Falconry

This Is for the Birds

Falconry is the ancient tradition and discipline of working with raptors as hunting partners. Rebecca became an apprentice falconer in 1994 and has counted her years in falconry seasons and falconry teams ever since. The licensing, focus, and lifestyle are all arduous. So, falconry shapes one’s life. The love of free-flying raptors and the landscape has influenced her writing, art, friendships and choice of professions. It has been a choice worth every miraculous, inspiring and heartbreaking moment.

Meet The Raptor Team

– GROHL –

Grohl is a two-year old Cooper’s hawk. Raised from a 15-day-old chick in Rebecca’s house and in the office at Rivers & Lands Conservancy, he’s her buddy for long hikes chasing quail in the chaparral. Once he was old enough to fly, he was left to his own devices to explore the world outside during the day and brought in at night. This allowed him to learn the tricks of his trade and how to avert the dangers that stalk a tiny hawk in the wild. He was named Grohl because he’s a cool dude and kind of a rockstar.

Cooper’s hawks can be found in neighborhoods throughout the United States stalking songbirds and using their superpower, stealth, to slip through the trees that surround our houses. You may have never seen a Cooper’s hawk, but no doubt, they’ve seen you.

– RHEA –

Rhea is an African hawk-eagle from a breeding cooperative. She is on loan to Rebecca on her falconry license until Rhea has a suitable mate and then she will go back into the project. In the meantime, she spends a lot of time with Rebecca (she sleeps in her bedroom a lot) and was her primary hunting partner last season. Although, there aren’t any cottontails in Tanzania, they are less of a mystery to Rhea now.

Although Rebecca has trained quite a few African eagles and hawks over the years, this is the first African hawk-eagle she has ever worked with. And she’s utterly smitten. The friendship and trust was hard won, but well-worth the effort. The adventures with Rhea have been full of once-in-a-lifetime moments.

– BEATRICE –

Beatrice was born in spring of 2002 in the San Francisco Bay area. In her reckless first months from the nest, she made a bad choice and broke a wing, a death sentence for an aerial hunter. She was discovered flightless by some kind humans, given the best veterinary care and rehabilitation. She recovered enough to fly a bit, but not enough to survive in the wild.

The fact that there are peregrines falcons in California is a miracle. In 1964 had disappeared from the eastern United States and only a few hundred pairs were left in the west. The pesticide DDT, hunting bounties, and human disturbance had almost wiped them out. They were an indicator of the damage we were doing to our environment and the damage was massive. We had to do something.

DDT was banned in North and South America. In 1970, the Peregrine Fund was founded. Biologists and falconers (who were just ordinary citizens) worked together to breed peregrines, release them into the wild and monitor them. And the peregrines began to come back.

By 1999, the peregrine was back in historic numbers. The peregrine falcon is one of the greatest conservation success stories of our time. Now, you can catch a glimpse of this falcon in cities and wild open spaces throughout the country.

Never doubt that you can make a difference. It was just regular people who saved the peregrine. And together we can do more.

Beatrice went into a breeding a project and had many adorable little peregrine chicks. Today, she is retired and living with her falconer, Rebecca, who works for Rivers & Lands Conservancy. Beatrice loves natural, wild and open spaces and so does the conservancy. So, when she can, Beatrice share the story of her species. The land we preserve is the future of so many species that depend on it.

GALLERY

2018-10-31 09.19.09-1-1 — Grohl Cooper's Hawk

2018-12-11 07.18.17-1 — Rhea African Hawk_eagle

2018-12-14 07.23.28 — Grohl Cooper's Hawk

RecklessOctLowRes — Reckless Cooper's Hawk

2015-01-08 10.58.52-1 — New hawk. Who dis?

2014-07-26 10.11.38-1 — American Kestrel

2015-04-16 19.09.38-1 — Dread Red-Tailed Hawk

LIFT: A FALCONRY MEMOIR

Curious about Rebecca’s journey in falconry? Her memoir LIFT tells the story of her adventures in falconry and journey with Anakin, the peregrine.