You wont get good sport if your hawks dont make frequent kills, a hawk which has too many defeats will become fist bound or lure bound and wont fly the quarry with vigour and determination, which is what you want to see. Even the best hawks will often be defeated, especially if they are flown at difficult quarry, but you cant afford to have too many defeats.
I once flew a spar successfully for 6 successive seasons, and proved that a good sparrowhawk could regularly take full grown partridges both grey and red-legged. She stopped screaming in her second year and stopped mantling her quarry. She flew better and better as the years went by. She took all sorts, but my best kill was a drake mallard taken on a 300 yard slip at a flock which had descended to feed in the stubble. Pipits nearly always outflew her as they will any sparrowhawk, but she managed to catch a solitary one. Most spars will refuse to fly them after a dozen-or-so defeats. She took quite a few larks early in the season, some of them high in the air. I once lost her for six days and retreived her, but eventually lost her in a gale.
That is a very interesting story. As I understand it, Sparrowhawks are difficult birds to train and are only taken on by experienced falconers. It is a testament to your skill
@@studio12archive60 If you look at my falconry notes from the earliest days in the 50s, it is evident that my hawks and their kills got better and better as the years went by. However it wasn that the hawks were better but my growing experience was making all the difference. I wouldn't reccomend a spar for a beginner, and a beginner wouldn't get the same results with it that I did with my later hawks. I also had good results with red headed falcons, which were much more efficienr at killing large quarry than hawks are. Falcons bite their quarry just behind the head, which kills them very quicly. whereas hawks often take a long time to kill large prey, It all depends where their dagger-like talons go, sometimes but not often the quarry is killrd quickly. For hawks, the beak is just an eating utensil, not a weapon.
@@williampinchersA fine healthy hawk Is always a good page to start on, I'll call him tomorrow as I attended a mutual friends funeral today in Canterbury, Dr Mike Nicholls who will be sadly missed by all, keep well
Thank you for your comment. I don't know of any of the finer details of Falconry as I was the producer, but I am sure Kevin was doing what was right at the time. His birds certainly thrived.
@@studio12archive60 Kevin seems very pleasant, I remember reading about straw and hawks when I was young it was one of those things that stuck in my head,
Yes because of mold issues you can have with straw.. I never heard of aquarium gravel though, that seems like a highly expensive substrate that wont work well
Nice to see everything clean and the birds kept in good order.
Amazing. One of the best ever falconry videos I have ever watched. Great job
Thank you. It is very kind of you to say so.
Phenomenal.. Great instruction and full of artistry.. It's about the sport >not the kill. Beautiful 😊🎀❤️
Thank you, very kind. I am glad you enjoyed the film
You wont get good sport if your hawks dont make frequent kills, a hawk which has too many defeats will become fist bound or lure bound and wont fly the quarry with vigour and determination, which is what you want to see. Even the best hawks will often be defeated, especially if they are flown at difficult quarry, but you cant afford to have too many defeats.
Very interesting and cool!
Fun video to watch! Thanks
Thank you for your comment. Glad you enjoyed it
great film 🎥.
especially the eagle owl 🦉
Thank you. Ia am glad you enjoyed it.
I once flew a spar successfully for 6 successive seasons, and proved that a good sparrowhawk could regularly take full grown partridges both grey and red-legged. She stopped screaming in her second year and stopped mantling her quarry. She flew better and better as the years went by. She took all sorts, but my best kill was a drake mallard taken on a 300 yard slip at a flock which had descended to feed in the stubble. Pipits nearly always outflew her as they will any sparrowhawk, but she managed to catch a solitary one. Most spars will refuse to fly them after a dozen-or-so defeats. She took quite a few larks early in the season, some of them high in the air. I once lost her for six days and retreived her, but eventually lost her in a gale.
That is a very interesting story. As I understand it, Sparrowhawks are difficult birds to train and are only taken on by experienced falconers. It is a testament to your skill
@@studio12archive60 If you look at my falconry notes from the earliest days in the 50s, it is evident that my hawks and their kills got better and better as the years went by. However it wasn that the hawks were better but my growing experience was making all the difference. I wouldn't reccomend a spar for a beginner, and a beginner wouldn't get the same results with it that I did with my later hawks. I also had good results with red headed falcons, which were much more efficienr at killing large quarry than hawks are. Falcons bite their quarry just behind the head, which kills them very quicly. whereas hawks often take a long time to kill large prey, It all depends where their dagger-like talons go, sometimes but not often the quarry is killrd quickly. For hawks, the beak is just an eating utensil, not a weapon.
1:00:40 That dog is so happy they got the duck
this was lovely thanks for postings
Thank you for your comment. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Very nice to watch , thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you
Looks like a Ben Long glove, nice.
Good documentary
Thank you.
Martin’s young in this vidio ,when was this bit filmed I’ve had birds of Martin to.Great guy
We were all a lot younger then. LOL This was filmed over a single year in 2000
Blimey 20 odd years ago, needless to say Martin is a true Gentleman, I can count several good hawk's which Martin has provided over the years.
@@josephking1947 yes me to never had a bad hawk or falcon off Martin ever
@@williampinchersA fine healthy hawk Is always a good page to start on, I'll call him tomorrow as I attended a mutual friends funeral today in Canterbury, Dr Mike Nicholls who will be sadly missed by all, keep well
Amazing 👌👌
Just some helpful advice That straw can kill that Saker falcon, it should be kept on aquarium gravel.
Thank you for your comment. I don't know of any of the finer details of Falconry as I was the producer, but I am sure Kevin was doing what was right at the time. His birds certainly thrived.
@@studio12archive60 Kevin seems very pleasant, I remember reading about straw and hawks when I was young it was one of those things that stuck in my head,
Yes because of mold issues you can have with straw.. I never heard of aquarium gravel though, that seems like a highly expensive substrate that wont work well
@@littlewigglemonster7691 It works perfectly for rearing hawks.
how old is this?
I shot this in the late 90's, hence the 4 x 3 format.