Hi Dave, very valid points, I'm glad you're putting this out there so people know what they’re getting into and what should be considered apart from being able to afford buying a bird. Points 2 and 3 are absolutely spot on - my wife and I were lucky to have plenty of hunting grounds with lots of prey by the time we got our bird, but that was not because we planned it out so well, but just luck on our part, because by then we were very much embedded in the local hunting and falconry community, with lots of very generous people allowing us to hunt with our bird on their hunting grounds. Point one is something I cannot quite get behind (not the fact that you have an issue with it, but the fact that people would actually say that). Granted, if you have a bird and things are not going well, it's probably natural to be thinking about the next bird, where things will hopefully go better (despite the fact that the issue is more likely with the falconer rather than the bird - so getting a different bird might not solve the issue). But if things are going well, why not put all of your time and focus on the bird you have? Why would one think about the next bird instead? To me, that's like being happily married, but thinking about what the next wife might be like... (note to wife - I’m not thinking about that in any way, shape or form). When a bird gets over its natural fear of humans and learns to trust us as its falconer, I think we owe that bird all of the attention, the training and the hunting possibilities we can offer. Getting distracted from that task by thinking about the next bird is not fair to the bird.

Dave, I'm really grateful for your channel. When I was a young guy practicing falconry there were several falconers in my area that had hawks just as lawn ornaments. I was sad for those birds. I got out of falconry once I had kids to raise. That along with a full time job, I just didn't have the time so I gave up something I really loved because it was not fair to the birds. I was too young and dumb to think about that when I started. I'm glad you keep sharing the message that the animals welfare comes before all else. Thank you!

Putting it in writing here that I’ll be a one bird woman 😉

How do you go about getting permission? I’ve been looking at getting a bird and this is honestly my biggest worry.