Falcons, hawks, and other birds of prey can be dangerous, but I felt right at home giving falconry a try today thanks to Bob Edwards who is a falconer in Warwickshire.

When we arrived in the large open field, Bob was already set up and ready to go. There were three birds sitting on perches squawking away. Jackie, Sarah, and I asked Bob a few questions about the history of falconry while Jenny tried to film us with the birds cawwing away. It was hard to keep them quiet.

We asked him everything from how the birds train to hunt to what their names were. My favorite name was Richard Harris, who was a Harris Hawk. The other were named Lady and Harris Tweed.

Flying the birds: First, Bob took Lady from her perch. She began to check her wings, which we were told is a bit like a pre-flight check. Then, Lady took off high above us. Bob is training her to catch prey, so he took a small pouch out and began to swing it. The pouch was about the size of something she would catch when hunting for food. When Lady hit the target with her beak she was rewarded with some food.

Perhaps the only thing more fascinating than watching these birds swoop for food was to learn how Bob cares for the birds. He and his apprentices, Wendy and Tracey, take great care and spend a lot of time training the birds.

Then, Bob gave us a chance to fly Richard Harris and Harris Tweed from our arm. I wore a special glove called a gauntlet to protect me from the birds' talons. To get them to fly to you, a little piece of food is placed in your glove, under your thumb, and they will come right to you and eat from your hand. AMAZING!

After a few hours with the birds, Bob invited us all back to his home for afternoon tea. We met Bob's wife Paddi, who had made flapjacks! They are not pancakes, but a delicious granola-like bar. I asked for Paddi's Flapjack recipe so I could try to make them when I get home. I put the recipe in my journal for you. Enjoy.

Fascinated by falconry,

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

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