New York Falconer New York Falconer

New York Falconer
Newsletter of the New York State Falconry Association
Fall 2006
November 10-11, 2006
NYSFA meet returns to Catskill
The New York State Falconry Association is
returning to the beautiful Catskill Mountains on Nov.
10 and 11 for its annual field meet. Once again, there
will be “wings over Kiskatom,” as about 100 falconers and guests try their luck at the
variety of game that can be found
on and around the 500-acre
property at the meet headquarters,
the Friar Tuck Inn and Resort.
The 2005 meet, also held at
the Friar Tuck, earned high marks
from participants for the quality
and convenience of the facilities.
The only complaint – it was too
hot! Temperatures rose to near 80
NYSFA Meet, 2005
degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in
Birds and falconers experienced unseasonsluggish birds and sweaty falconably warm weather at last year’s event.
ers. We understand that Gino has
ordered cooler weather this year.
Featured speaker
Gary Brewer
A high point of the meet is
certain to be the Saturday night
program presented by Gary L.
Brewer, a Texas-based author who
revolutionized the art of hunting
squirrels with hawks.
His book, Buteos and Bushytails,
has been hailed as a “must read”
falconry publication. According to
one reviewer, “Gary Brewer
explains, with rare knowledge and
detail, what it is like to be deep in
the woods with a creature that has
been persuaded to not only
tolerate the sight of you, but to
actually use you as a means to
secure its food.”
“. . . success in falconry hinges on the intuitive
sensitivity of the human, in other words the ability to
read the raptor and anticipate potential problems.
Not many humans can do this even if they try. Gary
Brewer is such a human and students who read this
book can gain some insight into how to be a
falconer. Thus we have a book that transcends the
world of buteos and bushytails.”
Another reviewer commented, “Seldom does a
book open up a whole new type of hunting discipline. Brewer has defined, refined and detailed this
highly interactive and demanding sport, the types of
hawks utilized, how to outfit them and turn the
team into a winning formula.”
All falconers are encouraged to hear Gary’s talk,
“Getting the Most Out of Your Red-Tail,” at 8 pm
on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Many other activities – plus hunting!
Of course, you should also plan to attend the
other activities planned over the two days. A
comprehensive schedule can be found on page 6 of
this newsletter. Several items of note:
• If you plan to stay at the Friar Tuck – by far the
most convenient choice – this year you must
make room arrangements by calling the
resort at 1-800-832-7600. Be sure to mention
NYSFA. The daily rate includes lodging, plus
breakfast and dinner ordered from a menu.
• Friday night’s program by Peter Capainolo will
present a discussion of the taxonomy of Sakers
and gyrfalcons. Peter, who is a NYSFA member
and works in the Ornithology Department at the
American Museum of Natural History, delivered
a popular talk last year.
• There will be two raffles again this year, after the
programs on Friday and Saturday night. Alan
Scott will do his usual outstanding job of
gathering a wide range of raffle items (including a
telemetry receiver?).
President's Report
Raptors and motorcycles. . .
I’m writing this in late
September, which means that
hawking season is just around the
corner. During the molt, I’ve taken
up fly-fishing because of its
similarities to falconry.
My other summer activity,
motorcycling, has been pretty
boring to Skinner (my Harris hawk)
and Mulder (my vizsla), as you can
see in the picture. Speaking of
Skinner, he was returned from a
stint at a breeding project. Seems
he wasn’t polite to the ladies, thus
missing his chance for some raptor
nookie.
Another summer project of
mine was pestering DEC to reinvigorate its Falconry Advisory
Board. This is absolutely necessary
with changes in federal regulations
around the corner and avian flu
on the horizon.
I’ve just gone trapping
with my new apprentice, Alex
Throssell. He and his mother,
Rosemary, arrived here a year
ago from England where they
were falconers. Both passed the
written DEC falconry exam
and Rosemary was granted
General status. Alex, who is in
high school, is going through
the full apprenticeship.
It’s been fun hitting the
road with them because
trapping is not allowed in
England. We got a nice, 40-oz.
passager that was eating off the
glove after two days. She
should be hunting in time for
the field meet.
Waiting for the season to begin
Time to put away the motorcycle and get hawk and dog ready
for hunting. Skinner hasn’t flown in 18 months and doesn’t
remember what the license plate means.
page 2
Speaking of which, I’m
excited about this year because of
the success of last year’s meet
and the program we’ve got slated.
Gary Brewer will be flying up
from Texas to present Saturday
evening’s program on red-tails.
Gary literally wrote the book
on squirrel hawking, Buteos and
Bushytails. He has the ability to
distill lots of ideas and present
them in common-sense and
interesting ways. Since he’s flying
into Syracuse and will be driven
down to the Catskills by Alan
Scott, maybe he’ll get a chance to
see some snow.
I know Gary will have his
hands full helping to load all of
the raffle items. I can’t wait to see
the incredible bounty we’ll be
bidding on Friday and Saturday
evenings. On Saturday evening
we’ll also be honoring Chris von
Schilgen on his retirement. We’ve
been very fortunate to have had
him as DEC’s falconry administrator.
I hope you’ve had a chance
to visit our Web site at
www.NYSFA.org.
It’s your Web site, so let us
know what you’d like to see. As a
matter of fact, bring these ideas
to our board meeting to be held
before Saturday’s dinner at the
meet. And remember that this is
an election year for all board
positions. Any member is invited
to become a candidate for a
board position.
Finally, why not write an
article for the next edition of the
Mews News and share your
knowledge with other New York
falconers. Articles can be sent to
me at [email protected]
by March 31, 2007.
— Jim Webber
Vice President’s Report
Mini-horses and eagle permits. . .
So another summer has just about come to an
end. They seem to go by a bit faster the older you
get, don’t they?
I hope you all enjoyed the summer the best you
could between the heat and the rain. I know some of
us that took the time to go on vacation (like flyfishing in Montana, Jim) and some of us just worked
around the house. Both Sonny Squiciarino and John
Kellermann are training their new German shorthair
pointer pups, and Rocco Barbuto is training a new
lab pup and having lots and lots and lots of fun.
(Did anybody let the puppy out? Dad, I’m not
cleaning that up! Not another chewed-up glove!)
Tom Lowe picked up a mini-horse to keep his
big horse company. He said he might train it for
rabbit hawking. After a hard days hunt, he could
hook it up to a cart to take him back to the truck
Eugene Butta took a trip to Pennsylvania to buy
a new horse from some Amish guy. Eugene tried to
trade him some of his homemade maple syrup for
the horse, but it was a no go. The Amish guy said he
never saw maple syrup that color before.
I’ve been busy putting the final touches on my
Koi pond (more stuff to feed) that John Kellerman’s GSP pup decided he should be the first one
in (5 feet to the bottom). He came up smiling. I
think I’ll fill it with striped bass and put a fighting
chair on my deck – sounds like more fun!
My GPS, Grappa, is 18 months old and is doing
great. He even has me mountain biking again, just to
keep up with him on the trails. This year I will not be
attending the NAFA meet in Nebraska, I have
attended the last five NAFA meets during Thanksgiving week, so this year I’m staying home for some
home-cooked turkey.
I do plan to attend the 2007 NAFA meet in
Colorado. If you have never attended a NAFA meet
you should try to get to one, I have always had a
great time and if you can drive with some friends,
the road trip can be a blast, besides all the great
scenery you miss when you fly. As for most of us on
Long Island, we are getting our hawking gear ready
and our birds on weight for the upcoming season.
It was good to see a lot of you at Green
Chimneys this year. Paul and the school always
appreciate the effort that we put into the birds of
pray show to raise money for the school and
children there. The weather this year held out for
most of the day with only a couple of showers. This
year we took the time to say thank you to Chris Von
Schilgen, who has informed us that he is retiring
from the NYDEC, he is retiring. Chris has always
been there for us, to answer any questions we asked
and help us in anyway he could.
For a few years now I’ve been asking Chris
when I could get my eagle permit. I would always
work the question into our conversations and when
I sent him a e-mail I would type “EAGLE PERMIT” every other word. When I walked past him at
a meet or other function I would say “EAGLE
PERMIT.” It became
standing joke between us.
One day when I opened
my renewal notice for my
state propagation license,
I saw the words “
EAGLE PERMIT”
printed on the folded
letter. My eyes grew twice
their size. This is it –
could it really be? As I
opened the letter, I saw
in the middle, printed
extra large, the word
“NOT.” He got me
good! I look forward to
seeing him at our meet in
November. Thanks again,
Chris! The best to you!
For those of you
who may not receive
newsletters or e-mails
Ouch!
from NAFA, the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife service
Bill Deckert gives an unintended demonstration of “footing” at Green Chimneys.
has requested comments
on proposed changes
governing the practice of falconry, particularly
raptor propagation and the taking of raptors from
the wild.
You don’t have to be a member of any organization to respond to this. The deadline for comments has been extended to Nov. 21, so you still
have plenty of time. Go to the FWS web site,
www.fws.gov/migratory birds and get the info
you need. I will have a copy of the proposal at the
meet for those interested.
– William Deckert
page 3
Director Reports
LI falconers staying home this fall
Hard to believe the summer is over, but the
stripers are entering the bay. It seems like Green
Chimneys was just a week or so ago. It was great
seeing everyone there. Seeing Mary and John
Forness again was an special treat. Although I was
only able to talk with them a little, seeing them again
was like old times.
Do to the lack of jacks in Nebraska the last
time NAFA was there, the usual group of Long
Island falconers will not be heading west in Billy’s
Big Truck this year. This will be the first Thanksgiv-
ing in a while the many of us will be home. While
I’m looking foward to local hawking that week, I’m
already looking foward to the next years NAFA
meet. It will be in Colorado in an area loaded with
jacks and cottontails. If you never went jack
hawking, start saving now.
I’m also looking foward to returning to the
Catskills again. Gino did a great job last year.
Hopefully, those rabbits that got away last year have
been doing what rabbits do. See you there.
— Tom Lowe
Dusting off the Harris hawks
Greetings to all NYS falconers.
I hope everyone had a great summer and your
birds are starting to come out of there chambers
ready for another great hunting season.
I have a new apprentice this year so that should
keep me on my toes. Her name is Gayanna
Gilbraith, D.V.M. from West Monroe and she seems
like she will be a great new asset to our club. We
trapped a nice mellow Redtail the second weekend in
September that has turned out to be a really nice
bird (way to go Gayanna, you’re on your way).
Great news for our 2006 Falconry Meet, we will
be having guest speaker Gary Brewer author of the
book Buteos and Bushytails for our Saturday night
dinner. Personally, I’m looking forward to meeting
Gary as he is the man that got me started on squirrel
hawking and we have been e-mailing each other ever
since.
Well, my Harris hawks are dusted off and at
weight as I write this. We now are waiting for
October to roll around. I hope to see you all in
November at the 2006 Meet.
– Alan Scott
Treasurer’s Report
Have you paid your dues?
Life at the Altmann Farm continues to be
hectic. It seems we just get through one crisis, when
another one arrives. Two daughters decided to get
married this past year. They gave me eleven months
between the two weddings to recover both emotionally and financially. We are looking forward to the
field meet in November.
Our current checking account balance is
$4,934.88. This amount reflects our deposit of $500
to the Friar Tuck resort, $224 for printing and
postage of the newsletter, $1,039.56 for printing and
postage of the Mews News, and $457.19 to cover air
fare for the guest speaker at the November field
page 4
meet. We made $168 in merchandise sales at Green
Chimneys this past May.
Dues this year have been trickling in slowly,
several people paid their 2006 dues at the 2005 field
meet and several people have sent their dues in
since, but many remain unpaid. If you are unsure
about whether or not you are current with your 2006
dues, please give me a call or send an e-mail.
Diane Williams
315-497-2611
[email protected]
Rehabber Report
Flukes a common problem this year
There was a recent discussion among subscribers to
the NYSFA e-mail group about the benefit of
knowledge-sharing between falconers and wildlife
rehabilitators. Fortunately, Sarah Unger is both a
falconer and a rehabber. She has agreed to write a
regular column with information on raptor care.
Thank you, Sarah!
By Sarah Unger
As falconers, we want to be aware of potential
dangers to our birds. This season many raptors
requiring rehabilitation have tested positive for a
fluke, genus Echinostoma.
Echinostomes migrate through the digestive
tract as well as the respiratory tract, causing symptoms including weight loss, anorexia, regurgitation,
emaciation, dehydration, diarrhea, coughing,
weakness and tremors. As they migrate, the flukes
cause significant tissue damage, which could result in
death if not treated.
There are a number of diseases that can cause
the these symptoms, but testing for parasites is a
non-invasive, simple, and inexpensive way to rule out
one potential cause.
The intermediate hosts of these flukes are
snails, fish, tadpoles, and earthworms. When quarry
animals ingest these intermediate hosts, they also
become infected, putting our birds at risk. It appears
that pigeons, especially, ingest snails to acquire the
calcium found in snail shells. This is not to say that
if your bird does not take pigeon it will not become
infected – any quarry is a potential source of
infection.
The flukes’ large, operculated eggs are visible
microscopically via a direct smear of fresh feces.
The traditional method of testing for parasites, fecal
float, may yield inaccurate results and therefore
should not be relied upon for testing for the
presence of echinostomes.
Recommended treatment is praziquantel
(Droncit) at 30 mg/kg, given IM or orally, with
retreatment in 14 days. At the conclusion of
treatment, a fecal sample should be rechecked to
confirm a negative result and that the parasites were
not resistant to the drug used.
It is a good idea to check a fecal sample on your
bird at the finish of hunting season and the last part
of the summer, as these are the times your birds are
more likely to become infected.
For additional information regarding flukes in
avian medicine, please refer to the following books:
Avian Medicine: Principles and Applications by Ritchie,
Harrison and Harrison and Raptor Biomedicine III by
J.T. Lumeij, David Remple, Patrick T. Redig, Michael
Lierz, John E Cooper.
Board members needed!
The time has come to nominate candidates for
the NYSFA Board of Directors.
The two-year terms begin in January 2007.
A mail-ballot election will be held after the NYSFA
annual meet in November.
If you are interested in serving on the
board or need more information, please call
Jim Webber at 518-875-9081 or e-mail
[email protected].
President ............................... Jim Webber
Vice President .................... Bill Deckert
Secretary .........................Diane Williams
Treasurer ........................Diane Williams
Region 1 ....................................... Vacant
Region 2 ....................................... Vacant
Region 3 .......................... Carrie Webber
Region 4 .............................. Brian Bunce
Region 5 ................................ Jim Bonelli
At Large ................................. Alan Scott
At Large ................................ Tom Lowe
At Large .................................. Rick West
At Large ............................ Dave Schaub
At Large ....................... John Kellerman
page 5
NYSFA
Annual Field Meet
November 10 & 11, 2006
Friar Tuck Resort, Catskill, N.Y.
The beauty and serenity of the Catskill Mountains is the backdrop for this unique resort with more
than 500 beautifully appointed guest rooms and sports and leisure amenities, including a Europeanstyle spa and salon, fitness center with steam and sauna, and an indoor pool featuring a huge Jacuzzi.
Falconers staying at the Friar Tuck will be allowed to fly their birds on the resort’s 500 acres and will
receive a free NYSFA mug.
Meet Fee:
$20 NYSFA members/ $30 nonmembers; includes NYSFA cap, meet pin, and
game pin (if game is caught). No charge for 1st or 2nd-year New York
apprentices.
The meet fee must be paid if you plan to attend the dinners or programs.
Room Cost:
$122/person/night (single occupancy); $106/person/night (double occupancy).
Includes full breakfast and dinner, all taxes, gratuities and service charges, and
access to resort amenities.
Room reservations must be made with the Friar Tuck. Call 1-800-832-7600 and mention
that you are attending the NYSFA Field Meet.
Friday, November 10
On-site registration table opens at 9 am.
Dinner (6:30 pm): Tickets are $32 per person (includes taxes and gratuity) for those not staying
at the Friar Tuck Resort. Buy your dinner tickets at the hotel desk early in the day.
Program (8 pm): “The Relationship Between Sakers and Gyrfalcons” by Peter Capainolo,
New York falconer and scientific assistant with the Division of Vertebrate Zoology in the
Ornithology Department at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
A wide range of falconry-related products will be raffled off after the program. Raffle tickets
available before and after dinner.
Saturday, November 11
On-site registration opens at 9 am.
The New York DEC Falconry Exam will be given at 1 pm.
NYSFA Board meeting on Saturday at 4 pm. All members are welcome.
Dinner (6:30 pm): See ticket information above.
Program (8 pm): “Getting the Most Out of Your Red-Tail” by Gary Brewer, nationally
acclaimed expert on red-tail hawks and author of Buteos and Bushytails.
Another raffle and awarding of game pins will be held following the program.
You may pre-register by sending your meet fee to Diane Williams, 1123 State Route 38,
Locke, NY 13092.
Remember to visit the NYSFA Web site at www.nysfa.org for the latest meet information.
page 6
One falconer’s ‘nightmare hunt’
For those of you who don’t subscribe to the NYSFA
list server on Yahoo (and if you have access to the
Internet, you really should), this tale of a “nightmare
hunt” was shared in February by Mike Oettinger.
Some pointers to remember from this story:
• Always have your permits with you.
• Don’t be rude to non-falconers, even when
they’re rude to you.
• Steer clear of bungalows.
With game becoming scarce this time of the
year, I decided to take the Harris hawk to a large bit
of land I had been eying for some time that had a
good mix of rabbit habitat. I was working along by
the railroad tracks with the dog. I was getting a good
feeling, due to the dog’s behavior, that a lot of rabbit
activity was present.
About a half mile from where I parked, the hen
sailed across the field some 800 feet or so and put in
a stoop by this bungalow colony with postagestamp-sized lawns. When I got there, I saw her hung
up in some vines in a tree with a squirrel clutched in
her talons.
A man and two women stood nearby, screaming
and yelling as they looked up into the tree. I asked,
“What’s going on?” The guy was yelling profanity,
saying he was going to kill the hawk (not knowing it
was mine). I hopped the fence and told him I was a
falconer, the bird was mine, and I would get her down.
I also told him to be careful because he was
throwing chunks of broken asphalt at the tree and
was hitting his house. I was concerned that he was
going to break one of his windows. I pulled out the
lure and was attempting to get the bird down when
this guy came up behind me, punching me in the
back and telling me to get off his property.
I stepped back 10 feet and stood on the
neighbor’s property. The guy yelled to one of the
women to get his gun. Just then, the bird dropped
down with the squirrel. I ran over, picked up the
hawk, and started walking toward the street while I
pried the bird from the squirrel’s head.
Meanwhile, the guy starts slamming me in the
back with a chunk of asphalt, saying he wanted to
kick my ass. I tossed the very much alive squirrel in
his face, which caused him to run away. I walked
back to my van with the woman following 50 feet
behind me, talking to 911 and telling them to get the
police there immediately.
I had just put the bird and dog away when one
officer pulled up, followed by two more. After
talking to the homeowner, he came over to me. I
told him the story and handed him my permits to
read. After a half hour on the phone, he showed the
people my permits and explained that he had talked
to someone from DEC and I was perfectly legal.
They slithered off with their tails between their legs.
The police officer couldn‘t apologize enough.
He said that because the officers didn‘t know
anything about falconry, they had not known at first
how to handle the situation. They said if I wanted to
press charges I could. I said no, I didn‘t care to.
Ready for
November
Gino Altimari and his
goshawk, Montana, are
ready to welcome falconers
to the Catskills for the
2006 NYSFA Field Meet.
page 7
Green Chimneys, May 2006
Above left: Chris von
Schilgen receives lifetime
memberships in NYSFA
and NYSWRC.
Left: Bobby Young gives a
talk on falconry to
interested members of the
public.
Above: Ed Hepp shows off
one of his falcons.
NYS Falconry Association
PO Box 2322
Albany, NY 12220