Greetings. My name is Wayne and I am desperately searching for anyone in my area that is involved in falconry. I made my first hood and other furniture when I was twelve years old, but that turned out to be a bit too soon for my parents. I researched and studied up again when I was 30 years old, but my impending son and work brought an end to that adventure as well. Now that I am older, I have the time to make the commitment and have discussed it in detail with my wife. We have been caring for raptors brought in to our local rehabber for a few years now. In our small community, most of the patients are Kestrals caught in chicken coops or RT's "accidently" trapped by local farmers. I recently bought many of the required books and study guides, and passed the CA/Federal exam on February 21st. I live on 3 acres of property on the outskirts of about 100,000 acres of agricultural land. Blythe is the number one destination for dove hunters nationwide, and as far as bunnies... I probably have 15-10 in my side yard alone. I am also about 5 minutes from the true desert as the river makes its way south to Yuma, and the Black Tail Jacks are a constant headache to the local farmers. I already have an 8'X12' outbuilding that I am going to transform into my mews, but waiting on some input from a sponsor so I don't have to tear it down and start over.
We have 6 Kestrals in our backyard, and one suicidal kamikaze Sharp Shin that we have to remove from the bushes or the coop about once a month. The RT's in town spread out to about 9 square miles each, but along the river road, they are on every 3 telephone pole, so trapping wont be a problem. I am interested in flying a female RT as I believe the Kestral to be too dainty as a first bird (besides the fact that our local releases wouldn't like sharing the attention.
In any case, that's me. If you or anyone you know can help, I would appreciate it.

Wayne Crusinberry