Did you know that you can now take a falconry class (it used to not be available to the general public)?
Well, you can.
And I did.
In November, I found a coupon that was half price for a falconry class. I was intrigued. So, I purchased a spot in the class for each person in my family.
I knew I wanted to do it over spring break. The excursion is run by West Coast Sky Falconry out of Alpine, California (near San Diego). We got to do this amazing event two weeks ago.
When we arrived at the falconry class, they had three birds on low perches. The class of ten people was taught by the nicest falconers, Kirk and Denise.
They started the hour long class by teaching us some cool facts about hawks. We were going to be working with a Harris Hawk. I thought we would be working with a falcon, but it turns out the term falconry can be applied to any raptor. The Harris Hawk is ideal for falconry training, because it lives in a group. This is very rare for a raptor bird. Because of this, the Harris Hawk is used to anticipating the body language of others. The one we were privileged to meet that day was named, “Steam.” He looked huge, but weighed only two pounds.
We also learned that hawks tend to fly only fifteen to twenty minutes a day, so if you see one circling the sky, it is a rare moment. Now that I know this, it feels more special to me when I see the beautiful creatures in the sky.
We took turns having Steam fly onto all of our gloves. It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. My son was terrified and asked if he had to do it. To which I replied, “yep.” Because that is the kind of mom I am. And because I knew if he always let fear win, he would never know the joy of success.
He loved it.
I mean, he loved it.
We all did.
If you have any classes like this near you, I highly recommend it. The class that we did was for ages seven and up. My friend did this with her family on another day, too. They all could not believe how amazing the experience was.
If you chose to, you could do tricks with the hawk. That was a bit more than my heart could take. But my husband threw food into the air for the hawk. And both of my children had the hawk walk quickly up to their foot and take food off of it.
At the end, we were able to pose over the beautiful valley and take pictures of Steam, the hawk, on our arm.
It was such a joyous moment. It was made even better by Kirk and Denise, who answered every question we had for them with passion and love for their birds.
During the summer, they also offer courses at the Torrey Pines location. I imagine that would make for gorgeous pictures.
I would love to do this again. It was educational. It was exhilarating. It was interesting.
I cannot say enough good things about it. What a fun way to spend quality time with a loved one that does not involve sitting or crowds.
Have you ever done this? Had you heard of it before? Aren’t those hawks beautiful?
I am enamored.
With a bird.
Just don’t tell my husband.
Beautiful birds of prey. Great photos! Thanks for sharing. Adding Falconing to “the list”. 🙂
Thanks Jessica! I hope you guys get to do it! I thought it was incredible. Your son would be a-mazed! : )
Thank you for commenting. It means a lot. Have a great week!
Jenni
OMG, Jenni! I LOVE Hawks. My family totally knows this. Where we live there are quite a few wild ones, and I always say that if I see one, it will be a good day and the more I see, the better the day. So I end up craning my neck while driving all the time to see them. Yes, I said while driving.
A couple of summers ago, I got to also hold one and let and it fly to and from my hand. You are right, it is the most exhilarating thing in the world. They just take my breath away.
I envy you.
Thank you Teresa! I would be right there with you craning my head and I completely agree with you about them being good omens. I was so happy to get to do this class. I have always loved hawks from afar and it was so neT to be able to learn more about them. And handle one! The coolest! I hope you get to do it, too! Please let me know if you do! I would love to hear about your experience! : )
Have a lucky week! : )
Jenni
Oh wow, is this awesome or what?! I am so beyond impressed and thrilled, I would LOVE to do a falconry class someday! Such a cool way to spend time with your family and make memories together. And I agree, it’s a good thing you made your son go through with it! Steam is such a cool name for a hawk – worthy of a fantasy novel, you know? 😉
Thank you Gwen! It was phenomenal! You and Victor would love it! My son was very happy I made him do it. And it made for great memories!
The name Steam was from some band or song, I think. When we called him we had to say, “give me Steam!” It was kind of embarrassing, but fun! I had wanted to wear a princess dress to the outing, but I refrained! Next time for sure! : )
Have a gorgeous week!
Jenni
That’s so awesome! Can’t wait until Nick is old enough to take him there. Such beautiful birds. I loved the other pics we got of the kids. I’m going to frame those. Nick really wants to see a picture of his uncle with the “big bird”. If you have any, could you please email me? Thanks. So here’s what Nick said after he saw that amazing picture of you with the hawk flying away (such a cool pic!)….
Nick: Mom! Is that eagle stealing Aunt Jenni?!?
Me: No, babe. That’s a hawk and it’s just flying away.
Nick: Ohhhh, a hawk. Is it dead?
Me: No, it’s definitely not dead. It’s flying away.
Nick: I hope that seagull doesn’t steal me!
Ah, the crazy minds of three year olds. Anyway, glad you all had a wonderful time! Xoxoxo
That is hilarious! Tell Nick Aunt Jenni is going to take him to meet Steam when he gets older! Tell him I’ll protect him! : ). I will send over a picture of his uncle in a second! : )
I love all of the things he says. It is adorable. Um. And also, you are not allowed to do Easter eggs, because Easter is not coming yet. I am so behind! It cannot be this Sunday! It just can’t! : (. Aaahh! I need Steam to come kidnap me!
Have a lovely week! I love you!
Jenni
You look so natural doing this, Jenni. As if it were part of your innate being.
Thank you Brynne! That is how I felt when I was doing it. It felt so natural and peaceful. I wish I could do it again soon! : )
Have a beautiful week!
Jenni
I love that you did this with your family! What an awesome outing for you guys!
My uncle is a certified falconer (or whatever that would be called) so I have gone out with the birds a few times. It’s a lot of fun!
That is so cool that your uncle is a falconer (I did not know what to call it either, but that is what they call themselves on their website. So, I’m goin’ with that. ; ) ). Isn’t the best experience? I want to do it again!
Thank you for stopping by!
Have a beautiful week!
Jenni
THIS IS SO COOL. I CAN’T EVEN. Omg! I am so jealous! I will keep an eye out for a coupon – or anything! I had no idea that this is open to public now!
Thanks! I am glad you are as excited as I was/am! It is so cool! I hope you get to do it! That would be awesome! Please let me know if you do and then we can talk about it! : )
Have a wonderful week!
Jenni
This is incredible. I want to do this. It is so majestic. Those photos of you with the bird are incredible. Just… Wow.
Thank you! It was incredible. I was not sure how it was going to be, but because we got such s good deal, I went in with an open mind. I cannot believe we got to do it! : ). I hope you get to do it, too!
I hope your Thursday is delightful!
Jenni
WOW!!! So, so neat! How fun for you all to do together! We live around a lot of farmland & I see big raptor birds every day & them circling in the air quite often too! I never know exactly what type of bird it is, bc I’m usually driving & they are flying, but I do love seeing them around. A couple of yrs ago we even saw 2 bald eagles a few times close to our neighborhood! That was really amazing!
I LUV the pics of the hawk on your arm, such a neat momento for you & your family to have!
Rebecca
that is so cool that you got to see two bald eagles! That must have been incredible! I would be delighted! Thank you for the sweet words! I appreciate it! We did have a really good time! : )
Have a fabulous week!
Jenni
What a cool experience!
I have to say I adore birds. We had the best little LoveBird for 17 years called Midas. He was actually hatched in our house. (When we bought the pair of LoveBirds they assured us that they wouldn’t mate…liars!) He had a brother but he had to be put down due to a birth defect. That was awful. AWFUL. I literally bawled at the vets.
Midas was the most tame well behaved little guy. He would sit with me for hours while I worked on my shoulder and gently rub my neck with his beak. He knew his name and was very smart.
Towards the end of his life he became very ill and it literally broke my heart in two to have to put him down. Even now writing this I’m becoming emotional. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think I hear him downstairs calling me. I miss him so much.
So yeah…birds can be super special. So glad you took the chance to get to know some.
bisous
Suzanne
Thank you. I am so sorry to read about Midas. That must have been so hard. I have always wanted a lovebird, but never got one because of my crazy dogs (and before that crazy cat). I did not know they were so intelligent!
I grew up with cockateels. They were gorgeous and it was really sad when the last one passed away. Birds are so surprisingly affectionate.
I am sorry for your loss!
Jenni
wow. who knew? I mean, really, I had no idea this was an option to the common layman! I love that you made your son try it….what a cool thing for him to add to his list of skills 🙂 seriously, not many kids get these kinds of experiences!
Thank you! And, I am glad I made him do it, too! ; ). And he admitted later that he was happy I did, too. Sometimes we all just need a little push! I appreciate your comments! I hope they look back and realize how awesome the experience was and how lucky they were to get to do it! : ). I know I feel both of those things!
Have a terrific week!
Jenni
oh, wow! what a cool experience! i love those last photos, looks like so much fun 🙂
xo jac
thesunshinedistrict.blogspot.com
Thank you Jac! It was awesome! I highly recommend it! : )
Have a lovely week!
Jenni
I love your blog…xoxo. I discovered you through ABM. This is right up my alley! You might enjoy this link to a post I wrote called Bird Watching and Photography Love.
http://www.thesecretsurprisinista.com/2/post/2014/04/bird-watching-and-photography-love.html
Love and Luck,
Laurali Star
Thank you Laura! You are so sweet! I will definitely check out the link! I love birds! : )
Have a wonderful weekend!
Jenni
So amazing. I showed my boys this post (3 and 5 yrs) and they were so excited and wanted to “hold” the birds so badly! Thanks for sharing. This is something that we will for sure look into in a few years. You had some great shots! It makes me want to vacation in Cali just to take the lesson! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you Alicia! I thought of you when I was writing this! I wondered if you would show them the pictures! I am so glad you did! They would love this cool experience! : ). When they are old enough and if you do choose to ever come to Southern California, let me know and I will keep my eyes open for a deal for you!
Have a happy weekend!
Jenni
sounds like a really neat experience!
Thank you so much! It was awesome! : )
Thanks for stopping by! Have a happy weekend!
Jenni
Ahhh!!! This looks so cool. I could not find anything similar in my area.
(This reminds me (because one of the characters is a falcon)… have you ever read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children? I think you might enjoy it.)
Thank you Liana! Darn that you cannot find something similar in your area. If you ever come to Southern California, please let me know! Besides getting together, I will check in advance for any coupons that might be available for you! : )
Have a restful weekend!
Jenni
I went to a falconry in England when I was in college & over there for a class. I didn’t hold one but it was still very cool.
How neat! And how cool to go to England for a class! My daughter wants to attend college overseas. I find it fascinating.
Thank you for sharing! I love learning about people’s pasts! : )
Have a joyful weekend!
Jenni
I’m way behind on commenting on your blog (I’ll blame my trip to Chicago) but had to leave a note on this post…that looks so cool! I’d be terrified though because I’m a bit of a chicken (no pun intended). Also, I don’t really love birds. But it still looks really fun, I would try it if I had the chance.
No worries, girl! I hope you had a great time in Chicago!
I won’t lie, I was scared at first. But the trainers are so confident and in love with their birds. That put me immediately at ease. I hope you get to do it one day.
I hate. I mean, I hate, pigeons and doves. Long story. But there is a dove in my yard right now and I am always chasing it away. So, I get the bird thing. I love most birds, but there are a few that I have wish to never see again! : )
Have a happy week!
Jenni