Sandie! Hope you had a Merry Christmas! Curious, what kind of trapping do you subscribe to when out for Kestrels?
Joan Marie, Thank you for your kind words. My apprenticeship has been filled with major ups and downs and a near disaster, but even with the state having "misplaced" my test, telling me I failed because i didn't have two sponsors listed, having to make up for 11 months (MAJOR paperwork SNAFU) despite being told it wouldn't be held against me (and even having it in writing didn't matter), I'm so glad to have had this experience. There are other falconers who have told me I'm not a "real falconer" because I haven't flown a larger bird (all of my apprenticeship, I've flown only kestrels), I've been told I'd fail, and there was some inter-falconry rivalry that I unfortunately got caught in the middle of, but falconry isn't just learning about raptors. You get to learn all the neat social interactions of falconers as well. =) I'm glad to help when I can, answer any questions if I'm able, or even help look up answers if I don't know it. Sandie
Hey Sandie, Just a note to say how much I enjoy your writing and vids. I am a pre apprentice and lurk all the time here, really has been a great way to suppliment all I am studying right now. But it has been your writing along with the videos that have been an amazing illustration of the finesse that makes up the art of falconry. I so appreciate you using the classical terminology as you describe the hunts! I do hope you consider taking on apprentices when the time comes. Being a huntress becomes you. Also I am reconsidering the red tail as a first bird for obvious reasons (:
