Falconry Manual: A Practical Guide to Training Hawks and Falcons - Hardcover

by Frank L. Beebe (Author)

A Falconry Manual is a comprehensive and extensively updated guide to the art, science, and practice of falconry. Written and illustrated by Frank L. Beebe--a pioneering naturalist, master falconer, and one of North America's most respected authorities on raptors--this timeless work draws on more than fifty years of field experience, research, and practical knowledge.

Covering raptor behaviour, capture, training, breeding, equipment, and the ethical responsibilities of falconry, Beebe combines scientific understanding with deep respect for the birds themselves. Long regarded as a standard reference for apprentices and experienced falconers alike, A Falconry Manual remains one of the most influential and respected falconry books ever published, helping preserve an ancient art for future generations.

Back Jacket

A comprehensive guide to Falcons. This book is presented as a summary of practical information on the training of your hawk or falcon. It draws on my earlier works in this field: North American Falconry, 1976; and finally my major work covering the history, training and behavior of birds of prey, The Complete Falconer 1992 (Also Hancock House Publishers). The Eurasian history of falconry reaches as far back in time as the recorded history of mankind. However, in North America of which there is any record were trained and flown in the eastern United States shortly after World War 1. However, until the publication of North American Falconry and Hunting Hawks, there was no comprehensive source of information available which dealt with the techniques of either capturing or training hawks and falcons. Until some kind of administrative common-sense was made of the foregoing, especially in the United States, the writing of a popular book on falconry could not be properly undertaken. This problem arouse because prior to 1983 in the United States the fundamental question, where can I obtain a hawk or falcon? could not be clearly answered. Now, for the first time since the continent-wide protection of North America raptorial birds in the late 1960's, there is a clear answer. This answer is the right of purchase. The novice can obtain a domestic bred hawk or falcon from a raptor breeder the same way he can obtain a horse, dog, cockatiel or canary. Ownership is transferred with the payment of the purchase price. It is also rewarding that with the re-establishment of the peregrine falcon back into much of its former range, the result of captive breeding and hacking techniques pioneered by falconers, and the consequent downgrading of the bird's endangered status and the recovery of many birds of prey populations (in all likelihood this will continue to an over abundance and movement to eventually villianize the predator again) that many jurisdictions of North America again permit the capturing of wild hawks and falcons. This adds the option of providing both fresh blood lines for captive breeders and the excitement of capturing your own bird. Falconry is an ancient sport with contemporary objectives of yielding a maximum recreational return for little or no drain on the wild populations.

Author Biography

Frank L. Beebe for 40 years has been one of North America's leading falconers. Born in Canada, he received his introduction to raptorial birds at the age of ten; since that time he has gained extensive experience in the trapping and training of raptors. He took the position as Zoo Curator in Vancouver in 1939 and later served on the Victoria Provincial Museum staff. Beebe took part in the pioneer expeditions to the Queen Charlotte Islands to study and collect the large maritime bird, Peale's Peregrine Falcon. The writer of many articles on falconry, Beebe's interest in the subject has kept him closely allied with the North American Falconry Association, the B.C. Falconry Club and the Falconry Club of America. Formerly a chief illustrator for the Provincial Museum, he lively drawings add an exciting dimension to this falconry manual. His previous books on the subject are largely responsible for the present status and popularity of this ancient sport. He is not only a leading Peale's and Gyrfalcon researcher but has been a pioneer falcon breeder. Probably more falconers and nature lovers have original Beebe paintings than those of any other artist. Few persons have experienced, let alone been able to capture with paint, the intricate working of the predator-prey responses as Frank. He flew his last flight on 15 November 2008.