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The North American Falconers Association (NAFA) is a falconry organization composed primarily of falconers.
Founded in 1961 by Hal Webster, Frank Beebe (the authors of "North American Falconry And Hunting Hawks") and other prominent falconers of the time, NAFA is a not-for-profit private association formed to:
NAFA hosts an annual meet. The location varies (generally tending to be in the Western half of the US), but is generally held during the week of Thanksgiving, in late November.
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Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person involved in falconry: a "falconer" flies a falcon; an "austringer" keeps Goshawks and uses accipiters for hunting. In modern falconry, the red-tailed hawk, Harris's hawk, and the peregrine falcon are some of the more commonly used birds of prey. The practice of hunting with a conditioned falconry bird is also called "hawking" or "gamehawking", although the words hawking and hawker have become used so much to refer to petty traveling traders, that the terms "falconer" and "falconry" now apply to most use of trained birds of prey to catch game. However, many contemporary practitioners still use these words in their original meaning.
Falconer may refer to:
The American kestrel, is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. Formerly called "sparrowhawk", a misnomer as it is a true falcon and is unrelated genetically to the Eurasian sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus. It has a roughly two-to-one range in size over subspecies and sex, varying in size from about the weight of a blue jay to a mourning dove. It also ranges to South America and is a well-established species that has evolved into 17 subspecies adapted to different environments and habitats throughout the Americas. It exhibits sexual dimorphism in size and plumage, although both sexes have a rufous back with noticeable barring. Its plumage is colorful and attractive, and juveniles are similar in plumage to adults.
Bayan-Ölgii is the westernmost of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. The country's only Muslim and Kazakh-majority aimag, it was established in August 1940. Its capital is Ölgii.
NAFA may refer to:
Takagari is Japanese falconry, a sport of the noble class, and a symbol of their nobility, their status, and their warrior spirit.
The prairie falcon is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America. It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40 in), and average weight of 720 g (1.6 lb). As in all falcons, females are noticeably bigger than males. Though a separate species from the peregrine, the prairie falcon is basically an arid environment divergence of the early peregrine falcon lineage, able to subsist on less food than the peregrine, and generally lighter in weight than a peregrine of similar wing span. Having evolved in a harsh desert environment with low prey density, the prairie falcon has developed into an aggressive and opportunistic hunter of a wide range of both mammal and bird prey. It will regularly take prey from the size of sparrows to approximately its own weight, and occasionally much larger. It is the only larger falcon native only to North America. It is resident from southern Canada, through western United States, and into northern Mexico. The prairie falcon is popular as a falconry bird, where with proper training it is regarded as being as effective as the more well known peregrine falcon.
A jess is a thin strap, traditionally made from leather, used to tether a hawk, falcon, or owl in falconry. Jesses allow a falconer to keep control of a bird while it is on the glove or in training, and allow a bird to be secured on a perch outside its aviary.
Morlan "Morley" Nelson was an American falconer and educator. He is best known as a seminal influence on raptor conservation in the Western United States.
Training raptors is a complex undertaking. Books containing advice by experienced falconers are still rudimentary at best. Many important details vary between individual raptors, species of raptors and between places and times. The keeping and training of any raptor is strictly and tightly regulated by U.S. state and federal laws. Anyone in the USA who is interested in flying raptors must seek out a state and federally licensed falconer to sponsor them through an apprenticeship period lasting two years at a minimum, and often considerably longer.
Operation Falcon was an undercover operation conducted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Canadian Wildlife Service from 1982–1984. The investigation into the illegal sale of federally protected birds resulted in 63 people being tried or taking a plea bargain. Of the cases that went to trial, there were 5 acquittals, 5 felony convictions, 44 misdemeanor convictions and 1 civil conviction. Jeff McPartlin, a falconer who was reported to be integral to the operation, received the Monitor award for his work. He was later ejected from the North American Falconers Association because officials from the group felt "the man had deceived people". Many falconers were upset at the tactics used during the investigation and felt that the sting inappropriately targeted bystanders rather than professional long term smugglers. Additional information, much published by the National Falconry organization, is available in the following link: http://resourceclearinghouse.blogspot.com/2010/04/operation-falcon.html
Hacking is a training method that helps young birds of prey reach their hunting potential by giving them exercise and experience. This technique is used to prepare the falcon to become an independent hunter. The sequence of the procedure includes captivity, releasing, flight, and either the falcon will be recaptured for falconry or released into the wild. This has also been adapted to other raptor species to preserve the population. Generally, falconers agree that hacked falcons are better and more preferred in the field. Hacking is beneficial, not only for the falconers, but for the bird itself and the species; however, there are some criticism and restrictions that come along with this method.
Hunting with eagles is a traditional form of falconry found throughout the Eurasian Steppe, practiced by ancient Khitan and Turkic peoples. Today it is practiced by Kazakhs and the Kyrgyz in contemporary Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as diasporas in Bayan-Ölgii Provinces Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia, and Xinjiang, China. Though these people are most famous for hunting with golden eagles, they have been known to train northern Eurasian goshawks, peregrine falcons, saker falcons, and more.
The Golden Eagle Festival, or simply Eagle Festival, is an annual neo-traditional festival held in Bayan-Ölgii aimag, Mongolia. In the eagle festival, Kazakh eagle hunters (Burkitshi) celebrate their heritage and compete in lure-based and timed eagle handling events with specially trained golden eagles, showing off the skills both of the birds and their trainers. Prizes are awarded for speed, agility and accuracy, as well as for the best traditional Kazakh dress, and more.
Lorant de Bastyai was a member of the international falconry community. He is perhaps best known in the United Kingdom for establishing the Welsh Hawking Club. He was also an honorary member of the British Falconers Club, the Hawking Club of Great Britain, the North American Falconry Club, the Austrian, German and French Associations. He was born in Szeged, Hungary in 1910. His father's love of hunting, horses and racing pigeons fuelled Lorant's early passion for nature and birds in particular. A chance encounter with a visiting British falconer launched a career that would span 60 years and have a profound impact in reviving a sport that had become all but extinct.
Frank Lyman Beebe was a falconer, writer and wildlife illustrator from Canada.
Phillip Edward Brougham Glasier was Britain's leading expert on hawking and falconry. Glasier initiated a new interest in falconry in both the UK and the United States of America. He spent much of his life involved with the conservation and breeding of raptors and bringing them to public attention through the foundation of the Falconry Centre, Newent, Gloucestershire, as well as through books, lectures and public demonstrations. He founded the Hawk Trust with John Burkett and the Raptor Breeders' Association.
Falkonergården was a royal Danish facility for stabling of peregrine falcons for falconry located in Frederiksberg outside Copenhagen from 1670. It closed in 1810 and the buildings have been demolished except for one wing which is still seen in an alley off Falkoner Allé. Falkonergården is commemorated in Frederiksberg Municipality's shield as well as in the names of several buildings and public spaces.
Mankind has been fascinated by the golden eagle as early as the beginning of recorded history. Most early-recorded cultures regarded the golden eagle with reverence. Only after the Industrial Revolution, when sport-hunting became widespread and commercial stock farming became internationally common, did humans started to widely regard golden eagles as a threat to their livelihoods. This period also brought about the firearm and industrialized poisons, which made it easy for humans to kill the evasive and powerful birds. The following are various reportages of the significance of eagles, many likely pertaining to the golden eagles, in early cultures and older religions as well as national and military insignias.
Thomas Joseph Cade was an American ornithologist most notable for his efforts to conserve the peregrine falcon.