Thank you Ben for your incredible videos. I am teaching my 7 year old falconry starting with a trapped American Kestrel on Saint Martin FWI. Your videos are teaching him faster than my mentors John Hitchmough,, Martin Lee, Frank Bebe and Dennis Maine's on Vancouver Island. The Complete Falconer was a masterpiece for it's time but your videos kick as#.
I have your book! I added the wire mesh “tray” to the bottom of a BC trap. In my failed attempts to trap (as my sponsor says-because you learn more from failing than beginners luck🥴), I noticed that females tend to hop around the ground to grab and males like to land on the top of the traps. Not 100%, but more than 50%. I also tried using a dark dwarf hamster-they resemble voles-with great interest... my pet store “guy” knows some people ask for dark mice, so they are in a special container “in the back” 😉 I would recommend as realistic to natural colors as possible, but as your video shows, not necessary. I was always told 2 mice in it, but one caught mine just fine. It’s trial and error to the birds in the area for certain.
I’ve tried pigeon harnesses and BC’s. I prefer the BC’s. I’ve used starling as bait and gerbils. The gerbils just coward in the corner of the trap. The starlings went absolutely nuts and therefore were much more attractive as bait.
I trapped a passage female yesterday. You're right watching a birds behavior is interesting. I had originally thought the bird was caught on the bc, but she flew off. Instead of leaving the area she flew to a fence post that was 15 feet away. I immediately turned the vehicle around and drove some distance away. I waited another 5 minutes and she flew back down to the trap and this time she was trapped.
It you think your trap was simple you should see mine. Two 12" square pieces of hardware cloth. Put one piece over a coffee can and hit it with a baseball to form a a little dome and then I sandwich the pieces together. Sometime that Dome is so small at it's apex that you only need about six nooses but pretty much nearly 100% catch rate. 🙃
Always enjoy your videos. Thanks for adding in some footage to illustrate your points! Would love to see a video about your opinions concerning the ethics of hunting larger game. (Ex red tail or two Harris hawks on geese or Golden on roe deer) I've heard it's done but frowned upon by some. What is the best pairing for each size/type of bird of prey? Happy Hunting.
Good intro video Ben. However, that noose design is DANGEROUS. If a bird should somehow fly off with one of those nooses on their foot - for example, because the monofilament broke or the knot came undone at the trap - absolute guarantee that whatever body part that noose is around will die due to blood loss. In downtown Seattle, a sizeable percentage of the feral pigeons in the city are missing toes and even their entire foot, and I regularly caught them with nooses similar to the ones you used on that trap cutting off circulation.
Nice informative and entertaining vid on trapping Kestrels Ben.👍 I have noticed on my own trapping excursions that Haggard's, bump easier than Passage Birds. Probably because of there experience in the Wild that Passage Birds haven't acquired yet. Btw, do you have any suggestions on how to place the trap, without bumping the Bird, once you sight a Bird🦅 to trap?
Looking forward to more trapping videos. Trapping is one of the great breathtaking moments of the sport. It is hard for me to consider someone a falconer that flies a Harris's hawk but has never trapped or flown a wild bird
Hard to put a number on the distance. In general, if a bird is in a location with a lot of commotion and traffic, you can more easily get close to them. If they are higher up I try to get closer as well. But generally Each setup is a little different. If they are on a medium height phone pole, usually you want to be at least one pole down.
True sparrow hawks can definitely be caught on a balchatri, as can kestrels (which are sometimes inaccurately called sparrow hawks) But true sparrow hawks will approach a trap differently than a kestrel. Because of this I would recommend two points for trapping sparrow hawks. First, use small birds as bait instead of a rodent. And secondly, on your trap, tie an even mix of very large and very small nooses. They way sparrow hawks and other accipiters hit and tackle the trap, having a mix of large and small nooses will greatly increase the chance of successfully trapping a sparrowhawk.
Let me answer your question as concisely as I can. First, falconers only trap birds of the age that we call a “passage bird” which is a first year bird that does not yet have a mate. If we accidentally catch an adult (called a haggard) we do not keep it and instantly set it free. We do not trap during the time of year that parents are raising babies. This time of year all their babies have flown off and left and are living on their own. But even if an adult were trapped during the the time of year they are raising babies (such as a biologist trapping and tagging parent birds, or hawk watch trapping and banding parents) this would not disrupt the parents at all. They would just fly back to the nest afterwards, a little aggravated, but fine other than that. In many states it is required that an apprentice falconer must trap their first bird. After their apprenticeship, they also have the option to purchase captive bred birds. In the wild, 80% of first year birds die before their second year from starvation, electrocuted on power poles, shot, hit by cars, or killed by larger birds. When a falconer traps a first year bird they give it a guaranteed meal, help develop its hunting skills and improve its musculature, and then typically set it free after a season or two. Such a bird typically does better at surviving and raising young of its own, then birds left to their own devices.
@@benwoodrufffalconry ...well said Ben So many uneducated out there , so glad your helping educate those with no knowledge but opinions. So little do they know , awesome videos mate . Keep em coming. 👍
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Thank you Ben for your incredible videos.
I am teaching my 7 year old falconry starting with a trapped American Kestrel on Saint Martin FWI.
Your videos are teaching him faster than my mentors John Hitchmough,, Martin Lee, Frank Bebe and Dennis Maine's on Vancouver Island.
The Complete Falconer was a masterpiece for it's time but your videos kick as#.
I have your book! I added the wire mesh “tray” to the bottom of a BC trap. In my failed attempts to trap (as my sponsor says-because you learn more from failing than beginners luck🥴), I noticed that females tend to hop around the ground to grab and males like to land on the top of the traps. Not 100%, but more than 50%. I also tried using a dark dwarf hamster-they resemble voles-with great interest... my pet store “guy” knows some people ask for dark mice, so they are in a special container “in the back” 😉 I would recommend as realistic to natural colors as possible, but as your video shows, not necessary. I was always told 2 mice in it, but one caught mine just fine. It’s trial and error to the birds in the area for certain.
I've been a fan of your channel for about the past year, and I absolutely love your trapping videos.
I’ve tried pigeon harnesses and BC’s. I prefer the BC’s. I’ve used starling as bait and gerbils. The gerbils just coward in the corner of the trap. The starlings went absolutely nuts and therefore were much more attractive as bait.
Good point. A small animal bolting is a sure way to get a predators attention
I trapped a passage female yesterday. You're right watching a birds behavior is interesting. I had originally thought the bird was caught on the bc, but she flew off. Instead of leaving the area she flew to a fence post that was 15 feet away. I immediately turned the vehicle around and drove some distance away. I waited another 5 minutes and she flew back down to the trap and this time she was trapped.
Congratulations! Happy manning and training!
@@tanyamccarlson4136 Thank you!
Great video and very informative, thanks so much for this videos.
It you think your trap was simple you should see mine. Two 12" square pieces of hardware cloth. Put one piece over a coffee can and hit it with a baseball to form a a little dome and then I sandwich the pieces together.
Sometime that Dome is so small at it's apex that you only need about six nooses but pretty much nearly 100% catch rate. 🙃
😂😂 nice trap
Excellent video Ben, Happy World Falconry Day. All beautiful hunting experiences.
Always enjoy your videos. Thanks for adding in some footage to illustrate your points!
Would love to see a video about your opinions concerning the ethics of hunting larger game. (Ex red tail or two Harris hawks on geese or Golden on roe deer) I've heard it's done but frowned upon by some. What is the best pairing for each size/type of bird of prey?
Happy Hunting.
Happy late World Falconry Day! Beautiful little kestrels.
great video
Good intro video Ben. However, that noose design is DANGEROUS. If a bird should somehow fly off with one of those nooses on their foot - for example, because the monofilament broke or the knot came undone at the trap - absolute guarantee that whatever body part that noose is around will die due to blood loss. In downtown Seattle, a sizeable percentage of the feral pigeons in the city are missing toes and even their entire foot, and I regularly caught them with nooses similar to the ones you used on that trap cutting off circulation.
Very interesting and informative.
Amazing video... thanks Ben for entertainment!😄
Great book!!
Wow, good you know balchatri
Nice informative and entertaining vid on trapping Kestrels Ben.👍 I have noticed on my own trapping excursions that Haggard's, bump easier than Passage Birds. Probably because of there experience in the Wild that Passage Birds haven't acquired yet. Btw, do you have any suggestions on how to place the trap, without bumping the Bird, once you sight a Bird🦅 to trap?
Looking forward to more trapping videos. Trapping is one of the great breathtaking moments of the sport. It is hard for me to consider someone a falconer that flies a Harris's hawk but has never trapped or flown a wild bird
They won't bite when you grab them?
what state do you live in? there is no American kestrel in southern california
Hey Ben, were you ever a curator at a hutchings museum?
Yes I was for a number of years
lol I know right where you were trapping. I see those kestrels all the time. Ive got a male that likes to hang around my backyard
At 330 can you say Gigantic with Kestrel?
Beautiful sport
How can I tell the difference between a adult and juvenile I’ve only trapped red tails never kestrels but wanting to try and trap one
where can I visit you? Utah?
Do u have some available
Well I got to go trap my first red tail of my falconry adventure yesterday it was amazing game experience
Glad you lost your RTH virginity.
Catching AKs with bcs is a blast
Hi there! Great video! May I use clips from it for a public tv show about becoming a Falconer? Okay, thanks!
What's the name of that trap you put on the back of a pigeon
Pigeon harness
Locally we just call the pigeon harnesses. Unusually make them out of leather, but also sometimes make a net harness.
At what distance do you usually place your trap for kestrels?
Hard to put a number on the distance. In general, if a bird is in a location with a lot of commotion and traffic, you can more easily get close to them. If they are higher up I try to get closer as well. But generally Each setup is a little different. If they are on a medium height phone pole, usually you want to be at least one pole down.
Well i see thats a different noose knot than in your prized noose knot video.
I want to get into falconry so bad!
I have 4 of them in my yard beautiful but do not stop screeching chasing each other
hey If you want to go trapping some red tailed hawks with me Id love to go with ya
In our area in Pakistan hunza valley there are many magpies and crows they fails us when ever we tryed by landing on balchatri
Can I trap a sparrow hawk with balchatri trap
True sparrow hawks can definitely be caught on a balchatri, as can kestrels (which are sometimes inaccurately called sparrow hawks)
But true sparrow hawks will approach a trap differently than a kestrel. Because of this I would recommend two points for trapping sparrow hawks. First, use small birds as bait instead of a rodent. And secondly, on your trap, tie an even mix of very large and very small nooses. They way sparrow hawks and other accipiters hit and tackle the trap, having a mix of large and small nooses will greatly increase the chance of successfully trapping a sparrowhawk.
@@benwoodrufffalconry thanks for the comment that was helpful 😁
US?
kestrals are soooo pretty, but so tiny!
Yeah but I still love them 👍
Why do you trap them ? What if they are parent birds & have babies in the nest & now they can't go back to them ?
Let me answer your question as concisely as I can.
First, falconers only trap birds of the age that we call a “passage bird” which is a first year bird that does not yet have a mate. If we accidentally catch an adult (called a haggard) we do not keep it and instantly set it free. We do not trap during the time of year that parents are raising babies. This time of year all their babies have flown off and left and are living on their own.
But even if an adult were trapped during the the time of year they are raising babies (such as a biologist trapping and tagging parent birds, or hawk watch trapping and banding parents) this would not disrupt the parents at all. They would just fly back to the nest afterwards, a little aggravated, but fine other than that.
In many states it is required that an apprentice falconer must trap their first bird. After their apprenticeship, they also have the option to purchase captive bred birds.
In the wild, 80% of first year birds die before their second year from starvation, electrocuted on power poles, shot, hit by cars, or killed by larger birds. When a falconer traps a first year bird they give it a guaranteed meal, help develop its hunting skills and improve its musculature, and then typically set it free after a season or two. Such a bird typically does better at surviving and raising young of its own, then birds left to their own devices.
@@benwoodrufffalconry ...well said Ben So many uneducated out there , so glad your helping educate those with no knowledge but opinions. So little do they know , awesome videos mate . Keep em coming. 👍