Hawkforce set out this morning to check out the 2nd Annual International Festival of Falconry on The Englefield Estate, Reading.
It was in all a good day, with alot being shed on the heritage of Falconry and its origins, and how it has evolved in different countries. The different eagles on show was impressive, and a small donataion to the ferret Roulette game, which I lost! I felt it was a scam, but great to see something for the kids to really get stuck into.
Mark Dunn, an employee of Hawkforce, was volunteering for The South East Falconry Group http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/sefguk/index.htm showing off his baby Male Goss called Stanley A.K.A Stan the Man, a future gull basher we hope!
Also to see S.E.R.A (South Eastern Raptor Association), http://www.seraonline.co.uk/ was very good with some familiar faces!
The mixture of culture was fantastic, with some very good demonstrations both past and present methods being shown, with a little history! What more could you ask for?
We finished the day off with a superb lecture by Neil Forbes FRCVS. This seminar was on: Food related disease in falconry, giving information out on dietry needs of Raptors and information on illnesses associated with food given to birds. http://www.vetclick.com/referral-practices/view_detail.php?PracticeId=10&ReferralId=10
All in all it was great to see so many people in one field, all enjoying the same exprience.
More updates to come as the week unfolds!
Thanks
Karl