HOW TO TRAIN A HAWK | How to Train a Bird of Prey
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ธ.ค. 2020
- Follow us on Instagram @mercerfalconry
How to train a hawk the first week. In this video I go through my steps on how to train a bird of prey. Flying a hawk takes a lot of work, and its not just hawks, training and flying a bird of prey can sometimes take weeks, even months of work. Some birds do not even unlock their full potential until after years of flying. Training hawks can be broken down into different steps. Each day for the past week I have been taking these steps and filming them with a brand-new hawk. Hawks are exceedingly popular falconry birds of prey; however, my birds are all used for education rather than hunting. This is not exactly a How to train harris hawks tutorial. This is just the process I take when training birds of prey.
If you are not a falconer but are interested in falconry and the training and flying of birds of prey, then consider subscribing for more future videos like this.
If you are a falconer and use different methods to what is shown in this video then leave a comment about what you would do differently, I am always up for discussing and trying new training techniques.
If you are planning to get a hawk soon or thinking it might be something for you in the future, then although this video may help, after watching this it does not mean you are ready to go and get and train a bird, there is a lot more that goes into it than this!
As this is quite a long video, I have broken down each day and what they include here:
Day 1 01:40 Feeding on the fist - asking the hawk to eat while on the falconer’s glove.
Day 2 03:08 Jumping to the glove - asking the hawk to do a small jump from perch to glove for food.
Day 3 04:32 Flying to the fist - flying the hawk to the glove over short distances while on the training line.
Day 4 07:00 Flying between perches - flying the hawk between 2 perches while on a training line.
Day 5 08:52 Reinforcing glove work - flying the hawk between the glove and perch on the training line.
Day 6 11:11 Free flying a hawk - flying the hawk free for the first time between glove and perch.
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Music: www.bensound.com
#falconry #howto #hawk
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Part Falcon, Raven buzzard red tail hawk ,and God hawk. Your a great beastiarien
I just discovered what falconry is , I won't do it , but I loved every second of this video , keep doing this , do not stop !🦅🦅🦅🦅
Very interesting to see her in training, thank you - what a beautiful bird, loved seeing her have a bath too 🦅🦅
Great job! So fascinating! I’ve always wondered how they were trained.
Thanks a lot, I simplified it a lot for the video but that’s the general gist of it!
this is so cool! falconry is awesome :)
Thanks a lot, it really is!!!
th-cam.com/users/zzzzzzaaa6
That was a nice detailed step-by-step process that you provided right there. You knew right away based on the reaction time if she's had enough to eat! Also, throughout the 6-day training session, you managed her weight extremely well! I do plan on becoming a Falconer myself one day once I can get enough free time from my job. You made it all look so easy only because this is a captive-bred Harris Hawk! You did ask about what to name this hawk! I'd say she's a Sara! Its just a simple name and she simply does whatever she's supposed to do!
Thank you for the comment, there is a chance she is actually a wild taken hawk because that’s not allowed in the European country she was in and that is possibly why her and 3 others had to be confiscated and she came to me. I know the people who got the others and one of them was a lot more aggressive and difficult so I think I was just very lucky with her temperament.
And thanks for the name suggestion, nice and simple!
Wait a sec, I thought only captive-bred hawks are allowed in Falconry in the UK! So was this hawk released and then recaptured?
No she was confiscated from someone in Belgium (I think), and sent to the uk. I’m not 100% sure on the reason but it’s very possible that she was a wild taken hawk from America not captive bred
Wow, its hard to believe any wild taken hawk can be trained so quickly, even if its spent a short amount of time with someone else! The bonding is strong already, and I can tell that you'll both accomplish a lot together!
4:22
It’s amazing to see how you train the bird and how trusts you to and how fast it can fly also ❤👍
I’m very lucky to have the bond with them
Thank you so much for these videos! Falconry is fascinating!
Amazing journey in this video! Thank you👏👏
Great thanks a lot, are you a falconer?
Happy for you, proud of you
Going to get my first hawk later this year, had dogs and ferrets since I was a kid but there's something more majestic about hunting with a bird
This was a great video thank you for all the tips I definatley think I'm going to choose a Harris or red tailed hawk for my first bird and the great tips really help will be referring back to this video in a few years when I'm at the point to get my first bird thank you :)
That’s the joy of TH-cam, you can watch this as many times as you like, whenever you like!
Love the cinematics. Could you please do a similar video for barn owls?
Great video and what a beautiful Hawk! We use bullet jesses so things look a little bit different to what I’m used to. Out of interest why do you use button jesses and a swivel instead of bullet jesses?
nice vid !!!! I will have my Harris en a few days so this video it´s very useful. A couple of questions, how do you know wich is a good weight to start the training? how many grams it´s a normal day food? do you give her just baby chickens? Thanks
That hawk is stunning 🤩🤩🤩
*mad snaps.* gr8 vid.
JC
Great video Dan. If only I was younger I would definitely have taken falconery up.
I think falconry can be done at any age, I plan to fly birds until I’m 100 years old!
Always best to be properly prepared and ready before getting a bird, keep it up
Keep up the great work
Thanks a lot, work has slowed due to bird flu but there should be more videos up soon!
hello i am a hunting bird fan from Cambodia boss💓💓🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭i'm really glad to meet you on TH-cam boss
Thank you, nice to hear from you too
Great video Dan, can’t wait to see her flying in a cast!
You might have to help with that next time you visit!
Any suggestions on name? 😂
@@danmercer6590 I can’t think of names for my own birds let alone yours😂
Well that’s not very helpful 😂
You need to hurry up and get a Harris hawk so we can take them all out together
Very interesting, great channel you got here.
Thanks a lot 😁
Thanks for the video she's beautiful i love how you training her 🦅😍
Thank you very much I appreciate it, she is beautiful!
thank you for this! she's absolutely beautiful 🦅
You are very welcome 😁
@@MercerFalconry 😎✌🏻
i really like this video that you make
Amazing!
Thank you very much!
Nice video bro! new sub from Arg
Awesome video. I wish this was legal around here, would be such a blast to hunt with birds. Perhaps some say in the future..
Really cool...nice bird
Thank you very much!
AWESOME VIDEO,I WAS WONDERING IF I CAN USE A FAUX LEATHER FOR THE ANKLETS?THANK YOU.
Why would you need to?
Kangaroo hide is excellent for hawk furniture
That was awesome
Thank you very much 😁
I know I'm late to the post of this video but I am incredibly impressed with your methods!! Top notch training and excellent diligence with her! She is quite special! I do have one question, how many baby chickens in a day do they eat? It looked like you portioned them, but in a week would you say it's 7-10 chics? Seems like you would also have to have a small chicken farm to feed the hunters you are training 🤣 I'm am only asking out of educational purposes, they are after all birds of prey and that's what they naturally hunt!
It varies depending on her weight, typically 3 a day but sometimes more and sometimes less, I buy 1000 a month for all 13 birds
Great video 👏🏾
Thanks a lot
@@MercerFalconry You're very welcome. I grew up raising finches in a little village in Ghana. I had no idea until moving to Canada, that birds of prey could be used to hunt. I have become obsessed with falconry and can't wait to bring this amazing sport to Ghana.
Wow that’s quite a climate change going from Ghana to Canada! There are some awesome birds of prey in Africa, I would love to visit to see them in the wild
@@MercerFalconry It definitely was.It was my first time seeing snow and as a 10 year old, it was wonderful lol. Keep up the videos coming brother, I'm learning alot from you.
Amazing video sum thing that iv all ways wanted to get in to but would not no we're to start 👍
Thanks a lot, there are a few other videos on the channel about what it involves and how to get into falconry. It’s hard work sometimes but I love it!
@@MercerFalconry thanks nice 1
Can I ask roughly how many hours a day would u say is adequate for spending tie with a new bird?
Great Vid Dan. Informative even for a cotton brain like me. I think her name is Dolly fantail.
Thanks a lot I appreciate that 😁
I’m reserving the name Dolly for a future bird 😂
Just subd mate nice harris 👍
Thank you I appreciate it!
Great videos Dan 👍 I think you should call her Doris 😊
Thank you 😁
That’s such an old lady name 😂
But patsy behaves like a grumpy old lady so I guess it works well with her
Hello. It's a very helpful video. Editing is also good and wonderful. I subscribed to the channel.
Excellent, thank you very much, I appreciate it!
Lovely bird
Thank you
please continue 😢😢
Tweed is a good suggestion, I have been thinking of names for getting my first bird later this year but wondering around the countryside calling out 'Tweed-tweed' we might get confused.
I have made contact with a UK breeder however, I had not thought of getting a re-homed bird - would any bad habits be easy to re train?
Always make sure you pick a name your comfortable shouting at a tree from time to time 😂
For you first bird I would stay well clear of second hand birds, carry on with your plan to go straight to the breeder. What age will the hawk be when you pick her up?
@@MercerFalconry It’s a new 2021 bird and just spoke to the breeder and he suggests we wait until late summer when it’s had a chance to be reared and crèched with its own hatchlings so still a way off yet. Plenty of time to learn from your up and coming videos 😀
Yes I would definitely go with a parent reared bird, it might be worth asking the breeder exactly how many weeks the hawk will be when you plan to pick it up, I wouldn’t go any younger than 18 weeks, some people suggest younger like 14 or 16 weeks but I think the hawk is still developing at that stage and you risk partially imprinting the bird. 18-22 weeks I would say is a good age to pick the bird up and start training.
After your first comment with the things you would like to see I have decided to turn ‘How to train a hawk’ into a series so keep an eye out!
0:50 Hello, what are the correct measurements to make a transporter box for Harris?
It depends on the hawk really, try looking into the dimensions of boxes on the market already to base yours off
Love the coffee maker at the 1st and omg. The falcon looks so beautiful... i also wanna have a pet like that
Thanks, a day can never start before I’ve had a coffee. They really are beautiful but a lot more work than just a pet, it’s my full time job to care for them!
Great stuff. Thx for the training insights. Name her “Jess,” because she trained up jess like that! Lol! Cheers
Thank you, she’s been named for a while now, she’s called Peggy!
whats that thing you put it in first scene where we see the hawk
Her travel box?
Hi,
Would you be able to give me the dimensions of your wooden travel box please?
I found a hwak and i need some advice to make him better like the food , nest, disease, wether , i need some knowledge. Help
Take the hawk to a vet
2:51 I was taught that if you stroke the bird’s feet gently this will encourage them to eat as it’s what their mother does when they’re young to draw their attention to the food by their feet.
I’m not sure about that, the mums tend to touch the side of the beak to encourage them to eat, I think tapping or touching the toes probably simulates prey moving in their feet and encourages them to kill or eat it
Birdy birdy sweetness bird 😊
I have 2 hawk, buzzard or eagle chicks. When they were born they were white, their nose and feet are yellow. Now that they are about 4 weeks old, their colour is starting to turn brown. What kind of birds are they?
I really couldn’t say just from a comment, why do you have them?
Can anyone train a hawk/ falcon (asking for myself) or should I pay someone to train them?
Also do you recommend a hawk or a falcon for my bird of pray? I live in San Diego Cali
If you own the bird you generally train it yourself but you need a lot of experience and knowledge before you own one
Do you think being different birds there still communicating to each other ?
Which birds are you talking about?
What do u feed her when training?
Mainly a mix of chicken and beef, sometimes quail
Hi bro I need a training hawks from baby until free flight
Hork yes
Thank you very horking much
Harriot Hawkins
Hey Mercer I dont know if you are into Eagles or not but I want to know from you or any experienced falconer like you, that how many days it takes to train a bonelli or golden eagle?
Hi, I am a big fan of eagles and have trained and flown several, I would love one of my own they are just very expensive!
I have more experience with fish eagles rather than golden eagles but I don’t think anyone could answer the question of how many days it takes to train one, every bird is different and will get the hang of things and take to the training at different speeds. It also depends on how experienced the trainer is, an example of this is with how many Harris hawks I have trained I know I can train one to fly free in roughly a week where’s it would take someone with less experience a lot longer.
I got your point. The reason I asked cause generally falconers talk about hawks and falons training but not for the eagles.I read a book of Philp Glacier "Falconry & Hawking" He mentioned too training time of falcons and hawks, especially Harris hawk for an experienced falconer but not for the eagles.He did flew golden and his most favorite Bonelli. Secondly every country have there own dynamics, where I am Falcons & Hawks are very expensive but Eagles are way less.
Falconry and hawking is a great book, if you search for the channel Dave Sharpe Nature Boy he makes videos about training a golden eagle
@@MercerFalconry Alright I will and thanks alot
If you catch a hawq from the wild.do you have to deprive it from sleep for a whole.month?
No not at all, that is an old method called ‘waking’. It’s not necessary
@@MercerFalconry thanks. Also how do I get the fone tracker app???
You have to have the Marshall GPS system which costs about £1100 and then download the app in the App Store
How often should you feed the hawk?
I feed mine once a day when they fly
I have a falcon .... I Don't know how to train ...Please give me some technique
Love the video just hard to hear you sometimes with all the birds chirping haha
Thankyou, this was an early video for me so I was still learning, and I still am!
@@MercerFalconry no problem man have a great day!😎
You too! 😁
How can I add videos need show you mine
Anyone can upload videos to TH-cam, you can also send me videos on Facebook or Instagram messenger
I am in Sri Lanka What should be done to tame the hawk first after catching it
I am not familiar with the laws about catching birds in Sri Lanka, the best thing to do would be to find a local falconer who can help and teach you
Hey quick question. What state do they live in (The hawks)
They are a southern American bird so states such as Texas
Hi, so how do you train all of your birds, in other words do you train them daily?
Or do you train some birds at specific days?
I don’t have another job so for me every bird is flown every day as and when they need to
?.. why do u blow whistle, after, she lands on ur hand? Please
To associate her eating the food with hearing the whistle so that when she is flying free and I whistle she knows it means she can come and get food
Your Harris is beautiful!
Thank you, I think so too!
I wish u get 1m subs
Wow thank you very much
@@MercerFalconry btw can u do a hunt with your birds of prey im 12 and im thinking of getting into falconry and i wanted to see the birds hunting
None of my birds hunt, they are all display birds so it would be difficult for me to make that video, but I will keep it in mind!
@@MercerFalconry thanks ;)
Julie at work thinks you should call her Edina if it's not too much like Eddie, but I think you should call her Beauty. ❤️
Eddie was named after Edina so we can’t use that name
I already know a hawk called Beauty
@@danmercer6590 Bella is Spanish for beauty. Given where Harris hawks are from, it seems appropriate.
An American hawk from Belgium now in England with a Spanish name, could get quite confusing 😂
I guess it means I would just have to get another called beast
greetings fromGreece ( a new student ... ;) )
Hi, what’s falconry like over in Greece?
absolutly nothing my friend , only 2,3 guys......
Oh that’s a shame
This imprint?
Yer boi
We need to make a video together!
That was easy bro, my kestrel doesn't want to take food from my hands.
Have you done any manning?
@@MercerFalconry not yet, I have one week trying to feed it from my hands. It just take the food to drop it.
Have you got any experience with keeping birds of prey?
@@MercerFalconry not at all, but I wish learn.
Really you should have gained the experience and knowledge before having a bird
How to find is my hawk male or female?
I own a falcon but he isn’t willing to jump on my glove even after almost a week.
After catching a big hawk What to do to tame first 😢
You should know this before you have caught a hawk, if not you need to find someone local to yourself with knowledge who can help you
👏🙌👏
👍👍👍
How many grams do you feed her per day if not cutting weight?
I don’t ever weigh the food so I couldn’t say how many grams, every bird is different with how much food they need
@@MercerFalconry I see. So for your bird particularly, you feed them based on what measurement? Hunch? or by feeling their crop? You did mention your bird weight in the video, I'm guessing the amount of food should be proportional to their weight
juniper
Perez
I Love your videos I am a falconer in the United States I actually have a small channel called KJ Falconry
camera audio is messed up
You should name her Melody
Where do you get a hawk tho
From an established breeder, its a lot more work than just getting a hawk though
How do I message you directly?
Search for Mercer Falconry on either Facebook or Instagram, I’ll keep an eye out
I have been watching you at school because I have Autism
Thank you very much, did you already have an interest in birds of prey or is this something new to you?
@@MercerFalconry me and my dad have a Harris hawk
Great, do you fly the hawk?
@@MercerFalconry yes I fly her she is amazing she is so calm
Excellent 😁
She is soo beautiful..how about Piper!!!
Name her Sunrise😀
Thanks for the suggestion, she’s now called Peggy!
Hi there, first of all I still didn't get your name haha, second, I am so interested in falconry since like years, and I have been researching about it for so so long, but so far I still haven't started due to a lot of enquiries...I am not sure if you can offer some support ..thanks :)
My name is Dan, are you in the uk?
@@MercerFalconry Nice to meet you Dan :) Yeah I am in the UK if you have any contact numbers or Facebook
I have a Facebook page also called Mercer Falconry 😄
Do you sell hawks?
First step: Have a cup of strong coffee. :)
Every single day starts the same with me 😂
Sorry to say this but I had to completely mute the video and just read subtitles I can't hear over all the screeching
There’s a meme in here somewhere
I don’t understand
And that’s a Harris’s hawk (which is a buzzard not a hawk)
By the way, I'm from South Africa.
Do you pet it ¿
I don’t, birds of prey don’t really like being petted, it’s more of a mammal thing
@@MercerFalconry I would expect it work on all animals , positive reinforcement or whatever they call it , instead of food you give it affection like puppies 🐶 who I would say are also animals of pray
But a puppy being petted is likely mimicking the mother licking the puppy when it’s born and so it’s a bonding thing with mammals, birds don’t do this with their young and they have special oils on their feathers. If we start petting them we can remove these oils and then the feathers are no longer waterproof, the oils also help the bird absorb vitamin D from the sun so if we remove that we are taking away an important nutrient, they would likely feel more comfortable with me slightly tugging on some feathers as if I am preening for them
Name her greyth radial gwuack
Is she for sale
No none of my birds are for sale
Lol you just taught be how to whistle again
All of my birds are trained to a whistle so I’ve practiced enough to have quite a loud whistle 😂