[MR] Falconry

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Continuing sharing my accumulated bookmarked resources, I call to your
attention some pages I have collected on falconry.

Falconry was extremely popular as a sport among the upper classes in the
medieval world. It continues to have a following today, both for actual
hunting or for just flying raptors under controlled conditions for the
pleasure of seeing these magnificent birds on the wing. Falconry has
changed very little since the middle ages, and we can learn a lot from
modern falconers.

When Lady Sarah Sinclair and I toured Scotland several years ago, falconry
was at the top of her list. We spent an afternoon at Strathblane Falconry
near Glasgow where she flew a North American Harris hawk and a Eurasian
eagle owl (a very large bird indeed). I was there to take pictures, but
ended up flying both birds myself, plus having several others on my wrist.
It was an amazing experience, especially looking into the eyes of an eagle
on my arm that probably wanted to tear my throat out. Strathblane's web
page is at http://www.strathblanefalconry.co.uk/ . The website has a video
component which takes a while to load, but it is worth the wait.

You don't have to go to Scotland for a falconry experience (though I highly
recommend visiting this amazing land). There are opportunities nearer to
home to experience this sport. Virginia has a very active falconry club,
The Virginia Falconers' Association. Their web site has several useful
educational sections, including photos and information about the various
birds. True, many of the birds shown are native to North America, but
traditional Old World birds are also flown. See http://www.vafalconers.com/
 .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆