Jenny told me months ago that we would be doing falconry during our expedition, so I had been looking forward to this day for a very long time. Before this trip, I didn't know falconry still existed, or that people still practiced it.

Among the many subjects that appear in Shakespeare's plays is falconry, which was an aristocratic sport.

We drove to the Royal Agriculture grounds in Stratford and when we got out of the car, the birds were right there. They each had a little stand, or perch, and they were attached to the perch by jesses to keep them from flying away. There were two brown hawks, and another one with a little mask, or hood, over its head.

The birds squawked and squealed the entire time, which was cute at first, but became a little distracting when we were trying to film. We started off by talking to falconer, Bob Edwards, about the practice of falconry. As he talked about this ancient tradition, the habits of birds of prey, and his birds in particular you could tell that he really took great care of them. Falconry is surely not something to try unless you are committed to caring for and spending a great deal of time training your birds. I really admired that in him.  

Then we got to do the unthinkable – we got to fly the birds! First, Bob took Lady from her post, removed her little mask, and underneath were intensely, dark eyes. We waited for a few moments and when she started cleaning herself, it meant that she was about to take off. This was Lady's version of a pre-flight check. It took some encouragement, but she eventually soared high above us. Bob then took out a leather pouch about the size of something she would prey on and he swung it around. It was a spectacular scene. We watched Bob swing the pouch around and around in the air while the bird attempted and sometimes tapped it with her beak. Whenever she succeeded Bob rewarded her with food, bits of rats and other pieces of animal.

Then, we got to fly the Harris Hawks. (My favorite part of the day.) We had to put on a gauntlet before letting the birds perch on our arms; their talons are quite sharp.

At first, I was frightened but Sarah was a real natural. If the birds weren't flying or perched on an arm, they were trotting along on the ground like a couple of dogs! It was so cute, and little a odd to see them walking next to us like puppies.

After a long afternoon of flying the birds back and forth across a pond, we headed over to Bob's house for some afternoon tea. A proper way to end a day in the English countryside.

Onward and upward,

Part 1: History of Falconry, and Meeting the Birds	Part 2: Lady Goes for a Flight

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