Tag Archives: season

Falconry Season for 2013 Comes to an End

The End of The Fourth Falconry Season

The end of the falconry season is always a bittersweet realization with Red-Tail Hawks. I’ve learned to enjoy the Winter Hunting in the cool days with a light coat of snow. Watching the flight of the Red-Tail through the dusky-brown branches brings out the enjoyment each time I’m a witness. Surely, there is no joy hunting in the freezing cold with the wind blowing a 5 degree wind-chill. Even *I* don’t hunt that well in the cold. The winter season provides a beautiful backdrop to some of the most challenging trials of life and it is with great appreciation that I am thankful to share this experience with my Red-Tail Hawk, Cedar, in the wintry landscape that the winter provides. So it is with a bittersweet feeling that we conclude another hunting season in the land called “Michigan.”

There are some wonderful things to look forward to: the warming weather, the wonder of the moult, and the new life that spring brings with it each turn of the year. I enjoy those cool, spring morning walks through the forest with the opportunity to watch the forest for the trees. The green carpet of life comes to surface of the forest floor and blooms with the warmth that spring provides. I enjoy these walks without the focus on the Hawk and hunting for falconry to take the time to appreciate the wonder of the change of seasons. Watching the emergence of life during the warming days of spring is a wonder to behold, but only in the Pure Michigan manner that our climate can provide. Michigan is privelidged to have a defined season for spring where the plants and the animals awaken once again from the cold blanket that winter provided.

As with most things in life, there is something to be said for moderation, and now with the conclusion of this hunting season, it is time to turn my attention to the yard, house maintenance, and other fun family activities. Even more so, I am extremely curious about how Cedar will moult her feathers and turn herself into a wondrous, beautiful Adult Red-Tailed Hawk that I know she will be. Good Hunting, enjoy the moult, have fun in the summer, and appreciate each season for what it is. By the end of the summer, we’ll all be anxious to get back out into the field for the falconry experience with our Red-Tails once again.

-Cheers!