Young falconers having fun finding out the facts

Published on 14th September 2006 in News

When it opened this summer one of the key aims of the Minster Falconry Centre at Asselby Nurseries was to get more young people interested and involved with birds of prey.

Andrew and Helen Fawcett who run the falconry centre with their family have already made a good number of educational visits to schools in the area. They say the children are always enthralled by the talks and flying displays and very keen to ask questions about the birds that many have previously seen only on TV or in books.

The positive response from schools encouraged Andrew so much that he recently launched a Young Falconers' Club at the centre on Sunday mornings for youngsters aged seven to 15 years. The club has really taken off and the young people are getting hands-on experience whilst learning all aspects of keeping and flying birds of prey.

Andrew said: "If they are interested it is important that they fully appreciate all the hard work and dedication required to care for a bird of prey correctly. We are teaching them how to provide the right environment and keep it clean, maintain the birds' welfare, health and hygiene through exercise and the right foods given at the right time each day.

"They are taught how to weigh a bird and monitor its weight daily, it is a very important aspect of falconry. There is a lot to learn including the laws regarding the keeping of birds of prey. We balance time spent on the theory side with hands-on learning how to make accessories such as leather anklets, jesses and leashes, and of course, actually handling and flying the falcons, hawks and owls to increase the youngsters' interest and build confidence. At the end of the day it has to be fun."

The young falconers' club currently has around twenty members and they can't wait for Sunday morning to come round. Some took advantage of the school summer holidays and made visits to the centre during the week.

For further details contact Andrew Fawcett at Minster Falconry on 01430 431821.