Imprinting Sparrowhawks

[Afshimo]

Hi ya,

I was just thinking, how do you imprint a sparrowhawk and take her hunting. Is the noise an issue? How does the training differ from a PR spar?
Just being curious, and the info will help other out too.

Thanks again,

Hanah

[Jay]

Depends on the kind of imprint you want. There are many meathods for imprinting and if done right they produce silent well mannered birds. I am a personal fan of social imprint accipiters, as this is what most of the Gos Hawks people have here are. If you dont understand the concept and methods of imprinting then dont even think of getting a bird to imprint, learn what to do before even thinking of getting the bird.

If imprinted properly I think they are better than PR. You dont have to do the running thing with the telemitry. They will take just about anything you throw at them and are great birds in the feild. When imprinting is done right you will end up with a much more chill bird than a PR.

[Tim Laycock]

Parent reared sparrow hawks are just a nightmare. simple as that.
I flew one for a season and found it more trouble than it was worth.
Manning was a nightmare and basic training was painfully slow also, If you left her for two days she would be wild (hang off the fist upsidedown and make no attempt to get back up wild).
Full blown imprint spars are a joy to train and fly and the noise is not an issue as they sound like kittens, Also a full blown imprint spar is far less prone to fits and temper tantrums in the field.

[Parahawker]

A Parent reared one will train up in 2 weeks, hunt like a demon.
stick to quarry like glue at a steady pace till the right moment when it goes in hard
they are deadly killing machines at the best of times
but one with the cool head of a parent reared one are ultimate
going 2 + fields behind partridge
Imprints tend to be a little boomaring like and if you disrespect them they have a habbit of hanging off your eyelids

Great little hawks, and were a pleasure to watch being flown by turkish falconers only a week after we watched them trapping
They like the indians have the accipiter method to a T...
Manning Manning Manning...
Look at the Japs & chinese with the Wild Goshawks..
great hoards going on hawking trips. dogs everywhere.. 20-30 beaters..
& a passage wild gos on the fist..

Morning all

[Parahawker]

Hannah

I promise to run though exactly what you want to know..
But i need just a few hours kip first

had a long day.. since 9am yesterday..

[Jack Merlin]

<Great little hawks, and were a pleasure to watch being flown by turkish falconers only a week after we watched them trapping
They like the indians have the accipiter method to a T...
Manning Manning Manning...
Look at the Japs & chinese with the Wild Goshawks..
great hoards going on hawking trips. dogs everywhere.. 20-30 beaters..
& a passage wild gos on the fist..

Morning all


_________________
Marcus Lloyd-Parker >

Excellent, Marcus.

My best spar was a wild taken eyas female, back in the days when that was legal, which was then hacked until her brother disappeared. Initially, she was skittish but eventually she became so quiet I could do anything with her, including picking her off my fist with my right hand and throwing her. She featured in a TV documentary, posing as a wild bird.

Its all in the manning as Marcus says. I have never wanted to imprint a bird but it seems you can either put the work in imprinting or at the other end manning a P/R. Personally, I think I'd prefer the latter as I cannot stand screaming, mantling, crabby eyasses (and those are the imprints you don't hear about!).

Am I right thinking all the nationalities you mention train their birds by the waking method, Marcus?

Jack

[Tim Laycock]

Good points that cant realy be disputed guys.
I guess its just horses for courses isnt it.

[Isaac]

I'm flying a PR spar in Japan right now and she's great. First one I've ever trained too. Takes pigeons that are twice her size on a regular basis now. Why would someone say they're a nightmare?

[Tim Laycock]

I have found my experiences of the parent reared spar quite different.
my freind had a PR female that always went for his face and in the end he lost 40% vision in one eye (he doesnt fly anymore)
and I have had one throw a fit and fall off the fist dead for no discernable reason.
I love my hawks and dont like to see them die in my lap, Know what I mean?.
Like I have said its just horses for courses.

I dont have a problem With parent reared and if thats how you like your art then thats just fine, But I myself prefer the imprint spar and simply wouldnt waste what time I have for my art on a parent reared.

[Jack Merlin]

Posted: Today at 7:54 am Post subject:
I have found my experiences of the parent reared spar quite different.
my freind had a PR female that always went for his face and in the end he lost 40% vision in one eye (he doesnt fly anymore)
and I have had one throw a fit and fall off the fist dead for no discernable reason.
I love my hawks and dont like to see them die in my lap, Know what I mean?.

The great thing about falconry should be that it isn't a competition. Each to his own is what I say. I had a parent reared gos, many years ago, that went for my face. Now, a few decades on, I realize the problem was mine, not the goshawk's. My current parent reared gos is a dream -- but then I've learnt a few things down the years, the first thing being to listen to ALL advice without believing that I necessarily have to take it!<g>

The best spar I ever flew was a parent reared wild taken hacked eyas. I have never flown an imprint and have no ambition to fly one. I have also trained and flown a few passagers and in my opinion by far the best one is the wild taken bird after it has fledged but is still (occasionally) being fed by its parents. My last spar was a November passager taken under licence (yes, I got a licence!). She was coming 150 yards to the fist on a regular basis and was also taking feral pigeons.

Sparrowhawks need very careful management and if the falconer thinks it is just a question of weight manipulation he will very soon get into deep trouble.

Jack

[Tim Laycock]

Sparrowhawks need very careful management and if the falconer thinks it is just a question of weight manipulation he will very soon get into deep trouble.

Cant pick holes in that Jack.
Good one.

[Isaac]

Oh I wasn't trying to say my bird was better than anyone's or anything, it was a genuine question. This is the the only experience I've had with a spar and its been great so I was wondering what the problems had been. Like you said, to each his own. ;)

[Tim Laycock]

No worries :D

[Jack Merlin]

Hey, Isaac, what I was saying is it doesn't really matter what the other guy thinks of your bird...or your dog...or whatever. Its what YOU think of it that is important. Falconry is about the falconer -- using a bird, dog, whatever -- to compete with nature, usually on unequal terms! (The odds are on the quarry escaping). So I don't think anyone is trying to score points here. You are making a great job of that spar! Keep it up!

More stories please...<g>

Jack

[Tim Laycock]

Thats kind of what I meant Jack but I think you managed to put it accross a little more eloquently. lol :)