Nairobi, Kenya – Today the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage added Falconry, a traditional hunting method, to its List of the Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity.

For over 4000 years, falconry as a hunting method has retained an unbroken thread of tradition. For nearly 200 generations in an unbroken chain of intangible heritage, falconers worldwide have passed along their knowledge and skills bringing this art to us in the 21st century. Today’s modern lifestyle and rapid urbanization have restricted opportunities to practice falconry. This has lead to a dangerous decline in many countries. UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage lists ensure signatory governments protect traditions such as: traditional skills, knowledge and rituals, handicrafts, song, dance, art and poetry or practices related to nature. “Traditional falconry is exceptional in that it fulfills all of these.” said Frank Bond, President of the International Association for Falconry.

This is the largest ever nomination in the history of the UNESCO convention and was presented by eleven nations: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Korea, Mongolia, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage took the lead in coordinating this massive submission and UNESCO officials wrote during the inscription process that “…this is an outstanding example of cooperation between nations“.

From its ancient beginnings in the Middle East falconry is now practiced on all continents and has given the entire world so much. Bond pointed out, “There are a thousand falconry words in common language. For example: even the universal term ‘gentleman’ is derived from falconry implying a man who could fly a female peregrine, the ‘falcon gentle’; falconers gave the world the first scientific book on nature ‘De arte venandi cum avibus’ (1248 A.D.) and wars have even been avoided by diplomatic gifts of falcons.”

The UNESCO submission stated “Falconry is one of the oldest relationships between man and bird, dating back more than 4000 years. Falconry is a traditional activity using trained birds of prey to take quarry in its natural state and habitat. It is a natural activity because the falcon and her prey have evolved together over millions of years; their interaction is an age-old drama. The falcon is adapted to hunt the prey, and the prey has evolved many ways to escape from the falcon. This leads to a fascinating insight into the way nature works and poses an intellectual challenge to the falconer in his understanding of behavior. His task is to bring the actors together on nature’s stage. To do this the falconer must develop a strong relationship and synergy with his bird.”

Falconry is considered a low-impact activity. Falconers understand that their hawks and quarry species must be preserved and they have been practicing ‘sustainable use’ for centuries. Professor Tom Cade of the Peregrine Fund pointed out: “Falconers have been instrumental in the worldwide recovery of the once endangered peregrine falcon and are involved in many conservation projects.”

Falconers share universal principles. The methods of training and caring for birds, the equipment used and the bonding between man and the bird are found throughout the world. It is these common shared traditions and knowledge that make falconry universal and keep it alive, even though these traditions may differ from country to country. Larry Dickerson, President of the North American Falconers Association, sums up, “While falconry is a hunting sport, compared to modern methods it is not an efficient means of hunting. It is more of an art form kept alive in the United States by a small group of ardent and dedicated practitioners. This recognition by the United Nations is a milestone for falconry”. The American father of game management, Aldo Leopold, referred to falconry as “the perfect hobby” and renowned American ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson pointed out the ancient relationship between man, falcons, and falconry in his famous quote  ”Man has emerged from the shadows of antiquity with a Peregrine on his wrist. Its dispassionate brown eyes, more than those of any other bird, have been witness to the struggle for civilization, from the squalid tents on the steppes of Asia thousands of years ago to the marble halls of European kings in the seventeenth century.”

There we join several hundred other people from the tourism industry and split logs, stack firewood, dig out and repair drainage ditches, break up old outhouses, put ‘em in a dumpster and stack a ton or two terra-cotta roof tiles. Back at Hospital Cove on Angel Island everyone gathers for a barbeque. They’ll meet later that evening at the Hard Rock Cafe for a party.

I, on the other hand, take an early ferry back to Pier 39 and grab a trolley back to the hotel. No time for a shower, I quickly wash my sunburned face and wipe down with a washcloth. I change into clean clothes, cram my bags full of stuff and hightail it back up to Yuba City. I think I broke some land speed records ’cause I left Union Square at 5pm and got to Yuba City just before 730 pm. 125 miles in 2 1/2 hours on a Friday evening.

The mascot of Feather River High School is a falcon. Feather River HS is a new school and this is the third year they’ve had a graduating class. West Coast Falconry has flown a falcon at every graduation. Much as I’d have liked to stay and play in The City, this is a local school and the kids look forward to the falcons, so I couldn’t bear to disappoint. Marten, Kaylee and Nick had been there with the birds since 630 posing with students and families for pictures.

At 8pm the graduates march out to the middle of the football field. We say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the Star Spangled Banner. After everyone is seated I release Webster and he does some good stoops, flying close over the heads of students and audience alike. They are very happy.

I take my troops out for our traditional sushi dinner. As we leave the restaurant we watch fireworks going off above the school, part of graduations ceremony and a great way to end our dinner. Then Kaylee and Nick (the kids) take the birds’ home while I head to the market for food for Saturday. Finally get to bed at 1am.

Up at 6 on Saturday (I think it’s Saturday), take a real shower, feed pigeons and chickens, and then wake up Nick and Kaylee. While Kaylee takes care of the raptors Nick and I get breakfast ready for our guests, who will be arriving soon.

Roger and his son, Jacob, show up about 8:45. Jacob is 14 and for his birthday his Dad gave him a Falconry Experience. Jacob loves raptors and thinks he’d like to become a falconer. Over breakfast we talk about his interest and tell him about our birds. Then we gear up and go for a hawk walk. Jacob can barely contain himself as the birds fly from the trees to his glove. I have to take Diego back because he is not interested in playing; he wants to moult. Mariposa is game, though, and entertains everyone.

One Happy Young Man

We head back to the house and teach Jacob how to gut and cut quail and he helps us feed all the birds save Webster. We hike over to the flying glen and Webby does some lovely stoops and blazes inches above Jacob’s head. Webster is such a good bird. After lunch we put a falcon on Jacob’s glove so his Dad can take some snaps. It’s a very happy boy with whom we part company.

The kids are headed up to the lake for a swim. I’d like to go, but Rowan is on her way back from The City, with Joseph the Magician in tow. I haven’t seen Rowan in 4 and a half years and I want to spend as much time as I can with her before she has to go back to Arkansas.

Besides, Joseph the Magician does some amazing things with salt.

So last week was a bit crazy. On Tuesday midday Scout and I headed down to the Napa Valley to do a little event for a resort. This is an opportunity for us to associate with a beautiful venue. The event was a meeting for general managers of high-end resorts in the wine country.  They play all day and just before dinner they gathered in a ‘wine cave’ to blend their own wines.

Of course, by this time, they’re a bit squiffy. I mean, they’ve been playing all day. So when they sit down, Scout and I are set up with Diego in the wine cave. We call him back and forth and he does his best. The sound is disconcerting and Diego gets a bit confused but soon is flying round the cave and the folks are very excited and happy. We are hoping to create a relationship with these resorts to give demonstrations and the like. You know, weddings, funerals and other festive occasions. As it is, we got to stay in a lovely set of rooms in return for hours of waiting around followed by 15 minutes of excitement.

Tuesday night, Calistoga Ranch. Spend the night, race home and help another falconer trim (cope) the beak of two of her birds. The power went out earlier and hail has been having its way around the place all day. I need to load my car with two falcons, two hawks, the owl, two sets of renaissance garb, all kinds of falconry equipment, camping stuff and clothes, hawk food and the like to last me through Sunday.

Thursday morning I meet Scout at an elementary school in Dixon, California. I work, each year, with a group called Presenters of Living History. In the California School curriculum 6^th or 7^th graders (I can’t remember which) study Renaissance Europe. The Presenters visit the schools somewhere around February, in costume, and give a presentation to excite the kids about this time in history. It is a very interactive program. Then in April, May and June we go to these schools and put on day-long workshops. Crafts, acting, sports, songs, dance and of course, falconry.

Scout and I give about 5 workshops a day each about 40 minutes long. My costume weighs near forty pounds! We fly the hawks over the heads of the kids, describe hunting techniques, training and the natural history of the raptors. I lure fly 4 or 5 kids each workshop and they Love it. At the end of the day we have an assembly where I lure stoop Webster. It is a long day with little pay but that isn’t the point. The point is to enrich the lives of these young people and share with them my passion for these birds and falconry.

At the end of the day, Scout takes Cailleach (the owl), Mariposa (hawk) and my costume home for me as I head down to Jana’s for the night.

A woman named Coleen Morris emailed me late last year, inquiring if I would be willing to teach a class on falconry at her event coming up in May 2010.  She belonged to a group call Women in the Outdoors, part of the National Wild Turkey Federation.  I’d never heard of them before, but I’ve always tried to find a way to say yes to anyone who contacts me for a falconry event.  Apparently her husband had found an old CHC newsletter and was fascinated with our sport. He directed her to our website and, at the time, I was the only female on the board, so she emailed me.

What started in my perception as just another education event, turned out to be a truly unique and challenging opportunity to talk to a group of women hunters about the CHC and our sport.  Having to teach three 3½-hour classes over the weekend, I knew I had to have someone with me with the birds and skills to put on a great presentation.  So Kate Marden, my former sponsor and owner of West Coast Falconry, joined me with two of her falcons and a Harris hawk.  Kate’s USFW falconry school permit allows her and her instructors to teach students to hold birds on gloves and learn to fly them, so we were in a position to give these ladies the perfect “hands on” experience of falconry.

The event was held at the famous Tejon Ranch, which is the largest private, contiguous land holding in the U.S., established in 1843. The property consists of 270,000 acres that supports a variety of wildlife, including elk, deer, wild pig, wild turkey, quail, and—oh yes, jack rabbit and cottontail.  As we drove through the low land areas of the property to get to our camp, we spotted 3 cottontail and at least 6 jackrabbits.  Kate and I pulled over to actually count them like a couple of giddy girls.  It took all of our adult restraint not to open the hawk boxes and turn our Harris hawks loose.

Kate and I tent camped in a pristine lakeside valley—the perfect set up for lure flying a falcon and lure coursing the Harris hawks.  We were still too new to this group to know if they’d actually let us chase game.  The weather was great, clear blue skies, the air crisp from the snows that had melted only days before to reveal stunning green valleys.

At orientation, we were met with the warmest welcome we could have imagined, fed till we burst, and bombarded with questions about falconry and our class.  We went to bed that night excited about the next day and what we had to present to these women.

Sometime around 1 a.m., Kate and I were roused out of a light sleep by the roof and sides of our tent bending and flapping madly from what had to be 30 mph winds. At one point we were holding the roof back with our hands, just inches away from our faces.  It must have been what they call “lake effect” winds from the nearby lake, but we sure didn’t see it coming.  So with little sleep, lots of laughing at the situation (the birds were snug asleep in our cars), and finally a shot or two of McCallan 12 year old scotch, we eked out a few hours rest.  Next morning, it was pristine and windless again.  Oh well, great for flying the birds, which was why we were there.

Our students ranged from women who were seasoned hunters; to those who were interested in getting in to hunting and felt that falconry might be the way for them. We even had one woman who brought her avian-phobic daughter in the hope that being close to the hawks and falcons would help her. By the end of her class, she was smiling wide and able to have a Harris hawk fly to her glove.

After a long weekend of great eating, flying birds, and little sleep, Kate and I packed it up with glowing invitations to please return next year. A week later, I received a letter from Coleen with reviews from our participants:  “Loved the birds,” “Best class ever!” “Very informative and interactive.  Interesting to find out how much we can eat off the land.”

Kate and I are planning to return next year.  And like we did this year, we will make sure those wishing to pursue falconry will be well equipped by encouraging them to join the CHC and learn everything they can about hunting with a hawk or falcon. And, we are renting an RV, but bringing the whiskey, just in case.

Jana Barkley

Walnut Creek, CA

Scout, Kate Marden, Kaylee and Kent

Every year the California Hawking Club puts on the big annual field meet. California Hawking meets are great fun and tho’ a great deal of time is spent hawking (‘falconing’ is not a real word), there is plenty of time to devote to beer, stories, single malt, stories, gear shopping, stories, eating and, of course, stories.

Our meet was held on January 13-17 this year in Topaz, Nevada. Why does a California club meet in Nevada? Acres and acres of land filled with game, ponds with ducks, and decent rooms at a reasonable rate. For falconers, it’s about the game. We hunt rabbit, cottontail, pheasant, duck, chukkar and grouse, to name a few, and this part of Nevada has it all.

Falconers are a pretty dedicated lot; you’d be amazed at the effort that goes into bringing birds to a meet. Wednesday my day was spent coordinating both birds and people, gutting and cutting quail for the raptors that will stay behind, and making lists for our caretakers (without whose help we would not be able to go play). THANKS GUYS! This was after the chickens, pigeons, dogs, cats, raptors and horses have been fed. To tell the truth, the smart falconers leave their birds at home and simply got hunting with others and visit with old friends. But, I haven’t been able to hunt much this year and don’t want to lose an opportunity.

I was joined by two of my falconer apprentices/friends/associates, Kaylee and Scout. Kaylee lives at my home, goes to vet tech school and helps me with the all the critters.

Kaylee drove her tiny Honda Civic and was accompanied by Mariposa (a Harris Hawk), Webster, (a Lanner/Saker Falcon), Jack (Kaylee’s English Bull Terrier), her clothes, falconry gear, some quail (dead), and a set of chains.

California Hawing Club Friends - Scout and Kaylee

I drove my Honda Element and was accompanied by Scout, Vander (a Griffondor), Rosslyn, (a Saker Falcon), Diego (a Harris Hawk), Fionn (a Border Terrier) along with all of the attending STUFF that we needed. Sometimes my silly car amazes me. Its high profile is like driving a shoebox on its side, but it can hold an amazing amount of stuff with some judicial packing. Put a skybox on top and it is rather like a clown car. You can pack a small house in a Honda Element.

This year I am very excited to be here. You see I’d just ended a five-year relationship with another falconer. We built two businesses together and have spent the last couple of years not at all happy with one another. Hormones will only get you so far in a relationship; make sure you have more in common than that and falconry.

After getting up at dark-o’thirty and driving like mad, we managed to make it in time so I could participate in the “lure flying” competition on Thursday. Lure flying is when the falconer uses a lure (something attached to a line with a handle at the other end) to exercise their falcon. Lure flying (or stooping) is a graceful game of keep away. And I love it!

Webster

Most folks don’t arrive until Thursday night or Friday so the competition only drew a total of five falconers this year. So there I am with Joe Suffredini and Tom Savory, among others. Joe and his twin brother are professional animal trainers (Pirates of the Caribbean, Hidalgo) and Joe also has an abatement business. Tom Savory has been working abatement for years and both are very good falconers.

Webster and Rosslyn are both at weight. Rosslyn weighs 2¼ lbs and is a tank that flies at 100mph. Webster is ½ her size and is a flashy flier. I have to pick one, as, with so few competitors, I can’t fly both. I pick Webby for the flash and draw the last spot. Tom is up first, flying a Peregrine. The bird is muscled up and puts on a beautiful flight. This is a bird who spends allot of time in the air. He is so astounding that the rest of us groan inwardly, we can’t match this.

The other falconers were very good, all of the birds were great and now it is my turn. The first year I competed, I took 7th. The following year I placed 4th. Now I am up. It is all really a blur as all of my concentration is on Webster; trying to keep him from touching the lure while striving to get it close enough that Webby will put his feet out in an effort to catch it. Webster likes to put himself above me in such a way that he is between the sun and me. Blinding, that. He does some lovely vertical stoops, dropping directly down on top of me. I fly him for about 15 passes and place 2nd! Yay!!! I lose to Tom, of course, but I beat a Suffredini! My life is complete!

Back to the Lodge to set up.

Falcon side of weathering yard

At the Lodge we have a huge weathering area. This is a fenced off area where falconers can safely perch their birds. The birds get to rest, catch some rays and bathe. Each bird has to have a perch that stakes into the ground and a bath pan. The birds are perched far enough apart that they can’t reach each other. If you get an opportunity to visit a meet I encourage you to do so, if for just the weathering area alone. Here you’ll find Sakers, Lanners, Peregrines, Kestrels, Gyrfalcons, Prairies and hybrids. You’ll see Red-tailed hawks, Harris’ hawks, Goshawks, Coopers hawks and Sharp shinned hawks, Ferruginous hawks. Golden eagles, a Wedge-tailed eagle, an Ornate hawk-eagle. This year we also had a Snowy and a Barn owl. Eye candy galore, a veritable smorgasbord of raptors.

Snowy Artic Owl

We put our birds out, walk the dogs and set up our room. We are doing this on the cheap so our room has two queen beds for three women, three dogs and four birds of prey. Crowded, but the Suffredini brothers had us beat. Their room was the same size and housed two men, two falcons, a Harris’ hawk, a Wedge-tailed eagle, a Goshawk, 13 pigeons and two North American ravens! (The guys are filming the movie, Thor. The studio wanted Ravens but would not accept the smaller African raven/Pied crow hybrid generally used in film. They wanted the BIG ravens like you see at the Tower of London. The company the guys work for have two 30 year old ravens that they can legally use for film because the birds were ‘grandfathered in’. Meaning that the company had owned the birds before it became against the law to use native species. I love ravens and was blessed to be able to hold one. Their beak is over two inches long, which is a bit disconcerting when it is five inches from your face.)

Now I get to play with my friends again. I can’t keep a silly grin off my face as I hug, shake hands and laugh with old hunting buddies. Many folks are still out in the field, straggling back with game and yet more stories. With a longing glance to the vendor’s room, we head outside to weigh and feed the hawks. This has to be done in our room as it would cause quite a ruckus where we to feed in front of 50 other birds. It’s getting dark so we bring all of the birds up. Hood the falcons and put them between the bed and the window. We have to put both hawks in their giant hoods (a darkened carry box) as they keep trying to attack the poor dogs. Feed and walk said dogs and back to the vendors room.

This is what we save our pennies for! Here are falconer’s dream merchandise: hoods, perches, anklets, jesses, leashes, artwork, bells, books, transmitters, receivers, gloves. Some are things you’ll buy and never use, some are things you can’t do without. I am on a mission for some specific items from specific craftsman; that done, Kaylee, Scout and I converge with about ten other friends and grab a table at the fancy restaurant; the only time we will be eating here. Steakhouse style, the food is great but the prices are Bay Area; a bit dear.

Supporting the California Hawking Club Raffle

After dinner we high-tail it back to the vendor’s room for the Thursday night raffle, Tickets are a buck a piece; Saturday raffle is five bucks per and the prizes reflect that. But tonight there are six packs of Red-tail Ale, photos, T-shirts, hoods, jesses, knick-knacks and paddy-whacks. Kaylee won a Red tail ale bar mirror; she was so happy. We stopped at the bar for a nightcap (and more stories) then finally headed off to bed. Tonight Scout and I split a bed while Kaylee shares the other with the three dogs. Yes, they are a bit spoiled but with four birds in the room, where else can they sleep?

Kate, Kaylee and roommates

This year my associate Marten Benatar and I have been asked to present an apprentice workshop on Friday.