Bird of Prey Training Course

The three day practical falconry course is an intensive, hands on programme designed to take students from first contact with a bird of prey through to controlled flying and basic free flight skills. Over the course, students learn safe handling, equipment fitting, knot tying, food preparation, health checks, record keeping and restraint, alongside manning techniques, hooding and weight management. Training then progresses to creance work, lure use, telemetry and tracking, finishing with supervised free flying and fitness development. Throughout the course, the emphasis is on welfare, safety and understanding why each technique matters, so students leave not just able to perform tasks, but able to make responsible decisions around birds in real working conditions.

• C1 – Accommodation and equipment
• C2 Feeding and nutrition
• C3 – Monitoring and maintaining health
• C4 – Catching and restraining birds of prey
• C5 – Legislation
• C6 – Falconry furniture and equipment
• C7 – Species characteristics, purchase and collection
• C8 – Initial training, manning and weight management
• C9 – Flying an unrestrained bird of prey

The five day falconry course is a full foundation programme that combines in-depth theory with daily practical handling and flying. Students study accommodation design, housing standards and equipment selection, feeding and nutrition, health monitoring and routine inspections, safe catching and restraint, and the legal responsibilities of keeping and flying birds of prey. The course then moves into species selection and ethical acquisition, setting up and inspecting falconry furniture and equipment, and the core training processes of manning, hooding, weighing and motivation management. Practical training runs every day and expands from handling and creance work through to telemetry, lure use and supervised free flight. By the end of the course, students not only know how to fly a bird, but understand why each decision affects welfare, performance and legality, giving them the grounding needed to progress safely and professionally in falconry.

Visit us at the Mercer Falconry Raptor Park and demonstrate a series of tasks with our birds of prey.

Demonstrations can include:

• Tie a Falconers knot
• Fit Jesses – Swivel – Leash/ Creance
• Show the safety positions
• Tie a leash to a glove
• Prepare bird food
• Show hygiene practices of prep area
• Show food presentation to a bird
• Picking up, carrying, putting down a bird
• Moving around with a bird
• Show fitting furniture to a bird
• Show an inspection of the furniture
• Show boxing a bird
• Show how to transport a bird box
• Show how to restrain a bird
• Do a visual health inspection of a bird
• Do a physical health inspection of a bird
• Show how to cope a birds beak
• Show manning techniques
• Show how to hood a bird
• Show how to weigh a bird
• Show jumping to the glove from a perch
• Show how to use a creance
• Show flying to a glove on a creance
• Show how to use telemetry
• Show how to track a lost bird
• Select and fit equipment for free flying
• Safely free fly a bird Show how to develop a birds fitness.