Kyle Perrin flies an imprint black sparrowhawk. He joins me this week to talk about his bird, his dogs, and his desire to pursue helmeted guinea fowl, catching them on the rise after a long, open slip. Kyle explains why he chose to fly a black spar, including how he manages his hawk to ensure she remains feather perfect. He also gives us some insight into the main differences between the African goshawk and the black spar. Guinea fowl can be flown all year round and Kyle talks about how he manages the timing of molt to cater to available mid-winter daylight hours. We then turn our attention to his preferred quarry - the guinea fowl - and a description of his hawking grounds, and the origin story of this particular black spar. Kyle explains the approach that his is going to take in an effort to achieve the hawking style he prefers, and he tells us about his approach to developing a well-adjusted short-wing. We conclude the episode talking about Kyle's most recent outing, and his hawk's sudden change in heart when it comes to chasing "fur". I hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening.
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24:23
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24:23
74. Audio Recording of "The Flying of Falcons" - a prelude to the reading, with Ed Pitcher
Ed Pitcher joins me to announce that he and Ricardo Velarde have given me permission to read and publish "The Flying of Falcons" as part of the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. We begin the episode discussing Ed's use of mantras to guide the way he develops and flies his birds. We then focus of two mantras that Ed used in the book, and now regrets to some degree - the first is “being touched by the Angel of Death”, a metaphor he used in the chapter about a female prairie falcon called “Amos". The second is "a sharp hawk is a smart hawk", which Ed used in his chapter on "weight Management". We conclude the episode talking about two people with whom Ed trained and flew falcons - Terry Heath and Steve Sanders - and we talk about the way the three friends influenced one another. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy this prelude to the reading of "The Flying of Falcons".
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59:07
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59:07
73. South African Game Hawker with Anton Muller
Anton Muller, known for his expertise in hawking with lanner falcons, joins me to talk falconry in the Free State Province. After introducing himself, Anton talks about his farming practices, and how an experience with a spotted eagle owl influenced his decision to fly lanners. We then talk about his hawking grounds, his preferred quarry. Lanners naturally make use of thermals to gain pitch, and Anton talks about the way that they do so. Anton describes how the loss a particularly good peregrine falcon led to his focus on lanners. We talk slipping a lanner on sand grouse and use of dogs when hunting sand grouse. Anton provides some insight into the commonly held belief that lanners can be lazy. We conclude the episode with a broad ranging discussion on gamehawking with lanners. I hope you enjoy this episode with Anton - thanks for listening.
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38:16
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38:16
72. South African Game Hawker Cape Falconry Club Field Meet Day 2
In this bonus episode of South African Game Hawker, I am again joined by Andre Cilliers, Thean Prinsloo, and Scott Mc Farlane Chase. I talk to each of them about their flights of the day, and their plans once the meet is done. Andre's birds connect, his dog earns a good rest day, and he ducks out a day early as work interrupts his falconry. Thean continues his strategy of putting game up under his falcon opting to provide as many opportunities as he can. Scott has a clear sense of his path ahead, and we speculate as to the origin of his lanner.
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21:56
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21:56
71. South African Game Hawker Cape Falconry Club Field Meet Day 1
In this bonus episode of South African Game Hawker, I am joined by Andre Cilliers, Thean Prinsloo, and Scott Mc Farlane Chase. I talk to each of them about their flights of the day, and their plans for Day 2 of the meet. We also get some insight into some South African cuisine and translation of a few Afrikaans words. I hope you enjoy this episode and the glimpse it provides into a South African falconry meet.
The goal of this podcast is to present alternate viewpoints on falconry. Topics covered range from training philosophy, husbandry, and health of birds and bird dogs to conservation and management of raptors, their main prey species, and the respective habitat that they rely on. In addition, I’ll cover-off themes related to hunter ethics, fair chase, and access to public and private land. I’ll outline efforts that falconers can make to contribute to all of these topics of conversation.
South Africa