Hunting Rabbits with Hawks
Meet Ron, he has an interesting hobby.
Evidently the empty desert area by my neighborhood is famous, because these guys came all the way from California to fly their hawks here. I saw them on the side of the road just before sundown last night and chatted with them. We made a date to meet this morning.
This is Bob with his hands full.
These are Harris hawks. I was told that the Harris are the only species of hawks that hunt in packs.
Watch out bunny!
Attack!
Run bunny, run!
Interesting point of trivia. The hawks fly very fast down wind, but much slower upwind. They hate flying up wind. The bunnies know this, and so they often will run upwind to get away. This one got away.
The hawks get a little spritz to cool off
And get a lift back to the car
Bye!
BTW, these were all hand-held shots taken with my Canon 40D and 500mm F4 lens. There is a lot of running around in this sport. The action is insanely fast, and I ran and walked for miles with this rig, chasing the hawks. It was a workout. There were several kills, but I didn't manage to capture any of them. The speed of the action, and the distances the hawks travel, plus all the erratic movements make this extremely challenging to photograph. Even though the action shots kinda suck, I'm pretty happy to have gotten what I did.
The hawks are amazingly tame. They have leather straps on their ankles to give the owner something to hang on to like a leash while they're getting them in and out of their cages. The rest of the time, the hawks are completely on their own. They fly at will, and go wherever they want. Many of the owners put transmitters on the birds so they can be located if they get lost. The birds are really well trained and come when called, either by voice or whistle. It's pretty darn cool. They'll often go whizzing right by your head, which is a bit unnerving at first. I had more than one perch on my 500mm lens.
This was a real kick to watch and to participate. Quite thrilling actually. When a bunny pops up, both the hawks and the owners start screaming. Usually, at the end of the chase, the birds end up way down wind, and have to make their way upwind to get back. It was windy day, and so the hawks would often stop and rest on their way back. They really hate the wind.
There are more shots here, if you're interested. http://jmgphoto.smugmug.com/Animals/Hawkers/14741265_cgJWh#1098495157_RB6NU
Thanks for looking!
-joel
Evidently the empty desert area by my neighborhood is famous, because these guys came all the way from California to fly their hawks here. I saw them on the side of the road just before sundown last night and chatted with them. We made a date to meet this morning.
This is Bob with his hands full.
These are Harris hawks. I was told that the Harris are the only species of hawks that hunt in packs.
Watch out bunny!
Attack!
Run bunny, run!
Interesting point of trivia. The hawks fly very fast down wind, but much slower upwind. They hate flying up wind. The bunnies know this, and so they often will run upwind to get away. This one got away.
The hawks get a little spritz to cool off
And get a lift back to the car
Bye!
BTW, these were all hand-held shots taken with my Canon 40D and 500mm F4 lens. There is a lot of running around in this sport. The action is insanely fast, and I ran and walked for miles with this rig, chasing the hawks. It was a workout. There were several kills, but I didn't manage to capture any of them. The speed of the action, and the distances the hawks travel, plus all the erratic movements make this extremely challenging to photograph. Even though the action shots kinda suck, I'm pretty happy to have gotten what I did.
The hawks are amazingly tame. They have leather straps on their ankles to give the owner something to hang on to like a leash while they're getting them in and out of their cages. The rest of the time, the hawks are completely on their own. They fly at will, and go wherever they want. Many of the owners put transmitters on the birds so they can be located if they get lost. The birds are really well trained and come when called, either by voice or whistle. It's pretty darn cool. They'll often go whizzing right by your head, which is a bit unnerving at first. I had more than one perch on my 500mm lens.
This was a real kick to watch and to participate. Quite thrilling actually. When a bunny pops up, both the hawks and the owners start screaming. Usually, at the end of the chase, the birds end up way down wind, and have to make their way upwind to get back. It was windy day, and so the hawks would often stop and rest on their way back. They really hate the wind.
There are more shots here, if you're interested. http://jmgphoto.smugmug.com/Animals/Hawkers/14741265_cgJWh#1098495157_RB6NU
Thanks for looking!
-joel
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Comments
Very interesting story and I'm glad it wasn't me out there running with a 500mm. I may have to contact those folks. I got this damn rabbit that's chewing up my landscaping.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
What a wonderful hobby...a chance in a life time for you
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Thanks, Harry. Funny, I showed up this morning with my Gitzo and full Wimberley ready for action, and Bob just laughed at me and said to put it away. He was right, there was no way that was going to work. I had no other lenses with me, so had to go with the flow. The focus speed of the 40D was a real bugger too. It just killed me trying to keep the lens on target waiting to acquire focus, and by that time the chase was usually out of my line of sight. Very, very frustrating, and makes me want a pro body now.
The rabbits in my area are totally out of control, thick as flies. It's a perfect set up for these guys.
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Thanks, Mary. Every birder seems to have a different way of doing things. We had about a 1/2 mile walk at the end of the day to get back to the cars, and the birders don't want their birds constantly getting side-tracked and flying off. So some of the guys carried the birds under their arm like you saw. This gentlemen puts a little blinder hood on his bird so he'll stay nicely perched for the way back.
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I wish you had stopped there though, instead of pissing on my thread with your editorial, which btw, is against the terms of service on Dgrin. One is to comment on photography, not editorialize on content. You know NOTHING about these folks. You said it yourself, that there are good and bad falconers, so you don't know if they fit your criteria of good or bad. Instead, you decided to damn them all with the same brush. Well, here's a clue for you. They gut the rabbits that are killed and take them with them when they leave. What do you think they do with those rabbits? Here's a hint: they aren't making rabbit stew.
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All of these were shot with the 500? Some seem like you had a shorter focal length as well, maybe.
I can just imagine trying to follow this action with a 40D and a hand held 500f4. You will be much happier with a 7D at least. Or a 1DMK4, but the 7D would be more inexpensive. Then you could have your 40D switched to IR.
Falconry has been with us humans for a very long time.
Great series of images, Joel.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Cheers,
-joel
Link to my Smugmug site
I used my 7D for wildlife in Alaska from a rocking boat and found it fairly successful, handholding the 100-400 which is not the greatest auto focusing lens either.
The 7D is much, much better than the 40D. It is hard to justify the 1DMk4 isn't it? But it would be nice - it will blow the 7D into the ditch I am sure. I owned a 1DMkii briefly, a few years ago, and it was awesome.
If you had the 7D you could put a wider lens on the 40D for up close, so you wouldn't have to run around so much!
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
You know the other thing is that I'm seeing used 1DMKIIn's going in the $1200 vicinity. One of those wouldn't be too shabby for capturing the action I don't imagine.
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Dave
Best regards,
Korandoke
Korandoke
Falconry has existed for a long time now. In the US one must get a license to participate in the sport. The requirements one has to meet to practice the sport in Arizona can be found here.
Our local conservation groups including Audubon and the Sierra Club sponsor a yearly wildlife festival. This festival usually includes a demonstration of falconry.
It would seem that your objections here are not shared by the leading conservation groups in the US. In my limited exposure to the sport I have found its practitioners to be extremely diligent about the care and handling of their charges.
Now I don't know everyone who is active in the sport so I can't say that all of its practitioners are OK. I just wish that you had limited your remarks to the folks you had dealt with instead of assuming Kdog's subjects and all the others falconers in the US and the rest of the world were like them.
To sum it up here. Falconry is a legal practice that is regulated in the US. Faloners have to meet established guidelines on the care and feeding of their charges. The birding and conservation groups I have been active with are not in opposition to the sport.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
The shots remind me of a visit to a raptor rescue center not far from my house. The couple is the primary contact for all state and federal agencies when it comes to relocating raptors in Arizona. Being close to these birds is nothing short of amazing.
Aaron Newman
Website:www.CapturingLightandEmotion.com
Facebook: Capturing Light and Emotion
Thanks, K!
Yeah, not just once did he land on my lens, but a couple of times. The hawks recognize their owners and fly to them. But they're not afraid of other humans and are happy to use you as a perch if you look inviting enough. It's so cool and such a huge change from shooting raptors in the wild which are extremely difficult to get anywhere near. These guys were all members of an organization called the California Hawking Club. I would invite anybody concerned about the treatment of hawks by club members to read the following article on becoming a Hawker. http://www.calhawkingclub.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=64
Clearly, it is not an endeavor that one enters casually. There is a huge responsibility and code of ethics involved with hawking, not to mention testing and licensing. From what I can see, the notion that the majority hawkers abuse their animals is completely unfounded.
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Fantastic series of images, and a great story. Fantastic, that you were able to make the most of a chance meeting. Have to admit that my mind boggles at the thought of running around with that huge lens. Not sure I could even hold it up while standing still!
While I love the action shots (especially the one with the rabbit that got away!) my favourite image is the last one. It's just awesome.
"Osprey Whisperer"
OspreyWhisperer.com
Dennis Kaczor Photography
Thanks, Lindiwe! You know when I first came to the realization that a tripod wasn't going to work, my heart sank. So I just grabbed the whole rig and started out. It started out pretty shaky but I got more used to it after a while. It does tend to hurt my back though. I did two more days of shooting with these folks, and got more used to it. My back always hurts, so who knows. I definitely plan to do more though. It really exciting.
Hey thanks, Mike! I did two more days of shooting with these guys, and still haven't finished processing the shots yet. Wait until you see what they were hunting with next. :wow
Cheers,
-joel
Link to my Smugmug site
-joel
Link to my Smugmug site
Cheers,
-joel
Link to my Smugmug site
Me too...on both the question and the comment!clap
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They are on the third page of the gallery that he linked. He definitely needs to add one to this set though, awesome.
http://jmgphoto.smugmug.com/Animals/Hawkers/14741265_cgJWh#1098495157_RB6NU
Joel,
Great shots, story, and forum self/subject defense. I rarely approach people I don't know in public and clearly this is the kind of opportunity that I miss, I guess it pays to be outgoing after all. I look forward to seeing the shots you eluded to from the next hunt.
Thanks, Ric!
Thanks, Dan. Yeah, and who knew?
Thanks, Art! See below.
Thanks, B! Yeah, I grew up on the east coast, and don't mind getting into peoples faces if necessary. And yes, it can backfire for sure. :uhoh In this case it worked out great though.
Here we go. Taken by one of the Hawkers with a Blackberry, no less!
Link to my Smugmug site
Link to my Smugmug site