Saudi prince to hunt rare bird in Chagai despite court ban

KARACHI: An advance party of a Saudi prince has arrived with his falcons in Chagai district of Balochistan where he will be hunting game birds for a few weeks, according to sources.

The federal government issues special permits to members of royal families of the Gulf states to allow them to hunt the protected houbara bustard.

Like earlier this year also, a part of Chagai district has been allocated to the Governor of Tabuk, Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, for the purpose.

Last year, media reports that the prince had hunted 2,100 rare birds had sparked an international outcry.

A few weeks ago, the Balochistan High Court (BHC) cancelled all special hunting permits issued by the federal government.

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Falconry owner in court over endangered birds

The owner of a North Somerset falconry has been fined £7,000 for displaying and selling endangered species of birds of prey without the correct paperwork.

Andrew McManus-Dunkley, of Cranmore Caravan Park, Bullocks Lane, Kingston Seymour, was found guilty of six charges of the prohibited display of an endangered species and one charge of the prohibited sale of a bird when he appeared before North Somerset Magistrates Court.

He admitted one charge of selling a European eagle owl without the necessary documentation.

The court heard how Mr McManus-Dunkley had a range of birds at his Banwell Falconry business, then based at Blagdon Water Gardens in Upper Langford, between February and August 2011.

The birds included a peregrine falcon called Lessa, a common buzzard called Ziggy, a Tawny Owl called Gizmo, an unnamed tawny owl and European eagle owls Chimera and Rocko.

The falconry was visited by wildlife inspectors from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) and police wildlife crime officers in August 2011 following concerns about birds being sold and used commercially in contravention of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species Regulations 1997.

All birds of prey found in England are protected by legislation to ensure that they are only used commercially and legitimately using documents issued under the provisions of the European Wildlife Trade Regulations.

The court heard how Mr McManus-Dunkley had been working with birds of prey for 30 years, initially starting up his business in a cottage before moving to Puxton Park and then to Blagdon Water Gardens.

Mr McManus Dunkley was fined £7,000 for the offences, ordered to pay court costs of £620 and a victim surcharge of £15. He was also ordered to forfeit the birds.

http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Falconry-owner-court-endangered-birds/story-19473661-detail/story.html

Falconry unusual solution to bird problem

January 31, 2013 

By Taylor Rexrode

Staff Writer

Birds keep out of the weather and flock together on power lines and in parking lots.

At the Central Texas Marketplace, a strip center near Highway 6 and Interstate 35, Baylor students have encountered a sea of black, rustling feathers while shopping and dining out.

Grackles, a common iridescent black bird native to North and South America, frequent areas like this strip center during winter months.

Arlington junior Ryan Blue said driving through the parking lot near Panera Bread at Central Texas Marketplace was difficult.

“There was an extremely large amount of birds,” Blue said. “They seemed to congregate in patches. Even if you drove in front of them, you couldn’t get through the lanes.”

Plano junior Alex Fernandez recently noticed the grackles while driving on Highway 6 past the strip center.

“I have noticed that there are a ton of birds that should be south of here,” Fernandez said.

Dr. Joe Yelderman, a professor in the geology department, said these birds will flock to areas where they can stay warm and safe during the night.

“As someone who observes birds a lot, they roost there in the winter because it is warm and safe at night,” Yelderman said. “They have taken advantage of the space we have created for them.”

One way of moving birds that has gained popularity within the past few years is through falconry. With falconry, hawks and other predatory birds are used to push roosting birds to another location.

Fal-Tech Inc., a state-run a bird abatement company, treats areas similar to the Central Texas Marketplace as well as other areas that attract swarms of grackles.

Continued:  http://baylorlariat.com/2013/01/31/falconry-unusual-solution-to-bird-problem/

4,000-year heritage of hunting with birds will visit central Nebraska

KEARNEY — Ralph Rogers’ childhood fascination with winged predators never left him.

“I’m just a 12-year-old that never grew up,” admitted the 65-year-old wildlife biologist from Winifred, Mont. “When I found out that you could actually get falcons into captivity and train them, I just never lost my interest in that.”

Rogers, along with more than 300 fellow falconers, will meet in Kearney from Sunday through Friday for the annual meeting of the International Association of Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey. He expects members from throughout the world to meet in Kearney to network and hunt with falcons.

Larry Dickerson, president of the North American organization, understands why central Nebraska is a perfect place to meet.

“Kearney is the favorite location of our membership,” Dickerson wrote in a press release. “Because of the friendliness of the ranch and farm owners, the amazing staff at the hotel and the Visitors Bureau, and the abundance of small game, our organization looks forward to returning here every six years. Many of our members have made lifelong friends here since our first visit in 1986.”


Falconry Ethics

- Falconry is taking wild quarry in its natural state with a trained raptor.

- Falconry does not include the keeping of birds of prey as pets or prestige items.

- The justification for falconers to possess raptorial birds is the sportsmanlike pursuit of wild quarry.

- Falconers should keep only as many birds as can be cared for properly and hunted effectively.

- A falconer convicted of a serious misdemeanor or a felony related to his falconry activities should resign from all organized falconry activities.

- Since lawful does not always mean ethical, falconers will err to the side of the highest standards of conduct toward their bird, their fellow falconers and the laws of the land. Just because an activity is legal does not mean it is always desirable, ethical or biologically sound.

- Originally, falconry was a means of providing meat for the falconer’s table. In its purest form, falconry is a raptor doing what it does naturally — hunt its prey — in cooperation with a human. The laws of nature decree that a wild raptor pursuing wild quarry is a fair chase. Neither side has an unfair advantage over the other. This is the purest form of falconry, its highest ideal and practice. NAFA holds that modern falconry should be conducted in this same manner. Unfair advantage, no matter its source, should be avoided in favor of quarry having a fair chance of escape. This practice of fair chase is a high calling. Where falconers adhere to it, the sport of falconry cannot be judged guilty of acts of cruelty or inhumane treatment of quarry.

Source: http://www.n-a-f-a.com/Ethics.htm

Continued: http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/year-heritage-of-hunting-with-birds-will-visit-central-nebraska/article_f7fa538e-3080-11e2-944f-001a4bcf887a.html