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Stand back! Birds of prey aren’t social at all. You might get bitten. I’m Guy Hawks the court falconer. They call me The Master of the Mews. I train birds to hunt. Falconry is a lot of making sure that the birds don’t kill each other. I use female hawks because they’re bigger than the males, and they take down more food. Sometimes I use eagles instead of falcons .
My job is extremely important. Hunting birds require considerable human contact and attention on a daily basis, or they grow wild and unreliable. I train the hunting birds to fly at their quarry. It is essential that the hunting bird’s talons are well placed in their prey. Falconry is expensive. The hunting birds required special housing, which consist of cages known as mews. I use various accessories such as hoods, jesses, bells and lures to train the birds. I attach bells to the birds legs so that I can keep track of its whereabouts.
Falconry is hard work. Sometimes I get scratched and bitten and though the birds poop all over me, I wouldn’t want to do anything else.