A Hooded Falcon

Falconry is the "art" of hunting wild prey with birds. Falconry has been around since about 2200 BC in China and at least 1700 BC in other areas. So humans have been capturing these birds and training them for a long time.

Saturday a young man caught two falcons on the farm. They are, I think, peregrine falcons (but I am not sure). He will train the falcons. He has a permit to do this as required by state law. My husband gave him permission to look for wild falcons on the farm.

This is the falcon with a hood on. The hood will have to stay on for a while until the bird is used to the man.

As you can see, the bird is not very big.

This is the wing span of the falcon. The bird looks much like a dove from afar. I've probably seen the bird many times but did not realize what it was.



A front shot of the bird.


I am not sure how I feel about this. I looked up falconry in Virginia and found the Virginia Falconers' Association. It says most falconers consider themselves to be conservationists because they try to protect the environment for these and other birds. It is an old activity, thousands of years old, and the birds are still here, so I suppose it is probably okay. However, I do not think wild things should be tamed for sport, so for that reason I have mixed feelings about it.

You just never know what will go on around here.