On September 1st, 2016 our family went on a two hour “Hawk Walk” with Ireland’s School of Falconry at Ashford Castle. This was one of the highlights of our Animal Adventures so far!

Here are Hope’s reflections on the day:

     They have more than one bird. The girls are bigger than the boys. They are Harris Hawks. Joy and Harmony got to hold them, and we got one girl and one boy.

     Alec, our Falconer, showed us how to hold them using a leather glove. You have to hold your hand in a fist with your thumb up, like holding a cup.

     The girl liked to squawk a lot, and her name was Inca. She was from Peru. You could look the bird in the eye, and even hold it close, and it won’t peck at you. Her eyebrows were light and her eyes were brown with yellow around them. She loved to fly. Joy got to hold her and it was awesome. The birds had Hawk bells around their feet so they wouldn’t get lost.

     He brought out the boy and his name was “Samhradh” or  “Summer.” Harmony got to hold Summer because he liked to flap his wings. If the birds flew, the girls had to keep their arm close so the bird would fly back.

     The girls held their arms out straight to launch the birds and had to give the birds a “push” (moving your arm in a forward sweeping motion) because they were lazy.

     They would land back on people’s gloves to eat the meat they were holding. In Alec’s bags there were snacks for the birds made of squirrel and young chicken meat.

     The hawks could see could see up to 60 frames per second and could even see in slow motion. They can see a mile away.

     Alec would give people meat to hold in their hand and then someone would hold up the backside of their glove to signal the bird to come land back on their hand.

     Alec would whistle and take out a piece of meat and pat it on the glove and signal the bird to come back.

     Then papa and mama got to try holding the birds.

     And sometimes the birds would land on the ground or on benches. Paula got to hold it too.

     Then I got to try holding it. I was nervous at first, but then I liked it. Alec helped my arm to be nice and strong, and then I didn’t need much help and did it lots of times. Alec was sneaking food into our hands for the birds.

     When it wasn’t time for the birds to land, we held our hands behind our backs. The birds love to sit on the trees to hunt for rabbits, other birds, mice and all kinds of other small animals. They were really fast.

     The weather was raining and misting while we were out. Inca kept taking all the food because the boy was distracted by other things. When Inca landed on the same branch as Summer, he moved away because Inca is the dominant bird.

     I was scared when they swooped, so that is why I backed up when they landed.

     The bird felt heavy, but light, and it was cool. I got to hold the bird to walk back with it and he tied the bird to my glove so she wouldn’t fly away.

     Then we got to meet a Eurasian Eagle Hawk Owl whose name was Dingle:

     He was ugly when he was a baby, but now he looks cool.

     He can blend in with almost everything because his feathers look like wood or other things. He had fluffy, feathery, feet.

     He had an eyelid to protect his eyes and he could turn his head all the way around to see the people. His ears were on the sides of his head. Dingle’s eyes were yellowish/orange, so they hunted during the day:

     I got to hold it and the bird was very heavy.  Alec helped me hold it.

     All of us got to hold it. Dingle was afraid of kids, but he jumped onto me when it was my turn, and Alec said I was the first kid that Dingle ever flew to willingly.

     Alec didn’t think that Owls are very smart. (Despite the common phrase about owls being “wise.”)

Additional Lessons

We flew Harris Hawks and learned that they work in groups to hunt.  Here is a group of 4 Harris Hawks that took down 9 large jack rabbits in just one day of group hunting. They are one of the only types of hawks that hunt as a group rather than solitarily.

This is an amazing feat because the Hawks only weight 2.5 lbs at the most, but jack rabbits can weight up to 15 lbs.  So, they compensate for this difference with speed and agility.  As they hit their prey at a high rate of speed they can sever their spinal column or neck with their talons.

The eyes of Harris Hawks are particularly good.  While humans see images at 25 frames per second, Harris Hawks see at 60 frames per second, essentially enabling them to see in “slow motion,” giving them what would seem like more time to reach to they prey.  They also see into the infrared spectrum.  Their prey appears to “glow” on the forest floor due to heat and oils on the skin.  In addition, their eyesight is so precise that, for example, Harris Hawks can see the letters on a newspaper from a mile away!

During the Hawk walk the birds wear bells on their feet so Alec can keep track of them.  But he also encourages them to hunt on their own.  Nevertheless, he fit them with a small radio tracker, enabling them to find the bird later if needed.  Normally the birds will return on their own, knowing that the food their handlers give them is readily available.  If Alec notices that a bird dives for a kill, he will run in after the bird and help to quickly kill the prey. This is for the protection of the birds.  Rats have sharp teeth that can damage the birds, and rabbits have strong back feet that could break their wings.  Also, it shows the birds that Alec is a good hunting partner and they can work together with him to take down prey. This further builds trust and partnership between a Falconer and a bird.

Speaking of food, the birds are weighed in each morning to determine their need for food. Each bird’s ideal weight or “Flying Weight” is listed on the chart above the scales. If a bird is too heavy it means they don’t need to eat and therefore won’t fly — why waste the effort?  And if the bird is too light, it means they are so hungry that they might use too much energy to leave the falconry school in search for food.  So, just the right balance must be maintained so the birds will fly and hunt with their handlers.

Ireland’s School of Falconry was founded in 1999 and is the oldest established falconry school in Ireland. It is home to the the largest and most diverse collection of Harris hawks, and other birds of prey.   Special thanks to Alec MacDonald for being one of our girls teachers during this Animal Adventure!

www.falconry.ie