the chase - august 2010

T h e C h a s ethe on-line newsletter of the UK Falconry Club - August 2010

www.ukfalconryforum.com

THE CHASE - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKFALCONRY CLUB - JULY 2010

Brithawk BraidedFalconry equipment

order from Zoe Jones07743 573 755

Quality, hand braided falconry furniture made in Britain

Falcon fitted with Brithawk braided furniture

Editors noteWelcome to the latest version of THE CHASE.

I have been busy making plans for with my newGoshawk ‘Loki’. He is coming on well and I hope thatI will be able to report next month his first kill.

Meanwhile, whilst the lucky few are heading north tothe Grouse Moors many others are preparing theirnew charges for the season ahead.

The UK Falconry Club will be represented at theBlair Drummond Falconry & Hawking Festival and I hope to see some reader there.

Meanwhile, the club goes on from strength tostrength with the membership of the club and forumgrowing steadily.

I hope all the members of the UK Falconry Club &Forum who are on the hill on the Glorious 12th thevery best of luck.

And congratulations to Jakk Tennant on winning hisset of Brithawk Falconry Equipment in last monthsedition of THE CHASE.

Good hawking for all

Neil Davies - Editor

Features4 A Brush with Nature - David Rampling

10 Bell Making by Larry Counce

14 Deaddog Vest Product Review

16 Competition Page - Win Memoirs of a Hunter

18 Club News

The Chase is the online newsletter of the UKFalconry Club. No article, photograph, or part of this publication maybe reproduced withoutwritten consent.

The Editor and the UKFC Committee reservesthe right to approve or refuse any advertisementor contribution for any reason.

Cover photo - ‘Loki’ Goshawk © Neil Davies

CONTENTS

THE CHASE - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UK FALCONRY CLUB - AUGUST 2010 3

4 THE CHASE - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UK FALCONRY CLUB - AUGUST 2010

DAVID RAMPLING - WILDLIFE ARTIST

A brush wi


THE CHASE - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UKFALCONRY CLUB - AUGUST 2010

ith natureby David Rampling

5

Born in 1963, I grew up in rural Suffolk and havebeen obsessed with wildlife and hunting since beinga child. I reared jackdaws, crows and magpies, I keptrats, frogs and toads and caught grass snakes on thebroads and lizards on the heath as a boy. I wasbought 'As the falcon her bells' for my fourteenthbirthday and became interested in falconry from thevery first page.

I flew my first kestrel at sixteen and have flown onebird or another ever since. Much of my youth wasspent hunting Coypus with Terriers on the Suffolkbroads, my mother cooked them for my family toeat, and I sold the skins. I was passionate aboutlamping with longdogs, and flying spars, which havealways been my favourite bird. After studying atAgricultural college I went on to manage farms, firston the inner Hebrides and later the east coast ofScotland, but to be honest I spent more timehawking than farming, and with so much gamearound it seemed criminal not too!

In 1991, I was offered the job of running a Deer andfly fishing trout farm in Scotland which surroundeda falconry centre, and it was at this centre i learnedabout running a team of birds and doingdemonstrations for the public in what spare time Ihad. I eventually gave up managing the farm andwent on to run the centre, which was where myheart realy lay.

In 1993, I took a year out and left Scotland to runthe farm on Lundy Island off the North Devoncoast, Having read about 'Lundy' peregrines as a ladI wanted to see the legendary Island, with all itspirate and falconry history. And it was here, with notelevision, at the age of 29, that I first started topaint. My first painting took four weeks, but I wasamazed that I could do it. I have painted prettymuch non stop ever since.

After leaving Lundy I ran a team of birds doingdemonstrations at centres and fairs in NorthDevon, eventually taking over the North Devonbird of prey centre in 2001. It is a small centre,attached to a large adventure park. I have justfifteen birds, all of which fly free every day, andthats just the way I like it. I have a small galleryattached to the centre from which I sell myartwork, and it all sells...which is a good job, as adisplay falconers wages are pretty poor!

I tend to paint and repaint my fifteen birds throughthe summer months for the visitors to my centre,and in the winter I hunt, (these days with mydisplay Harris's, as I figure they work so hard for mein the summer its the least I can do for them.) and inthe winter I also paint commissions, which is nicefor a change.




7THE CHASE - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UK FALCONRY CLUB - AUGUST 2010

We will be at theBlair DrummondFalconry Fair onthe UKFC Stand


BELL MAKING

11

BellMakingby Larry CounceWhen starting into falconry in 1988, I ordered my first pair of bells

from the late Pete Asborno of Denver, Colorado. When the bells

arrived, I studied them for hours and concluded that I could make

them. I decided to get started the very next day.

Early next morning I set out to the public library and began digging

into TheThomas Register for suppliers of tools and materials. (This

was before the days of having everything online!) I found suppliers

and ordered the block, shears, and nickel-silver sheet metal needed

for my first attempt at bell making.

Within a few days, I produced an almost-perfect hemisphere. The next

step was to figure out how to join two hemispheres with a clapper

inside. Realizing the hemispheres didn’t fit flush, I found a metal

file and smoothed them to fit. Something was still not quite right -

my new bell was not round. It took two years - after countless trials

and errors - and, finally, Eureka! I produced a bell that would ring!

Over the next two years, I broke three 3-ton arbor presses while

trying to perfect my bell making process.

Over the years I have acquired a wee bit more knowledge, resulting

in faster research and development. Variables such as size and shape

of the bell, type and thickness of the metal, temperature of the solder,

use of annealing vs. non-annealing, and altering the dimensions of

the clapper have an impact on the sound of the finished bell. Also,

selecting the right alloy from the array of metals available can be a

difficult task. I have produced bells made of nickel silver, sterling

silver, brass, bronze, and beryllium copper.

THE CHASE - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UK FALCONRY CLUB - AUGUST 2010

BELL MAKING


HEADING

In the past I would custom-make bells, usually out

of bronze, to suit a particular falconer’s hearing.

Nowadays falconers try the bells by ringing and

ringing until they find a pair that fits their hearing.

I am now able to change the pitch and volume by

making adjustments to the equator band, thickness

of the alloy, shape and weight of the clapper, and

the placement of the sound slit and holes. For my

hearing and for durability, sterling silver bells win

by a mile.

For the last 20 years, I have used a hydraulic press

and a lathe to produce bells. The process I have

developed consists of 26 steps from start to finish.

It still requires more than 30 minutes to make one

bell. My bells are used by thousands of falconers

in 31 countries.

In addition to falconers, other people have

approached me to supply bells for them. I once

created camel bells for an Arabian camel owner.

A Celtic storytelling troupe once asked for bells

for a storytelling stick. Hobbyists wanting to find

just the right bell for intricate crafting projects

have contacted me to supply bells to fulfill their

custom orders. My bells have also adorned

dancers (both Native American and erotic), bird

dogs, and cats. Recently I have had numerous

requests for bells for women’s jewelry. And every

holiday season I have many queries about sleigh

bells and ornamental displays.

My bell shop is located inside my traveling

caravan in a space measuring 8’ x 10’, which

includes a space for a small freezer stocked with

hawk food. An air filtration system mounted

inside the bell shop has proven to be a necessary

innovation to assure that interior air quality is

maintained.

All in all, bell making is a hobby for an ever-so-

small profit. Mostly it is therapeutic, and a glass

of whisky or a pint on the workbench makes life

good!

Larry Counce is a master falconer, bell maker, and

traveling medical technologist. His email address

is [email protected], and his web page can

be found at www.councebells.com .

Cutting Bench

Anealing Bench

Finished bells


PRODUCT REVIEWS

For years when hawking I have always used a

waistcoat for hawking,

The type with the poachers pouch in the back and

a multitude of pockets. Having seen so many

hawking vests on the market and in the field none

of them really appealed to me, being a larger bloke

doesn’t help the matter either. When I looked at

some being worn I didn’t fancy the idea of having

a pocket sit almost under the armpit or have a vest

that fitted best undone flapping about either as I

have seen so many times in the field with others.

One day I was advised about Keith’s “Dead Dogs”

hawking vest, each one is hand made and can be

adjusted to suite all. I spoke to Keith who I must

say is a real nice chap, and he needed my waist

and chest size along with the measurement from

Deaddog Hawking Vest Reviewed by Kevun Massey

As recomme

PRODUCT REVIEWS

my shoulder to my waist and also what colour I

wanted. Keith also mentioned that he does

accessories for the vest like the telemetry bag etc.

A couple of days later my vest arrived, first thing

that struck me was the quality of workmanship, it

really was a quality bit of work. Trying it on it

soon became apparent just how adjustable it is. I

set the shoulder straps first, so the pockets sat

where I wanted them. I could see that both

shoulder straps would un-clip, a brilliant idea if

you want to take the vest off when you have your

bird on the glove for instance.

Next I adjusted the side straps so the pockets

would sit exactly where I wanted them around my

waist. Having the pockets where I wanted them all

that I needed to do then was do up the front and

pull the draw straps in so the vest fitted when done

up properly and that was it.

The vest has a large quarry compartment that sits

on your back; this is vented allowing air to flow so

that the heat from the dispatched quarry doesn’t

cause them to sweat. On the front there are two

main big pockets Attached to the front of these

pockets is another pocket both pockets both of

which (because I requested them) had removable

washable liners for putting cut meat etc, these are

held in place by a Velcro strip. Both pockets are

closed with a flap that comes over with a fastener

system that can be closed and secured with 1 hand

these also have eyelets for Jesses to pull through.

There are also clips on the front for putting

swivels, leash etc.

Now last season I really put the vest to the test, I

found my self going through dense hedges, woods

and all sorts of under growth. To begin with I was

checking all the time to see if I had ripped the vest

but it got to the end of the season unscathed.

Overall impression, Not the cheapest Hawking

vest on the market but with this quality and finish

I personally believe its great value. The vest will

fit every shape and size and adjust to just how you

want it.

Price: £75.00 plus P&P

www.fieldandfalcon.co.uk

Coming up next month:Pineo Pendleton Glove

by Neil Davies

Dave Noble Falconry Bells ended...

THE CHASE - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UK FALCONRY CLUB - AUGUST 2010 15

16 THE CHASE - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UK FALCONRY CLUB -AUGUST 2010

The UK Falconry Club & Forum and Martin Hollinsheadoffers one forum/club member the opportunity of winning asigned book by simply answering the following question.

When was Martin Hollinshead’s book ‘The CompleteRabbit & Hare Hawk first published’?

Send your answers to [email protected]

The Winner* will be drawn from the entries received beforethe 25th August 2010 and will be notified by email and theresults of the draw will feature in next month’s issue of THE CHASE.

*T&C’s - The editor’s decision is final and the draw is only open to the UK Falconry Cluband forum members. No other alternative prize will be offered to the winner. Only one entry per member. Competition closes midnight 25th August 2010.

WINa signed copy of

Martin Hollinshead’s book

‘Memoirs of a Hunter’

COMPETITION

NEW REPRINT First published 10 years ago and re-printed twice, this best-selling manual

continues to be indispensable

‘A compelling and enduringly

fascinating read … lives up to its

boastful title.’ IBR

‘Everyone could benefit from this book.’

BFC Newsletter

‘This book should be compulsory

reading for anyone flying or

contemplating flying a Harris’ hawk’

International Falconer

‘Every stage of the bird’s training is

carefully thought out.’

The Falconers Magazine

‘This is probably one of the most

descriptive accounts of ferreting [to

hawks] ever written.’ Hawk Chalk

‘All novice falconers should be made to

read this chapter [Dealing With Kills]

Countryman’s Weekly

‘This book is a must for all rabbit and

hare hawking enthusiasts.’

Scottish Hawking Club

Available August

Hard Covers 240 pages £25.00 + £3.00 p&p

SIGNED COPIES STRAIGHT FROM THE AUTHOR Telephone 01902 561075 or

Email [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also available from The Fernhill Press

Martin Hollinshead, The Fernhill Press, PO Box 1682, Wolverhampton, WV1 4GQ

Website: http://business.virgin.net/fernhill.press/index.htm


CLUB NEWS

Club NewsBBQThe UK Falconry Club will be holding a Summer BBQ in September 10th - 11th at

Rhosllefain, Tywyn, Gwynedd LL36 9ND.

If any members wish to attend, please contact Ben Crane for further details

[email protected]

We hope you can come along and meet the committee.

Blair Drummond Falconry Festival 2010Blair Drummond Safari & Adventure Park , Blair Drummond by Stirling, FK9 4UR

Tel: 01786 841 456 - www.blairdrummond.com

UK Falconry Club CommitteePresident - Ben Crane, Vice-President - Neil Hunter, Chairman - Lee Featherstone,

Vice-Chairman - Martin Whitley, Secretary - Steven Lambert, Treasurer - Tommy Miles,

Membership Secretary - Jan Hart, Legal Officer - Mike Roberts,

Events & Publicity - Charlie Heap, Newsletter Editor - Neil Davies,

Field Meet Officer - Kevin Massey, Assistant Field Meet Officer - Joe Hatton,

Membership is now available onlineIf you wish to join the UK Falconry Club you can now apply and pay online at the

clubs forum www.ukfalconryforum.com

Membership fees are per year and include Public Liability Insurance for Full &

Associate Members:

Full Members £32, Associate Members £32 and Supporter member £17

Winner of last month competition - Jakk Tennant

the uk falconry club supports the campaign for falconry

the chase - august 2010

Documents

ukfalconry club

uk falconry club forum

hunter18 club newsthe

surroundeda falconry

online newsletter

online newsletter

t h e c h

nature david rampling10