Pass on a passion for the renaissance of Falconry

“Running Courses for Young Falconers in
France”
Pass on a passion for the
renaissance of Falconry in
France
Anne Dana Freudiger
Arthur Freudiger
AGENDA
WHY ARE WE HERE?
WHO AM I?
WHERE ARE WE NOW IN FRANCE?
WHERE TO SEE FALCONRY IN FRANCE?
WAYS TO LEARN FALCONRY IN FRANCE
HOW DO I PASS ON MY PASSION?
SUCCESS STORY OF YOUNG FALCONERS
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
WHY ARE WE HERE?
How do young French people learn the necessary and indispensable, theoretical and
practical falconry skills?
How is this knowledge transferred to the new generation of falconers?
As experienced falconers who run courses for young falconers, what do we need to
do so that the practice of falconry in France meets the rules of this art?
DISCUSS WAYS OF PASSING ON THE ART OF FALCONRY
WHO AM I?
•
•
•
•
Anne Freudiger, piano teacher for 31 years
Practicing falconry for 18 years
Established a school of Falconry in 2000
Reading a book changed my life…
– “La Belle Fauconniere” from Marion Zimmer Bradley
– An incredible relationship between a bird and a woman
…An intense need to discover the Art of Falconry…
… a thousand of questions…
… an immense mountain to climb…
… a passion I am trying to pass on…
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
• Only one French National Association of
Falconry
• Different types of falconers
• Requirements to become a falconer
• Less than 400 falconers in France
• First French Falconry school established in
1995
• Today, there are circa 15 schools
FALCONRY IN FRANCE
THE SHOWS
WAYS TO LEARN
FALCONRY IN FRANCE
3 WAYS TO LEARN
FALCONRY IN FRANCE
S
Strength
O
Opportunities
W
Weaknesses
T
Threats
 The National Association of French
Falconers and Hawkers
 “Do It Yourself”
 The French schools of Falconry
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF
FALCONERS
W
•
Learning with a mentor
•
Recognized thanks to its highly
experienced falconers
•
In direct relation with the
Government and the National Hunting
Association
•
Work and collaborate with the Birds
Protection Association (LPO)
•
All members are committed to respect
the different regulations and laws
Weaknesses
O
Opportunities
T
Threats
WEAKNESSES
S
•
Open to adults only
•
Mandatory to live near a falconer
member of the association in order to
learn during 2 years
•
Too selective and very long process
Strength
O
Opportunities
T
Threats
OPPORTUNITIES
S
Strength
W
Weaknesses
• Start a dialogue with the different
French schools of Falconry
• work with them in order to make sure
the standard of the courses is high
T
Threats
•
Help them to preserve and promote
the rules of the art of Falconry
THREATS
S
Strength
W
Weaknesses
• Falconry in France might disappear in
the long run if we keep the secrets of
the art of Falconry to ourselves
• Promotes the “Do-It-Yourself”
O
Opportunities
• Against the schools of Falconry and the
development and promotion of the
Falconry
DO IT YOURSELF
Opportunities
Strengths
 High demand
 No external constraints
 Pass on knowledge
 Free
 Awareness campaigns
 Satisfaction of having learned by oneself
Weaknesses
 Birds used as object of learning
 Very complex art
S
O
W
T
 Write a Falconry book
Threats
 Birds are in danger
 Local populations harmed
 Negative image of the
French Falconry
FALCONRY IN FRANCE
THE SCHOOLS
SARL Fauconnerie Merlyn
La Fauconnerie Marche
Les Aigles du
Léman
Harris Club Audois
La Compagnie de
l'Hippogriffe
L'Autour du
verre
Arthémis
Le Faucon solognot
Flaesch Frédérique
Fauconnerie du
Nord
Les Horts de
Walhalla
Anne
Freudiger
L'équipage des trois trèfles
Jean-Philippe Roman
THE FRENCH SCHOOLS
OF FALCONRY
W
Weaknesses
• Understanding of the laws and constraints
due to owning a bird of prey
• Comprehensive & tailored learning from
scratch
• Young falconers are looked after
• Schools are owned by experienced falconers
O
Opportunities
T
Threats
• Democratization of the art of Falconry
WEAKNESSES
S
• Quality school is not always the norm…
Strength
• Sometimes profit comes first
O
Opportunities
T
Threats
• Some schools sell “illusion” and
“dreams”
OPPORTUNITIES
S
Strength
W
Weaknesses
T
Threats
• Demand is growing significantly
• Approval and recognition of the best
schools from the French National
Association of Falconry
• Create a common ethical code of
conduct that would apply to all the
schools
THREATS
S
Strength
O
W
Weaknesses
• Not a good reputation amongst the
French National Association of
Falconry
• Some schools promote dangerous
messages and give bad examples
Opportunities
• Bird of preys are in danger as well as
the Art of Falconry
3 key Areas of Success!
Flexible and tailored ways of learning...
Increase your knowledge
Acquire the necessary skills
FLEXIBLE & TAILORED
APPROACH
Discovery Course
1
•Understanding the kids’ needs
•Selection process
Individual Intensive Training Courses
•
•
•
•
Designed for students living far away from the
School
6+ hours of training per day
Flexible dates (week, weekends, holidays)
Flexible duration (1day, 2 days, 1 week)
“Year round” Course
•
•
•
•
•
Weekly individual lessons
Student must come to lessons regularly
Student takes notes during lesson and does his
homework between two lessons
All lessons are made up with theory and practice
exercises
Constant attention, vigilance and objective to
maintain the highest standards are required from
the master falconer
INCREASE YOUR
KNOWLEDGE
1
2
Theory
•The jargon of Falconry
•The history of Falconry across the ages and countries
•“patience and perserverance are the are the qualities of
the falconer”
•French legislation of Falconry
•The hunting permit
•Progressive recognition of the species (in France, then
Europe, then in the World) with ornithological outting
•Morphology of birds
•Bird of preys diet and eating habits
•Ethology of birds
•Reproduction
•Visits of places where falconry or training is practiced
(military base, bird shows, bird hospitals)
•Introduction to the equipment used in falconry
including telemetry systems
•Well being of the bird
•Care of birds
•Study the conception of the shelters
•Learning how to train a bird using the book called “De
arte venande cum avibus” written by Frederic Von
Hohenstaufen
HANDS-ON
Practice
1
2
3
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Different types of birds used with kids
Falconer’s Knot
Picking up
Weighing
Observation of bird s followed by drawing sessions
Utilization of the falconer’s equipment
“Hide and Seek” games with telemetry systems
Construction of birds’ shelters
Food preparation
Help feeding the young birds
Health care
Step by step practice of the rules of breeding
Breed a bird
Hunting with a bird of prey
The making of the falconer’s equipment :
• Gloves, hoods, leashes
• Bells and fittings
• Jesses and anklets
• Perches and blocks
• Lures etc.
KEY SKILLS
OF A GOOD FALCONER
Observant
Responsible
A bird lover
Respectful
Curious
Patient
Perseverant
Open Minded
Successes
On the way to hunt with some of the experienced students…
Before…
After… (2 years later)
The desire of all the kids I have been teaching Falconry have overcome my
expectations and now some of my first students help me teach to the new
generation of falconers…
Thank You
A big thank you to all the organizers of the Festival
for giving us the opportunity to speak today.
ANY QUESTIONS?