What to expect
You will take a walk through the beautiful Shropshire countryside with amazing birds of prey. The hawks will follow you through the woods and fields while looking for quarry, assisted by ferrets when needed. We use Harris hawks for this event as they are a very gregarious bird and actually seek out our company as we walk around. Your Hunting day will be a party of usually no more than four people, this makes for a much more relaxed and personal experience and of course means you get plenty of 'bird time'. The day starts when we meet at the agreed location. After the short obligatory health and safety talk we will run through how to hold and handle the bird. You will then be given a falconry glove and we will start the hunting day experience. As our falconers are keen naturalists we will be able to point out some of the wildlife and birds we often bump into on our way around. Ravens, Woodpeckers, Buzzards, Kestrels, even the Red Kite has made an appearance recently at our site located in Shropshire. As we walk we will explain how we look after the birds, how we exercise and train them, a little of the history of Falconry. We may be walking and hunting over farm and woodland so a reasonable level of fitness is needed. When we arrive back at the end of the day there will be another photo opportunity for you as you feed the bird on your fist.
What to wear
You need to wear dark coloured clothing suitable for a half-day walking in the country, plus a pair of good walking boots, or wellington boots. You will also need a lightweight waterproof jacket. Layers are often better so that you can adjust your clothing according to the temperature and weather conditions. Please do not wear clothing with fur attachments or woollen gloves as the birds may mistake you for a rabbit, which in the birds eyes is lunch. Leather or Gortex gloves can be worn if the weather is cold and a hat or cap is a good idea too for added warmth and protection.
Weather Conditions
Please contact Steve Cross (Falconer) by phone the day before the confirmed booking date in case it cannot go ahead due to poor weather. Tel: 07968 715564.
Flying is naturally affected by the weather, but we honour all bookings, even carrying them over to the following year if necessary.
All specialist falconry equipment for your hunting day experience will be provided by Shropshire Falconry. Full instructions for your hunting day experience will be given during your hunting day induction.