Good afternoon Gillian; I'm so glad you have a copy of "Falconry & Hawking" - it'll be a wonderful resource to you, I've no doubt! Its also wonderful to know 'Scirocco' and I were able to help you better understand how to execute the Falconer's Knot! The song we're now using is called "I Like Pizza, Steve" by Fantoms - I found it on Soundstripe's website...lots of great artists and music to be enjoyed there. :0) Have a great day, Gillian! Jo

The Falcon Lady just added “I like pizza, Steve” to my amazon music playlist!

@@Daro-Wolfe LOL! Fantastic - well done! 😃 Jo

Good afternoon Sandy! Wonderful to hear from you! NINE GRANDCHILDREN??? :0) I hope you're all safe and well...thank you so much for stopping in to the channel for today's instalment.:0) We'd love it if you'd spread the word about us to your friends, family and connections -looking to share our knowledge and adventures with new friends everywhere! Hugs, Jo

Good morning 4 englishlies; Lovely to hear from you today - yes, the Falconer's Knot *is* one and the same with the Bowline knot! So fantastic that you recognize it! Thanks so much for stopping in to the channel today - I hope you and yours are safe and well. :0) Best, Jo

Happy Sunday, Rob; Thank you for joining us, and for the lovely compliment. :0) I'm glad you're enjoying our ever-renewing content - lots of great information and adventures coming in the days ahead, so please join us again! Best, Jo

Good afternoon Spottedleaf Firestar; Thank you so much for stopping in to the channel - I'm so glad the Falconer's Knot segment is going to be immediately useful to you. :0) I'd be so grateful to you if you'd share the link to our video with your connections on social-media! Have a great day, Jo

Spottedleaf Firestar nice KZfaq name

Gillian Thanks💜

Good evening my friend! Wonderful to hear from you - thank you for the great questions. For a newly-struck Falconer at the beginning of their journey, (one *hopes* under mentorship), a wily Harris hawk, or even a Lanner falcon are spectacularly well-suited hunting companions. Harris hawks are by their nature 'social' birds-of-prey; they hunt as a group in the wild, and share the spoils of their successes with their family-members in much the same way as a pack of wild dogs. Lanner falcons are a mid-size speedster possessing *enormous* confidence (they're one of the few falcons who'll take their prey head-on in the air). Learning to spin the lure with a Lanner as your companion will do a great deal to build your confidence while still providing enough of a challenge to keep you both on your toes. 😊 A Lanner isn't going to crash out of condition in a handful of hours like a little Merlin or Sharp-shinned hawk can _easily_ do, they've a wonderful temperament, and - if you've a mind and the will to practise traditional Falconry, a Lanner can take good-sized prey which will put a good meal in both of you. Likewise, Harris hawks are - generally - good-natured beings (particularly the males), and strong, alert, and determined hunters once they understand the "game". Once again, a brace of rabbits, grouse, or even pheasant can be taken with a big female, (or a male/female team hunting in tandem). I've chatted with a number of individuals over in the UK who started out with a Harris thinking they'd move to working with a more "difficult" (ie: "challenging") feathered-companion once they had some time and experience under their belts, only to find they enjoyed these hawks so much they just stuck with them. :0) In both cases, you really have to go a long way out of your way to "get it wrong". Ah...Golden eagles... These are by no means, and under no circumstances a "beginner's bird". Eagles are incredibly self-aware, physically powerful beings. When we're talking about Golden eagles, you've the added consideration their 'wiring' is such that they don't have a great deal of tolerance for "company"; Goldens typically live high in the mountains, and, with the exception of their mates and their young, do not easily or willingly share their territories with interlopers, (unlike Bald eagles who have a greater tolerance for large numbers of their own species congregating for food over a river full of spawning salmon...or on the fringes of garbage dumps). This means that in taking on one of these self-possessed beings, they will want you, and *only* you once the relationship has been established between you. Further, a Golden eagle's lifespan is considerable; they routinely live into their 30's, and it is not uncommon for them to reach their early 50's. Thought _must_ be taken for the not unreasonable possibility they will still be in their prime when you're no longer able to fly or hunt them. Golden eagles are beings born to fly in mountain air-currents, and are capable of hunting quarry of _considerable_ size, due in no small part to the fact they can generate 2100 psi of crushing-power with their talons. Here's footage of wild Golden eagles hunting large, fit, capable wild goats: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jNGch9Zeuc_Ij30.html We've hunted full-grown deer with Golden eagles for centuries - probably even for thousands of years. So... They require considerable knowledge and understanding to take-on, they *must* be properly exercised in - at least - foothill-mountain air currents, and fed a diet which both properly nourishes their bodies, and respects who and _what_ they are. Namely, preeminent, spectacular hunters. Otherwise, tragedies like this perpetrated by poseurs are guaranteed: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/golden-eagle-falls-prey-to-lioness-at-vancouver-zoo-1.700530 For the record, this "mishap" was 100% avoidable. 'Skye' had been fed a diet of day-old rooster chicks, she had *never* been flown anywhere but at the GV Zoo on a heavy creance line (so, no building flight muscles/skills in open air - ever), and she did *not* trust her "handler". After one has spent considerable time handling _many_ birds-of-prey, learning to steward, school, coach and love them, achieving the victories, and feeling the pain of the losses, and only after one has taken mentorship from others who've spent years and years handling - and 'winning' - eagles, can one responsibly and thoughtfully take on a Golden eagle. _Only_ then. I hope this windy reply answers your questions - please let me know if there's more you'd appreciate me covering. Jo

Good morning Richard; Lovely to hear from you today - how are you keeping? Both Peregrines and Gyrfalcons are to be seen in the UK, so both 'Halo' and 'Scirocco; (were they pure-bred falcons rather than hybrids of the two species) would be naturally occurring in your part of the world. Red Tail buzzards like 'Mohave', however, are not indigenous to the UK, so you're likely to only see one of them if its been bred at one of the many fine educational raptor-centres on offer. I'll definitely be doing an episode on silhouette-recognition/raptor-identification as there've been a number of requests for this - please stay tuned! Take care, Jo

@@TheFalconLady really enjoyed this one and this series so far btw now I think about it I may have seen a red tail in a facility not too far from me the same place where I myself held a couple of different birds on a glove as I have I think told you in the past

@@TheFalconLady as to how I am, getting there slowly thanks and yourself?

@@richardjones4080 We're all doing well, Richard - I'm glad to hear you're all right. I hope things will return to 'normal' for all of us before too long. :0) Jo

Good evening George; Thanks so much for stopping in to the channel - I'll do my best to give you a perspective. Keeping in mind those species of raptors which _typically_ prey on squirrels, (like Red Tail buzzards, and Cooper's Hawks - not to mention any of a host of larger owls which find these tree-climbing rodents delectable), its important to give careful consideration to what your own training, experience, and housing-facilities are best suited-for. Its been my experience Red Tails are particularly good at making an "impression" on squirrels; I've had many conversations with private Falconers who go squirrel-hawking with RTs - with no shortage of success, especially given the body-power, and talon strength they bring to the equation. This being said, there are two important considerations you *_must_* keep in mind before diving in to the proverbial deep end of the pool of squirrel-hawking with a Red Tail hunting companion: 1) Red Tail buzzards are *not* suitable for novice Falconers. As mentioned, they are powerful, routinely unpredictable birds-of-prey, and one takes for granted their body-language at one's peril. 2) If you're reasonably above novice/beginner level in your experiences with hawks/falcons/etc., with a mentor or peer who's been successful at hunting squirrels with their companion, take care to ensure you equip your hawk or buzzard with *chaps* , especially if the intended target is squirrels. Its a widely understood fact squirrels do _not_ appreciate being viewed as an item on the lunch-menu of a bird-of-prey - they *will* fight for their lives, which means they'll fold themselves in half and bite into the leg of any inexperienced hunting bird. Here's a link to one site which sells chaps for hunting-birds, what they look like, and a range of associated costs to consider - there are a number of Falconry-supplies companies you can easily look into for price comparisons: www.davidsonsfalconry.com/squirrel-chaps In the event of a to-the-bone bite being delivered to your hawk or buzzard, all your conditioning and training for the season will go down the tubes owing to the fact you'll have to allow your companion time to fully heal from the injury; they'll be on antibiotic medications from your veterinarian for an extended period, and its just a fact those kinds of leg-injuries take a _loooooonnnng_ time to fully heal. In light of the associated expenses of nursing your hunting partner through a serious bite-injury, (food, vet visits/medication, etc.), it is *definitely* worth the comparative investment to buy chaps for your hunting companion. I hope this answers your question, or at the very least offers a good starting point - thanks again for getting in-touch, and do let me know how everything goes! 😃 Best, Jo

Hi again Gregory; We've been having a few issues with the business email address today, but we're looking into it. Leah is not involved with the channel any more. Best, Jo

@@TheFalconLady Hello my Queen Joanne ,lol. When you get email fix I like to give you a project to help in learning to get ready for taking the Falconry test and may help pay for food for the Birds. Does it cost a lot to call you by Cell phone? I have Verizon. Do you need someone to clean the Mews for you? God Bless and my flavor saying Peace Be With You.

Good afternoon Greg; You're definitely right in making the observation that manning - for the most part - _does_ come down to using common sense. Its also true, (when a new person is first learning these techniques), it can feel like there's a lot to concentrate on. I'm hopeful today's video will put some of the intimidating first steps into perspective for the novices out there who are just starting their Falconry journeys. I'd love it if you would share the link to today's episode with all your friends and connections - let's build up our community! :0) Best, Jo

@@TheFalconLady Joanne I am going crazy with this China Virus because I can’t work at that rehab Center. I want so hard to see if I have what it takes. Please keep video Coming out. How the Tshirt during? Bye. Greg