SC - Re: period Hungarian dishes

Wed Oct 20 21:27:41 PDT 1999

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Ian Gourdon wrote:

> There was a performer with hawks and falcons at a Ren faire near
> Gwyntarian, a couple years ago, and he fed them little rewards in the
> form of baby chicken bits. Historically, they may have fed them parts
> from the previously killed. In any case, he did say that hawks liked
> ground animals, and falcons went after other birds...

Er...yes and no. Falcons do eat other birds, usually while both predator and prey are flying. One exception is the Kestrel, which hovers above the ground, then dives onto a small rodent. True hawks, like Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, and Goshawks (God flies a Gos!) also hunt mostly birds, but are ambush hunters, hiding in trees and bushes, darting out in sudden flight dashes or circuitous routes around trees and bushes. One interesting technique is to put
a loop around the neck of these birds to hold them horizontal, then launch them off the glove like a fighterplane off a carrier. These birds are suited temperamentally for such sudden launchings. Eagles and buteo 'hawks' (sometimes called buzzards) like red-tailed hawks are the mammal eaters, soaring high in the sky (these are the ones' you'll see usually), then diving down to the ground after rabbits, rats, mice, weasels, etc. Actually, they dive to a spot away
from the prey, then fly in low (I do mean low--less than a foot from the ground, using the high pressure between the ground and the wings as a cushion of lift) out of sight from the prey until the last moment.  Ironically, Red-tails were known as 'chicken hawks' when they'd much rather go after the rats and small mammals eating the chicken feed and the chickens. If a raptor got a chicken, it probably was one of those Cooper's sitting in that leafy bush over
there, squinting her eyes so you can see them while she scans the chicken yard for a hidden flight path.

Traditionally, the reward has been little bits of meat in a belt pouch, placed on the glove. The bird is never allowed to eat it's kill, rather is conditioned to expect a bit of meat off the glove after the kill. This is to discourage the bird from attempting to escape with it's prey or fight you off when you show up, and to encourage the bird back to your glove. Basically, the bird is a free agent until she lands back on your glove and you take the jesses. In
small amounts, it shouldn't matter for most birds if it's mammal or bird meat they're eating. A prairie/peregrine falcon I worked with was quite happy with little mice bits. It's their regular diet that should match their wild preference. When it comes down to it, all predators tend to be opportunistic or scavengers. Aside from H. sapiens, that is.

Outside of ornithological (bird watchers and biologists)  types, falconers and hawkers, not many people know the distinction between falcons, true hawks, and buteos.

Seumas dubh

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Ian Gourdon wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>There was a performer with hawks and falcons at a
Ren faire near
 Gwyntarian, a couple years ago, and he fed them little rewards in the
 form of baby chicken bits. Historically, they may have fed them parts
 from the previously killed. In any case, he did say that hawks liked
 ground animals, and falcons went after other birds...</blockquote>
Er...yes and no. Falcons do eat other birds, usually while both predator
and prey are flying. One exception is the Kestrel, which hovers above the
ground, then dives onto a small rodent. True hawks, like Sharp-shinned
Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, and Goshawks (God flies a Gos!) also hunt mostly
birds, but are ambush hunters, hiding in trees and bushes, darting out
in sudden flight dashes or circuitous routes around trees and bushes. One
interesting technique is to put a loop around the neck of these birds to
hold them horizontal, then launch them off the glove like a fighterplane
off a carrier. These birds are suited temperamentally for such sudden launchings.
Eagles and buteo 'hawks' (sometimes called buzzards) like red-tailed hawks
are the mammal eaters, soaring high in the sky (these are the ones' you'll
see usually), then diving down to the ground after rabbits, rats, mice,
weasels, etc. Actually, they dive to a spot away from the prey, then fly
in low (I do mean low--less than a foot from the ground, using the high
pressure between the ground and the wings as a cushion of lift) out of
sight from the prey until the last moment.  Ironically, Red-tails
were known as 'chicken hawks' when they'd much rather go after the rats
and small mammals eating the chicken feed and the chickens. If a raptor
got a chicken, it probably was one of those Cooper's sitting in that leafy
bush over there, squinting her eyes so you can see them while she scans
the chicken yard for a hidden flight path.
Traditionally, the reward has been little bits of meat in a belt pouch,
placed on the glove. The bird is never allowed to eat it's kill, rather
is conditioned to expect a bit of meat off the glove after the kill. This
is to discourage the bird from attempting to escape with it's prey or fight
you off when you show up, and to encourage the bird back to your glove.
Basically, the bird is a free agent until she lands back on your glove
and you take the jesses. In small amounts, it shouldn't matter for most
birds if it's mammal or bird meat they're eating. A prairie/peregrine falcon
I worked with was quite happy with little mice bits. It's their regular
diet that should match their wild preference. When it comes down to it,
all predators tend to be opportunistic or scavengers. Aside from H. sapiens,
that is.
Outside of ornithological (bird watchers and biologists)  types,
falconers and hawkers, not many people know the distinction between falcons,
true hawks, and buteos.
Seumas dubh</html>

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