# Any falconers on the boards?



## Hollen (Oct 26, 2015)

Hi everybirdie- just curious if any of you are involved in falconry or work with raptors. My son, who is a bird nerd, has expressed interest lately in obtaining a falconry permit with an eye towards a possible hunting guide and abatement business later on. He's really interested in learning to handle raptors. We've had a private introduction to falconry as a family, where we were able to visit the home of a gentleman who does this for a living, meet his birds, see the equipment and mews, and watch a PowerPoint/ lecture on falconry for beginners. I know our first step is to pass the test- I suspect I'll have to take/pass it first, then work with Alex. He won't be eligible to take it for a bit. Just curious if any of you have taken this route, and what book recommendations you might have. I'd love to hear your experiences!


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

I am not aware of any of our regulars on Talk Budgies that are involved with falconry but Catalinadee (Daisy) who is a moderator on our sister site Talk Parrots keeps raptors as well as parrots. Not sure how much help she could give regarding getting a permit as she is in the UK, but she could give you some good pointers on keeping raptors. She does not get online as much as she would like due to work commitments so you may have to give her time to answer.


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## Hollen (Oct 26, 2015)

Thank you, Kate! It's hard to find anyone who does this- it's kind of a rare thing. It's really interesting to see how they can be used for abatement in farming and orchards (rather than taking measures that can be environmentally harmful/ hurtful to populations of wild birds. We are definitely bird nerds . Thanks for the reply!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*It sounds as though the gentleman who does it for a living might be your best resource for finding out more about the requirements for obtaining the permit and giving you information on how to learn more about it. 
If the gentleman lives close enough to you, perhaps he might even be willing to work as your mentor.

I'm sure knowing there is someone else that wishes to learn the craft would be very heart-warming to that individual.*


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