New to the NAFEX, but not our beloved sport.

[Barkai]

Hello everyone,

I am indeed new to the NAFEX, but like the title suggest I have been hunting with hawks since I was 13. I have flown a passage Lanner, a few passage Shikras, an imprint Gabar goshawk, and I currently don't have a charge. All my falconry experience has been in Niger, where I grew up. I will soon be heading back to Niger and hope to trap a passage turumti (also known as a red-necked falcon/kestrel).

So that's about all, I do like this forum a lot more that the IFF though!

Stephen

P.S. Barkai is my traditional Nigerien name.

[PeteJ]

Welcome Barkai, glad you found this forum. Enjoy searching through the various threads, there is a lot to cover and some innovative thinkers on here. I will be very interested in how things go for you in regards to the Turumti, my unrequited lust! We have some in the states but they are being offered for ridiculously high prices for a bird that has yet to prove its worth here. They were flown a bit more commonly (Indian subspecies) before all the CITES and Migratory Bird Treaty stuff came on board and the reviews were mixed. But I know that there is tremendous potential with them as they are a bird that match our native Merlin in both style and boldness. So with any luck I can live vicariously through your upcoming adventures if you are successful in acquiring one. I'm not sure if they are that common in your country though are they?

[thunderheartiii]

Hello and to NAFEX.

[tony123abc]

Welcome. Can't wait to see some photos of your home land.

[Barkai]

Welcome Barkai, glad you found this forum. Enjoy searching through the various threads, there is a lot to cover and some innovative thinkers on here. I will be very interested in how things go for you in regards to the Turumti, my unrequited lust! We have some in the states but they are being offered for ridiculously high prices for a bird that has yet to prove its worth here. They were flown a bit more commonly (Indian subspecies) before all the CITES and Migratory Bird Treaty stuff came on board and the reviews were mixed. But I know that there is tremendous potential with them as they are a bird that match our native Merlin in both style and boldness. So with any luck I can live vicariously through your upcoming adventures if you are successful in acquiring one. I'm not sure if they are that common in your country though are they?

Yes, they are my favorite little falcon, although I have yet to fly one. I have seen them out hunting and they are absolutely stunning. Over a two week period I went out every morning, before it got light, watching an adult pair hunt, both in a pair and separately. On a number of occasions I saw them catch palm swifts and small bates. Among other things I saw them catch was one parakeet, two speckled pigeons, doves, weavers, and on one occasion magpie. I also was trapping for a juvenile which was very frustrating, every morning he would be cropped up already. So he never was very serious about my dho-gazza and sparrow. The Turumti (or RNK) is common along the Niger river, but else where they are hard to find. They do, however, frequent oasis with Bottle necked palm, there preferred nesting location. They are wonderful to watch. I think its only a matter of time before I find a passage that has only had a swift, sparrow, or small bat that morning. If I can find them around mid-afternoon I think they would be hungry. I have seen mostly small ones, but occasionally I see a female which I feel sure could take pigeons, francolin, and partridge on regular basis. Have you heard whether they fly well in a cast? I would be interestead some time in the future in trying to fly a cast. If I fail to trap a passage I have passage and haggard Lanners as a second option. I have come to the conclusion that passage Shikras and passage Gabars tend to be hooked on lizards. I am sure it is possible, with lots of patience and baggies (which are legal here), to get one hunting feathers with good success. I don't have time for that when a turumti will do the job much better. I will, however, miss small Accipiter very much. If I could get a good Accipiter hunting feathers it would be my preference over longings, at least in my situation, where a short wing is easier tracked. This prefernce may change if I trap a turumti.

Regards,
Stephen

[California Native]

Stephen,

Am I remembering you from the IFF ? Seems like I remember you on a thread about hood-making. Anyway, Welcome to this forum.

Dan

[Barkai]

Stephen,

Am I remembering you from the IFF ? Seems like I remember you on a thread about hood-making. Anyway, Welcome to this forum.

Dan

Possible, I have asked a lot of questions on the IFF about traditional hood making and patterns.

[PeteJ]

Yes, they are my favorite little falcon, although I have yet to fly one. I have seen them out hunting and they are absolutely stunning. Over a two week period I went out every morning, before it got light, watching an adult pair hunt, both in a pair and separately. On a number of occasions I saw them catch palm swifts and small bates. Among other things I saw them catch was one parakeet, two speckled pigeons, doves, weavers, and on one occasion magpie. I also was trapping for a juvenile which was very frustrating, every morning he would be cropped up already. So he never was very serious about my dho-gazza and sparrow. The Turumti (or RNK) is common along the Niger river, but else where they are hard to find. They do, however, frequent oasis with Bottle necked palm, there preferred nesting location. They are wonderful to watch. I think its only a matter of time before I find a passage that has only had a swift, sparrow, or small bat that morning. If I can find them around mid-afternoon I think they would be hungry. I have seen mostly small ones, but occasionally I see a female which I feel sure could take pigeons, francolin, and partridge on regular basis. Have you heard whether they fly well in a cast? I would be interestead some time in the future in trying to fly a cast. If I fail to trap a passage I have passage and haggard Lanners as a second option. I have come to the conclusion that passage Shikras and passage Gabars tend to be hooked on lizards. I am sure it is possible, with lots of patience and baggies (which are legal here), to get one hunting feathers with good success. I don't have time for that when a turumti will do the job much better. I will, however, miss small Accipiter very much. If I could get a good Accipiter hunting feathers it would be my preference over longings, at least in my situation, where a short wing is easier tracked. This prefernce may change if I trap a turumti.

Regards,
Stephen

I have heard of them being flown in casts and trios even, same sexed or different sexed. They seem to be unconcerned about flying in company with others of their kind, which could be interesting on certain quarries...particularly doves or francolins (for different reasons...speed on one, size on the other).
As for your accipiter issue, I guess one last thing you could try is get a young Shikra or Gabar (from a nest when about half grown) and raise it the rest of the way yourself. When it begins to get old enough to tear its own food, make sure that all it gets are whole birds of the type most commonly available. Accipiter young often 'imprint' onto the prey will hunt by seeing what the parents bring them. And accipiters in general are often quite successful 'wed' to certain prey by having repeated success at catching them from their earliest days. By the time they are passage age or older they have often developed their taste towards whatever quarry they have been success at and can therefore be difficult to switch them off of that quarry. I would think that lizards being so common would be difficult for a young accipiter to pass up. But, just as they learn not to eat certain butterflies or caterpillars because they taste very bad, they can also learn to focus on prey because it is easily taken and readily available. Thinking along that line, I suppose you could bag a young eyas accip on lizards that you have some tainted their taste..so that the first chance they get focused on catching one, that it taste so bad they may not want to try another one. A few instances of this and it might not have any interest in them from then on.

[Barkai]

I have heard of them being flown in casts and trios even, same sexed or different sexed. They seem to be unconcerned about flying in company with others of their kind, which could be interesting on certain quarries...particularly doves or francolins (for different reasons...speed on one, size on the other).
As for your accipiter issue, I guess one last thing you could try is get a young Shikra or Gabar (from a nest when about half grown) and raise it the rest of the way yourself. When it begins to get old enough to tear its own food, make sure that all it gets are whole birds of the type most commonly available. Accipiter young often 'imprint' onto the prey will hunt by seeing what the parents bring them. And accipiters in general are often quite successful 'wed' to certain prey by having repeated success at catching them from their earliest days. By the time they are passage age or older they have often developed their taste towards whatever quarry they have been success at and can therefore be difficult to switch them off of that quarry. I would think that lizards being so common would be difficult for a young accipiter to pass up. But, just as they learn not to eat certain butterflies or caterpillars because they taste very bad, they can also learn to focus on prey because it is easily taken and readily available. Thinking along that line, I suppose you could bag a young eyas accip on lizards that you have some tainted their taste..so that the first chance they get focused on catching one, that it taste so bad they may not want to try another one. A few instances of this and it might not have any interest in them from then on.

Yes, I though about taking an eyes, but that is not a possibility. I will only be there from January till June. If I was not so transient I would be interested flying a eyes gabar or shikra. When I hunt out in really sandy brush there tends to be less lizards around and I have had some succesful sparrow hunts there. When hunting in rocky areas or near towns there are usually to many lizards for a passage to be interested in birds. Turumtis do not have any interest in Lizards, so it seems it would be a good option. I have a good falconer friend their who might be willing to help me fly a cast or even a trio if I have the luck in trapping so many passages. I generally don't keep more than one hawk at a time but a cast would be an good exception. I will be back in the US in June and would love to get into it in the US. Unfortunately I will be limited to a kestrel or red-tail, I guess I will get a chance to fly a kestrel to my fullest ability. I'll be in Spokane. What are the laws in Washington as far as keeping a kestrel goes, here I am used to keeping hawks on indoor perches since theft is so prevalent (even for locked mews) would I be able to do like wise in the US, or would I need to build a mews? If I settled down for more than a few years I would definitely want to build a good mews and weathering area.

Thanks,
Stephen