Favorite accipiter books

[AK Rev]

I think I own most of them but on the chance I don't, what are your favorite accipiter books? Here's a list from memory that are good...

Anything McElroy writes...McDermott also...A Hawk for the Bush...Argue's translation of Training the Short-Winged Hawk...Cooper's Hawk: Cross Timber Chronicle...what else? There are some other gos books in my library but they are of lesser quality. Everyone should read T.H. White's The Goshawk since it's just good literature (on what NOT to do).

There is a shortage of material on passage short wings in my opinion. I know that Bill Boni is finishing up a book on passage Cooper's. Anything else coming out? When are we going to get a good collection of passage goshawk info? Somebody needs to write The Passage Accipiter.

[wyodjm]

I'm a big fan of Mavro's books. Also Bert's An Approved Treatise of Hawks and Hawking. There's also E.W. Jameson's The Hawking of Japan.

Great idea on a good book on passage Accipiters. However, more specifically on passage goshawks. But by multiple authors who have had multiple birds. A collaborative work. Collectively discussing their specialties such as manning, training, equipment, housing, diet, intermewing, and weight control. Things like that. Also things like seeling and perhaps water-boarding. Hooding also. Hawking ducks, hawking upland birds, hawking rabbits, hawking jacks.

I almost forgot trapping. You can't get a passage goshawk unless you trap it. Trapping equipment, where to trap, when to trap and so on.

"Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much; Wisdom is humble that he knows no more" ~ Cowper

[AK Rev]

Forgot to mention Jameson's books. I also have his book on Shortwinged Hawks. They are not cheap!

[PHILADELPHIA CITY HAWKER]

"Cooper's Hawk: Cross Timber Chronicle" - awesome book on the Coopers! my favorite, great writer !

[hcmcelroy]

The book that influenced me mostly was R Stevens Observations. That really made me think of hawks as individuals and of coursee it was for the longwingers. Mavro and McDermott are also up there but my all time favorite on the accipiters is not a falconry book but research about the gos. Robert Kenward, "The Goshawk" what a wonderful book it is!

Harry.

[AK Rev]

Thanks Harry for your reply. I have Steven's book and also Kenward's...although I haven't read the latter. I need to. I also have the gyr book in that series but haven't read it yet either!

[goshawkr]

... but my all time favorite on the accipiters is not a falconry book but research about the gos. Robert Kenward, "The Goshawk" what a wonderful book it is!

I'll have to agree with Harry - that is an amazing book. It was done as a research book by a well respected goshawk biologist, but Kenward is also a very experienced austringer, and there is some falconry sprinkled in.

Harry, there was a similar monotopic book done on the coopers hawk. Have you read that one?

[Indiehawk]

I'm a big fan of Mavro's books. Also Bert's An Approved Treatise of Hawks and Hawking. There's also E.W. Jameson's The Hawking of Japan.

Great idea on a good book on passage Accipiters. However, more specifically on passage goshawks. But by multiple authors who have had multiple birds. A collaborative work. Collectively discussing their specialties such as manning, training, equipment, housing, diet, intermewing, and weight control. Things like that. Also things like seeling and perhaps water-boarding. Hooding also. Hawking ducks, hawking upland birds, hawking rabbits, hawking jacks.

I almost forgot trapping. You can't get a passage goshawk unless you trap it. Trapping equipment, where to trap, when to trap and so on.

"Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much; Wisdom is humble that he knows no more" ~ Cowper

I totally agree with Dan here that we need a book on the passage Gos. Multiple authors what works for them and a dash of creative writing about actual hunts, trapping trips etc.

I searched this entire thread and did not see mention of Ben ohlander's most excellent article on the passage Gos in the last edition of North American falconry and hunting hawks. I liked it a lot. Anyone else read it? They catch some monsters up in Duluth.

[allredone]

I totally agree with Dan here that we need a book on the passage Gos. Multiple authors what works for them and a dash of creative writing about actual hunts, trapping trips etc.

I searched this entire thread and did not see mention of Ben ohlander's most excellent article on the passage Gos in the last edition of North American falconry and hunting hawks. I liked it a lot. Anyone else read it? They catch some monsters up in Duluth.

I had read it. Great chapter for sure. Nice guy to talk with as well. They do get some big birds in Deluth. They also get many more average ones too. I've heard 800's and low 900's. Rarely birds 1000 or more?

[keitht]

For instance, when McDermott references a guy who successfully hacked multiple prairies from a rooftop in the middle of urban St. Louis...I just would love to hear more. It's even more interesting when he says (at the time of his writings), there had been zero losses so far among several falconers hacking more than a dozen accipiters.

The rest of the story:

The falconer that supposedly hacked out prairies was Alan Suliber in St. Louis. He was an old acquaintance of mine with an off and on relationship. Alan loved prairies and did a lot of the paintings in Beebe and Webster's books. Alan was not much of an accomplished falconer and was more of a keeper than a flyer. Mike never really knew Alan but learned about him through me. His claim of hacking prairies is dubious at best. He tried to breed praires for many years but failed. The closest he came was when he went out to Colorado one day and robbed a nest and placed all the eggs under his sitting prairie but none of the eggs hatched. Alan volunteered to watch my breeding project one year while I was at a NAFA meet. That was a disaster. But Alan had some good qualities as well. Alan is now in Wyoming serving a life sentence in Rock Springs in the Penitentiary.

As far as no one ever loosing a bird while hacking is dated. Mike might have made that claim when he first tried it but soon afterwards birds were lost including some birds of individuals who were hacking birds out with Mike.

[eminart]

I've browsed through this thread. But, I'm wondering, what first book would you guys recommend for someone who is pretty new to falconry, but wants to fly an imprint gos a couple of years down the road? Assuming he knows nothing about imprinting and very little about goshawks?

I want to start learning.

[goshawkr]

I've browsed through this thread. But, I'm wondering, what first book would you guys recommend for someone who is pretty new to falconry, but wants to fly an imprint gos a couple of years down the road? Assuming he knows nothing about imprinting and very little about goshawks?

I want to start learning.

I would recomnd a three book collection if you really want to get under the hood of a goshawk:

Edmund Bert's treatise (either get the modern translation, or use an elizabethan dictionary)
Understanding the Bird of Prey by Nick Fox
The Goshawk by Robert Kenward

The last one is just a natural history anthology of hundreds of published studies on goshawks, but Robert is a falconer who has lived and breathed goshawks both privately and professionally for many years and really understands the beast. There is no "how to hunt a goshawk" info in this book, but you will learn far more about what makes a goshawk tick than anywhere else.

Bert's book is available on google books:
http://books.google.com/books/about/...d=T20CAAAAYAAJ

[colelkhunter]

Scott,
To develop a base of knowledge, Understanding birds of prey is a good one. the imprint accipiter books are great. Start with imprint accipiter 2. It is still reasonably priced and available at most book sellers and falconry suppliers. Accipitrine Behavior is also a good read. Then move to something like "A hawk for the bush". Beware accipter books are notoriously few and expensive. For instance the first edition of Imprint accipiter will command a hefty price.

[eminart]

Thanks, Guys, I'll check those out.

A friend actually loaned me Understanding Birds of Prey recently (thanks Joan!) but I haven't had a chance to crack it open yet. Been swamped with duties this past week.