Meet Freyja, My Peregrine Falcon

[Freeride]

Very cool, thanks for the update.

 

[fwafwow]

Following, here and on IG. Peregrines (wild) have done very well in downtown Atlanta, sometimes destroying a pigeon while shocked office tenants watched.

Have you seen “Birds of Prey” on Netflix? It’s insane - amazing cinematography, and very informative (to us who know so little about them).

 

[vectordawg]

Following on IG. Thanks for sharing! I’m fascinated by birds of prey.

 

[406life]

THAT'S AWESOME! I looked into falconry a few years ago and didn't realize how dedicated one must be to even posses a bird legally. Falconry seems to be a lifestyle and not just a hobby.

This is very true an something on my podcast I really tried to stress. I get requests frequently on how to become a falconer or to sponsor, but the reality of what it takes to house and husband a bird is immense and always underestimated by those coming into falconry.

 

[cbat]

What is your IG account name ?

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Officials have supported Peregrine falcons in downtown Des Moines, IA for years. My brother was consulting downtown and a nesting pair lived on the building he worked. He said they were just amazing to watch and make very short work of the pidgeons that crap all over everything. They are an amazing feat of physics, scanning from above and then diving like a kamikaze on birds 2 or 3 times their size in mid-flight. I watched a cool Natgeo special on them one time where they followed a nesting couple on some high cliffs. The little falcons harried an even blinded one pelican that dared to get too close to their nest.

 

[406life]

What is your IG account name ?

@everettheadley

 

[406life]

A pre-2022 Season Update:

Freyja is just about to turn one and head into her first season of hunting. Last year we didn't get into flying/hunting as I didn't really want to rush it with her. She was an expensive bird and one I plan to have for a long time.

Falcons begin their molt in late spring, and I think Freyja dropped her first ones in April. They will drop feathers symmetrically (same feather on each side) and predictably (on the wing they will most from the innermost to the outermost and on the tail from the center (the deck feathers to the outside edges). This makes sense because it allows them to continue to fly with minimal issue from being down a few feathers. During the molt we try to keep our birds well fed and stress free. Damages during this time to feathers can lead to weak and misshapen feathers that will impact their ability to fly. As a passage bird (juvenile) transitioning to a haggard (adult) bird she is loosing the drab brown and replacing it with a sleek steel-gray.

And while we wait for her to finish feathering (hard penned) I am starting to work with her in an area called "manning." In its simplest explanation this is taming her down and acclimating her to my presence. But its also about strengthening the bond and trust between us. This means lots of time on the fist watching Nat Geo or conference calls on zoom. She also has a perch in my office she sits on just to observe from a height. It's also time in the mews (her outside aviary) jumping to the fist and generally being around me.

The timing of the rest of her training is on her. Besides the molt, her progress will depend on her willingness to take my lead. I'm not teaching her to hunt, only to see that cooperating me makes us both more successful. I think most falconers would skip the time called inter-mewing to be able to hunt year round, but the natural break is good for all. It builds the excitement and anticipation for another season.

 

[Rob5589]

Beautiful bird. I watched the IG video of her tearing up a dove, I wouldn't want to get any fingers near that beak!

 

[EddieNel]

Sub’d. Thank you for sharing.