Falconry Photography !!!!

[AndyElliott]

The big improvement I get in my birds-in-flight shots over the last year are down to practise - intensively at the Raptor Foundation. Something that would have been nigh impossible only shooting the wild - it would have taken a lot longer and may not have yielded success because of the low intensity and time between the practise.

You cannot get practise by reading a book. Nor can you fine tune the settings on your particular model of camera (I couldn't get the specific advice for my E-3, hence I wrote my own, now being used by several people - E-3 C-AF (should also be E-620, E-30 applicable) - Four Thirds User discussion forum) based on a book - the book doesn't exist!

I know the people who run the Raptor Foundation personally and I find it an affront to their professionalism and care for the birds when I hear some of the comments in this thread. They will always release birds that are wild (but injured) if they can recover and be rehabilitated. Many of the birds there are a result of unwanted pets being donated to them who have been bred in captivity and would not be able to fend for themselves in the wild. There are also non-native species that have been recovered by customs and excise, which for legal reasons, cannot be exported back to their home country and obviously cannot be released in the UK.

All of the birds that live there are housed in spacious aviaries and treated with care and respect. For the brighter species that would suffer without suitable stimulation, they devise programmes to keep their minds active and stop them from becoming depressed. Their longevity in captivity easily exceeds what you would expect in the wild.

None of this care is free, so it will always be necessary to find ways to fund such places.

If you want to 'hurl rocks' - aim them at the irresponsible breeders who exploit these beautiful creatures and sell them to people without the experience to care for them properly.

Andy

[Realimage]

but to get the type of shots possible with habituated birds in the wild would cause enormous stress, so how would that be better ? it is also puzzlng that in your earlier post you refer to going to flying displays - surely a public display complete with screaming children etc has far more potential for stress than a small group of photographers

I never said I went to public displays, it was merely a comment about the costs.
Have you never photographed birds, animals in the wild, how does it cause wild birds or animals more stress they usually don't even see you (use of hides etc) Habituated birds were never mentioned by me by the way.

John

[momji1971]

Birds/animals have become used to the hides. This is why they are hanging around and not disappearing.

I've never been in a public hide yet, that is quiet! Talking, cameras clicking, lens moving! And unless your very qiet and very still and get in the hide before first light and leave after dark they know you are there.

Just being there causes wild animals/birds stress. We're just talking about lessening the degree so the creatures carry on with their normal behaviour.

Smell carries for miles, BoP can see for miles, how can they not know you are in the hide?

regards.
Stu.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Realimage

I never said I went to public displays, it was merely a comment about the costs.
Have you never photographed birds, animals in the wild, how does it cause wild birds or animals more stress they usually don't even see you (use of hides etc) Habituated birds were never mentioned by me by the way.

John

actually i've photographed both birds and animals extensively in the wild, and agree that shooting from hides you don cause them any stress (so long as the hide is responsibly and sensibly placed and used)

However what I said was that to get the sorts of shots possible with habituated birds at falconry photodays (e.g close ups, wide angle lens flight shots , and others not possible from hides etc) - who are used to and therefore not stressed by human attention - with a wild bird , would cause it undue stress, if it were possible at all.

[AndyElliott]

Only a small fraction of the birds in the Raptor Foundation are used for displays. They are well-used to people and don't appear to be suffering any stress. If they were stressed, they wouldn't come back to the glove, they would just fly off. Some of the birds will actually land and sit my members of the public in the displays - so hardly a fearful response.

Rather than rant at any one person, I encourage anyone to go to a display and make up their own mind. Also take a look at the 'non display' activities of the place they visit.

Stu: Almost all birds (save for some sea-birds and vultures) have virtually no sense of smell or taste. This is one of the reasons why raptors are so easy to poison.

[The Woodman]

I happened across a raptor photoshoot on the western edge of the Pennines last year in Cumbria. After speaking to one of the two Silverband Falconry personnel I was quite amused after being given permission to photo this bird,



who was hiding his attendee behind the hill holding long leashes, on my little camera alongside all the big boys (and girls) with their impressive looking kit.

There you are - another organisation doing it.

[momji1971]

Andy,

Its okay, I understand, I was talking about birds & animals and hides. We use Cayenne pepper on some of the bird tables to give the squirrels problems!

thanks .
Stu.

[AndyElliott]

Originally Posted by momji1971

Andy,

Its okay, I understand, I was talking about birds & animals and hides. We use Cayenne pepper on some of the bird tables to give the squirrels problems!

thanks .
Stu.

That's a good plan! Doesn't it give the birds the runs though?

Andy

[Realimage]

Originally Posted by momji1971

Birds/animals have become used to the hides. This is why they are hanging around and not disappearing.

I've never been in a public hide yet, that is quiet! Talking, cameras clicking, lens moving! And unless your very qiet and very still and get in the hide before first light and leave after dark they know you are there.

Just being there causes wild animals/birds stress. We're just talking about lessening the degree so the creatures carry on with their normal behaviour.

Smell carries for miles, BoP can see for miles, how can they not know you are in the hide?

regards.
Stu.

Sorry Stu

But people always assume the worst. I am not talking about public hides, rather the type one carries and uses in the wild.

John