Shakespeare and Hawks

 

From De Arte Venandi cum Avibus by Frederick II, Image by Wikipedia

I found an excellent blog post today, called Shakespeare and Hawking, on Shakespeare’s widespread use of birds as symbols, metaphors and for characterization. Shakespeare mentioned birds more than any other animal or object and his mentions of poetry point to the fact that he had a working knowledge of the sport.

 

Once strictly available to the noble class, falconry is now widely enjoyed by people from all levels of society around the world. In the United States, falconry is one of the most regulated of sports. Those interested in falconry will quickly discover the relatively high barriers to entry, including a challenging written examination and a two year apprenticeship, but if you are interested in nature, hunting, birds and the great outdoors, they are well-worth overcoming.

I encourage you to check out the link and discover more about how and why these magnificent birds of prey captured Shakespeare’s remarkable imagination.

 

 

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First Hunt of the Season!

Zach and I went out this weekend on the first official hunt of the season with Heath and Lexi. A neighbor of ours kindly allowed us to hunt on she and her husband’s lovely horse farm, so the scenery couldn’t have been more beautiful. Horses in the background, autumn colors in the trees and a gently setting sun set the stage for an exciting afternoon.

I must say that for the first hunt of the season with our intermewed Redtails, both performed well, despite the lack of contact with prey. We had a small crowd with us, including a local British photographer who generously shared his pictures with us via email. Here are a few shots from the day’s hunt:

Zach and Heath ready for action

Lexi to Gregg: let me go, time to hunt!

Lexi overhead, following on superbly

Lexi back on the glove, displaying her new deck (tail) feathers

Lexi on the lure, time to go home!

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