You're CLEANING a FALCON'S FEET with WHAT?! Part 1.

Wow - how'd the week go by so quickly???
Today's episode features 'Scirocco', 'Mohave' and the Falcon's Rest "pack"!
We'll be thoroughly covering the proper techniques for cleaning your Feathered-companion's feet, and touching on (see what I did there???) the important reasons why its necessary to include this in your weekly list of "housekeeping" chores.
Good stewardship requires ongoing vigilance for the early signs of pressure-sores, hunting-related talon injuries, and - of course, Bumblefoot (pododermatitis). This means regular cleaning of perching surfaces in the mews is also an imperative where protecting the health of your Feathered-companion's feet is concerned. Cleaning those talons is only half the job!
So grab a cup of coffee, make yourself comfortable, and let's do a bit of foot-scrubbing!
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Music licensed through Soundstripe.
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Links:
The Art of Falconry, by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen tinyurl.com/yyavjggk
A Glancing overview of Falconry (via PBS): www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/raptor...
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Your guide is Journeyman Falconer Joanne Bentley, a practitioner with over 15 years experience in the handling and schooling of birds-of-prey, and her support-team of assistants including Joseph Norris, Andrew & Megan Lemon, Chris Wright, and Bruce Lane.
With light-hearted humour and a gentle, informational approach, Jo will guide you in understanding the techniques of “winning” one’s Feathered-companion - first in earning their willingness to work with us, then - in our case - to work for the eye of the camera.
Jo's desire is to inspire established and new participants, wildlife enthusiasts, birders, and the wider public. This passionate Journeyman Falconer seeks to inform and introduce humanity to the intangible “living human-heritage” (UNESCO 2010) to which every one of us may lay claim through the Art of Falconry.
Thank you for watching!
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All business inquiries: [e-mail]

[@jantirpak7902]

Good evening Joanne, great video. Your procedure is very precise. I'm afraid to use soap. That's why I wash my feet with predators, only with clean water. In the end I cream my feet with balm for hoof horses with disinfectant effect. I have never had problems with foot infection yet. Have a nice week. I see there are changes in the video, but that's good. JT

[@toomignon]

Love all the practical examples of the work involved! Appreciate you so much!

[@gtsteele6219]

Joanne, watching your care for these birds "my heart soars like a hawk".

[@TheFalconLady]

Good evening GT Steele; Lovely to hear from you - thanks so much for the support and encouragement...got a great big smile on my face knowing this was your "take away" feeling from today's episode. Lots of amazing and *fun* content on its way, so please stay tuned, and please share us with all your social-media friends and Falconry colleagues! :0) Best, Jo

[@mikevalente4484]

You are very informative and helpful that is great 👍 I do this for my racing pigeons. I find that if the birds are healthy the bird feet are warmer and repel dirt and grime thanks for your input. Love your videos and enjoy what you do

[@gregoryh4601]

Thanks again Joanne for the spa treatment on the birds of Prey. Hope all is well up northwest. God Bless

[@TheFalconLady]

Good afternoon Gregory; Thank you for stopping in and sharing your day with us! :0) Please share our latest episode with all your social-media friends and neighbours! Have an awesome week, Jo

[@ramsayward6582]

Thanks for another great and informative Falconry video Jo. I particularly enjoyed Mohave being grumpy and objecting to the foot scrub. My Redtailed hawk does the same when cleaning his feet and it was comforting to see you using the same 'toe holding' method, and the need to be careful around the hawks feet. I've had a Redtail's 'handshake' 4 times in 13 years of Falconry and it's an extremely painful experience. They are very powerful birds. Keep up the good work and stay safe.

[@TheFalconLady]

Good afternoon Ramsay; Wonderful to hear from you - thank you for sharing your experience with your Red Tail. We'd love to see some photos of you - how about uploading some shots in the community tab? What is your Feathered-one's name? :0) Best, Jo

[@ShelliG]

Delayed watching this because it is so long...but did enjoy it when I could make the time!

[@TheFalconLady]

Good morning Shelli; Thank you for stopping in to the channel to enjoy last Monday's episode - we've got a great one scheduled for 1pm today, so please come have a cup of coffee with me then! Best, Jo

[@braunmcash3117]

Great stuff. So important to understand how a human companion must do things for the feathered that they would normally accomplish in the wild.

[@KitisTheMandalorian]

Love the new soundtrack! 0:52 Mohave giving you a back pat LOL. Great vid!

[@lexiequirie7915]

I would love to learn more about bird behavior both good and bad and how a falconer should to react to them. Also what a falconer can do to prevent bad behaviors from forming, such as too much feeding from the fist etc. I have been a vet tech most of my life and trained dogs, horses and other mammals but b.o.p are a whole other ballgame. I'll be trapping a RTH this fall and I'm busy reading as much as I can of course but I love videos and get a lot out of seeing the behaviors with my own eyes. Thanks so much for all the time you put into sharing with others. It is much appreciated :)

[@TheFalconLady]

Good morning Lexie; Thanks so much for stopping in to the channel - the Feathered and I definitely appreciate you too! Behaviour in birds-of prey is about as big a topic as body-language - I'm thinking I'll have to add the discussion to my list of upcoming episodes! The core thing to bear in mind when working intimately with a Feathered companion is these are emotionally complete beings, as are dogs, horses, and virtually any other non-human being you're likely to cross paths with, (just refer to Monty Roberts Equus Online University to see just how true this is...he is the Master of "new school" animal-handling, without a doubt.) Raptors have moods, preferences, days when they're "into" you, and days when they're not. It is our clumsiness, _our_ inattention to their signalling which is almost always the source of non-preferable behaviours, (at least, _most_ of the time this is the case...some raptors are "not nice people"...more on that later.). Feeding on the fist is *not* a cause of bad behaviour; recall our predecessors over the last 8,000+ years have fed virtually every raptor suitable for Falconry on their fist. In point of fact, the gauntlet/the fist *must* be viewed by your Feathered companion as the "safe place" - the sanctuary - which is always available to them. Food on the fist, then, must then be viewed as a good place to be...the place where the _relationship_ you seek with them began, and is restored anew. I've got a feeling you'd enjoy spending a couple of days with "Team Feathers", myself and a small handful of other students of Falconry in my 2-day "Intro to Falconry" course. It was originally scheduled for mid-May, however - owing to certain world events, I've had to postpone it to late August/early September. In addition to the large chunk of "hands-on" work with the Feathered, we delve deep into the philosophy of the Art you've become a link in the chain of. It'd be great to meet you and talk "field sense" with you - do let me know if you'd like some more information on this programming. :0) There'll incidentally be a brand new episode on Monday where I'll be discussing the fundamentals of Falconry, so I'll look forward to hearing from you again then. In the meantime, please keep safe! Best, Jo

[@freebirdofreason1994]

Thank you for this detail on foot cleaning besides the fantastic info I was mesmerised by the connection between you both the way you know the birds thoughts He really did seem to enjoy it .Nice clean feet. The second bird was fantastic I could feel the connection you had .sorry can't remember their names . Beautiful creatures. Keep up the good work. Hope you're all ok .Looks fantastic with the snow.

[@TheFalconLady]

Good evening (morning???) Freebird; Lovely to hear from you...your message is just beautiful, truly. :0) Its a bit of a "side effect" which comes from spending so much intimate time with the Feathered; you'll pick up a great deal from simply sitting and watching them, but mainly this knowledge comes from the work - the "paying of dues", in putting in the day-to-day, moment-to-moment contact with them. Every day. *That* is where you benefit from the innumerable lessons of reading body-language. ...and...its _also_ true you learn the hard way, sometimes, as you walk along the road of Falconry. ;0) Thanks so much for stopping in, my friend. We'd love it if you'd help us get the word out, so please let your friends know about our latest episode. Best, Jo

[@freebirdofreason1994]

@@TheFalconLady Thank you . Have a nice day

[@YARAKX]

Birds of prey are such beautiful animals!

[@pakfloormaintenance.6428]

Very nice

[@denisewingate7989]

Thank you for the thorough video! The first time I cleaned my redtail’s feet I thought for sure he would try to foot me. Turns out he likes it and just sits there all floofy and happy. My first bird so the only thing that was easy. 😊

[@TheFalconLady]

Good evening Denise; Thanks so much for sharing your appreciation - I'm truly happy to know we hit on the most important points, and conveyed the techniques thoroughly. :0) There's something inherently intimidating about a Red Tail's feet, isn't there...? I've had eagles on the glove, and only felt incredible awe and honest wonder at the power in their talons, which in pretty much every case I can recall, were _incongruously_ 'light' and careful as they stood there gazing back at me... Red tails just have an authoritative way of standing on the fist, a posture and attitude like a stocky little "prize fighter" - tough as nails, and ready for action! (lol) One does well to _always_ be mindful of those feet! Thanks again for sharing some time with us today - I've got lots of great content planned for the weeks ahead, so I'll look forward to chatting with you again. Be safe and well, Jo

[@16frankieboy]

Hi Jo I have started using dr brunner soap had to get it shipped to uk but really cleans well. After I use F10 ointment barrier cream for all the little nicks and scratches. Also if bumble foot starts catch early with F10 oniment barrier cream it really help to stop it and fix’s it. Also Vera gel is also used a lot on feet keeps them nice a soft not dry.

[@TheFalconLady]

Good afternoon Antonio; This is fantastic information! Thank you for sharing this with everyone - is F10 a UK product, or can it be purchased widely? I've heard of using Aloe Vera gel as a protective/moisturizing option, thank you for reminding me about that. 😉 Have a great day, Jo

[@16frankieboy]

The Falcon Lady it looks like it’s a European thing.

[@TheFalconLady]

@@16frankieboy Hi again Antonio - is there somewhere (online) you'd recommend for finding it? Best, Jo

[@ronposuniak942]

That is the cleanest Red Taileds' feet I believe I've ever seen. What happened to Leah? You have snow, the trees down here are already leafing out.. Keep on keeping on, looking good! Ron

[@TheFalconLady]

Good afternoon Ron; Thank you for stopping in to the channel - definitely great to know we're offering useful insights to experienced folks as well as to the newcomers. :0) Please refer to the discussion in the Community tab regarding my former assistant. Best, Jo

[@TheQuestingBeastSpotted]

Hibitane is quite drying, it's a good idea to give it a rinse with plain water after using it.

[@ambriimoonstone4180]

Yall great together!!!

[@TheFalconLady]

Good morning Wizardly420 - thanks so much for the love! Hope you're safe & well - please spread the word about our latest episode! Best, Jo

[@ambriimoonstone4180]

@@TheFalconLady gladly keep up the good work

[@HawkMother]

I miss hawking in the snow.....

[@TheFalconLady]

Good afternoon Karen; ...It has a unique magic of its own, doesn't it? :0) Thanks so much for stopping by - please share our latest video with all your social-media friends and neighbours! Best, Jo

[@jujucattys156]

my fhh and ak love it

[@richardjones4080]

I know he wasn't in the best of moods but still wow seeing Moe up close to the camera you can see how big and powerful and ok magnificent he is

[@TheFalconLady]

Good afternoon Richard; So glad to know you could stop by the channel today - thank you! Being up-close with 'Mohave' never gets old - I sincerely hope there'll come a day when I can introduce you to him! :0) Please share the link for today's episode with all your social-media friends & neighbours - we'd love some help with getting the word out! Best, Jo

[@richardjones4080]

@@TheFalconLadyhow long is the flight there from the UK

[@richardjones4080]

@@TheFalconLady apologies for seeming possibley a bit obsessed with the big guy but as I said in a previous message he reminds me of something between a golden and a red kite ohh btw was good to see under his wings see how to identify 1 in the sky not that we have them over here or I don't think so anyway

[@TheFalconLady]

@@richardjones4080 Good evening Richard; The flights are about 9.5 - 10 hrs, sometimes a bit quicker when the jet-stream is "on your six", (flight crew had us arriving something like 20+ minutes early owing to the tail-wind on the flight I took back in 2014!). Best, Jo

[@TheFalconLady]

@@richardjones4080 I'm happy to know 'Mohave' has his very own cheering-squad, Richard, no worries! Oh...how I _do_ love Red kites...beautiful, beautiful beings... :0) Best, Jo

[@Aaron65444]

so what is to stop the bird from using his beak or lunging forward?

[@user-wt4tv6li1w]

That's not affordable in my country what can I do instead

[@StoneE4]

Do you recommend a particular hardness for the toothbrush? If so does that differ from bird to bird?

[@TheFalconLady]

Good afternoon StoneE4; Great question! I tend to favour the soft, or medium toothbrushes; as is the case for use on our own teeth, the hard-bristle toothbrushes can actually do a *_lot_* more harm than "good", (ask any dentist...they scratch the bezeeesus out of the enamel!). Working perpendicularly to the scales on their legs and toes, and by working the toothbrush sideways in addition to up and down, (under their talons), there's not a lot to be gained by taking a hard-bristle brush to our Feathered-one's feet. :0) I hope this clarifies things for you - thanks so much for sharing your day with us, and please share us with your Falconry community and social-media friends! Best, Jo

[@StoneE4]

@@TheFalconLady - Thank you for your reply and for your informative videos. I just found your channel and so far I'm really enjoying it... Keep up the good work. 👍

[@buttholio88]

If you see the bird doesn't like it why would you still continue?

[@TheFalconLady]

Good afternoon Malte T.; Thank you for your question. Sometimes we have to do things - like cleaning their talons, which are for their own good, but which - of course - they also "don't like". This is the case for casting them - for any reason. No raptor "likes" being cast-up; they don't understand why its happening, and probably don't fully grasp we're acting for their good when we do it. Few people I know appreciate having a dentist mining around in their teeth, but they put up with it knowing at the end of it all they'll be better off, but our Feathered companions cannot know we mean them no harm. They realize the _benefit_ of our actions, in this case, caring for their feet to ensure bumblefoot or other issues aren't setting in, and they're within their rights to demonstrate their displeasure (as 'Mohave' did - at which point, I ceased my efforts having achieved much of what I'd set out to do). It doesn't change the fact that, as a good-steward, one must sometimes ask our Feathered-one to endure something they wouldn't otherwise seek out for themselves. I hope this answers your question - have a good weekend. Best, Jo