A hodgepodge of memories from my life as a falconer
 
All Photos and text contained herein are copyrighted by Pamela Hessey
and may not be used for any reason without expressed written permission.
 
 
This first set of photos shows some of the hawks I have had the pleasure to partner with.
 
This is Tekka, my first hawk. She's a female Redtailed Hawk, Buteo Jamaciencis.
Here's another shot of Tekka. Notice the full crop after a well-deserved meal.
This is Buzzy, my Coopers' Hawk, Accipiter Cooperii.
Here's another of Buzzy.
This is Buzzy a little bit older; he's starting to look a bit more like a hawk now, eh?
 
Here's Buzzy doing what Coopers' hawks do; eating another bird.
 
 
 
 
This isn't Buzzy, but it's a good shot of what an adult Cooper's Hawk looks like.
 
 
 
 
Happy Hawk, happy falconer!
The mighty hunter! (and his falconer, too.)
 
This is Guinevere. She's a female Northern Goshawk, Accipiter Gentilus. She was about 7 years old when I got her from a friend. She's an awesome gamehawk. She never ceases to amaze me with her determination and ability.
 
 
 
This is Cowboy. He's a male Harris' Hawk, Parabuteo Unicinctus. When he was younger, he went through some medical problems and almost didn't survive. This past year I once again persuaded him that catching game was a good idea, and he took to it like fish take to water. Here's one of the many jackrabbits that he was able to outsmart. What a guy!
   Here's a closeup of Cowboy.
 
 
The remainder of these images are of other falconers, their birds, and our hawking experiences.
 
A pair of Falcons. 
A juvenile Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Spizaetus Ornatus.
This is a European Goshawk, a cousin of the Northern Goshawk. 
  Here's a baby Peregrine Falcon, Falco Peregrinus.
Here's another Peregrine, a little bit older. 
A slide-out falcon dispenser.
The business end of a hunter of the skies. 
Peregrine in flight.
 
A falcon takes to the skies. Note the bells and telemtry transmitter below. 
 
A young falcon testing its wings. 
 
A juvenile Golden Eagle. This photo was taken by Brian Murphy.
 
Andy McBryde and his young Goshawk. 
Rocky Montgomery's Bat Falcon, Falco Albigularis.
 
 
This is Ken Parker with his dark-morphed Ferruginous hawk, Buteo Regalis. 
 
 
 
This is a male American Kestrel, Falco Sparverius.
 
 
Here's an older shot of me working with a Golden Eagle, Aquila Chrysaetos. This bird is a permanent resident at The Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, CA.
 
 
 
Here are 3 photos of a gorgeous falcon.
 
This is a leukistic-morph Redtailed Hawk. It's a rare but not unknown color variant. This bird was a resident at The Lindsay Wildlife Museum.
 
Here's another shot of him.
 
 
Here's a picture of Charlie Kaiser, my apprentice, and his Redtailed Hawk Kiera. This photo shows Kiera's first catch. You can read the story of Kiera's first season with Charlie by going to his web site. Click here to go there now.
I'd like to thank Charlie for building and supporting my web site. I couldn't have done it without him!
 
That's about it. I hope you've enjoyed my gallery of memories. As we fade out into the sunset, may your birds fly fast and high, yet end the day safely back in your care.
 
 
 
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