Just a regular day at the office

So this is what I do all day....

http://youtu.be/doCkA_UOt2c

http://youtu.be/XjzQECtZAk8

http://youtu.be/a4oRN-yz6rY

Wow! Are you training them or rehab-ing them?

That is way cool Tobi. Guessing you are conditioning the falcons to come to the hat (or whatever it is).
Pat

Have you found some new “wilds” Tobi?

That is awesome!!

You got me totaly confused and curious Tobi :)

This is one small part of our falcon breeding program. These are imprinted males, donating semen. We then inseminate our imprint females with it. I’ll try to make a video of how I do it.

The only conditioning for these guys is interaction and photoperiod manipulation to get the breeding hormones up, basically letting them know it’s spring and the jig is up.

Patty, these are all captive bred, but fortunately there are no domesticated falcons as such (looking at phenotypes, other than hybrids), so wilds with a twist. Most of these guys are f3 or up. The captive breeding actually helps curb the trade in wild falcons, which is for the most part illegal, for most species anyway. Our UK branch is registered as a conservation breeding facility due to this. We do sell a lot of the offspring though, gotta pay for them fishes somehow ;)

I noticed the bird cupping it's feet when on the cap Tobi and thought something was wrong with it's feet. But that is a natural action to the mating act from my observation with wild ospreys here in Florida.
Pat

Nice job you have there. Are the birds used for hunting?

Well you’re the first person I’ve ever heard of that has falcon semen collection as part of their job description. What a cool job! Apparently the male and female falcons can’t mate the old fashioned way?
Patty

Tobi, very very cool. I have one question. Are you hiring? and do you want to start a branch in the USA... maybe somewhere in the northeast, less than an hour from CT? :):)

al