Falconry: Tidbitting in the field. Is your hawk training you?

This falconry video explains how tidbitting in the field can cause a bird to loose motivation to hunt and how your bird can actually learn to manipulate you and control your behavior.This video also discusses how to get your hawk to follow you.

[@JeremyThePlayer88]

I remember reading an article that talks about the fact that the Falconer eventually figures out that he/she is being trained. I read up on a Golden Eagle that was perched on a man's glove. One day, while hunting with his bird, he decided to hold out his glove without food. The eagle reacted, and started carrying on as she were saying, "Why didn't you give me food, here's what I'm going to do to you now!" So, the eagle was infuriated with the Falconer, all because she flew all the way to the glove for nothing! The biggest mistake the Falconer made was that he offered food every single time the eagle flew to his glove, instead of every other time or once every couple of flights. So now, the eagle got in the habit of thinking, "every time this person hold's out a glove, food magically appears". Then the eagle adjusted to that routine. Just like you said, all birds of prey take an opportunity for an easy kill, and a glove takes way less effort than trying to subdue prey! If the Falconer had started out offering food half the time, or once every 2 flights to the glove, then the situation would have been completely different. I didn't really think of just abandoning a hawk if it were perched on a power pole without hunting for anything! In reality, the hawk should realize that I'm enticing it to follow me instead getting in the habit of perching somewhere just so that I can hold out my glove. If the hawk follows me, then I can flush out prey in a different location. Then I'd be helping the hawk instead of being trained by the hawk! And all this proves that a hawk can use its intelligence to figure things out. I'd say, two can play at that game! I just simply walk away, its as simple as that! Who would've thunk it?

[@username-fx8pe]

A hawks journal: I love my parents. Not so much my sister My parents abandoned me and my sister left. I am sad. I got over it. A scary thing caught me. I’m going to die. Never mind, it gave me food. It must like me. I like it. It is stupid though...

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

eXpcat love it!!!

[@FalconsLedge]

This is a great topic, and something I've spoken with my apprentice about (I wonder where I got it?) I've also noticed that when hunting I've noticed that sometimes my birds bate seemingly out of instinct, like: "hey, I haven't seen game from this perch for a while, I'm going to move to another perch." Kind of behavior, I really didn't understand it for a while, but I'm starting to better now.

[@FalconsLedge]

Also, this is a big reason why it is important for apprentices to not get stuck on creance, or even free flying to the fist for too long. This "When I see that human I fly to them for food" game is all they know and all they're really interested in because its convenient, and easy. Naturally follow the counsel of your mentor.

[@angelorosario8417]

Thanks for all your vids on maintaining a hawk (and ourselves as Falconers) in good condition both inside and out! Happy Hawking!

[@jantirpak7902]

Hi Ben, the way of training a bird of prey when a falconer walks and a hawk flies from tree to tree in our country we call "free tracking". The hawk is called on the glove only when the falconer flies over. Then he understands that he must be in front of the falconer to get a reward. And that's right, because if a falconer walks, the prey will fly in front of you and not behind you. A hawk in front of a falconer is an advantage. This is how the golden eagle is trained to hunt in the forest. The hawk is in better condition as it always takes off and lands. At glove arrivals and departures, only one or two times the wings. Such "free tracking" lasts even an hour, and is called on the glove 3 or 4 times. For goshawks this is the most natural way to hunt. With a golden eagl falconer does not wear a few pounds on the glove. It has a more beautiful experience of walking with predators.

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Ján Tirpák that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing the insight. And the phrasing “free tracking” makes sense. I’ll have to adopt that term and share it.

[@FalconsLedge]

In the US we call that "following on"

[@keatonditchfield8437]

I absolutely love your videos and talks!!!!

[@Sunsaintsandwaves]

I’m not a falconer yet, but this seems like golden advice.

[@oldsagerat]

Hey Ben. I love your videos. You have knowledge and a gift for sharing it. Honestly, I thought this one was a little condescending with the goofy voices. Cool walaby hide on the wall !

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

oldsagerat after I posted it and watched it, I noticed that too and worried it might come across as condescending. It wasn’t my intention to seem that way. So I’m sorry it seemed as such. I’ll watch for that in future videos.

[@mamiiicab9184]

😊👍👍👍Merci beaucoup pour video!

[@dakotaadra1044]

I am not yet a falconer, but I have always been confused by the hunting methods used with red tailed hawks. I thought buteos commonly hunt by soaring in the wild, not just from a perch. However, I never hear about anybody soaring their hawks. Wouldn't this have a similar effect to the hunting methods employed with falcons?

[@benwoodrufffalconry]

Dakota Adra buteos do hunt from a soar, but they prefer to hunt a productive field from a perch if they can, as it conserves energy. Falcons are typically hunting birds in the wild, so the advantage is to be on the wing. While buteos are mostly rodent hunters and we see that perching works well for them. Kestrels (a falcon) are mostly rodent hunters, so they have adopted more of a perch hunting style like buteos. One thing to know, birds of prey bare UV light. So rodent urine looked fluorescent pink to them. So usually when a buteo is soaring around, they are not hunting for food, but hunting for a field where they see lots of splotches if pink. Once they find that, they will find a suitable perch and hunt the field. If there are no piles or trees available, then they will, of course, hunt from a soar. Now that being said, a buteo can absolutely be trained to wait-on like a falcon. But it is rarely done. The halfway in between training that works wonderfully is usually termed “soar hawking” and requires wind and a hill. The falconer trains the bird to do this and releases them at the top of the hill. The hawk turns into the wind and remains motionless, allowing the wind over the wings to create the lift. They are motionless like a drone and you flush rabbits below them. As you walk down wind, they adjust to keep directly over you. It is a highly effective form of buteo hunting. I will try to get a video out about that technique this fall.

[@frigginchi]

You gotta work on your English accent. lol ;)