Falconry: Passage accipiters

[@shable1436]

This is the vid I've been looking for, a sensible outline on falconry for the uninitiated. Yet in depth enough for the beginners

[@saqdiheru]

Bro i love the intro song. Its very fitting for the content you discuss.

[@lanekobel6006]

Bro I love your intro, please never change it!

[@lexiequirie7915]

Thank you for these! I never leave a comment but I watch every video. I’m in my second year of falconry here in Mew Mexico. I have the best sponsor and do whatever he says but it’s good to hear others experiences. Maybe one day I’ll make it Utah to hunt. It’s a great state. One of my favorites for sure. Anywho, thank you!

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

It is always wise to follow your sponsor of course. Additionally I always remind people that there is no one person who knows it all and no one single correct way to do falconry. So the best scenario is to listen to and follow your sponsee while you learn the ropes while simultaneously being open to other perspectives. Sounds like you yourself have a fabulous sponsor and a great head on your shoulders when approaching the sport!

[@barnabyandanthonysofficial1497]

I think its a lovely intro song, Ben :)

[@willfish9843]

Thanks again Ben for another rock solid vid. Got a chamber raised Finn Gos. Working hard. Long Island NY. Cheers

[@adambomb57]

Lovely video. Thanks

[@oldschoolhawking8191]

I flew goshawks for 24 years, mainly eyas birds. But I did obtain a passage female goshawk that was a complete *Joy To Fly.* I too would recommend to anybody that loves flying goshawks, to try their hardest to get ahold of a passage bird, they would never regret it. 😎

[@jerlee620]

I didn’t know Zach Galifianakis was into falconry. How cool is that 🦅

[@bt8406]

I appreciate the knowledge on passage wildness and imprint laziness that we all know so well. Yeah dont mind the intro tune, maybe its more associated with the pain of video editing, lol. Thanks again for the superb knowledge that we all need to learn successful falconry. Accipiters are definitely my fave, Coopers! I have not worked with them, only Kestrel. Passage Goshawk sounds like a good future bird if the opportunity arises. Didnt think of the idea of leaving trap for the duration, until one is caught(as long as its watched daily, nice).

[@dimorrissey]

I like your intro music. I've been conditioned to expect good things when I hear it. ;)

[@mbjdno779]

Great video . Just ordered several books off of Western Sporting

[@thomasbergeaux2647]

The video we have all been waiting on 🙌🏼

[@francoisquintal2784]

I live in Québec and we can trap passage goshawk since 2018. I had the chance to fly 2 males redtail, one chamber raised and one passage. The différence is so amazing and you're video so inspiring, that I will fly a secretive canadian blonde one day ;) thanks for sharing you're advice! :)

[@kenna6903]

I like your intro song.

[@tyresesp9696]

Thank you so much for posting, Ben.🙂

[@BeneathTheGold]

Honestly in my opinion this fella is one of the coolest dudes on the internet. He’s into lots of cool stuff other than falconry. I could sit and listen to him talk about his hobby’s (pun totally intended) all day.

[@peterknaust7424]

Ben, love the channel, informative and inspiring. I have found great enjoyment in reading “A World On The Wing” by Scott Weidensaul. I never realized how migratory Raptors can be …

[@shable1436]

This passage and imprinting conversation reminds me of avatar imprinting, and how they connect their hair thingys to the flying or swimming thingys 😂 sorry i forgot their names. But when you made the gears with your fingers and rolled them, it struck me like lightening, oh shit, like avatar 😂

[@StickyRig]

Your intro song isn’t terrible. I like it, feels very fitting for the falconry videos. I have an odd question. What do you think of the viability in training a Mississippi Kite to be a true game hawk? I know it’d not be very effective compared to other commonly flown species, but as you’ve affirmed many times before, if you’re passionate enough about the species, why not?

[@ansiilvk7253]

I think kites are truly underrated and amazing.

[@jantirpak7902]

Hi Ben, great video. I prefer to fly with accipiters g. bred parents (capture from nature is not possible in our country). But I see the advantage of full imprints that they hunt at a higher weight. They can handle more prey because they have more energy. This is important when hunting for a jack rabit. Less likely to fly when hunting. Accipiter g. bred by parents and kept on hack (several weeks) is mentally more advanced and has more muscle mass. He is more agile in flying, he has better care for feathers, less vocalizations, he has respect for people - you can touch him anywhere, you can quickly learn to hood. They sit on the glove on the thumb (imprint also on the wrist).

[@lohikarhu734]

You are always so passionate about whatever species that you discuss, that its sometimes hard to get a good feeling for what bird that the *viewer* should look to ! There seem to be so many factors to consider that it's like getting a table to sit nice and stable, but, it has 6 or 8 legs that need to be correct! Accipiters seem like the bird for someone who has a LOT of time and space to train and hunt...buteos seem a bit less demanding of time and hunting time/space, falcons need space and more specific prey, .... Harris' seem to be a kind of 'hybrid' bird, in terms of training, hunting, prey, and demands on the falconer, but also seem to be, maybe, "underrated" in terms of the performance and fun they can be for a more dedicated falconer...sigh... but, at least, anyone watching your many videos can start to get a feel for some direction, thankfully, and I've found that your videos lead me to many others that show "real world" examples of how, where, when different birds are flown. Thanks so much for the massive amount of information and guidance that you provide to the interested!

[@phatteus]

Thanks for these very informative videos. I do not do the falconry but rather am a raptor monitor for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. One of my tasks is to find raptor nests and your videos are the best resource I have come across so far. If you have any other suggestions I would appreciate it! Plus we have speakers at our annual get ethers. If you would be interested, reach out and let me know.

[@deviljhodan9082]

Having worked with Buteos for the entirety of the three years I have been doing falconry (not including the Harris Hawks I worked with for actual work), this is great info on accipiters! I have always been cautious on doing imprinting, so learning passage accipiters is great too! I am keenly looking forward to your videos on Ferruginous Hawks! I want to move up to them as soon as I am able to, and the more I know going into it the better.

[@shanno-gall7818]

Love your videos, I have learned so much about my juvenile Accipiter Bradley Cooper, the Cooper’s hawk 🥰 thank you!!! Maybe you’ll know the answer, no one I know knows!!!.. the nub on the accipiters middle toe? “The killer toe” what is the actual name of that?

[@shable1436]

You named him Bradley 😂

[@koffiekaart1]

Dont change the intro music! Sounds happy..

[@johnstwistedego1]

Great video! Ben, I am dying to hear more about raptors that are not as commonly used for falconry. (Not unlike your Galapagos Hawk video) Your thoughts about potential prey, flight/hunting styles, and possible dynamics when navigating the raptor falconer relationship. Gotta put another vote into the black chested buzzard eagle. Does any bird smaller than a golden have a chance at being a viable goose hunter?

[@danhughes3626]

Hey what was golden eagle like to train and fly

[@danhughes3626]

How many birds do you have and fly What are they

[@thomasturner8759]

What about captive bred goshawk?

[@michaelday7101]

Is there any way I could email you?

[@posborne86]

Great video. I've been following your channel for a while as a pre-apprentice in Ontario. Would you be able to do a video on how you release passage birds? Also, maybe something which covers the pros and cons of passage vs bred birds with regards to apprenticeship? I ask because I am uncertain about how long falconers keep their birds. And how to find new owners for birds which are not allowed to be released (eg. anything that isn't a Sharpie, Cooper's, Merlin, Red-Tail, or Goshawk where i'm from).

[@lohikarhu734]

You mention that passage birds have learned through "the school of hard knocks" how to fly, manoeuvre, catch prey...I've read that it's quite a small percentage of raptors who live past their first year, so I wondered how many of the hawks have died, along the way, for each passage bird that survives?

[@featherspreaderinc3146]

It's often estimated at 90% mortality rate for wild raptors within first year.

[@pacodogtule]

Are passage raptors more wise to the dangers of larger raptors trying to kill them ? Experience during migration has made the passage wise. A passage seems safer to fly than a naive eyas. (Just asking a question I have a strong opinion of) 😈

[@SL-vx1sx]

I have a small captive-bred Harris juvenile male. A few weeks ago while we were training a very aggressive red tail decided to go after him. He gave off a war cry in warning, and I was about 200 feet across the field. I ran back as fast as I could. I had to call off the training that day as the red tail circled us for about 10 minutes after I ran her off. First she watched us from a tree for a few minutes before the circling behavior. Luckily, I haven't seen her since, but he keeps an eye out now. Even the local vultures will make him twitchy ever since.

[@Victor_SK]

Hi this is a question that google can not really answer, so how does one make a living off falconry? Or are there jobs that can fit 24/7 365 days a year?

[@fielddaisy9493]

I would ask that you study Falconry(laws, regs), you are not allowed to make money per say with Falconry, it is illegal. You can with other avenues that are similar to Falconry, such as abatement.

[@Victor_SK]

@@fielddaisy9493 I mean like a job to have while being a falconer

[@fielddaisy9493]

@@Victor_SK I would look into zoo's, abatement, rehab centers.

[@Victor_SK]

@@fielddaisy9493 ok I’m not a falconer yet but I am studying about it then eventually I will take the test, get the books to take the test and hopefully get my license

[@fielddaisy9493]

@@Victor_SK keep your head up high and I wish you the best of luck sir. I am studying as well and taking my test in a few months and will be starting falconry next year. I've spent the last eight months studying so far. Make sure to find a sponsor/mentor. They are the greatest thing you can ever have in your life for falconry.

[@StoneE4]

When working with a bird that you intend to release back into the wild do you train them the same way in regards to carrying their prey? Do you want that bird to be comfortable with a bald ape (or some other animal) approaching them while they are on the ground with their kill?

[@BeneathTheGold]

The intro musics cool Ben but its your channel, if you dont like it you can definitely change it. Im pretty certain you wont lose any viewers if you do change it.

[@lohikarhu734]

Just a tiny "typo" kind of thing: at about 7 minutes, you used the word "poignant", when I think you meant "pertinent" The music is fine, I'm here to hear and see your *content* ! Now, back to the video :-)