Meet Freyja, My Peregrine Falcon

[406life]

My journey with my red-tailed hawk Grinnell ended this past spring (I released her fat and full-feathered). This new bird I purchased and will be training up. Hopefully by October we are on our first birds. Falcons and Hawks are very different and I am finding that to be true on many levels.

Quick facts:
-Hatched three months ago.
-Her name is pronounced fre-ya, a Norse Goddess.
-We have peregrine's in the wild thanks to falconers after DDT, see Peregrine Fund.
- We will be chasing ducks, pheasants, and quail.
-She wears some jewelry on her right ankle, a permanent band for ID.
-She weighs in at 1040g.

I'll post updates infrequently here, but you can find more on Freyja and falconry on my IG: @everettheadley

 

[Antarctica]

super cool!! looking forward to following!

 

[tpicou]

badass

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Great. I have seen but a hand full in the wild. Looking forward for reports.

 

[MuleyFever]

Falconry is very interesting and something I would love to do if I had the time. Tell us how you got into it and how someone new can get started.

 

[Grumman]

Very interesting thanks for sharing. I will be tagging along for updates. I’ve heard falconry is a huge commitment.


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[RCL]

Wow, this is different and interesting.

 

[LostArra]

The commitment necessary for falconry borders on child rearing and in many aspects actually exceeds it.

My brother and father were falconers and I saw first hand that one does not just dabble in falconry.

 

[grappling_hook]

Really cool. In.

 

[Finch]

Cool. I think some states require you to be mentored by an experienced falconer but I could be way off base here.

I love birds of prey. Not trying to hijack your thread but check out this short video I shot a couple years ago. I had just shot a buck who's attention was elsewhere at the time. I think he saw the commotion of the hawk catching a squirrel and I dropped the buck in his tracks. Going to my buck, this redtail flies over the broomsage and lands not far from my buck. This video is me walking up to it. I have so much respect for these guys!

 

[PVHunter]

Congratulations! Thanks for letting us experience this adventure vicariously. I read Emma Ford's falconry books until the covers came off as a kid. I've told my wife to brace for a mews once the kids go to college.

Did you consider other birds after you released your red tail (e.g. a Harris' hawk or a gos), or were you dead set on a peregrine as a hunting partner? I'm reminded of Helen Macdonald's recent book "H is for Hawk" in asking this question.

 

[LostArra]

Cool. I think some states require you to be mentored by an experienced falconer but I could be way off base here.

Yes, apprentice program. They used to have a written examination too, at least in Oklahoma. That was 20 years ago

 

[406life]

Falconry is very interesting and something I would love to do if I had the time. Tell us how you got into it and how someone new can get started.

I'd been interested in birds since I was a kid. I knew of falconry via other books. But what really sealed it I think was trapping Golden Eagles for lead blood testing. It's took a very long time to get to having my first raptor.

As for getting started the best thing is to find a falconer, either through a state wildlife agency or a state falconry association. They will point you towards a sponsor,. That is the first step in the very controlled process.

 

[406life]

Very interesting thanks for sharing. I will be tagging along for updates. I’ve heard falconry is a huge commitment.


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It is very much a lifesyle. I travel with my falcon, bringing her food and accoutrement with me. This makes for fun conversations at rest stops, hotels, and other otherwise "normal" places. I weigh her twice daily, and train her frequently. During the season we will hunt at least every other day.

 

[Berger024]

Just started following you on IG. Thanks!

 

[406life]

Did you consider other birds after you released your red tail (e.g. a Harris' hawk or a gos), or were you dead set on a peregrine as a hunting partner? I'm reminded of Helen Macdonald's recent book "H is for Hawk" in asking this question.

I seriously considered a goshawk. They are versatile but also come with an attitude. I have future plans that a GH would not be conducive to, so I went with the Peregrine. I also looked at a HH, my sponsor flies those, but the quarry is small game and I am wanting to fly on waterfowl and upland.

As a side note, I probably have over a dozen copies of H is for Hawk that have been gifted to me. Its a nice thought by people and I don't have the heart to tell them I have it already. Another copy of a book is not as cool as another bottle of whiskey.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Very cool birds...I watch them hammer morning doves from my stand all season long.

 

[406life]

Cool. I think some states require you to be mentored by an experienced falconer but I could be way off base here.

Each state is different but the process always includes you apprenticing under a sponsor. The rest is generally:

1. Get Sponsored (a feat in itself).
2. Take the state wildlife agency test (very rigorous).
3. Build mews and get inspected (my game warden had never done it before, so I had to help him).
4. Source your raptor (trapping, transfer, or purchase).

Then the work begins.

 

[SteveCNJ]

This is very cool. I remember seeing a documentary as a kid that I believe I remember stated they can dive at up to 180 mph. Is that correct?

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[Mt Al]

Awesome!! I hope you share pictures of your hunts, thanks for sharing.

Here's my falconry story so I can steal your thread, then get out of your way. As a kid growing up in Billings I was on the Rims and a massive Golden Eagle flew a foot or so from my face, was blown away and knew I was destined to be a poet/falconer/raconteur/lady's man/adventurer/world traveler/writer/musician (I am still none of these things 45 years after the fact). I got home and announced my intentions of same. My father needed to cure me, then brought me to a guy who live a mile away who had a falcon and a hawk. The guy was awesome, and told me that he gives almost all of his life, every single day, weighing, training, caring, etc, and does nothing else because he loved it so much. He said, no time with friends, girls will be tough to come by, no motocross (NO MOTOCROSS????) and to start reading/studying now so I could own a bird in 5 or 10 years. Cured!! I have an old copy of the Art and Practice of Hawking, great book. My wife and I were scouting for sheep and saw a peregrine smoke a camp robber bird not 20' in front of us. This was 30+ years ago and we still talk about it.

Thank you for the pic of your beautiful peregrine!