Understanding the Bird of Prey

By Nick Fox
Reviewed by Eric Tabb, Boise, ID

Published in 1995 by Hancock House Publishers Ltd. 375 pages with 147 color photographs, 34 black and white photographs. Foreword written by Dr. Tom Cade.

It is a rare book that brings together the varied elements of an activity so diverse as “raptor worship” or the love of birds of prey. Within this realm lies falconry, raptor research, rehabilitation, and passive raptor watching. Dr. Fox’s new book combines useful knowledge and philosophy on all of these like no other I have read to date. The title is apropos. No one can call themselves a falconer without being familiar with the internal anatomy of a raptor or the behavioral science of wild raptors. Likewise, a researcher or rehabilitator can not consider themselves totally equipped to effectively work with raptors without at least an apprentice level of falconry training.

Beginning like a college text, I flashed back to my basic biology by Odum and Odum with this book’s thoroughly indexed structure and numerous graphs, 42 graphs to be exact. Chapters 1-3 provide very scientific, concise information on raptor biology, aviculture, and flight dynamics. The section on equipment and facilities shows typical British attention to detail, although Dr. Fox is not afraid to give credit to the recent compilation on equipment by American authors Kimsey and Hodge, whose Falconry Equipment, 1992 offers the most complete information to date. The author’s artistic background comes to the fore with clear line drawings of everything from basic trouble free jess-swivel-leash-perch arrangements to bell and transmitter attachments. I like the way he has illustrated possible accident scenarios to show beginners what could happen if they did outfit a bird a certain way.

As thorough and detailed as the first three chapters are, Dr. Fox, the author/raptor lover, really gets going with chapter 4. This behavioral authority’s discussion of imprinting and development is absolutely brilliant. Between extensive field experience with New Zealand falcons and A to Z husbandry of custom bred hybrids, the reader is treated to the well written results of years of raptor work from a world expert.

Chapter 5 follows in like fashion. While many modern falconry works give lip service and generality to training and conditioning, Dr. Fox misses nothing with his explanations of cause and effect with all of the things that make raptor’s tick. Lure flying is described in great detail, followed immediately by how to train falcons to wait on. What could have been a confusing conflict of interest between these two disciplines turns out to be shown as mutually compatible activities with the sights always set on top conditioning. Steve Layman’s fist conditioning studies are mentioned, as is Steve Martin’s work on training birds using psychology. Again, giving credit where due.

I was particularly impressed with the discussion of hooding hoodshy birds. Dr. Fox is not hesitant to suggest alternate methods to get a hood on a reluctant hawk in ways that might overcome the hood-shyness permanently. While I doubt that a brawling Prairie falcon would allow a hood to be slipped on balanced on one’s knee, techniques such as casting, brailing, and tubing are preferable to constant bateing and hanging upside down. You just do not see this type of frank discussion on the subject of hooding anywhere else, in spite of it being a frequent frustration.

While chapter 6 provides some interesting observations on how raptors hunt, it is with chapter 7 that Nick really lets his hair down, so to speak. I must say that it is refreshing to read a book by a credentialed scientist who is not afraid to write with emotion about having fun and sport. The Ph.D. who writes about falconry for sport’s sake with excitement and embellishment is a rare bird indeed. Thank you Dr. Fox for departing from this boring tradition. It is obvious that this falconer lives for the hunt and has experienced much of it. While Dr. Fox has a penchant for longwings and fist falcons in particular, the reader has no doubt that he has flown shortwings with success and has flushed many a red grouse under a waiting on falcon. His descriptions of these activities are just too vivid to have been uttered by someone with only a passing acquaintance. Along with his hawking companions, Dr. Fox has refined the art of corvid hawking from horseback, showing us that game hawking is far from dead in the UK. The world wide scope of their activities takes us to the Arabian sands for traditional Bedouin falconry with high tech hybrids hacked and conditioned to be desirable companions for their Middle Eastern owners.

Section 7.11 provides ideas for how field meets should be organized. We Americans should pay attention to this. Lots of food for thought on how to get the most out of our social falconry. The controversy over “sky trials” continues in this book. Dr. Fox disapproves of the hype and media attention afforded some of these events in the US and Spain. He also defends falconry courses like those that have proliferated in the UK, of which he is a product. I sense a bit of talking out of both sides of one’s mouth in regards to these controversial subjects. They can both be good or bad for falconry depending on who is managing the event. Because the use of bagged game and pigeons is illegal in the UK, it figures that falconers under that system would speak disapprovingly of these methods used in other countries.

Chapter 8 is a thoughtful collection of essays on ethics and sociological issues pertaining to falconry and breeding. I like the concept of falconry as a “green” field sport. Even though blood is spilled, it is natural, unstaged blood for the most part. Hence the author’s reservations about bagged game and “sky trials.” As a prophetic view of the future of falconry, all the world’s falconers would do well to digest Dr. Fox’s words and strive for greenness in their falconry. Speaking of prophetic views, Dr. Fox is sounding very prophetic in a lot of this book. Profound quotes abound. I like the one uttered early in the book; “The skilled falconer is measured not by his best bird, but by what he can achieve with the worst ones.” Wow! What a nice thought, unfortunately not very true these days, at least in the US. In chapter 8, he really gets going on these bits of wisdom. I almost expected to read, “Ask not what your falcon can do for you, but what you can do for your falcon” but had to settle for “A good falconer is measured not by his best bird, but by his worst one.” Huh! Well yes, if you display an embarrassing bird at a meet, you will be measured all right. What if your worst bird is also your only bird? Many of us do not have the luxury of time or resources to have a “team” of falcons. Perhaps most of us are “too Dyslexic to analyze what we are doing,” section 4.17, page 192.

I like Nick Fox’s style. He acknowledges that he is a lucky fellow. Many of us are lucky in the sense that we have not been killed in a head on collision with a spud truck while scanning a pole line for falcons while driving. How are you lucky Nick? Some people in today’s world are lucky to be born into wealth and privilege, conducive to future great things. Some are lucky to be gifted with great intellect, compassion, and drive. I think this great book shows the later, for sure, with a dash of other luck thrown in. We are lucky to have this book added to our rich pool of falconry and bird of prey literature.

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This review was originally published in American Falconry magazine, and is reprinted with permission.