Buzz The Buzzard by Chris Beever

 

 

Wildlife Tales by Chris Beever

Buzz the Buzzard

With the sun yet again disappearing behind a large black cloud and the wind swirling round the leaf bare trees, it was time to venture out with a local Wigan celebrity called Rob to practice an ancient art and magnificent sport of king’s called falconry.

Donning a large leather glove on my left hand otherwise known as a gauntlet, I waved an offering with outstretched arm to another new found friend of mine called buzz.

With a cry that could be heard from a mile away the magnificent bird of prey swooped down from his high viewpoint and spread his wings in the oncoming breeze and with his outstretched talons he landed on my gauntlet.

Buzz is a North American red tailed buzzard that is owned and has been trained by my new friend and Wigan falconer Rob Moore, besides being a fantastic bird of prey buzz is also a firm part of the family, and like any teenager he sometimes rebels against his parents by swooping down and taking Robs hat straight off his head only to leave it twenty foot up in a tree or more often than not on the garage roof, leaving Rob the job of climbing up his well used ladders to retrieve it with Buzz looking down on him and laughing, much to the frustration of poor old Rob.

The first time that Rob trusted me to don the gauntlet I must admit that I was slightly hesitant at being in control of such a powerful bird and much to the amusement of buzzes dad this was going to be a lesson that I would not forget.

After being sent on his way by his dad Rob, Buzz landed high up in a silver birch swaying in the breeze he sat for a while looking down on the new apprentice “me“ moving his head from side to side with quite a worrying stare.



This is it I thought, as I donned the gauntlet and commenced to offer Buzz a meaty treat that I pinched between my finger and thumb, with a hunch of the shoulders and then a flick of his magnificent wings Buzz swooped down out of his tree and glided towards me with outstretched talons, as our eyes met Buzz must have taken offence to this mere mortal offering food and with talons closed gave me a right good knuckling to the top of my head which I must admit frightened the life out of me.

On looking at his dad Rob as to say “what was all that about” I found that this well seasoned falconer was stumbling around the field in hysterics of laughter and this laughter grew louder when I stated “did you see that Rob, he knuckled me”.

After another couple of goes and with my confidence in short supply Buzz finally decided that he had punished his new apprentice enough and began to accept me.

On landing on my gauntlet for the first time without any kafuffle i expected this fairly large bird of prey to bend my arm on landing but I was surprised to find out that buzz was unexpectedly light, weighing in at a mere 2lb 1once which I was told by my tutor was a perfect flying weight for my magnificent friend.

There’s something inspiring about seeing these magnificent birds up close and personal that just makes you want to smile even if you’re not a wildlife fanatic like me, a chance to practice the art of falconry or Hawking will fill you with some sort of pleasure no matter what you feel about the politics of such a hobby.

If you think that this art is easy then think again, the care and commitment of the falconer is second to none and as with all wildlife friends the first thing is to gain trust and I can tell you that this is not an easy thing to gain.

After being on the wrong end of Buzz’s talons and beak on various occasions much to the enjoyment of Rob that finds great pleasure in watching his magnificent son teach the new lad some tricks, I am glad to say that after three months of getting used to each other we are now good friends, even though at times buzz can test our friendship to the limit by dive bombing me when my back is turned or by returning home from a flying session and then waiting at the top of the tall oak tree squawking with satisfaction as he watches me walk home alone.

On this day good old Buzz was enjoying his trip out in the swirling Autumn breeze and returned regularly swooping down for his offerings of finest rump steak that Mrs Moore had affectionately made for her dashing young man, leaving poor old Rob chewing on a pretty average cheese sandwich.

To watch Buzz flying close to the ground then using the updraft to rise into the air is breathtaking, it’s also amazing when he decides to take a short cut through the nearby silver birch wood, twisting and weaving his way through the maze of trees like an old fashioned spitfire on a mission.

After another long couple of hours watching Buzz enjoy himself in the blustery weather it was time to return home and with a last treat and a raised arm Buzz once more made his way home.


Many think that birds of prey are merciless killers but this is far from the truth as they will only eat enough to survive, too much and they will not be able to fly, too little and they run the risk of starvation, most wild birds of prey have a harsh life and a short life expectancy due to this fact of constantly living life to the edge.

The art of the falconer or Hawker is being used more and more in rural and urban areas to control all manner of pests and vermin and this must be a move in the right direction leaving the use of chemicals and pesticides to control vermin a hopeful thing of the past, and in my view is a welcome change than affecting other wildlife by leaving traps and poisoned baits where our wildlife friends would come to some harm.

If you want to experience a bird of prey close up why not try your local bird of prey centre and get close to these magical birds.

Thing’s you might like to Know

Falconry is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a Falcon; and an Austringer (German Origin) flies a Hawk

Historically, falconry was a popular sport and status symbol among the Nobles of medieval Europe the Middle East, and Mongolian Empire.

Evidence suggests that the art of falconry may have begun in Mongolia and China with the earliest accounts dating to approximately 2000 BC it is still used today by local tribes to catch food from long distances, using the hawk, falcon or eagle to catch the prey which is shared out between owner and bird.

In the UK and parts of Europe, falconry probably reached its zenith in the 17th century, but soon faded, particularly in the late 18th and 19th centuries, as firearms became the tool of choice for hunting.

Most of The Modern Falconers or Hawkers in the united kingdom tend to use frozen food for there falcons or Hawks and Eagles with only a small percentage flying there birds for actual hunting which is usually well monitored and is used for vermin control, and although the odd rabbit and pigeon become the mistaken victim of this sport the natural wildlife of the UK is pretty much safe as the falcons and hawks are trained to take the easy food that is on offer from there owner.