Falconry in the Medieval period

[foretoken]

Research

Comments

[hyarrowen]

I’ve never owned a hawk, but I went to falconry classes for years and have flown birds ranging in size from eagles to kestrels. Eagles weigh a lot - the book you’ve got probably goes into this - and you can’t carry one on an extended arm for long periods; modern falconers use a prop which fits into the groin. But falcons, goshawks and so on are quite light. You tuck your elbow into your side to help support your arm, and the bird sits on your closed fist. You want to be able to protect it from wind, rain and whatever the weather throws at you, so a shoulder perch wouldn’t be good for that (at least, I’ve never known anyone use one.) The jesses around the bird’s legs are attached via a swivel to an eyelet in the falconer’s glove - easier to do at waist height than fiddling about at shoulder height. Birds of prey also have a habit of throwing themselves off their perch (‘bating’) and flapping about when they’re startled, and if the bird’s perched on your fist it’s really easy to lift them back up again... which you need to do

[corvideye]

I also wonder if having the bird on your shoulder might put you at risk for it pecking at your ear or eye?

[hyarrowen]

Or screeching into your ear, or grabbing onto you with a foot if trying to keep their balance - not good if a talon goes into your neck!

[foretoken]

"Goshawks are a bit mad, and rather prone to doing this. It’s because they’re woodland birds, and have to have hair-trigger reflexes. Sparrowhawks are the same

[quatorze]

I recently read a book about a German man who used to live in Finland up until the 1940s and specialized in training eagles for hunting (he even hunted wolf with them). Since eagles are damn heavy, he used a tall T-shaped perch where he taught the birds to sit. He'd then carry the eagles on that thing when riding a horse, with the bottom end of the vertical shaft supported on a stirrup. There were photos of him on horseback, with an eagle on such a perch. Unfortunately I don't know if this was his own invention or what, but maybe it could give some ideas?

[corvideye]

Mind you, I've also seen a lot of photos of wiry little men from Kazakhstan and thereabouts hunting with gyrnormous eagles right on their arms...

Here's an interesting article about modern people working with eagles;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/outdoors/7206205/Eagle-falconry-flights-of-fancy.html

[quatorze]

Oh, must absolutely read that one! And actually if I remember correctly, the guy in that book had been to Kazakhstan or thereabouts, visiting his uncle who worked there. That's probably where he'd got the idea of using eagles, too.

[corvideye]

I also know of a professional falconer who had his arm broken by an eagle he was working with. It wasn't being aggressive, they just have serious gripping power...

[inamac]

There's a rough outline of medievalhawking at the ANglo Saxon foundation hereIn the field hawks were carried on a 'cadge' - a sort of portable square padded wooden frame, with legs to stand on the ground, and a pair of shoulder straps to allow it to be carried by a man standing in the middle of the frame. ETA picture link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/valendon/820929199/... )

[corvideye]

I remember a bird rehabber pointing out that the bulk of a hawk's feathers makes them look heavier than they are...only ca. 2-3 pounds in many cases.

[foretoken]

Thanks guys, I think I've got most of the information I need now - though I might have some more questions later on.

[anonymous]

Here you can get more information on the subject from many experts www.falconryforum.co.uk