Jim Tirado did the program at the Aug 8, 2004 meeting of the SCVCEBC. From indoors, we could hear the crows began cawing an urgent alarm as Jim brought the red-tailed hawk in from his car.

Jim's hawk is a young bird, just coming into adult plumage. The tail that was once a dull brown is mostly red now, and the breast is losing it's white patch called a bib. Jim wears a thick leather glove on his right hand (he's left-handed), and the hawk perches there. Sometimes it starts away, trying to take off, but Jim holds it back with the leather leash that is connected to the jesses on the bird's legs. Then, Jim talks soothingly and strokes the bird's breast and he settles down on the glove again.

Jim is one of about 4,000 licensed falconers in the US. The activity is tightly regulated by the Fish and Game Dept and by US Wildlife. All activity is recorded, registered, and supervised.

To join the program, you must first pass a written test about the habits, ailments, environmental needs of hawks. You must know the laws and regulations about birds, too (and Jim says there are lots of those!).

Next, you have to find an experienced, qualified falconer to sponsor you through your 2 year apprentice program. The sponsor helps you prepare for your first bird. You must build a mews (hawk home) at least 8 x 8 x 8, and it must have a certain configuration. Jim's mews has 3 solid walls; the fourth wall is mostly bars made of electrical conduit. Then you get the "furniture": anklets, jesses, hood, leash, glove. and more. When all of this has been inspected and approved by fish and game, you can plan to trap your bird.

Approved apprentice falconers are allowed to trap from Oct 1 through Jan 31 and can either trap a red-tailed hawk or an American kestrel. The red tailed must be trapped when it is young, not yet in adult feathers. Jim baited a cage trap with a rat and a bird. He drove along a back road, until he spotted a young hawk. Then he slowed, dropped the trap and moved on down the road. After the hawk's attention turned back to the cage, Jim stopped the car and looked back. Nooses grabbed the hungry bird when he went in after the food. When you go to get the bird, you do not handle it until it is blinded. You cover it quickly and then, under the cover, get a hood on it.

Jim said that most falcons eat mostly birds, and they usually catch them in the sky by diving from above the prey and punching them with their feet. A falcon can kill bird bigger than they are, they can even kill a swan. A falcon has a little tooth on top that fits into an indentation in lower mandible. Using this leverage, it can break the neck of their prey.

His hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), on the other hand, eats mostly small mammals, like ground squirrels, pocket gophers, and mice. They also eat some birds and reptiles. A red-tailed will stab its prey by pumping his talons into it. Then he will rip the prey apart on the ground; discarding only the fur or feathers in the form of a pellet called a casting 12 to 24hrs later. He can digest all the rest of the animal, including the bones.

Jim's hawk's feet are more dangerous than its beak; it can sink its entire talon into flesh with no problem. (unfortunately he knows from first hand experience!!) It was sobering to look at the size of Jim's bird's talons!

After passing a two-year apprentice, a falconer can apply for a general license. And after that, a masters status At each step, you can get approval to handle more types of raptors and have up to 2 but no more than 3 on to your falconry license. An experienced falconer (with the proper breeding license) can breed birds, like peregrine,saker, lanner, aplomando and gyrfalcons. They are allowed hawks like the harris hawk, ferruginous, goshawk.

A raptor will never be pet, but they will learn to tolerate you if you approach the training with patience-and a lot of food. At first, they are ready to attack every time they see you, but you can get the bird used to your presence, and then not afraid to be on your arm. You feed the bird every day, live, fresh, or frozen meat. First you feed red meat, like beef liver or beef heart or shin. For live food, you can use mice or rats. For a steady diet, many falconers feed a Chinese quail; some people breed the quail just for falconers and zoos. You can build a great working relation between you and your bird and he or she will give you many great thrills of watching natures hunt up close and personal!!!

Jim thinks his bird was probably 9 months old when he trapped it. They hatch around February here, and a bit earlier in south and later in the north.

Jim has loved birds ever since he saw his first bird in a cage as a toddler At first he was reluctant to have such a majestic creature in captivity. But he says it is so beautiful to watch them and learn about their behavior. Many naturalists credit programs like this with saving raptors. Because of humans' steady encroachment into their natural environment, 80 to 90% of young birds will die in the wild their first year from lack of learning to properly hunt and from guns,accidents with cars and trucks electrocution is a major problem!!

When Jim is ready to trap another hawk he must first release the one he has(since apprentice are only allowed to have 1 bird at a time) Then the taming and training starts all over again. Since the hawk already knows how to hunt when trapped one only needs to teach it to hunt as a team with you! Hawks that are breed as imprints are good in that you won't lose them, however they can become very possessive of you make it difficult to be around other people at times.

Jim's bird quickly learned when it was time to go hunting. When Jim whistles and holds out his arm, the hawk eagerly jumps on. First, he whistled and held food in his hand. When the bird learned to come to the glove at the whistle, he worked out every day outdoors. He says a hawk can learn to hunt in about 3 weeks. He will beat the bush, and wait for a rabbit to pop out, then release the bird. You can use a tree line so bird will follow you, or carry a T-stick perch. The bird wears a bell on its leg so can get idea where he is. When hunting, the bird also wears a telemetry; the receiver will tell you where he is even if you can't see him in the brush. Before hunting, Jim sharpens his bird's beak and talons.

Thanks, Jim, for a really special look at a very special bird!

Copyright © 2004 Marian Cochran. All rights reserved.
Photo Copyright © 2004 Patricia Pyper

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