The Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast

20/07/2024

EPISODE 39 - Kent Carnie on "The Twelve Turbulent Years" (Part 2)

Kent Carnie, Curator Emeritus of the Archives of Falconry, joins me for Part two of his two-part series to discuss an account he has written which he refers to as an “eventful period during which American falconry evolved” and our sport “came of age”. That period spanned the years from 1965 until 1976, and is what Kent calls “The Twelve Turbulent Years”.

We begin Episode 2 recalling 1971 which saw efforts by falconers to draft formal falconry regulations. Kent describes the main objects of three meetings that took place, the first at his home in El Paso, Texas, the Portland Meeting in March, and the Salt Lake City Meeting in September.

Historically, 1972 was a year arguably as pivotal as 1970, and could perhaps be considered the turning point for the framework that was to become the basis for falconry regulations in the United States. Kent tells us about the effect of the North American Migratory Bird Treaty Act on falconry, and highlights the instrumental work of Jim Ruos.

There were three major developments in 1973; a notice pertaining to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), followed by the Fish and Wildlife Service posting of the proposed falconry regulations for public comment, and the passing of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Kent highlights some of the implications to falconry of each of these developments.

1974 was a busy year for NAFA, in particular, navigating the anti-falconry positions that had arisen as a result of comments generated during the period that the proposed regulations were open for public feedback. At issue were 13 main concerns – but of special significance was prohibition of use on an endangered species (i.e., the peregrine falcon) in falconry. Kent recounts the way in which falconers responded.

Kent describes 1975 as a year of waiting and outlines some of the events that precipitated delays in completion of the final regulations.

Kent describes the “Momentous Year” (1976).

With the “Twelve Turbulent Years” now almost six decades behind us, we conclude the episode with Kent's message to the cohort of falconers currently practicing falconry in United States and Canada.

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10/07/2024

EPISODE 38 - Kent Carnie on "The Twelve Turbulent Years" (Part 1)

In this episode Kent Carnie, Curator Emeritus of the Archives of Falconry, joins me to discuss an account he has written which he refers to as an “eventful period during which American falconry evolved”, and our sport “came of age”. That period spans the years from 1965 until 1976, and is what Kent refers to as the “Twelve Turbulent Years”. The objective of this episode is to detail highlights that transpired during that time frame.

Kent provides a nice description of the background that gave rise to North American Falconry. and highlights the landmark event responsible for describing the magnitude of the decline of the peregrine falcon at the 1965 conference in Madison, Wisconsin, organized by Joseph Hickey.

Kent tells us that by 1966 the preservation lobby was looking to lay the blame for declining peregrine populations somewhere; falconers and falconry were easily identifiable as the de facto cause. Kent Tell us about NAFA’s response and in particular, Fran Hamerstom’s warning that American falconry was tied closely to the fate of the peregrine falcon.

1967 saw the National Audubon Society become involved also, raising concern that falconry posed a threat to the well-being of raptors. Kent details how NAFA responded to the concerns expressed by the Audubon Society, and in particular, the communications that occurred in the fall of 1968 between Roland Clement of the Audubon Society and NAFA representatives.

1969 looked grim for peregrine falcon populations, and again falconers were front and center of the efforts to assess and reverse the apparent declines. Kent steps us through the events that occurred at the Audubon-sponsored "Meeting Concerning the Conservation of North America Falcons" in March of 1969, and then explains to us decisions that were made at the November symposium that focused of the status of peregrine falcon populations and availability of birds to falconers.

1970 was a pivotal year in the efforts to avoid over-reach due to the Endangered Species Act, and vilification of falconry and falconers due to a self-inflicted misstep that literally left the existence of falconry in jeopardy. Kent leads us through the circumstances that unfolded and explains what NAFA did to mitigate the fallout for falconry.

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30/06/2024

EPISODE 37 - Arnoud Van Wettere on Avian Influenza

Arnaud Van Wettere, falconer and veterinarian, joins me to talk about avian influenza. After introducing himself, Arnaud reminds us of the definitions of some basic terms associated with immunology, and describes the manner in which different strains of avian influenza are named.

Arnaud outlines the historical timeline for most recent and on-going outbreak of the H5N1 strain. He then outlines which bird species are most susceptible, describes routes of infection and transmission, and provides details with regard to survival of the virus under varying environmental conditions.

We continue our discussion regarding the clinical signs of infection, including the duration between infection, onset of clinical signs, and death. Arnaud then tells us what how diagnosis is confirmed, and what to expect from veterinary- and public-health professionals if your birds are infected.

Given that the prevalence of the disease and that it typically runs its course is very quickly, we discuss the temptation for falconers to forgo necropsy and simply assume that the cause of death can be attributed to avian influenza, including the likelihood and implications of misdiagnosis.

Arnaud the outlines how falconers can assess prevalence in the areas where they typically hunt, how to manage the risk when hunting waterfowl, and steps that one can take controlling indirect exposure. He then outlines what can realistically be done treatment-wise, and outlines the challenges associated with implementing an immunization program.

We conclude our conversation with Arnaud outlining what falconers should most likely expect for the 2024/25 hunting season.

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20/06/2024

EPISODE 36 - Tim Williams on "The Falconry Journal App"

In this episode I welcome Tim Williams to the show. Tim is the developer of the Falconry Journal App that he describes as a digital replacement for the pen and paper journals that many falconers use to maintain records associated with keeping falconry birds.

After introducing himself Tim describes the app and highlights some of the features that are built into it. He also tells us what motivated him to develop the app. and provides some rationale for why a falconer may want to use the app.

Tim then outlines use of the app to track data on multiple birds, and we discuss a feature that I like in particular - the ability of the app to forecast when a hawk will be at hunting weight. He explains why he believes this feature to be inherently important to successfully hunting a particular hawk, and we discuss the accuracy of the forecasting algorithm.

We conclude the episode discussing the data export function, the ways in which users have applied their data to managing their birds, and before telling us how to contact him, Tim outlines what he sees a potential future development for the app.

10/06/2024

EPISODE 35 - Heath Garner on Arkansas Snipe Hawking

After talking to me about trapping of passage peregrine in Arkansas (Episode 24), Heath Garner returns to the show to talk about snipe-hawking. To set the stage for the conversation, Heath reminds us of his falconry background, the group of falconers that typically focus on snipe in Arkansas, and some similarities and differences of snipe hawking in Arkansas compared to the U.K. and Ireland.

We then turn our attention to the snipe themselves, and Heath tells us why the Mississippi Alluvial Valley is particularly good for overwintering snipe, plus he outlines a little natural history on the genus, provides a comparison with the American woodcock, and he give us some insight into shorebird conservation.

Turning to game-hawking of snipe, Heath describes how Arkansas long-wingers discovered that the local snipe population was huntable., including the way that they use their dogs. Heath describes where snipe are typically found, and compares snipe-hawking to dove-hawking. He then give us a sense of what he feels are among the best falcons for flying snipe, and details the way that a slip is typically orchestrated. We conclude this section of our conversation discussing opportunities for ringing flights.

We finish-up learning a little about the Arkansas Annual Snipe Hawking Invitational.

30/05/2024

EPISODE 34 - Tony Wasley on "America's Wildlife Values"

In this episode my guest is Tony Wasley, President of the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI). We begin the episode talking about the Institute itself, what is does and when it was established. I am interested in the way that wildlife values are characterized, how they have changed, and how those changes in wildlife values potentially affect the future of hunting and hunters. Tony discusses the dichotomy between areas of focus for wildlife management agencies; the task of tag allocation and the broader responsibility for conversation. Before turning our attention the "America's Wildlife Values Report" (what it is, what is it's purpose, and why hunters should care about the findings), Tony shares his views on what he sees are the main eras of the way that American society has impacted wildlife. Tony tells us about the way American society can be broadly categorized by the way in which individuals relate to wildlife, and he outlines how people are distributed among the each of the categories. Tony then tells us how values have shifted over time, and he explains the underlying reasons for the shift in wildlife values. We talk about the main funding streams, and how people believe wildlife conservation programming should be funded. We spend some time discussing potential underlying causes for an apparent decline in hunting interest. We conclude the episode discussing those things that Tony believes are important factors driving support for hunting in the non-hunting population, and what he believes are the main threats to hunting today.

21/05/2024

EPISODE 33 - John Organ on the "North American Model of Wildlife Conservation"

In this Episode I am joined by John Organ, Chief Emeritus of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Program, to discuss the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. John begins by telling us about the people that were responsible for consolidating the model, He then describes the ecological and historical context that ultimately led to modern wildlife management. We go back to the late Pleistocene to provide a sense of what the mega-faunal community looked like prior to the arrival of humans on the continent. We then step forward in time to the wildlife fauna of the North American frontier, and outline the main species that were hunted, exploited, and those that were driven to extinction or near extinction. John tells us about the early advocates of wildlife conservation, and describes their major legislative and institutional milestones. We then turn to detailing the seven tenets of the North American Model. We close-out the episode discussing what John sees as the three biggest threats to hunting, and given that hunters make up about 5% of the population in the NA, and that it would almost certainly be outlawed if the question of its legitimacy were put to a simple referendum,I ask John what he would advise hunters to do to encourage support for hunting in the non-hunting community.

10/05/2024

EPISODE 32 - Jeremy Bradshaw on "The Passage Merlin" (Part 3).

In this final episode of my three-part series discussing passage merlins with Jeremy Bradshaw, author of "The Passage Merlin", Jeremy shares his views on having a merlin share the comings and goings of one’s home, his views on weight management, how he steps through the training sequence from hopping to fist to undertaking that first free flight, and ultimately to regular gamehawking. We also talk about "carrying", and taking advantage of the natural tendency for merlins to cache their prey. And the before turning to my rapid fire questions Jeremy tells us how Al Ross shaped his ideas about flying merlins and influenced his life in general.

30/04/2024

EPISODE 31. Jeremy Bradshaw on "The Passage Merlin" (Part 2)

In this episode Jeremy Bradshaw author of the "The Passage Merlin" returns to talk to me about his love affair with the passage merlin. We begin this episode with Jeremy recollecting the events surrounding the first Merlin he trapped with, and for, fellow falconer and friend, Jeremy Roselle . He then tells us about trapping merlins in urban versus agricultural settings, including the various trap types, and his go-to favorite. He tells us about some hard-earned tips that have improved his trapping success, and some way to distinguish a passage bird from a haggard. We conclude the episode discussing Jeremy's preferred approach to the first attempt at un-hooding, feeding, and then, more importantly, that first attempt to re-hood a newly trapped passage merlin. Thanks for tuning into the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode.

19/04/2024

EPISODE 30 - Jeremy Bradshaw on "The Passage Merlin" (Part 1)

In this episode Jeremy Bradshaw author of the "The Passage Merlin" joins me to talk about his love affair with small raptors, in particular, the passage merlin. Jeremy begins the episode giving us some insight into the three sub-species of merlins in North America, and tells us how Jack merlins differ from female merlins. I then ask Jeremy about his views on weight management, and how it can make one a better falconer. We then talk about the benefits of keeping a merlin in the house rather than outdoors. Before discussing technical aspects of lure flying and how much fun it can be, Jeremy provides us with his views on merlin equipment,or furniture as some call it. We then talk about the importance of telemetry, and get Jeremy's views on which of the various mounting methods is his preferred choice. Jeremy built a solid reputation as a maker of merlin hoods - he tells us what makes a good merlin hood, and references several other falconers that took the time to become proficient in making merlin hoods. We close out the episode talking about the importance of water and feeding whole-bodied avian prey. Thanks for tuning into the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode.

10/04/2024

EPISODE 29 - Vickie Joseph on developing a "Raptor Wellness" Program

Vickie and I begin our conversation discussing her "Wellness Program" in recently-trapped birds, which for obvious reasons, the falconer has no medical history and there is the potential that a recently captured raptor is carrying a sub-clinical parasite load, or has a bacterial or viral infection. Vickie starts by classifying types of pathogens that a falconer should be aware of, and describes typical symptoms that may be present and which organ systems are most commonly implicated. We then turn our attention to physical injuries, nutrition deficiencies, and how the stress of capture can exacerbate injury and disease. We then discuss Vickie's three main concerns when it comes to wellness of eyasses, and issues related to nutrition and tethering. We conclude the episode with Vickie's recommendations for annual work-ups for intermewed hawks. Thanks again for tuning into the "Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast, and I hope that you find this episode both interesting and useful.

01/04/2024

EPISODE 28 - "Four Falconry Fundamentals" with Matt Mullenix (Part 2)

In Part 2 of my two-episode series with Matt Mullenix, author of "Four Falconry Fundamentals", we continue where we left off in episode 1 with Matt’s answer to a question regarding slip management and re-flushing of quarry. After getting Matt’s ideas on hunting and the future of falconry, I asked him to tell us about a very recent addition to the Four Fundamentals Project, one-on-one tutoring sessions he calls "Fundamentals Coaching". Thanks for tuning in to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog podcast. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode with Matt Mullenix.

Get Matt's previous two books plus (signed) copies of Four Falconry Fundamentals and the Concept Cards from Western Sporting here: https://www.westernsporting.com/FB2053/four-falconry-fundamentals-matt-mullenix-.html

To those who purchase the Fundamentals materials, get one-on-one "Fundamentals Coaching" via Zoom, sign up here: https://www.missionmedia.biz/fundamentals

20/03/2024

EPISODE 27 - "Four Falconry Fundamentals" with Matt Mullenix (Part 1)

Matt Mullenix, falconer and author of three books joins me to talk about his most recent book, "Four Falconry Fundamentals". We begin our discussion with Matt acknowledging the people whom have be instrumental to his falconry and writing. Matt tells us what his goal was for the book, and then provides a brief outline of each of the fundamentals (prey base, husbandry, recall, and slip management). Matt then describes various hi-lights of each, and we spend time discussing an important link between the concepts of 'husbandry' and 'recall', that being 'weight management'. Matt outlines the school of thought he learned from Harry McElroy, and contrasts that weight management system with one that's a little less precise. We conclude this episode with discussion regarding Matt's rule of thumb when it comes to hunting weight. Thanks for tuning in to the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast; I hope you find this episode useful and enjoyable.

10/03/2024

EPISODE 26 - Ethan Pippitt of Standing Stone Kennels on Training of Bird Dogs (Part 2)

Ethan Pippitt of Standing Stone Kennels joins me to talk about training of bird dogs. Using my 2-year old female German wirehaired pointer, Ethan and I step through the various stages of training that I completed from the time I received her at 10 weeks of age starting with the basics, including something Ethan refers to as "charging the clicker". Ethan explains why he uses "tug-of-war" play with his pups, and tells us why it shouldn't lead to a "hard-mouthed dog", if done correctly. We talk about impulse control and how it's a precursor to steadiness. We briefly talk about heeling and loose-leash walking before moving on to the concept of "teach, condition, generalize", and what collar conditioning is. We conclude episode one discussing the use of the "positive pigeon" drill as an introduction to "whoa" and it's use to bring out both pointing behavior and prey drive. Thanks for listening.

01/03/2024

EPISODE 25 - Ethan Pippitt of Standing Stone Kennels on Training of Bird Dogs (Part 1)

Ethan Pippitt of Standing Stone Kennels joins me to talk about training of bird dogs. Using my 2-year old female German wirehaired pointer, Ethan and I step through the various stages of training that I completed from the time I received her at 10 weeks of age starting with the basics, including something Ethan refers to as "charging the clicker". Ethan explains why he uses "tug-of-war" play with his pups, and tells us why it shouldn't lead to a "hard-mouthed dog", if done correctly. We talk about impulse control and how it's a precursor to steadiness. We briefly talk about heeling and loose-leash walking before moving on to the concept of "teach, condition, generalize", and what collar conditioning is. We conclude episode one discussing the use of the "positive pigeon" drill as an introduction to "whoa" and it's use to bring out both pointing behavior and prey drive. Thanks for listening.

20/02/2024

EPISODE 24 - Heath Garner on Trapping of Passage Peregrine Falcons in Arkansas

Heath Garner (North American Falconers Association Vice President) joins me to tell us about trapping of passage peregrines in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) of Arkansas. He tells us about the MAV, and the challenges associated with trying to find and trap passage birds in the region. Heath briefly reminds us of the timeline from listing of the species to the events that led to re-instituting of a legal harvest, and describes the role that NAFA played in advocating for legal harvest. It took a few trapping seasons to build sufficient local knowledge that now makes Arkansas trappers regularly successful each trapping season; Heath leads us through that learning curve. He talks about the influence of weather on migration timing, and offers up what he has learned about trap sets and best locations. Heath has trapped, trained, and flown his fair share of passage birds since 2009 (when they first became available to our generation of falconers), and he tells us about the birds that he has hunted with, and the ups and downs that he has been through.

10/02/2024

EPISODE 23 - Kevin Harcourt of Marshall Radio Telemetry (Part 2)

Kevin Harcourt of Marshall Radio Telemetry and I continue our discussion on the Marshall GPS system. We turn our attention from what Kevin refers as the user-selectable modes (HD, ECO, EXT, and SLEEP) to the two automatic modes that users do not have direct control over, those being Turbo mode and Reserve mode. We talk in detail about the factory settings associated with Reserve mode, including the implications associated with battery longevity in the event that the factory settings are modified. We conclude our discussion on the system with a brief reminder that the GPS transmitter also houses an RDF beeping module, and we discuss the temptation to forgo use of a backup transmitter. Before turning our attention to various field scenarios,we go over the system start-up sequence (start AV, then power-up the PL, followed by the transmitter, then allowing a 5 minute soak time, starting record, and then releasing the bird); I ask whether the start-up sequence critical, and if not, why should falconers still follow the recommendation? We close out the episode discussing several field scenarios that encompass varying degrees of uncertainty ranging from a typical straightforward flight with low uncertainty to an extended chase where uncertainty is high.

31/01/2024

EPISODE 22 - Kevin Harcourt of Marshall Radio Telemetry (Part 1)

Welcome to the first episode of Season 2 of the Fat Bird, Ugly Dog Podcast. In this episode I talk to Kevin Harcourt of Marshall Radio Telemetry. Kevin tells us a little about the company, its philosophy, and how he came to be part of the Marshall Radio team. We then distinguish between Radio Detection Finding (RDF) technology and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, including components of each system and the way in which each system combines component-specific functions that allow users to keep tabs on a hawk's location. On the GPS side of things, we talk about the LED displays, how to interpret the various LED colors on the transmitter and the pocket link, and how to get additional information from the LED display on the pocket link when trouble shooting of tracking a lost hawk. Kevin also describes raw data and derived data. We finish out Part 1 of this 2-part episode discussing the trade off between battery longevity and data acquisition associated with each of the four user-selectable modes (HD, ECO, EXT, and SLEEP).

28/09/2023

EPISODE 21 - Memoirs of a Hunting Falconer with Ronnie Moore (Part 3)

In Part 3 of my series with Ronnie Moore, we discuss Ron's recollection of implementation of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, how it came about, and its pitfalls for practicing falconers. Ron talks about his second shot at immortalization after he received an invitation to fly Ailsa on Bleasdale Towers estate. He recounts how the largest scotch and lemonade turned into two, and the unfortunate events that followed. He tells us about an outing where he and Diana Durman-Walters were caught out in less than ideal weather while hunting "Ailsa". Ron describes one particular flight where he believes that after flying into the next dale to find better wind, Ailsa followed two hikers and their dog. "Ailsa" typically took fur, but on least one occasion she obliged her taste for feathered quarry…Ron tells us that story. When transporting "Ailsa", Ron initially had her on a perch in his vehicle…he tells us why he had a change of mind, and switched to using a transport box. Ron acquired "Ailsa" in his early thirties, and was still hunting her into his sixties; he tells us how decades of hunting began to take its toll. Ailsa’s death marked the beginning of the end of Ron's falconry career – he tells us about the period of time after Ailsa’s death. In closing, Ron recounts the “three big ups” of his life, and he answers my rapid fire questions.

18/09/2023

EPISODE 20 - Memoirs of a Hunting Falconer with Ronnie Moore (Part 2)

In this episode, I am again joined by Ronnie Moore, author of "Memoirs of a Hunting Falconer". At the end of Part 1, Ron described how he came to acquire “Ailsa”, We start this conversation today with Ron's first interactions with her as he began the process of training her for falconry. Once he had gained Ailsa’s trust, and she was ready to fly free, he encouraged her to hunt from the soar as he had done with “Mort” many years prior, and he recounts how he got her entered on quarry. Ron tells us the story where he feels that all his Christmas’s came at once. Initially Ron had typically allowed her to take a full feed off of her first kill, but he eventually got to the point that he needed to remove kills from her if he was to be able to hunt for long periods over which multiple kills had been made...he tells us how you went about that process. As with all training of all hawks, setbacks and mistakes are inevitable, Ron recounts once such experience, and explains why he opted to stop using his dog "Linnet" while hunting with "Ailsa". Ron recounts how lucky he was to be allowed into Ailsa's world. and follows that with a tale about why hunting alone is not without its risks. We learn about Ailsa’s first encounter with a blue hare, and conclude the episode hearing about Himalayan monkey skin, burning arm pits, and the downside of wearing a damp tweed jacket.

08/09/2023

EPISODE 19 - Memoirs of a Hunting Falconer with Ronnie Moore (Part 1)

In this Episode Ronnie Moore joins me to tell us about his early childhood experiences and how they led to his love of the outdoors and hunting pursuits. Ron describes how he came to acquire one of his first falconry birds, a European buzzard he named "Mort" - Ron ultimately released "Mort", but unbeknownst to him at the time, that was not the end of their time hunting together. Although Ron is likely best known for his golden eagle “Ailsa”, he also flew goshawks and falcons achieving much the same standard of falconry with them that he achieved with "Ailsa". We talk about his goshawks, "Ratty" and "Kojak", his falcons "Alice" (a prairie falcon) and "Nasty Louis" (a tiercel peregrine) - Ron is natural story-teller, and his adventures with his birds are most entertaining to say the least.

24/07/2023

EPISODE 18 - Falconry Med Kit and First Aid with Vickie Joseph

In this episode Vickie Joseph joins me to talk about Clinical Avian Pathology Services and she tells us which items falconers should carry in a Med Kit. We also talk about "supportive care" and what it entails. We talk about the importance of hydration, the various types of fluids that can be administered, and how to administer them. We talk about diet and discuss the quality of wild food compared to quail. We talk about impact injuries and bite wounds including those associated with venomous snakes. Vickie walks me through a basic triage protocol, and talks about use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. We conclude our discussion with two cases involving falconry birds that were injured whilst hunting, and my rapid fire questions.

07/07/2023

EPISODE 17 - Upland Gamebird Conservation with Doug Manzer

This week I am joined by Doug Manzer of the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA). Doug is well-known for his Sharp-tailed Grouse expertise, but he has also spent about two decades working on other wildlife species and, of course, habitat conservation and management in the province of Alberta, Canada. We talk a little philosophy and ask the question, "Why Hunters Hunt", we also talk about upland game birds that primarily inhabit open areas including Doug’s own work on sharp tailed grouse. Tune is to hear just how successful the ACA has been in regard to managing farmed landscapes...the densities of grey partridge that are achieved will amaze you.

20/06/2023

EPISODE 16 - The Art of Hawking Sage Grouse with Steve Chindgren (Part 3)

This episode brings my discussion with Steve Chindgren to an end. We began the episode talking about a club that Steve and his childhood friend, Jim Hutchins, established as very young boys. Steve tells us about hist 25-year relationship with his gyr peregrine tiercel, Jomo, and tells us about a few close calls. including one where Jomo was lost in the sage without telemetry. We then hear story of "Rocky", who was killed by a golden eagle after along tail chase and killing a sage grouse. "Tava", was an absolutely gorgeous falcon, also killed by a golden eagle, seconds before Steve could reach him. Steve recounts a hawking story of how "Somach" flew prairie chickens at the 2012 NAFA Meet in Kearney, Nebraska. We hear how Steve introduce "Zander" to the drone in his eleventh season, and get an update on his progress to date. Steve tells us about "Comet", a white Jerkin, his physical condition, and how it contributed to his death. At the time the book was published Steve was flying "DC"; we hear about "DC's" love of chasing pigeons, and his struggles with late-season grouse. Steve introduces us to "Badger", who he acquired since publishing the book. The episode concludes with Steve's outlining his thoughts expressed in the final chapter of the book (a dedication to the art of falconry", and his answers to my rapid fire questions.