Alternative Mews Construction - Pet Kennel Transformation

Hello raptor lovers!  I apologize for the lengthy delay since my last post.  I have been working on the new mews and it is coming along nicely.  My original idea was to utilize a stainless chain-link pet kennel as the base for a mews.  I am about 80% finished now!

I have been documenting my progress during the past few months and I would like to share some of these photos with you.  Maybe this inexpensive construction will be just the thing for one of you falconers on a shoestring budget.  I have a barn with attached horse stalls and I chose to utilize one of the exterior barn walls in order to allow my chain-link kennel to have one less wall/side.  This allows my mews to be larger than I originally planned.  I will post more pictures of the project in the days ahead.  Here are some photos of a window I included.  This window provides a secondary way of interacting with the raptor instead of only having the option of entering the main door.  This window will allow me to remove and insert my hawk into the mew without ever stepping foot into the mew.

Additional photos coming soon!

Alternative mews construction

What is a mews?  A mew is the structure you provide for your raptor to live in while it is not out hunting, weathering, or somehow otherwise spending time with you.  Mews come in all different shapes and sizes; through the years I have built four of them.  My past mews were fairly traditional in their structure - I bought small sheds from home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes and modified them to meet falconry standards.  Most falconry laws in the U.S. require a mew to have certain height, width, and depth measurements as well as a window or two (usually barred to assure the raptor doesn't injure itself while trying to get through the window).

Mew construction laws vary from state to state though, so always check with your sponsor and/or local authorities.  Falconry regulations are typically enforced at the state level (game & fish departments) and/or the federal level (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Here are some pictures of some varied mews falconers across the United States are utilizing; note the huge variance in construction materials, size, quality, and trims:

If you go on the word wide web and search images for 'mews' you will see dozens of different constructions.  This year I've decided to utilize a different kind of construction for my mew.  I am working with an idea that provides me a portable mew that I can move arround my property if need be or take to a new home with me in the future.  My base frame is a K9 kennel from Lowes warehouse - it is chain link and includes a door.  I purchased the optional weatherproof roof to go over it and now I am attaching some heavy duty sunscreen material to the walls.  This is the first time I have not used wood for the walls but this idea allows continual air circulation, much less of a surface for mold/termites/mosquitoes to hang around on, is water resistant, and quite washable.  It is an experiment for sure!  I believe I will use dirt for flooring (in the past I used pea gravel but that does have the tendency to dull a raptor's talons).

This construction isn't as heavy duty as I have used in the past, but the location this new mew sits is under a horse stall and up against a barn - so it already has more shelter / wind blockage than a standalone mews.  I will post some pictures in the next week or two showing this experimental mews.

I'm going to trap early this year!

Hello to all my falconry enthusiasts.  Faloners typically do not trap until between October and December; birds trapped during this time of the year are referred to as 'passage' birds.  Most states have regulations that allow a falconer to trap a young bird prior to October though, and a raptor trapped prior to October would typically be referred to as a 'brancher' or a 'fledgling'. 

I have decided to trap an early raptor this year and I am targeting late July or August.  My hopes are to trap a large hen redtail (first year bird of course) and take advantage of the early trapping to assure a slightly calmer bird.  There are pros and cons to this early trapping strategy.  Pros are a bird that does not have pre-defined limits of its hunting ability in its mind already, possibly a calmer (slightly less wild) bird, and possibly a slightly easier to train bird.  None of these factors are guaranteed but they are normally the hallmarks of a young raptor.

The cons include the danger of having a raptor imprint on you, a bird who has not had two or three months to hunt on its own, meaning it is very inexperienced.  This would lead to a slower first season of hawking, as you are literally present as the bird learns to hunt.  So it is a trade off and I have never taken a young redtail - all of mine were taken in October / November as passage birds.  Now I am beginning construction of my mews since I'm in a new property.  Exciting!!!    :0)

Preparing for the upcoming falconry season

Since we are in summer now, it's time to begin looking forward to the next falconry season.  Most states allow falconers to begin trapping sometime in October.  Right now if you are an aspiring falconer you should be locating a sponsor, studying for your apprentice falconry test, and then taking the test.  Licenses sometimes take many weeks to be granted and you do not want to be approaching the opening of trapping season without your falconry license.

Another thing to be working on is constructing your mews (hawk house) and acquiring all the necessary hardware for your first bird (jesses, anklets, bells, whistles, perches, frozen food supply, leashes, your hawk trap ((probably a BC trap)), etc.  Your sponsor will help you put all this together, as there are many pieces of equipment you will need prior to trapping.  Also I recommend reading as much information possible about the species of raptor you will be acquiring.  The more you know about this magnificent animal you are about to bring into your home, the better!  Study, study, study.  Don't get discouraged - you can do this!

Some of my falconry pictures

Here are some of my falconry pictures from years past.  Feel free to send me any questions you have after seeing these pictures.

What is Falconry? How do I get involved?

So what exactly is falconry?  You may have been introduced to falconry at a renaissance festival, a television program, a book or magazine, or maybe you were fortunate enough to know a falconer personally.  The origin of falconry is debated but certainly people in Mongolia, Turkey, China, and Japan worked with raptors as early as three thousand years ago.  I won't go into a long, drawn-out dissertation of falconry here - what is probably important to you is understanding more about this noble sport and understanding how you may be involved in it.  In one sentence, I define falconry as the practice of utilizing raptors to hunt wild game.  In falconry you do not typically use a firearm to hunt, as your raptor is your figurative weapon.

I was first exposed to the sport as a young boy, sometime in the 1980's.  I do remember being sixteen years old and asking my parents if they would support my being involved.  To that question they said absolutely not and they would not allow a wild raptor in their house!  They told me very clearly I would have to wait until I was moved out of their house in order to pursue falconry.  So....  I read everything I could about the sport for five more years -- and when I married and moved into my own house I knew my dream would soon be realized.  Fortunately my lovely wife comprehended how much being involved in this sport meant to me and she gave her blessing.  In 1999 I took my apprentice falconry exam and passed it the first time around.  In the United States you must find an established falconer who will sign off to be your mentor for  a minimum of two years.  This person is called your sponsor and they must be either a general or master class (license) falconer.  The individual(s) who enabled me to enter this grand sport are Dave and Missy Botcher, who still practice falconry in Arizona.  Dave Botcher was my sponsor and an excellent one at that!  Once you locate a falconer who is willing to be your sponsor, you must study the apprentice test material until you are confident you can pass the test.  I studied for months, as I took my apprentice test very seriously.  Finding a good sponsor is very important; you need someone who not only is willing to pass on book smarts relating to falconry, but who is also willing to accompany you into the field with your first raptor.  Preferably your sponsor will also be there with you when you trap your first raptor but this is not critical.  Much of falconry is passed on by watching another skilled falconer, and many things are easier learned by witnessing them first-hand as opposed to reading about these same things.

While you study for your apprentice license you will learn many things you need to know to start practicing the sport - from trapping your first raptor, to the equipment you will make yourself or buy to equip yourself and your raptor, to husbandry of your bird, etc.  There are literally hundreds of little tidbits of information you will pick up along the way to becoming a falconer and for me to try to cover even some of them would become tedious.  If you are interested in becoming involved in the sport, go online and search to see if there is a local falconry club in your state.  This is usually the best way to begin, as you may contact falconers in your area and begin introducing yourself, asking if there may be a potential sponsor in your area, learn more about your state's club, etc.  Now go do your homework!

This blog will consist of my personal experiences and knowledge of the sport of falconry.  I became an apprentice falconer in 1999; since then I have been captivated and sometimes awestruck by this ancient sport.  Stay tuned to learn more!