The skillful art of falconry, which has been practised by many cultures for thousands of years, will be on display this coming Sunday at Terra Nova Rural Park in Richmond, British Columbia.
The event will give visitors a chance to see these native birds of prey up close and hear raptor specialists from Pacific Northwest Raptors talk about the birds’ natural ecology and behaviour.
The raptors will show off not only their “amazing” flight skills but also their cheeky personalities, says raptor handler Robyn Radcliffe of Duncan-based Pacific Northwest Raptors.
Radcliffe says seeing raptors, or birds of prey, up close and personal “is not something that people get to encounter very often.”
Radcliffe, a biologist, says she and her mom and brother, also biologists, became interested in raptors after her brother took a falconry course when the family lived in England in 1999.
They started up Pacific Northwest Raptors in 2002 and now have about 90 birds, some of which have appeared in movies, including a turkey vulture named Judge Dredd that starred in the 2008 version of “The Andromeda Strain.”
The family is dedicated to the conservation of birds of prey and other wildlife. They use their knowledge of raptor biology to teach and educate others about the birds and their habitat, part of which involves conducting educational programs in schools and universities.
“Being able to bring the birds up close to people and show them and say, ‘Hey, these are really, really important in our environment, it’s going to help in the future, it’s going to help the conservation of these birds’—that’s really what our goal is here,” says Radcliffe.
Falconry traditionally involved using birds of prey such as eagles, kestrels, falcons, hawks, and peregrines for hunting and sport.
It can be seen from early literature, paintings, and poems that the ancient Chinese, Persians, and Egyptians kept falcons as far back as back 4,000 years ago. The height of popularity for falconry in the western world was during the medieval period in Europe. Today, traditional methods of falconry still exist in Asia and many other parts of the world.
Radcliffe says Harris hawks, which are “extraordinarily intelligent,” are easy to train and therefore a popular species in falconry.
“They are the only species of raptor that are truly social. They live and hunt in a pack, and because they’re social they tend to bond very easily with humans…. They are amazing birds.”
Working with raptors, she says, “is the best thing in the world…. I get up in the morning and I look forward to going to work. I love the birds so much it’s incredible. We learn from them every single day, and they have something to teach us. It’s very humbling.”
Sponsored by the City of Richmond, the falconry show at Terra Nova Rural Park, 2431 Westminster Highway, will take place on Sunday July 12 from 11 am to 4 pm. Demonstrations are at 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 3:30 pm.
The event will give visitors a chance to see these native birds of prey up close and hear raptor specialists from Pacific Northwest Raptors talk about the birds’ natural ecology and behaviour.
The raptors will show off not only their “amazing” flight skills but also their cheeky personalities, says raptor handler Robyn Radcliffe of Duncan-based Pacific Northwest Raptors.
Radcliffe says seeing raptors, or birds of prey, up close and personal “is not something that people get to encounter very often.”
Radcliffe, a biologist, says she and her mom and brother, also biologists, became interested in raptors after her brother took a falconry course when the family lived in England in 1999.
They started up Pacific Northwest Raptors in 2002 and now have about 90 birds, some of which have appeared in movies, including a turkey vulture named Judge Dredd that starred in the 2008 version of “The Andromeda Strain.”
The family is dedicated to the conservation of birds of prey and other wildlife. They use their knowledge of raptor biology to teach and educate others about the birds and their habitat, part of which involves conducting educational programs in schools and universities.
“Being able to bring the birds up close to people and show them and say, ‘Hey, these are really, really important in our environment, it’s going to help in the future, it’s going to help the conservation of these birds’—that’s really what our goal is here,” says Radcliffe.
Falconry traditionally involved using birds of prey such as eagles, kestrels, falcons, hawks, and peregrines for hunting and sport.
It can be seen from early literature, paintings, and poems that the ancient Chinese, Persians, and Egyptians kept falcons as far back as back 4,000 years ago. The height of popularity for falconry in the western world was during the medieval period in Europe. Today, traditional methods of falconry still exist in Asia and many other parts of the world.
Radcliffe says Harris hawks, which are “extraordinarily intelligent,” are easy to train and therefore a popular species in falconry.
“They are the only species of raptor that are truly social. They live and hunt in a pack, and because they’re social they tend to bond very easily with humans…. They are amazing birds.”
Working with raptors, she says, “is the best thing in the world…. I get up in the morning and I look forward to going to work. I love the birds so much it’s incredible. We learn from them every single day, and they have something to teach us. It’s very humbling.”
Sponsored by the City of Richmond, the falconry show at Terra Nova Rural Park, 2431 Westminster Highway, will take place on Sunday July 12 from 11 am to 4 pm. Demonstrations are at 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 3:30 pm.
