Hi from MA.

[JonnyG]

Hi from Central Massachusetts.
I'm new currently a pre-apprentice, and hope to spend this coming season learning all I can about Falconry and the sport/lifestyle with a local(ish) Falconer and start as apprentice next year for the 09/10 season.

Thanks a lot for having such an awesome resource available for this most excellent sport.

[Bryant Tarr]

(welc) Hi Jonny. Seems like a few folks in Mass have popped up lately. Maybe there will be a good crop of apprentices this year in the east :)

[JonnyG]

With any luck some non-newbies from MA will chime in and decide to be chatty.

I'm not looking for a sponsor this year, I'd just like to spend some time with people in the sport and learn as much as i can; Mingle with the local Falconers and possibly find someone that would offer to sponsor me starting next summer/fall.

[Bryant Tarr]

Good for you. It's a great idea to be a sponge for a season...soak up all the info and experiences you can get. Get out there hawking with some folks and get a real good idea of what is involved. It will help you make wise choices in the future!

[JonnyG]

I consider myself lucky cuz my wife is really supportive about getting into this heavily time consuming sport :)

This RT landed on our porch while we were having dinner last year; which re-ignited my spark for becoming a Falconer (every kid dreams of being a falconer like that "My Side of the Mountain" book, right?).
http://asdfjkl.net/images/RT_At_The_Gates.jpg

[Sliverhawk]

Nice photo of the RT, got tons of them out here in the shutesbury,hadley and amherst area. Like you pre apprenticing, but not many Falconiers this way, a few but most are not up to adding another apprentice yet.Will keep searching and getting more books .Good luck to you in your future (welc):D

[JonnyG]

I wish I could take credit for the picture, however my wife was quick with the camera. We got a bunch of pics, he was watching us from the rail for about 20minutes... must have been the squirrels that she had been fattening up for winter all summer and fall.
All I could think while he was sitting there was WOW, Those are some big talons...

The squirrels never came back... I think we knew why.

[Sliverhawk]

Squirrles made lunch I would think.Yeah they look like they will be good size Talons.I posted a few shots I have managed to get out here in Amherst and Hadley.We had a pair with babies a few years ago on the fire escape on one of the libary buildings at amherst college.I keep getting photo`s, but in moving have yet to come accross them. I did post in the photo sextion of some ok ones though. Any luck finding someone to sponsor you yet?