pursuit falconry magazine - february 2014

Your FREE Online Falconry Magazine

February 2014 Issue 6

Memoirs of an Artist Naturalist

by George Edward LodgePrinted by Th e George Edward Lodge Trust

www.georgeedwardlodgetrust.co.uk

WelcomeTo the latest edition of PURSUIT

Falconry Magazine.

I write this having

just returned from the

IAF Conference in

Doha, Qatar. A won-

derful place and over

the next few months I

will report on my ex-

periences of this fas-

cinating conutry and

their falconry traditions.

Th is month, I have articles on falconry, art

and innovation in falconry equipment

from around the world and a massive

thankyou to the contributrors of this

slightly delayed issue. (Sorry but I have

had a bought of Man Flu! and i’ve been

out of sorts for the last few days since my

return to the wonderful wet and very cold

British climate.)

In the last few months, I have seen this

magazine grow and to the many 1000’s

of regular readers from around the globe

thank you so much for suppporting this

FREE online magazine.

Also, I am pleased to report with the

assistance of Patrizia Cimberio as of

March an Italian language version of

‘PURSUIT’ which will be available online

as quarterly online magazine.

If any other countries wish to create

‘PURSUIT’ in their own language please

get intouch and hopefully together, we

can all keep on spreading the falconry

message to everyone.

So until next month - Good Hawking.

Neil Davies, EditorPursuit Magazine is published by Neil Davies and promotes the practice of

responsible Falconry & Hawking.

Please be aware all images and text is copyright © Neil Davies 2014 and the

contributing writers, photographers and artists.

No part of this magazine can be used without the written approval of the Editor

or its contributors.

To advertise, submit articles or photographes within Pursuit Falconry Magazine

please email the Neil Davies , Editor: [email protected]

features4 News

6 Profi le of Esengali Sadirbayev

Falconry Artist from Kazakhstan

14 Photo of the Month

16 Developing a unique way of mounting

a leg transmitter by David Ewell

20 An Obsession with Peregrines by Wildlife Atyist David Bennett

30 Hunting Blue Hares with a Golden Eagle

in Scotland by Neil Davies

34 Extracts from a Crow Hawkers Diary by Alec May

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4

In the News...Th e sixth edition of the

Hunting Show will take

place from 8th - 10th

February in Vicenza, Italy.

Th e show features all aspects

of Italian Hunting, Nature and

Shooting and is must for all

countrysports men & women.

For the dog lovers there is

a dedicated Hunting Dog

Pavilion featuring both English

and continental breeds.

Opening times:Saturday/Sunday 9.30am to 6.30pm

Monday: 9.00am to 4.00pm

www.vicenzafi era.it

Italian Falconers at Th e Hunting Show in Vicensa

Urban Release of Th e New Zealand FalconTh ree endangered New Zealand Falcon

chicks have been released into the city of

Rotorua.

Th is project brings together Rotorua

Museum and Wingspan, the National Bird

of Prey Centre, on a very special project

to release New Zealand falcon chicks

(karearea) into the city of Rotorua.

Th is is New Zealand’s fi rst ever urban

release of an endangered species.

www.wingspan.co.nz

Dates released for the 2014 International

Festival of Falconry, Abu Dhabi, UAETh e Emirates Falconers’ Club, Abu Dhabi

is once again hosting the International

Festival of Falconry.

Th is prestigious event starts on the 6th

December 2014 in Abu Dhabi and runs

through to the 14th December.

For further information and programme of

events please log on to:

www.falconryfestival.com

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Th e Archives of Falconry - World Center for Birds of Prey

7th Annual Spring Rendezvous1st March 2014

Wall of Remembrance 2014 Inductees: Gary R. Alten, Gary A. Beeman, Frank M. Bond, Daniel J. Brimm III,

Andrew L. Doran, C. Robert Elgin, Walter G. English, David R. Gardiner, Jack

Hagan, Victor J. Hardaswick, Billy John Linde, Peter J. Oberg, George D. Woehrl

Th e Archives of Falconry will be open at 10AM

* Wall of Remembrance Ceremony (1:30PM)

* Special Guest Derek Craighead

* Tours of the World Center for Birds of Prey

* Falconers’ Celebration Dinner Buff et

Special rate of $85.00 per night at the Oxford Suites Hotel at Cole and I-84.

Rate includes hot breakfast and evening reception (not connected to the

Archives banquet). Please reserve room by February 15th for special rate.

www.oxfordsuitesboise.com or 888-322-8001

Celebration Dinner at Oxford Suites-5:30 P.M. $28.00 per person (1 drink

coupon, tax and tip included). Cash beer and wine bar. Reservations required

by February 21, 2014 by check or credit card to:

Th e Archives of Falconry - World Center for Birds of Prey

5668 W. Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho 83709, USA

Email: [email protected] www.peregrinefund.org

6

FALCONRY IN ART

Esengali SFalconry A

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SadirbayevArtist from Kazakhstan

8

Esengali Sadyrbaev in hius studio

Kazakhan artist Esengali Sadyrbaev Dear guests and art lovers, I am glad to welcome you here, in virtual workshop of an artist.

I am working in realistic manner and consider myself as an heir of the great traditions of the classical school of painting.

CONTACT:Email: [email protected]: www.esengaliart.kz

Was born in 1965, Almaty, Kazakhstan. A member of the Union of Artists of Kazakhstan.

Education: by N.V.Gogol Art school, by Abay the Kazakh State University.

Had more than 10 personal exhibitions.

Took part in many international projects and exhibitions.

Esengali SadirbayevFalconry Artist from Kazakhstan

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PHOTOOF THE MONTH

© STEVE DICKSON 2014

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16

FALCONRY EQUIPMENT

David EwellFALCONER - INVENTOR

Developing a unique way of

mounting a leg transmitter

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1818

FALCONRY EQUIPMENT

I created this out of necessity

as are most inventions are and

mine was no exception. I had a gyrkin last year that broke the track pack, I

had placed on him with in a few hours. I don’t really

like using tail mounts, so I decided on the standard

bewit style leg mount.

It soon became apparent this falcon did not like his

feet being messed with and fought this for several

weeks. So, I started brainstorming ideas and ended

up with a simple screw on style nut and stud which

was retained with a silicon o-ring.

My biggest concern was will it stay on and not

come unthreaded. I’ve now personally used it for 3

months now and I am very pleased to say it’s highly

unlikely to come unscrewed.

Getting the birds ready to fl y is hassle free now and

transferring transmitters from one bird to another

is a breeze. I get the falcon up on my glove as they

are more comfortable sitting there, as I attach the

leg mounts to each nut.

One hand is all you need to cinch up the transmitter

compressing the o-ring to make it secure.

Typically a standard bewit needs to be loose enough

to take on and off without too much trouble. Th is

however, leaves the bewit loose on the tarsus and

can easily be removed by the falcon. I recommend

a bewit be just loose enough to allow it to rotate

around the tarsus, but this means the fi rst time you

place it on it’s going to be a little diffi cult.

Once it’s on it stays. Yes it does stretch over time

and tends to dry out, but I recommend putting

leather treatment on the bewits as needed and

replacing them if they get too loose.

“Developing a uniqueway of

mounting a leg transmitter”

above: the NEW David Ewell Designd leg mounting kit above: detail of bewit mounting

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PROFILEFalconer & Inventor, David Ewell and was

born and raised on a small farm in a small

town south west of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Having a wonderful childhood surrounded

by all kinds of animals and grew a great love

for all gods creatures. From an early age his

passion for birds or for that matter anything

the fl ew seized his imagination.

David has been actively involved in falconry

for 36 years and is always thinking of new ways

to improve the sport.

One of his latest ventures was creation of the

Top Flight Falconry Products Falcon Block

that Marshall Radio recently purchased the

design for and is now manufacturing them.

David says, “unfortunate that we have to place

any foreign objects on our birds, but to practice

modern day falconry it’s a necessary evil.”

As a Mechanical Design Engineer by

trade David is always thinking of new and

innovative was to improve the things he’s

involved in and due to a problematic falcon the

unique Leg Mount method was born.

David is currently fl ying a female Anutum

Peregrine 5x intermewed mostly on ducks with

a few sage grouse and pheasants mixed in.

He really enjoys training pointers and running

them in the vast high deserts of the west in

pursuit of the mighty sage grouse.

Contact:

David Ewell

8782 Dorilee Dr

West Jordan, Utah 84088

USA

Cell: 801-864-5816

above: detail of bewit mounting on falcon’s leg

below: simply screw in the transmitter

bottom: transmitter securely fi tted

20

AN OBSESSION WITH PEREGRINES

David BennetW I L D L I F E A R T I S T

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Wildlife Artist, David was

born and raised in Doncaster

in 1969.

From an early age he naturally took to

painting and drawing, animals and

birds being a recurring theme. Th ese

interests grew with his schooling and

continued during a degree in graphics

and illustration at Leeds, followed by

a masters degree in natural history

illustration at the Royal College of Art

in London.

Aft er graduating David moved back

to Yorkshire, where he now paints and

draws full time.

His work has earned him many

prestigious awards and placements

on conservation projects in Alaska,

Extremadura in Spain, Ireland,

Scotland and the New Forest. His lively

representational drawings and paintings

illustrate a creative passion which is

inspired by much observation and work

in the fi eld.

His fi rst solo project “True to Form”

was published in 2007. Soon to be

followed by “Otter Shores” in May 2011,

a culmination of his work with these

elusive animals, portraying observations

and encounters on the wild and remote

west coast of Scotland. Constantly subject

to the dynamics of weather, light and

season. Th rough sketches and paintings

he illustrates the otters’ world, their

behaviour and habits, giving pointers to

the would-be otter watcher on the tracks

and signs to look for.

CONTACT:David Bennett MA (RCA) SWLA

Tel: +44 (0) 1423 889628

Email: [email protected]

Website:

http://davidbennettwildlife.co.uk

22

Peregrine roosting

In this issue of Pursuit, we are fortunate to

show you some examples of Wildlife Artist,

David Bennett sketches of wild Peregrines in

his native Yorkshire.

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Young eyasses at the nest

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Hunting Blue Hara Golden Eagle in

30

Back in 2010, I was staying with my good

friend and fellow falconer Alex May and to my

surprise Alex had arranged a day out with Neil

Hunter to see Nelson his male Golden Eagle

fl y the mountain or blue hare (Lepus timidus).

Neil arrived at Alex’s house for breakfast and

shortly aft erwards we were heading for the hill.

Neil warned me the ground conditions were

diffi cult and that this was the fi rst time he’d

been on the hill for over a month, due to the

amount of snow that had fallen over the last

couple of months

We packed our kit in Neil.s pickup and drove

towards the snow covered hills. Leaving the

main roads we folowed a farm track onto the

hill driving carefully up a steep snow covered

track for several miles. However, we couldn’t

reach the top of the hill due to the snow drift s

which blocked our way. Neil decided this was

far enough and we’d have to do a bit of walking.

Aft er briefi ng both Alex & myself on how he

wanted us to walk the hill and quickly checking

the telemetry and slippng his cocker spaniel, we

were away in search of the elusive blue hare.

Well I thought I was fi t but walking through

deep snow takes it out of you, I was exhausted.

And I wasn’t evening carrying and eagle!

However, within an half hour, we had our fi rst

slip, a cracking down wind fl ight with Nelson

covering the ground at some speed, he briefl y

connected with the hare but unfortunately the

hare went down a small snow covered gully and

managed to get free of Nelson’s grip.

HUNTING EAGLES

Main Picture: Nelson in fl ight - images © Alex May 2010

res with n Scotland by Neil Davies

Aft er several other near misses, Nelson was

justly rewarded for all his eff ort, when a blue

hare was fl ushed and broke left in front of both

Alex and I. Giving Nelson the opportunity to

take the hare in some style.

As Neil made into the kill it was great to see this

eagle’s manners he allowed Neil to open up the

carcass and remover the heart as his rewardand

Neil placing this beside the eagle and then Nel-

son stepping of the hare to eat his just reward

and Neil quickly put the hare in his bag

What was remarkable for me was seeing Nel-

son’s manners on the kill and his immaculate

feather condition is testament to the time and

dedication that Neil spends on his young eagle.

It was a day ,that I will never forget and I hope

that I will get the opportunity to get out on the

hill with Neil and his eagles in the future.

Below:Nelson on his hare

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Th e unique wildlife designs of

[email protected]

32

Hooded TalonsQuality handcrafted hoods & falconry furniture

Tel: +(44) 7723 442669 Email:[email protected] Website: www.hoodedtalons.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2014

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Hawking Books by Martin HollinsheadSigned copies direct from the author

HC. 240 pages. £25.00

Second Edition. If you missed it first time around, here’s another chance toimmerse yourself in this massively detailed best-selling training and huntingmanual. New layout including action shots by US photographer Natasha Leong.

GLOWING REVIEWS‘Deserves an A-plus. A first-rate, top-flight falconry book’American Falconry

‘Should be compulsory reading for anyone flying or contemplatingflying a Harris’ hawk’ International Falconer

‘Probably one of the most descriptive accounts of ferreting tohawks ever written’ Hawk Chalk

‘A compelling and enduringly fascinating read. This book lives up to its boastful title’ Independent Bird Register

‘A must for all rabbit and hare hawking enthusiasts’ Scottish Hawking Club

TWO TITLES FOR THE EAGLE ENTHUSIAST

German Eagle. HC. Limited to 400 signed copies. £30.00Join Fritz Loges as he hacks, trains and then flies his eagles tofox in wartime Germany. ‘Recommended for anyone drawn by the allure offlying eagles’ Matthew Mullenix

Hunting Eagle. HC. Limited to 500 signed copies. £35.00Forests and fields are hunted – islands too – as rabbit, hare,fox and deer are pursued as eagle falconry’s best knownnames deliver today’s devastating bird. ‘A book that should grace the shelves of all who areinterested in this wonderful raptor’ Alan Gates

ALSO …

Memoirs of a Hunter. HC £25.00By Friedrich Remmler Edited by M Hollinshead Illustrations by V Gorbatov

‘The squeak of footsteps in newly fallen snow, the lugubrious silence ofa forest shrouded in white and the startling cry of the tundra wolf; allare part of the astonishing memoirs of Friedrich Remmler…Whetherdriving wolves to waiting borzois in pre-revolutionary Russia orhunting them with golden eagles on the Kirghiz steppe, Remmler’sboyish excitement entrances…A mesmerizing book’ The Field

‘Fascinating...riveting...unique...mesmerizing’ Sports Afield

‘You won’t find a more exciting hunting book this year’ Gray’s Sporting Journal

‘Opens up an entire lost world’ Stephen Bodio

To order signed copies email: [email protected] 01384 878 573

Available in the US and Canada through Mike’s Falconry and Western Sporting

3434

Below are some examples of crow hawking day in the Scottish Borders with ‘Millie’ my fi rst rook hawk:

Millie’ was at 1.141/8 today.

Real windy here.I slipped her at what I thought was 15 plus mixed and all hell broke loose there must have been 500 plus mixed in the sky.

She was in about them no fear. I lost sight of her there was to much going on. I saw them diving at a fi eld full of bullocks,headed over and she was on a rook with 20 big noses nudging her.

I picked her up and hooded her and took the rook just in case.

Slip 2 was at about 50 plus.

They were a good bit out and she went along the ground real low she was unde-tected up to the point of about 60 yards and they were all up she got up with them and they went for cover the last I saw her was over some trees I got the telem out and it pointed to a fi eld and guess what the fi eld had 30 plus bullocks all standing in a circle. I got in the fi eld she had nailed a adult crow and wasn’t for giving it up even with the cattle round her. I picked her up on her crow and let her sit on it in the van.

I fed her up on it in the safety of the back garden.

CROW HAWKING

Extracts from a Crow Hawkers Diary

by Alec May

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A NEW Book on Eagle Falconry is now available

Where Eagles Hareby Th omas Carnihan

Signed copies available from

www.whereeagleshare.com £52.00 inc P&P

FEBRUARY 2014

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Mere Down FalconryB I R D S O F P R E Y F LY I N G D I S P L AY T E A M

Telephone: 01747 824 913 Mobile: 07742 998 571

www.meredownfalconry.co.uk

‘Mere’ in action

Prima rivista di Falconeria gratuita online

INVERNO 2014NUMERO 1

PURSUIT

Edizione Italiana

www.issuu.com/pursuit_falconry_magazine

Italy Flyer.indd 1 6/2/14 11:00:47 pm

pursuit falconry magazine - february 2014

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