Written by Katie Swann
When it comes to training pets, most people work with dogs or cats; student Nick Parker works with birds of prey.Parker engages in falconry, which is the process of hunting by means of a bird of pray, also called a “trained raptor.” Parker described the process as the opposite of hunting with a dog; the hunter stirs up the game, and the bird acts as the weapon and catches it.Parker said he has been fascinated with flight since childhood. If it was in the air, he knew about it.”I’ve always loved birds, and I always knew I wanted one,” Parker said.Parker first saw a falconer in action during his junior year of high school. Naturally, when he had the opportunity to begin falconry for himself, he said he was eager to get started.To become a falconer, Parker had to take a test provided by his home state, find a sponsor and have his facilities for his bird checked out. It took a year and a half for Parker to earn his apprentice license.After at least two years as an apprentice, under the supervision of a General Falconer, Parker will be able to apply for his own General Falconer license.”My goal is to be a Master Falconer,” Parker said.Master Falconer is the third and most advanced license one can apply for and the only level at which one may fly a golden eagle, a bird that Parker described as “incredible.”After he got his license, Parker said it was time to catch his first bird. Having apprentice status limits the bird one can trap to either a Red Tailed Hawk or an American Kestrel.In late November of 2008, Parker trapped his first bird: a female red-tailed hawk that he named Saphira. After only two weeks of training, she was able to make her first catch.Unfortunately, another part of falconry is preparing one’s bird to return to the wild, or “hacking,” as falconers refer to it. Although he always misses his birds, Parker said he is not too fazed by the process.”Part of the fun of falconry is just training [the birds],” he said.Parker has had three birds now: Saphira, an American Kestrel named Aria and an American Kestrel named Smert’ S Nebes (Russian for “Death from the sky”) that he caught over Christmas break.”The one that I really want to fly is a Paragon Falcon,” Parker said.He must apply for his General Falconer license before he can fly one.The North American Falconers Association holds an annual meet where falconers from all over the world come together to share their experiences and love for the sport. Parker said the NAFA meet is his “favorite thing to go to.”Since he is in school most of the year, Parker said he does not get to fly his own bird very often. However, he as made connections with local falconer Chris Price. Parker said he tries to fly with Price once or twice each week.Parker hopes he can keep his own bird off campus eventually, he said. But for now, Parker said he traps and trains a bird every Christmas break.”It’s a lot of fun,” Parker said. “You always leave them [the birds] a little bit better than you found them.”
