From: toby@stein.u.washington.edu (Toby Bradshaw)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: A word on falconry, from an expert
Date: 11 Jan 1993 18:17:56 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu

In article <srh3.726770286@Ra.MsState.Edu> srh3@Ra.MsState.Edu (Steven R. Hollis) writes:
[stuff deleted]
>    There has been a lot of flak given to the falconer about disrupting
>nature and the natural order of things.  While I see the point and in some
>ways agree, let's look at the flip side of how falconry can BENEFIT nature
>and the raptors as a species.
>    I will use the red-tail as an example simply because it is a common
>falconry bird and the one with which I have had my experiences with.
>    Yes, the bird is taken from the wild.  Agreed.  But look at the usual
>pattern.  A bird is taken flown for a few seasons (the number varies from
>falconer to falconer) but from what I have seen and read, most are eventually
>released back into the wild.  The falconer is taking an immature bird (if
>he is following the law) and is giving it food and shelter through its first
>winter (any animals hardest) .  The falconer does not train the bird in the
>sense that they are learning something new.  The hawk already knows how to hunt`
>What is happening is the falconer is IMPROVING the bird's skills and also
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>teaching it to capture bigger quarry with greater success.

Pardon me, but this is B.S.  A wild redtail, trapped (let's say)
in January, has killed at least 100 times on its own.  How many
falconers make 100 kills a _year_ with their redtails?  You could
count them on the fingers of very few hands, believe me.  Catching
larger-than-normal quarry, while desirable from a human falconer's
perspective, is of doubtful value to a wild bird.  Perhaps you've 
never caught a jackrabbit with your redtail.  I've caught hundreds
with my Harris' hawks, and seen thousands more captured.  A
1.5-2 pound Harris' hawk _can_ subdue a jackrabbit until the
cavalry arrives, but not without sustaining eventual feather
and perhaps more serious damage.  In the wild, I've seen
Harris' hawks catch jackrabbits, always hunting in groups.  A
solitary redtail _can_ kill a jackrabbit, but it cannot pack
it to a tree for safety, nor can it guarantee to survive the
encounter intact (as it can with smaller prey).  Every hawk
I've had preferred to catch small, defenseless quarry.  Every
hawk I've had _would_ take larger prey if hungry enough.  The
same goes for wild birds.  Large prey are a last resort; the
risks can outweigh the benefits.

>The average lifespan
>of the red-tailed hawk is anywhere from 20-30 years.  When, no, for arguments
>sake I will say "if" the bird is returned to the wild, his skills are better
>than his wild reared brothers if his trainer did his job.

The average (mean) lifespan of a redtail is probably less than two
years, and nowhere near 30 years.  The oldest falconry redtails
I know of never made 20.  When out hunting, a falconer's bird
is in as much danger as a wild bird, perhaps more.  Everything
that happens to wild birds (electrocution, shooting, attacks
by feral cats and dogs, hitting fences, running into windows,
getting hit by cars) happens to falconry birds, in direct proportion
to the time each bird is flown.  In addition, the bird hunts in
the time, place, and manner of the falconer's choosing, often
in more dangerous environments than a wild, fat hawk would
choose for itself.  Certainly many falconry birds that survive
in captivity would starve in the wild, but I would be surprised
if time spent with a falconer materially improves the bird's
chance for subsequent survival.  I'd be even more surprised
if there is anything but anecdotal evidence either way.

Falconry is a "ritualized form of birdwatching", and an opportunity
to see up close, every day, the spectacle of a hunting raptor.  IMHO,
the use of hawks and falcons in falconry needs no special justification,
as long as sustainable populations (wild or captive-bred) of raptors
are maintained. 

Toby Bradshaw
University of Washington
Master Falconer

Newsgroups: rec.birds