Falconry Books

"Falconry" comes highly recommended, due to the fact that it is rare, indeed, to find a collection of poems that are so finely penned, so elegantly thought out. The photos by William Ames Bascom are an added plus!
Meter is the backbone of finely crafted sonnets, and Houghton's grasp of cadence, rhythm, strophe, and tone is masterful and confident. He is obviously a pedantic poet-artist, and is very aware of the stresses in the syllabic feet in his lines. His use of syncopated rhythm, and lyrical metaphor, combine to make poetry that is reminescent of the classicists. Clearly, Houghton is familiar with the workings behind 'the poem', to put it simply--'poetics'.
The words from John William Houghton flow like a stream, rise up and connect the soul to the stars with a yearning for the lovely, the enlightened, the lucid. This reviewer can offer no "stock response" to the likes of the poetry from the man who wrote "Falconry and other poems." Get this book!

When a new American military academy was being planned and it needed a mascot - but not just any old bird; one which would represent the U.S. Air Force Academy's mission of flying and fighting. It seemed the falcon would best fit the bill, and Falconry At The United States Air Force Academy tells of the performing mascot's importance to the Academy, as well as the overall history of falconry.

I was at the stage where my own European Eagle Owl was flying free and ready for the next stage of training as we progressed (hopefully) to the day when he would take a rabbit. Having read books by other author's (including one called "Falconry" in which the subject of falconry itself is not even covered!) I needed the right book - and I needed it now.

When the book first arrived it looked as though it might end up being a 4 Star book - but I was wrong. You see, each and every book I review (and I have reviewed several hundred), commences with a full quota of 5 stars. Stars may then be lost for any number of reasons - but they have to be lost through some shortcoming of the book itself. There are no shortcomings here.

The book measures 9½in x 6¼in (24cm x 16cm) and contains 150 pages. It is well laid out, well written and well illustrated. The subjects range from an introduction to the subject of falconry, getting started, equipment (and it's all in there!), your first bird, care, illnesses, rules of the sport and the law.

Not only did I come to the book with a lot of questions, but as I read the book (some sections more than once) I found myself asking yet more questions. It says much for the competence of this author that all the answers were found - within the book itself. I have already adopted the author's prescribed method of intruding a Rabbit lure to my bird - and it's working.

In short, I am so delighted with this book that I could not find a single reason to deduct one star. The reader gets exactly what it says on the cover; This is a book about "Falconry for Beginners" and an excellent one at that.

NM

it's exelen

One of the things I truly enjoy about reading is seeing our shared world through another's eyes. In my opinion, that's what the best writing gives us.

Mullenix's eyes see a world of variety and wide scope -- a world of nature that is shrinking as development impinges. His spare words are deftly combined to convey a place, a character, a passion, a sadness.

He contemplates his world through his own and his primary character's eyes: Charlie the Harris' hawk. What he reveals is a falconry hunting season's worth of descriptions of the hunting itself, and the place that hunting holds in both his and Charlie's world, which is the Bayou Country of Baton Rouge.

While it is written by a falconer, there are aspects of his essays that hold immediate relevance to anyone interested in the wild world that surrounds us and the species that co-habitate that world with us. He simply and without editorializing describes the difficulties he's had explaining the concepts of hunting, eating, and dying to his three-year-old twin daughters; how his own passion for falconry impinges on his spouse and his boss; the internal debate where passion overshadows reason and we all do things we later regret; and the loss of habitat in his own environs -- habitat as important for his wild neighbors as for himself.

Mullenix, however, doesn't try to solve the problem of human expansion into wild areas; he doesn't even rail against the system. He looks at the fact with a raptor's eye, in crystal clarity, and one expects, with a tear.

Not all is gloom and doom, as the Naturalist's Eye surveys the cycle of life, of seasons, of hunting and not-hunting, of living and dying, of the ways our disparate lives intersect with one another. It combines the hunter writer into an entity sought by the naturalist in all of us, and confirms our suspicion that we've also been a character in the book all along.

North American Falconry & Hunting Hawks is without a doubt the most comprehensive book printed on sport falconry in North America, written by two of the founders of NAFA, the North American Falconers' Association. This tome of Biblical proportions covers such a vast breadth of the sport that it is indispensible for apprentices and masters alike. It is an essential book that belongs in every falconer's library.

This book provides an indepth look at all aspects of falconry. The section on preparing to recieve a bird was very helpful and detailed. I have never read a book which has provided such a detailed description of all common birds used in the sport. I recommend that everyone who is beginning in this sport, or is considering taking it up should read this book. The only problem about this book is that it talks too much about the law in England, which is not relevant to us in North America.

This is a great book for anyone interested in falconry! EmmaFord describes everything in detail and she guided me through myapprenticeship with ease. However, it also contains sound advice for the experienced falconer.

She discusses the most common hawks used in the sport and guides one through the manning and training of the three main groups: Shortwings, Broadwings and Longwings. At the end of the part dealing with the training of the group, she explains hunting with them in detail.

There is a complete chapter on equipment and will help the apprentice to choose the right equipment, with the hawk's safety in mind .

For those unfamiliar with falconry terms, there is a nice glossary explaining them in detail.

I would advise anyone interested in hunting with birds of prey to get this great book by one of the leaders in the field! END

As a somewhat informed novice, I found this book very interesting and informative. It has good descriptions of the birds used in falconry as well as thorough beginning training techniques. However, the buyer should know this book was written for falconry in the UK. Topics such as governing laws, terrain terms and types of quarry are often "foreign" to ours in the U.S.

I found "Falconry: Art and Practice" very interesting and fascinating. The author included personal details, sometimes humorous, describing the beauty of the art, not just the instructions and facts, helpful as they were. The book was also easy and enjoyable to read.

This book was great!! It had so much information I had to read it 3 times to get it all. It has so much info like how to make your own equipment,how to train your bird, tells all the equipment you need to have, and so much more.

The book is very good except that most of the book is from a UK point of view. The book has some good adresses in the back for all of your falconry needs. If you are a novice a seasoned falconer,or just someone interested in Birds of Prey you should get this book.

Not written for North Americans but I found this book very useful all the same. This book made a good introduction to falconry and it was a pleasure to read.

Novices to falconry will find this book a most useful guide. Readers learn about accoutrements the falcons need along with training the falconer and the bird as well as raptor anatomy.

British readers will be up to speed on the laws about falconry, but for readers outside of the United Kingdom, other books will fill in on the legal aspects of falconry.

For someone just beginning to explore falconry (such as myself) this book is a top-notch starting guide. With extensive instructions on furniture, training, further reading and even hawk anatomy, this book gave me more than enough to get started. The only downside to this book was that the sections on falconry laws focus on British law. If you're not from the UK (as I am not) you will need to find another sourch for this information. Even so, this is a fine book for a beginer, and well worth the cost.

When you find a book which claims to get down to the "Basics" of any subject - you should expect to find exactly that. Thankfully, this author understands what that words means and delivers the goods.

I am at the stage where my first bird is flying free and is being trained to hunt and, already, I have learned a great deal from this book. Not only is this an excellent book for beginners, I suspect many of those who think they "know it all" will find some useful information here. The artwork is simple and effective - and it works. The text is well written and easy-to-follow. All the different components of such essential items as, for example, the glove, hawking bag, hood, swing lure, creance (to name but five) are shown in the right amount of detail thus creating no confusion whatsoever.

The book itself measures 10in x 7½in (255mm x 190mm) and is packed with almost 250 pages of basic information about Falconry. Altogether, the author has covered every aspect of the sport from; The law, various birds, housing, equipment, furniture, handling, weights, food, training, travel, dogs, ferrets, fitness, illness, injury and lots more besides.

I would suggest this book is an essential addition to the bookshelf of anyone who keeps birds of prey no matter how experienced the keeper might be. In short, there is something here for everyone.

NM

I found this book to be very helpful for someone with little or no knowledge about
starting out in falconry. Most of my questions were answered and everything was
explained well.

Falconry is a sport that has long been associated with the noble gentry. Indeed, these beautiful, regal birds do represent an avian, falconine nobility that remains distinct.

For those interested and/or involved in falconry, make this book your best friend. It will provide you with the correct terminology and tips for handling your raptors if you are a falconer. It is a book you will want to keep at hand so as to refresh and reinforce the technical information and jargon in re falconry.

As with dictionaries and other reference works, nobody sits down to read an encyclopaedia. Instead, I began by carefully studying numerous entries and then put the book to the test by comparing the "glossary of terms" found in two very good books on Falconry to the content of this work.

The book measures 10in x 7¾in (255mm x 195mm) and contains 150 pages packed with information plus an extensive "further reading" section at the end. The publishers claim 95,000 words defining some 1,500 terms used in connection with the sport of Falconry. Those I had selected to study at random were all well described and included the ancient and historic origins of those words (where applicable) in addition to their meaning. The book also contains numerous illustrations to assist the written descriptions plus 4 sections of colour/black and white photographs/illustrations - from both ancient and modern sources.

Thinking I had stumbled across a whole area which had been missed by the author, I looked up a number of medical terms associated with Falconry and was (initially at least) very disappointed to find vitally important words - such as "Bumblefoot," missing altogether. Then I discovered the 8 page appendix on "Diseases and Ailments" right at the end and mentally offered the author my sincere apologies and quickly restored the book's 5 star rating.

Altogether, an excellent book and a most useful reference tool - although I am not sure why they have used the American spelling (i.e. Encyclopaedia instead of Encyclopaedia) in the title. A small matter which should not deter anyone from buying the book.

NM

Falconry is a sport with a long, complex history and tradition, and there is a wealth of falconry-related literature out there. This book is good to have on hand when researching a word or phrase related to managing your own hawks. Having all these definitions at your fingertips really helps (a lot of falconry classics contain archaic language or very specific terminology). But, the Encyclopedia also contains a lot of current information. It is not a how-to book, so it does not replace any of the better falconry manuals. It is, though, a solid reference tool you will consult time and again.

A comprehensive look at the the world of falconry. The writing style shows much better organization than the Webster/Beebe books, which tend to ramble. Great photos.

Something is missing from American falconry, something old.

As you hunt the doomed woodlot behind Wal-Mart, imagine this: You're on a horse, on a windy crest of high pasture bordered by a stone wall two thousand years old. Your great grandfather was born three miles from this spot in a farmhouse that still bears his name. Tiny white flecks of sheep graze in the valley below. Above them, a mixed flock of jackdaws and crows forms a tight whirling spiral evading the efforts of a young falcon, moments ago released from your glove.

In Northumberland, the far border of England and Scotland, this could be any day in the last eight hundred years. It could be yesterday. For all our modern improvements and vast open spaces, American falconry has nothing like it.

For Virginia writer Lee Chichester, the lure to see and take part in such ancient sport was irresistible. In the Spring of 1995, she saw a notice in the Hawk Chalk calling "junior falconers" to intern at the National Avian Research Center, a falcon breeding operation run by Dr. Nick Fox in Carmarthen, United Kingdom. Applicants would assist in all facets of falcon rearing and training. The latter half of this five-month engagement would be spent hawking crows in the rolling border country far to the north. Chichester had at that time flown three passage red-tails, mostly at squirrels and mostly alone, so counted herself a junior falconer and applied.

Falcons and Foxes in the UK: The Making of Hunter is the story of this "one time only" falconry experience. As a freelance journalist twenty years in practice, Chichester weaves an engaging, full-length narrative around what for lesser writers would be another essay on "How I spent my summer vacation." Chichester skillfully supplies her story with moments of suspense and with well-drawn characters, of which she herself proves complex, sympathetic and believable: a falconer young in the sport though older than her fellow interns; far separated from her husband and close friends; a reluctant ambassador of America and American falconry; a woman seeking experience and respect in a sometimes condescending masculine culture.

For the student of falconry, there is plenty of detail in Chichester's vivid accounts of the perils of wild hack, the meticulous job of captive propagation and the raw thrills of the haute volerie, the high flight of the falcon as seen from the back of a galloping horse.

If you share even a twinge of Lee Chichester's spirit of adventure or her fascination with this beautiful and ancient branch of our sport, let her lead you through the pasture gate and on to the chase.

This captivating book weaves the technical details of modern falconry with historic lore and the author's personal journey into the world of hunting with raptors. Chichester brings falconry alive. An informative read for birders or anyone interested in the fascinating world of falconry.

Being in the novice category, I applaud Chichester's ability to capture my attention and hold my interest. I found the story-like quality quite appealing and informative facts offered in managable doses. The characters have charm and create connections that leave the reader wanting more. I would imagine more experienced falconers could find common story themes in Chicester's work. A good read aloud for the younger set when offered in segments. Where is the next adventure?