Falconry: The risks nobody talks about

This falconry video discusses the risks and dangers in falconry that nobody talks about. It discusses how a falconer's responsibilities are different from other raptor-related care such as zoos, bird banders, rehabilitators and wildlife educators.
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[@oldschoolhawking8191]

Great subject Ben. I've been pretty lucky in my falconry career. I never had a bird electrocuted, shot, hit by a car or killed by another predator. But I had birds that simply flew away and I had a few that died from contracting a disease from sick quarry. Heartbreaking, to say the least.

[@mixedup72]

I use risk management when it comes to falconry. Risk management is identifying the risk and then trying to come up with a plan that lowers the risk. For example flying a red tail in my area is a low risk. There is plenty of game, and they are the largest bird of prey in my area. I am less likely to lose my bird to another bird of prey. A kestrel would be high risk. Too many Coopers Hawks and not enough starling slips.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Love that! That’s an incredibly wise way approach.

[@jonahmcbride934]

Every Falconer I know has lost birds in the ways you have described. It is one of the not so glamourous sides of falconry.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

And simultaneously the very things that happen to them in the wild as well. But falconry forces you to see how tough they have it in the wild

[@jasongustafson1824]

These events can be heartbreaking for sure. Another heartbreak that comes with falconry is the loss of favorite hunting spots to development.

[@danhughes3626]

True fucking story

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

So very true!!!! That is a type of pain I think few people understand outside of falconry. At such a site, you witnessed and participated in the ebb and flow of nature. The epic dance of death and life. Where wild things lived wild and you were part of it. And then BLAM it suddenly gets mowed down and turned into 10,000 apartments.

[@danhughes3626]

@@benwoodrufffalconry see it's not just me I wonder if that happens only in us

[@KikiYushima]

I'm not a falconer and there's no way I could probably ever be one, especially right now as I don't drive and definitely don't have the budget to care for a bird. I do follow falconers on social media, though, and they show those extremely low lows. Recently one of the falconers I follow lost one of his peregrines which was absolutely devastating to him, no doubt. I may not understand the bond between a raptor and a human, but I understand the bond between a human and animal in general. Putting my dog down a while back left me unable to even get out of bed some mornings. I can't imagine how crippling it would be to lose a falcon you put hundreds of hours into training and thousands of hours into flying.

[@frigginchi]

You can do it!

[@iamarat]

I can’t drive yet either. (In the process of learning) I was thinking about how I’d care for a bird for so long but I’ve seen many people will train a bird and hunt with them for a season and release them after.

[@jaralest4229]

I'm just getting into falconry and this video helps a lot understand what falconry is all about. It's not just a bird that you can fly, it's so much more, including the ups and downs. I'm experiencing mostly the same with our rabbits. We've been having rabbits for more than 2 years now. They are born in the hutch and as soon as they are no longer fed by their mother, they live freely in the garden over the summer. And every now and then, one of them get's lost, strangles itself, gets eaten by martens, gets RHD..it's heartbreaking, but it's a piece of the wild that rabbits experience out there all day.

[@adamhorton2361]

Had the same problem took a year off cause it was hard, did all i could. Screens, citronella plants around mew still had a mosquito get in and give my red tail west nile and with in a week she died,she was eight. We could read each others thoughts it seemed. We were so in tune with each other.

[@dennistsiorbas5962]

Thx for sharing this.

[@silvesby]

To lock eyes with another animal and see into its soul.. and to have it stare back into yours knowingly. It's a very special privilege. I'm so sorry you had to lose such a friend. I hope things are okay

[@smushles19]

Never knew insects could kill a bird like that (not a falconer)

[@kristensorensen2219]

#99👍👏🤷I regularly use calls to interact with many birds. The red tail flys by and I call to it and it changes course in response. A happy Stellar Jay flufs up when it anticipates I am calling because I have a nut for it.💖Great talk about the ups & downs that is life with Raptors.🎉

[@christian3514]

I just whistle and little click noises from the mouth to the hawks that fly around my work to the birds at a Walmart parking lot😂 love em, at work we have juvenile red tails that nest in one of the satellite towers and they have been squawking to beat the band

[@davemyers7507]

You have the best raptor videos out there thanks for the viewing 🎉🎉

[@codycox2685]

I really needed to hear this. What a privilege. Can't wait!!!

[@gregorywojtera7283]

Excellent videos with very good points!

[@ironbizmark2174]

best ever advice on falconry been toying with the idea of owing a Hawk for around 8 years now however never heard these gems

[@fusedvirus8879]

Great video! Thanks for all you do!

[@JenJolley-ix7bi]

Thanks as always Ben.

[@InterdyneInternationalK-9]

Great Channel Ben. Nice Job👍 Very Glad to have found you. Cheers ! Best Always, Bruce ~ 🐾🐾✌️

[@NathenDanforth]

Ben, this is an absolutely outstanding video. Thank you.

[@matwho2471]

Great content as always!

[@njfalconry]

Just lost my Gos to a power line last week.. So frustrating but it was completely out of my control it just sucks after the countless hours I put into him to just end in a second

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Exactly. It is such a unique loss compared to a pet dying. All the countless hours and weeks and months of work, all the success and joy, and then just in a single moment…. All over. My heart goes out to you!

[@professorcool4454]

Great video as always Ben. Would love to see a video on the nuisances of how you do a trade off. Such as a regular trade off vs if you’re trying to do multiples and does it vary species to species? Hope all is well and happy holidays.

[@maksymnovytskyi8786]

Thank You for Your work

[@Renaevannatta]

I want to do falconry but my boyfriend is really sensitive and was worried what if something happens to it, so I hope this helps him become more open to the idea! Ty for sharing!

[@ABWatchdog519]

im just learning about falconry! i enjoy this content!

[@evelynshaw3932]

Great video and information. I love baby monkeys and by watching videos on youtube I learn how hard nature can be on these animals. Then when you explained in details the hardships for birds my knowledge expanded even more. I hate that everything has to fight for it's existents.

[@geraldblaney8957]

love these

[@deanguando1335]

A total commitment.

[@mamiiicab9184]

Super video! Merci beaucoup! 😊👍👍👍

[@richardbrown6278]

sad but true lost a falcon breeder HH and her 3 young this year to predators broke my hart but a falconer friend if mine gave me two of his birds love a tight nit group

[@jantirpak7902]

Vynikajúce video, tento kanál odporúčam všetkým mojim sokoliarským učňom.

[@Barakon]

I want to connect with parrots! The real symbols of Freedom! Squawwwwwwwwwwwk!

[@afterhrs4805]

I love it !!!!!!

[@wesleyworley8982]

Just like a dog, cat, or other animal - you develop a bond that is going to hurt one day when they pass on. Make sure all the other days make the pain worth enduring.

[@EminBastea]

nice life lesson

[@beardedfalconer1173]

Just had a kestrel die on me last night. As a second year apprentice it was incredibly heart breaking but my sponsor told me generally the same thing you are saying

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

So sorry to hear this!!!! My heart goes out to you. We feel your pain. Stay strong and hope you can get a new bird whenever is right for you.

[@beardedfalconer1173]

@@benwoodrufffalconry thank you so much it was devastating he literally died in my hands. Hopefully I’ll trap another soon

[@kevinparker461]

Live stock is dead stock on occasions.

[@oldschoolhawking8191]

I had a few trapped kestrels die on me when I was a new falconer. I found out that trapped kestrels have a delicate dietary system. They need to be fed mice and sparrows only. Other foods like beef or chicken, lack the nutrients needed to keep them alive. Eyases on the other hand, thrive on beef hearts, chicken livers and other store-bought meats, it seems to be sufficient alternatives.

[@Hystart2004]

@@oldschoolhawking8191 You can only feed them mice and sparrows. Even young quail are not enough. Have had 100s of the little guys. Bad falconry bird for sure! Waste of time. RT or HH. Trust me on this. As a master falconer, and an old one, Sparks are for Masters not newbies

[@troy5292]

Great topic. And one not many that are not familiar with falconry understand from the inside perspective. It may have been worth tossing in some more of the pro's for the birds by becoming falconry birds. Such as only being able to keep passage birds that have not taken a mate, and that something like 80% of passage birds in the wild do not survive their first winter, they get vet care for various parasites, diseases, etc. that would potentially kill a wild bird. Often falconers try to help trapped birds that are released while looking for better falconry birds. I saw one falconer looking for RTH that would dust them with 7 dust (I think) to treat them for mites and other parasites, and you (or another video) removed glue from a bird's talons from a bird trying to eat a rodent from a glue trap. Birds trained by falconers become better and more confident hunters, such as training Kestrels to hunt birds with more success. Heck, that could be its own full video if you don't already have a dedicated video covering all these topics.

[@sprk11]

awesome vid. Yes I have avoided certain areas because of many of these things. Hunters are my second biggest fear. My first is other predators . I have packed up and moved to a different area because I saw Lynx and on one occasion momma and cubs ( that was way to cool by the way) coyotes and fox are always on my mind . Have even left because of bears but that was as much for my own safety too. I am lucky enough to be in an area where finding places to hunt helps me avoid many of the manmade issues but it's always there. Even fences are something to be aware of.

[@shannonherb2048]

I totally understand. Almost thesaurus as owners of hunting dogs. They are tools not pets. We take care of tools. Sometimes they die.

[@ethanovenell2173]

it is really hard to lose a bird. i lost my grasshopper buzzard on its first free flight. she few over the village next to use and got shot down by kids with slingshots. I've never successfully flown another bird of prey.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

So tragic. It is sad how things can change so quickly. From a great day with a great bird to a tragic loss.

[@sherizaahd]

I'm sure this isn't what you're talking about, but an Owl (I think) ate one of my chickens recently and the great tragedy is that I didn't get to see it happen... the chicken was super old and took to just lying around in the yard sleeping. It's like she was asking for it.

[@Hystart2004]

Good video, big difference between a real falconer and pet keeper

[@thegg5097]

Great vid Ben. Can you expand on how the wasp sting killed the bird? I've never heard of this before. Was it allergic to the toxins maybe?

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

I had never heard of it either. But one of my mentors, a truly legendary falconer, has had it happen to a couple of his falcons over the years. He says they do okay unless the sting is on the face or head, and if they get stung there, it does something to their brain.

[@teslawhite]

My kestrel was stung on the face and died as well. I couldn't believe it.

[@davidcummings7136]

Houndsmen know this well.

[@LilRocker2005]

I would love to learn how to become a falconer, but my falcon of choice would be an owl!

[@yvonnerogers6429]

🙏

[@umarxonamriyev3244]

I had a female sparrowhawk. I was training it for free flight. But unfortunately, one day she became a dinner of a local wild cat. That was horrible

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

So sorry for your loss!!!! Nothing harder than loosing a good bird like that.

[@anitacoogan4822]

Thank you for sharing this perspective makes sense. In Newark when I see a wild Peregrine Falcon catch a pigeon, woodcock, songbird I am okay with it as it is nature. It gets me upset when the migrating birds must pass through the city and die due to the glass with the gulls quickly gulping them up as the glass is what made the scenario. A friend & I rescue birds when they migrate thru the city, birds hit the glass skyscrapers or fall to the cement, most do not survive impact. A youtube shows us in Newark NJ kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZvboIlsa9V2ma8 and kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6jTZKCrpdSFr9E of us picking up injured Warblers.

[@larrydotson2625]

The REAL risk that no one talks about is falling in love.

[@davidwarriors5419]

In a 2 week span I " lost" a 7 yr old aplomado and an imprint coops to the same red tail.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Ugh!!!!! That’s absolutely devastating! You know the pain all too well.

[@thekidsonly]

I have lost a RT to a gold eagle once. I was more upset about the eagle getting my transmitter than the hawk. Like I tell people, nature happens. A friend of mine HH was taken out by a coyote a few seasons back.

[@fayaztalpur7895]

Can u be kind enough to tell me the solution of getting rid of bird flu

[@fayaztalpur7895]

What can I do if my bird get bird flu ??

[@matsfreedom]

Birds of prey tend to live on the edge. One bad day, and some other predator will end their existence quickly. In Montana grouse country not long ago, 7 falcons were killed by Golden eagles in one season. There are no guarantees out there.

[@patchdavis35]

I'd like to emphasize that EVERY wild animal lives "on the edge" EVERY SINGLE DAY. That's how nature works.

[@Barakon]

Can psittacury exist? (Falconry but with parrots instead of birds of prey).

[@teslawhite]

It's not advisable to jess a parrot, their legs aren't as strong and resilient as a bird that uses them for killing. My macaw could take a finger off with her beak, but her legs would break if I put her on a creance. Parrots CAN be trained to fly free, however they aren't as motivated by food and would need transmitters because if they fly away someone is keeping it or it is starving, unlike a hawk which can hunt for food immediately. I do have a harness and line for my macaw but I don't let her off the leash because the risks are so great for her. She is completely prey in this environment and not predator at all.

[@Barakon]

@@teslawhite ur there are aviary harnesses that could be used in a jess’ stead.

[@russellsmith1180]

Been watching wildlife command centre the way he puts tail bells on Harris hawks was barbaric no wonder the bird fell down in the field not able to hunt wot master falconer learnt him to put tail bells on like that wants to lose there license not the right way to treat a Harris hawk .

[@falcongaming7984]

Maybe in America, they are theses risk and people worry about it, but not in the uk, nobody worries about any of this. I’ve done falconry for 30+ years and I’ve only had one accident. All of theses risk nobody talks about them because of how extremely low they are. There are risk in everything you do in life but nobody talks about them because it’s to low to worry about.

[@teslawhite]

When I read UK facebook groups birds fly off literally everyday and someone is asking why their bird died. So...I don't know what circles you're in but what I've seen is a ton of ignorance from people that just go buy a bird that is dead in a month.

[@Indubidably0]

I live rural and keep chickens. We have golden eagles and red tailed hawks in abundance in my area. Instead of shooting them like a lot of people do, I started luring crows and ravens to my property. They police the raptors away from my livestock, and nothing has to die for it. I get angry with people who shoot raptors and have had more than a few hard words with other old boys who don't share that consideration. I've shown a few fellow farmers and homesteaders how to lure crows and ravens for the same purpose.