Raptors

This subject is very close to my heart and I spent many wonderful years training, flying and hunting with falcons, hawks and eagles and flying vultures, owls etc. I ran the third largest and most successful birds of prey centre here in the UK for 6years and as well travelled all over the world giving key speeches at international raptor/ ecology conferences.

The word falconry to begin with is the term given to taking a bird of prey, ( today the majority are captive bred) and training and entering the bird in its natural setting to live prey, so  what you are doing is allowing the bird to fulfil, to carry out what it would do in the wild.
This form of hunting is the most natural method and one which has been excepted in the majority of cases even with animal rights groups.

To train a magnificent animal such as an falcon that can fly over 100 Mph or fly a eagle with a wing span over 5ft  with feet bigger then your hands is awesome.

I think this is why you see falconry so common in the Middle East countries, although common throughout the world.

if you look at the picture of the owl you will little leather straps, these are called jesses which we put on and take off the bird when flying

Below is one of the beautiful Eagles I trained as a professional display falconer