..not really.

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I'm thinking about getting into falconry over the next few years in the Seattle area. (I live in Issaquah currently)

I have a background in the military and boyscouts and I grew up around nature. My family used to breed pet species of birds and my grandmother owned three pet shops. My grandfather got me into bird watching, as a child, and showed me that nature is more beautiful than anything man can build. Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago. Growing up around birds and wanting to make him proud, I've decided to take my interests up a "notch" and get into raptor hunting...or at least begin the long process of studying it. My goals are more on the conservation side of things as I am going to school to be an educator.

I moved to this state about a year ago, so I'm currently renting an apartment with my fiance. We plan on getting a home up here by this time next year. So in the mean time, I wish to devout my time to study. I have a technical job right now, and work from home, so I have lots of time to read during the day.

I consider myself an expert on freshwater fish. I was going to school to be a limnologist but changed my mind (as we often do in school). Currently, I have a 210 gallon aquarium setup with fish from the amazon, including a motoro stingray with a 12 inch diameter footprint. I like to think of myself as prepared for the sport of falconry. I have lots of experience with birds and maintaining exotic pets.

Right now, I am reading these books:

The Falconer's Apprentice - William C. Oakes
American Kestrels in North America - Matthew Mullenix
A Falconry Manual - Frank Lyman Beebe

My goal for this first year is to get my hunting safety class completed, and my small game hunting license from the state...and study, study, STUDY, STUDY!!!

After a year, I will look into the exam, after we find a nice house up here with a suitable backyard.

So, thanks for taking the time to read this long introduction! I will probably not post again, but I'll be reading everything YOU all post, every day. Consider me an official forum creeper...

Do you have any other suggestions? Perhaps better books I should study? Any information is appreciated and perhaps, I'll see a few of you with a raptor on my fist, in a couple years.

Thanks for your time.

Edit: I forgot to add that I'm looking at the kestrel for the future. So any books you can suggest including them specifically would be amazing!