Are the falconry regulations different in Scotland than in England? What I have heard about England is that anyone can have any kind of bird they want without any licenses or regulations. That could make for a lot of pet keepers or at least some pretty bad falconers. Don't take that personally, it is just an opinion that needs to be clarified.
Rap.
I think its the same. There are no licenses to keep a bird over here. You can go and by a Hamster and a RT together without no regulations. Its wrong as i have said many times . We have many loose HH over here because of it. They either have no idea how to train or some get bored after a couple of weeks and just let it go
The one theory they can't grasp is that its not a Dog. A dog has a conscience a BOP does not. They punish a BOP like a dog but where the dog will understand why a BOP does not as the event has already happened and so you punish the bird for coming back to your glove when you think its because it would not in the first whistle. So it has the opposite effect the bird only associates the punishment with the immediate act or last act ....Flying to your glove.
Pavlova's theory is a prime example here.
I am sure you guys learn this but many guys over here Do not . They screw the birds head up i think in many cases for this reason and then it screams goes scatty and 'Sorry mate off you go can't upset the Neighbors'
WHEN THE 'EAGLES' ARE SILENT THE 'PARROTS' BEGIN TO JABBER! SIR W.CHURCHILL
Late winter when the days are to short to get to work and home again and still day light to exercise the bird during the week. Plus at - 30 degree temps I like to keep her weight high because you never know when the temp will suddenly drop 15 to 20 degrees over night. Other than that if her weight is goods and she's been getting her excercise and something is open then off we go.
What effect has that had on your natural bird population?
Not much Rap to be honest as Most HH die anyway. If they adapt in someway and Mother Nature usually does over a period of time i fear they could be Hunted.
The damage a HH can do to local farmers could be catastrophic. If a Falcon escapes it will take out Pigeons crows mainly just like our Peregrines so the Farmers love em. The only bird or birds we have are buzzards and Goshawks. Our buzzard is really is a Carrion Eater but will take the odd Rabbit so no threat to the farmers. The Gos is quite rare anyway and i have never seen one wild anyway (not to say they are not). But a HH is intelligent it will sit above Pheasant Pens rather than sit all day waiting for a Rabbit although a lot of the wild ones i and others have caught seem to concentrate on Rat or Squirrel. So not much trouble to the bird population apart from Pheasants and that is where the Farmers Gun will be done and just like anything that upsets the farmers crops as in pigeon crow rabbit will be classified as vermin. The local shoots in the shooting season will be effected by the loss of pheasant and that's why i fear
WHEN THE 'EAGLES' ARE SILENT THE 'PARROTS' BEGIN TO JABBER! SIR W.CHURCHILL
"That could make for a lot of pet keepers or at least some pretty bad falconers"
YUP as Grappler said, anyone can get hold of a BOP. Some pet shops are selling barn owls, 20 quid. Children can get them as pets. It's diabolical and it's because everyone's f***ing captive breeding them, resulting in surplus birds and foolish falconers. Especially the species that are "easy" to breed in captivity, ie. barn owls and harris' hawks. Eagle owls too, big impressive birds that are great to show off with, 100 pounds or free to a good home. Many people let them go free when they realise how much fun they are not. They've even bred in this country, and the other day we were called out to one that was pretty tame on someone's chimney in Glastonbury. They were feeding it smoked salmon...
You get worse than pretty bad falconers. You get falconers that mistreat their birds (eg. helicopter treatment: Swinging the bird around by its jesses if it bates a lot), kids that play with barn owls like cuddly toys then when the bird gets aggressive they stuff it into a shoe box and leave it....RRRG! so yeah, anyway, you're not far wrong.
We have a barn owl who was kept in an aviary for 7 years, and hit every time she made a noise. Now she doesn't make a noise at all, and whilst the rest of the birds are chatting happily away she just hits the wire for attention instead. She's so nervous and won't let anyone pick her up apart from 1 person. She won't let hands go anywhere near her.
Sorry just thought I'd add a Rant of the Day, maybe if we all keep ranting someone might actually think about changin the regulations.
Regs aren't different in Scotland, but the countryside is nicer for flying. I'd love to fly in the Cairngorns. Lots of wide open spaces, and it's not very densely inhabited so no dogs or children. That takes half the fun quarry away, but nevermind... Loads of English falconers go up to Scotland on hawking trips.
Yes longwing is right in that some HH breeders are to partly blame for this. If there is money to be made they will do it.Fair enough but they too should be regulated and every Buyer logged and checked to see if his/her experience is right.
I have heard Breeders sell birds to Novices at 10weeks!!! Result is probably a dead bird or a screaming complete mess. secondhand birds that the owner has either screwed up or damaged sold for £100 to novices with the same result. These birds are either killed or released by the owner. Its like most things get the drug dealers and not the drug takers . Regulate the dealers is a start!
WHEN THE 'EAGLES' ARE SILENT THE 'PARROTS' BEGIN TO JABBER! SIR W.CHURCHILL
I must addmit the regs here regulate who can get a raptor, and all raptors arelooked as in the same way here. They are wildlife and you need a permit. Falconers cannot import for the purpose of falconry maney non native birds. IE no eagles that are not indiginous my be imported, eragle owls are also not to be imported for the purpose of falconry. Our reg make a clear and defined list of the birds that are legal as falconry birds. Where they used to say CB birds and their proginy it now lists what the CB birds can be. Not the inforcement officers know what these birds look like. But it is in black anbd white now.
Hey grappler have you seen any blond morph common buzzards across the big pond? The reason I ask is I might start breeding project with them and I was wondering how common they are?