Falconry in Poland - Birds of Prey in Poland
Polish Birds of Prey
Related Article: Bird Watching in Poland.
Falconry, once the sport of kings is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer (German origin) flies a hawk (Accipiter and some buteos and similar) or an eagle (Aquila or similar). In modern falconry the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and the Harris hawk are often used. The words "hawking" and "hawker" have become used so much to mean petty traveling traders, that the terms "falconer" and "falconry" now apply to all use of trained birds of prey to catch game.
In early English falconry literature, the word "falcon" referred to a female falcon only, while the word "hawk" or "hawke" referred to a female hawk only. A male hawk or falcon was referred to as a "tiercel" (sometimes spelled "tercel") as it was roughly one third less than the female in size. Many contemporary practitioners still use these words in their original meaning. The practice of hunting a trained falconry bird is also called "hawking" or "gamehawking".
Falconry is currently practiced in many countries around the world. The falconer's traditional choice of bird is the Northern Goshawk and Peregrine Falcon. In contemporary falconry in both North American and the UK they remain popular, although the Harris Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk are likely more widely used. The Northern Goshawk and the Golden Eagle are more commonly used in Eastern Europe than elsewhere.
Polish Falconers Association "The Falconers Nest"
"The Falconers Nest" is an association comprising of falconers from the whole of Poland and existing within the structures of the Polish Hunters Association. The official headquarters is located in Warsaw together with the Polish Hunters Association HQ which deals with the financial side of the Club.
The main meeting place is located in the PHA Research Farm in Czempin where all the meetings and new member courses are held every year. "The Falconers Nest" has their own regulations, authorities and executives. The Board is elected for a five year period. Each member of the Club has a unique membership card, access to a newsletter and can be awarded with a set of distinctions. The main purpose of the Club is to promote falconry (understood as a way of hunting) and Birds of Prey conservation. Only members of Polish Hunting Associations can become a casual member of The Falconers Nest providing that they pass an exam as part of the final stage of a pre-membership course.
Currently The Falconers Nest has ca. 150 members from all over the country – these are people who have different jobs, education and social status but they all have the same passion for falconry. Thus The Falconers Nest is the biggest falconry organisation in Poland such a small number of members makes the falconers in most cases hunt by themselves or in a small regional groups.
All members usually meet twice in large numbers during the year: spring assembly and autumn field meeting. During the spring assembly all the legal aspects are discussed and also the goals for the upcoming season are agreed. In the autumn the field meet takes usually 4-5 days and gather up to 120 falconers from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania and other countries. Apart from the hunting during the field meeting there is also an occasion to buy accessories, exchange opinions & see new falconry movies.
Some of the club members have their own breeding pairs of different species of birds (mainly goshawks, sakers, lanners and peregrines), some of them run a birds of prey rehabilitation centers, and some of them use the birds for pest control on plantations and airfields and run falconry displays.
Polish Falconers also significantly helped to restore wild population of peregrine falcon in Poland – thanks to their efforts over 400 young birds were released to the wild.
The Falconers Nest is a member of International Association for Falconry.
For further information about The Polish Falconers Association please visit their website.