48, Greb147 said:

Yes, those eagles do look huge, does anyone know where the majority of breeding stock comes from cos like I said there's a big variation in size with these birds depending on their region on earth. 

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Biggest one i ever saw was owned by a chap called Clint at a club meet he also bred wire haired vizlas I was told it was a stepp eagle golden eagle hybrid..

[downsouth 7,680]

  On 11/04/2021 at 08:47, tatsblisters said:

I used to ferret on club days for the Yorkshire falconry club and have been in the company of those flying eagles and have been in the company of one well known chap who fly's them tbh i was not impressed and would sooner see the Goshawk or the Harris hunting .

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Yeah Ive spent some time in the company of a fella down here in kent who's very well known for his goldies and gos hawks.I couldnt think of anything worse than carrying one of them f**king things about all day to see a straight line flight at something a bird a 1/3 of the size can kill and give a lot mor exciting flight doing it.Also unless you can get right up in the highlands or somewher wher you can guarantee not to see anyone for miles id imagine they can be a bit of a liability.

[tatsblisters 10,482]

  On 11/04/2021 at 09:12, downsouth said:

Yeah Ive spent some time in the company of a fella down here in kent who's very well known for his goldies and gos hawks.I couldnt think of anything worse than carrying one of them f**king things about all day to see a straight line flight at something a bird a 1/3 of the size can kill and give a lot mor exciting flight doing it.Also unless you can get right up in the highlands or somewher wher you can guarantee not to see anyone for miles id imagine they can be a bit of a liability.

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First one i saw fly was a lads from Heathrow way he also had a Brittany spaniel that worked with the eagle. First flight on the day he slipped it from the fist and it just rose to the thermals and disappeared into the sky to be found hours later feeding on carrion in the form of a dead sheep up in the Dales.

[downsouth 7,680]

  On 11/04/2021 at 09:19, tatsblisters said:

First one i saw fly was a lads from Heathrow way he also had a Brittany spaniel that worked with the eagle. First flight on the day he slipped it from the fist and it just rose to the thermals and disappeared into the sky to be found hours later feeding on carrion in the form of a dead sheep up in the Dales.

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I know a lad thats been flying smaller birds for a few years whos just started flying one.He was telling me that hes looking to buy a kevlar jacket for his little cocker because the goldie keeps whacking it.I said thats alright but what about when an old couple appear over the horizon with a yorkie terrier or a family out walking and one of the nippers has a fury hat on.F**king disaster waiting to happen

[Night Walker 591]

  On 10/04/2021 at 20:15, low plains drifter said:

Apparently they're about twice the strength of a pit bulls jaw, and could crush a human skull with little trouble

 

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Was at the Welsh game fair or the midland a good few years back and there was a massive eagle, bigger than a golden, the handler said that the sister to this eagle killed an 11 year old boy in South Africa apparently 

[Greb147 6,809]

Being honest seeing birds on ground game doesn't look as appealing or as exciting as seeing them on other birds. 

I would definitely choose a male goldie over a female though if it were my thing unless you were hunting bigger game. 

[tatsblisters 10,482]

Remember being on a Falconry holiday some years back near Grantown on Spey and another well known flyer of eagles was stopping with us in the lodge at Lochindorb who i found to be a sound bloke and who's company i enjoyed tbh i know some of the other lads were not too happy about him being out with us with his female golden eagle has it had snotted a lads Gos the year before. I remember him slipping it on two roe that came out of a spinney and for a brief moment it was a heart in the mouth moment but the bird veered off them when it got close weather it was because they were two of them or it just did not want one.

[Greb147 6,809]

So nobody can tell me anything about breeding stock and such. 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think those from central asia and the east are bigger than our western birds, I doubt the stock other here is off our birds but logistically it does make sense come to think of it. 

Edited April 11, 2021 by Greb147