Howard and Jason Caldwell run a non-profit outfit known as Raptors up Close. What does Raptors up Close do? They educate the public and train birds of prey in the age old art of falconry. And they’ve been doing it for decades.
The owl lost his eye when hit by a car. Unfortunately, he will never be able to sufficiently hunt or defend himself in the wild and thus will never be released.
“I’ve been involved in falconry for over 20 years,” said Howard. “Owls, falcons, hawks … we take them all, train them all, and hunt them all.”
Since the average Joe is prohibited from possessing raptors, why are the Caldwells allowed to keep such beautiful birds? “There are five ways one can get licensed to handle these hunters,” explained Jason. “Education, falconry, rehab, propagation, and abatement. We fall under the falconry and educational category.”
Once the birds arrive at Raptors, they go through the four steps of training. “Everyone has seen a falcon or a hawk on a glove. That’s the first step, to get them use to standing on your glove. And it’s not easy,” grinned Jason.
From there the birds learn to feed from the glove, jump from a perch to the glove, fly to the glove, and then hunt from a glove. Hunting is the fun part.
“After a few weeks, we've built enough trust so they take off from our gloves and go out on a hunt,” said Howard. “Then I turn into a bird dog.”
When the raptor hits the air, it first follows the falconer from above – waiting for him to flush the prey. “If we don’t find something quick, he’ll go off on his own and then I follow him from the ground,” Howard laughed.
Much like hunting deer or geese, the falconer plays the role of the shooter and trudges off to find the prize after a strike is made. Upon finding his hunter, he ‘trades’ the raptor fresh meat for the prey. The kill goes in a sack, the raptor eats, and the hunt begins again.
But they don’t just 'falcon' for the hunting and the training. They also use the birds for educational purposes.
“We bring our raptors to schools, scout troops, churches and festivals so people can learn what wonderfully beautiful these creatures are,” said Howard. “They are the ultimate tool of conservation. A true example of nature’s plan. They fly up on high, identify the weak, and remove them. And they do it a heck of a lot more efficiently and effectively than a human hunter.”
How long the raptors resides with the Caldwells depends on the bird. "The Red-tailed Hawk, for example, has a life expectancy of 15 years in the wild," Jason recalls. "They live over 30 years in captivity. Still, as long as they can fend for themselves, we like to set them free. The important thing to remember is that these are wild animals. There is no domesticating them. But with the proper training, we can enhance their lives and those privileged enough to hear their story. "