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We were lucky enough to be invited to visit Mr. Rick Sliker, a
Master Falconer. We saw many things that involved
falconry like nets, feathers, models of birds, and even
tapes of his adventures while trying to tag and band these
birds. We really didn't know much more than 'book
knowledge' when we went to visit. As a matter of fact,
some of us didn't even have THAT because only two people worked
on the falconry report.
Mr. Sliker told us that falconry is the care and
training of birds with the
option of hunting with them. Different species of raptors
can be used in falconry but one of the most popular raptors is
the Kestrel. He then told us that in order to become a
falconer and own a raptor, you need a state license and a
federal license. To get a permit to practice falconry, you must
pass a written exam. There are three levels of falconry in the
United States.
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Apprentice |
Must be 14 years of
age, must have a general or master falconer sponsor
you |
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General |
Must be 18 years of
age, must have practice falconry with your own birds
for at least 2 years |
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Master |
Must have practice
falconry with your own birds for at least five years |
Mr. Sliker then showed and explained to
us what the different types of equipment you need to have when
taking a bird out. You need cuffs to fit around the raptor’s
leg, a Jesse, a swivel, a leash, and a pair of gloves just to
hold the bird. Falconers need a perch to put the bird on when
they don’t want to hold it. If they don’t want to take the
chance of losing their raptor after a hunt, transmitter leg
mounts and radio tracking receivers & antennas are helpful.
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Mr. Sliker showed us a
Merlin with a face mask
on, called a hood, during
our visit. He explained to us that he uses a face mask when
transporting his birds. It was amazing to see how calm his bird
was when wearing the mask and while he removed it from its face.
We were
told about bird banding. The purpose of bird banding is
to trace migration routes and use the data to learn
about the raptors. The bands that are used depend
on the size of the legs of the birds. The bands
need to fit right: not too tight or loose enough to fall
off. A person who bands birds must also keep a
book of information when banding birds. All the
information goes to the Federal Migratory Bird Banding
Lab in Patuxent, Maryland.
To band raptors, you first need a net to catch to the raptors.
There are two different types of nets; the bow net and the mist
net. Mr. Sliker showed us how the bow net actually worked. |
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He also shared with us video tapes of him
capturing raptors for banding with a friend. They lured the
raptors into the nets with live bait like pigeons. The raptors
would fight back and scream while being tagged, but were quickly
released back into the wild.
Banding doesn't hurt
the birds and gives us lots of information that we couldn't get
otherwise.
When we were done learning all about the things Mr. Sliker had
to share with us inside, he took us outside to see some of the
birds he had including a pair of Peregrine Falcons in their
breeding chamber. We also saw the quail he raises to feed his
raptors. Just like our trip to the Pocono Wildlife
Rehabilitation Center, seeing the raptor's food walking around
was a little weird. It's nature, though. All animals
have to eat.
The trip was great because it gave us first hand information
on what falconers do and the dedication to birds of prey that
they need to have to do it.
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