This is a discussion on Went to a falconry within the Birds Of Prey forums, part of the UK Wildlife category; I have been planning on going to a falconry for sometime now just to try and get some photos of ...
View Poll Results: Do you think falconry's are a good idea?
I have been planning on going to a falconry for sometime now just to try and get some photos of birds of prey. Due to my location in Ullapool we get some red kites near Inverness but I wanted to try and see a few different breeds of birds. The falconry i visited was http://www.huntly-falconry.co.uk/ I was unsure if i would like the falconry as I like the idea of being able to see the birds but at the same time watching birds sitting tied down seems a bit cruel in my eyes. After listening to the guide he advised me how the keep the birds from flying off and never coming back, a lot of it is down to their feeding patterns ie they only feed the bird a certain amount then when they display the bird is hungry and will always come for the food.
Watching these birds in flight was amazing to see, how low they go to the ground and how fast they can gather speed by climbing then diving down. I found the photography side a lot harder than i thought, i used shutter priority when taking the photos and went from ISO 100 to 200 the sky cloudy but there was good light then it would go cloudy etc. I think if stayed to the higher ISO the photos would have been better, i just feel that my camera goes very grainy with higher ISO levels.
Here are some of the Golden Eagle photos.
Golden Eagle
You may have noticed in the news section News Section that Golden Eagles have been poisoned in Scotland and many birds of prey are getting killed all over the UK by man. They are protected birds and numbers are estimated at 422 pairs in the UK and i was amazed and also sadden when i seen the Golden Eagle tied down sitting like a statue for people to stare at.
Most subspecies of Golden Eagle vary in the range from 66 to 100 cm (26–40 in), wingspan can range from 150 to 240 cm (59–95 in), and weight is from 2.5 to 6.7 kg (5.5–13.4 lb). However, wild specimens of the largest subspecies in North America have been observed to be somewhat larger than that description, as the largest recorded weighed 9kg (20 lbs) and had a body length of 102 cm (40.1 in). As with many Falconiformes, females are considerably larger than males, in the case of the Golden Eagle they weigh one-fourth to one-third again as much as male birds.
The plumage colours range from black-brown to dark brown, with a striking golden-buff crown and nape, which give the bird its name. The upper wings also have an irregular lighter area. Immature birds resemble adults, but have a duller more mottled appearance. Also they have a white-banded tail and a white patch at the carpal joint, that gradually disappear with every moult until full adult plumage is reached in the fifth year
Legal Status
The golden eagle is afforded the highest degree of legal protection under the Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
It is an offence to intentionally take, injure or kill a golden eagle or to take, damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young. It is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb the birds close to their nest during the breeding season. Violation of the law can attract fines up to £5,000 per offence and/or a prison sentence of up to 6 months.
The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 widens this protection and provides additional protection for the golden eagle in Scotland.
Threats
Habitat change, especially afforestation and loss of open foraging areas, is a major threat to golden eagles in upland areas, where inappropriately sited windfarms are an added threat.
They are still threatened by illegal killing, and poisoning is a serious concern in some areas. Since eagles have only one breeding attempt each year and rarely lay replacement clutches, there is a continuing threat from egg collectors, which may limit the population in some areas.
Poisoning by the accumulation of organochlorine pesticides, used formerly in sheepdips, is no longer considered a problem, although some other sheepdips may present a danger.
The golden eagle is included on the Amber List of birds of conservation concern. To safeguard the future of golden eagles in Britain, the general land use policies for upland areas need to include a provision for the birds and ensure that key feeding and nesting requirements are not compromised.
Vigilance against illegal killing and egg-collecting continues to be important in curbing this unnecessary source of mortality
The white-tailed eagle is the largest UK bird of prey. It has brown body plumage with a conspicuously pale head and neck which can be almost white in older birds, and the tail feathers of adults are white. In flight it has massive long, broad wings with 'fingered' ends. Its head protrudes and it has a short, wedge-shaped tail. It went extinct in the UK during the early 19th century, due to illegal killing, and the present population has been reintroduced (from the RSPB). I head the keepers mention that the bird is being reintroduced into the Moray region, at present these massive birds are only really found of the hebrides. The white tailed eagle is considered a close cousin to the American Eagle as you will see in my next post they look very simular.
Legal Status
The white-tailed eagle is afforded the highest degree of legal protection under the Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
It is an offence to intentionally take, injure or kill a white-tailed eagle or to take, damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young. It is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb the birds close to their nest during the breeding season. Violation of the law can attract fines up to £5,000 per offence and/or a prison sentence of up to six months.
The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 widens this protection and provides additional protection for white-tailed eagles and their nests.
Threats and conservation
White-tailed eagles continue to be deliberately killed and their nests targeted by egg-collectors, which for such a small population can be critical.
The birds fall victim of both deliberate persecution of the eagles themselves and as incidental victims of poisons illegally set for foxes and crows. Young birds, wandering before establishing their own territories, are particularly hard hit.
Protection and surveillance of the nest sites is of extreme importance to prevent illegal disturbance or nest robbing. All nest sites are a closely guarded secret to minimise the danger. The population is so small that any nest losses would have a direct impact on the population.
A powerful bird of prey, the American Eagle is well adapted for hunting. The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey found in North America that is most recognizable as the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.
The Bald Eagle is a large bird, with a body length of 71–96 centimeters (28–38 in), a wingspan of 168–244 centimeters (66–88 in), and a mass of 3–6.3 kilograms (6.6–14 lb); females are about 25 percent larger than males.[2] The adult Bald Eagle has a brown body with a white head and tail, and bright yellow irises, taloned feet, and a hooked beak; juveniles are completely brown except for the yellow feet. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration. Its diet consists mainly of fish, but it is an opportunistic feeder. It hunts fish by swooping down and snatching the fish out of the water with its talons. It is sexually mature at four years or five years of age. In the wild, Bald Eagles can live up to thirty years, and often survive longer in captivity.[3] The Bald Eagle builds the largest nest of any North American bird, up to 4 meters (13 ft) deep, 2.5 meters (8 ft) wide, and one tonne (1.1 tons) in weight.
The species was on the brink of extirpation in the continental United States (while flourishing in much of Alaska and Canada) late in the 20th century, but now has a stable population and has been officially removed from the U.S. federal government's list of endangered species. The Bald Eagle was officially reclassified from "Endangered" to "Threatened" on July 12, 1995 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. On July 6, 1999, a proposal was initiated "To Remove the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife." It was delisted on June 28, 2007.
The Harris's Hawk or Harris Hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus, formerly known as the Bay-winged Hawk or Dusky Hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey which breeds from the southwestern USA south to Chile and central Argentina. Birds are frequently reported at large in Western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in the falconry trade and these records almost certainly all refer to escapes from captivity.
It is the only member of the genus Parabuteo. The name is derived from the Greek para, meaning beside or near, and the Latin buteo, referring to a kind of hawk; uni meaning once; and cinctus meaning girdled, referring to the white band at the base of the tail.
Individuals range in length from 46 to 76 cm and generally have a wingspan of 1.1m. In the United States, the average weight for males is about 710g, while the female average is 1020g. This is a sexual dimorphism of about 40%, with the female being larger than the male. They have dark brown plumage with chestnut shoulders, wing linings, and thighs, white on the base a tip of the tail, long, yellow legs and a yellow cere. The vocalizations of the Harris's hawk are very harsh sounds.
With heart shaped face, buff back and wings and pure white under parts the barn owl is a distinctive and much loved countryside bird. Widely distributed across the UK, and indeed the world, the bird has suffered declines over the past fifty years as a result of the degradation of once prey-rich habitats in the face of intensive agricultural practices. This decline, fortunately, has halted in many areas and the population may now be increasing. The Barn Owl is a pale, long-winged, long-legged owl with a squarish tail. Tail shape is a way of distinguishing the Barn Owl from owls of the Strigidae family. 33–39 cm in length with an 80–95 cm wingspan. Its head and upperparts are buff, and the underparts are white. The face is heart-shaped.
This barn owl was calling and calling/screetching as soon as it was out it would stop. :lol: :lol:
Legal Status
The barn owl is on Schedule 1 of both the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 and The Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order, 1985; therefore the birds, their nests, eggs and young are fully protected at all times throughout the UK. Penalties, involving a fine of up to £5,000 and/or a custodial sentence, apply to offences against barn owls.
It is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb barn owls at an active nest site with eggs or young or before eggs are laid, or to disturb the dependent young. This is not normally a problem on working farms and farmers are often in the best position to ensure freedom from disturbance. The Act caters for incidental disturbance, which could not reasonably be avoided.
While it is illegal to take barn owls from the wild, they can be kept in captivity if they are injured wild birds undergoing treatment or they are captive-bred. The sale, offer for sale, purchase or commercial use of barn owls is legal only in certain conditions. The birds must be captive-bred, fitted with a close-ring and come with a special licence, known as an Article 10 certificate, issued by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
In addition, the barn owl is on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. It is therefore illegal to release barn owls into the wild in Britain without a licence. DEFRA are unlikely to issue a license, unless advised to do so by English Nature, Countryside Council for Wales or Scottish Natural Heritage.
Releasing Barn Owls
During the 1980s and early 1990s, large numbers of barn owls were bred in captivity and many thousands are thought to have been released into the wild. In some instances, this was done by responsible establishments, working to a well thought-out conservation plan, and the released birds were carefully studied.
However, in many other cases there was no follow-up monitoring after release, so it was not possible to know whether these captive-bred birds were able to fend for themselves or competed with the existing wild population. Because of the potential problems involved in releasing captive-bred barn owls into the wild, the law now requires a government licence to be issued to permit releases.
It is certainly still possible for an individual to be given a licence if Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is satisfied that the circumstances warrant it. The RSPB is not opposed to this principle.
Good post Steven, were the falconry ok with you taking in your camera? Sounds like a stupid question but i have heard places try and charge more if you are using a photographers camera. You got some good shots, were the larger birds of prey ie the golden eagle and the white tailed eagle not out in the display? I think falconry's are a good idea, i belive they bring awareness to people that might never get to see these birds in their life times.
Looks like a good idea to try and get some different photos, i really like the barn owl photos. Does anyone know if there are any around the falconrys around the Manchester area?
were the falconry ok with you taking in your camera? Sounds like a stupid question but i have heard places try and charge more if you are using a photographers camera. were the larger birds of prey ie the golden eagle and the white tailed eagle not out in the display? I t.
They did not mention anything about the camera but i know what you are saying but i see it as being no different to people taking compact cameras and video cameras. No the larger birds were not out i was going to ask but the place was very busy hense the lack of photos of the birds actually flying i found it very hard to get a shot without people standing infront and blocking the camera.
Looks like a good idea to try and get some different photos, i really like the barn owl photos. Does anyone know if there are any around the falconrys around the Manchester area?
Im not sure how close this will be to you but here a couple of addresses i found on google for you.
Linear Mode
