chase august (1)

8/11/2019 Chase August (1)

1/20

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

www.ukfalconryforum.com


2/20

THE CHASE - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UK FALCONRY 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


3/20

Editors noteWelcome to the latest version of THE CHASE.I have been busy making plans for with my new Goshawk Loki. He is coming on well and I hope thatI will be able to report next month his rst 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 andI 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 UK Falconry Club. No article, photograph, or partof this publication maybe reproduced without written consent.

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

Cover photo - Loki Goshawk Neil Davies

CONTENTS

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


4/20

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

DAVID RAMPLING - WILDLIFE ARTIST

A brush w


5/20


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

th 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 rst page.

I ew my rst kestrel at sixteen and have own onebird or another ever since. Much of my youth wasspent hunting Coypus with Terriers on the Suffolk broads, my mother cooked them for my family toeat, and I sold the skins. I was passionate aboutlamping with longdogs, and ying spars, which havealways been my favourite bird. After studying atAgricultural college I went on to manage farms, rston the inner Hebrides and later the east coast of Scotland, 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 andy shing 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 my heart 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 rst started topaint. My rst painting took four weeks, but I wasamazed that I could do it. I have painted pretty much non stop ever since.


6/20

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 justfteen birds, all of which y free every day, andthats just the way I like it. I have a small gallery attached to the centre from which I sell my artwork, and it all sells...which is a good job, as adisplay falconers wages are pretty poor!

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




7/20


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


8/20

We will be at the

Blair DrummondFalconry Fair onthe UKFC Stand


9/20


10/20


BELL MAKING


11/20

11

BellMakingby Larry CounceWhen starting into falconry in 1988, I ordered my first pair of bellsfrom the late Pete Asborno of Denver, Colorado. When the bellsarrived, I studied them for hours and concluded that I could makethem. I decided to get started the very next day.

Early next morning I set out to the public library and began digginginto TheThomas Register for suppliers of tools and materials. (Thiswas before the days of having everything online!) I found suppliersand ordered the block, shears, and nickel-silver sheet metal neededfor my first attempt at bell making.

Within a few days, I produced an almost-perfect hemisphere. The nextstep was to figure out how to join two hemispheres with a clapper inside. Realizing the hemispheres didnt fit flush, I found a metalfile and smoothed them to fit. Something was still not quite right -my new bell was not round. It took two years - after countless trialsand errors - and, finally, Eureka! I produced a bell that would ring!Over the next two years, I broke three 3-ton arbor presses whiletrying to perfect my bell making process.

Over the years I have acquired a wee bit more knowledge, resultingin faster research and development. Variables such as size and shapeof 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 adifficult task. I have produced bells made of nickel silver, sterlingsilver, brass, bronze, and beryllium copper.

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

BELL MAKING


12/20


HEADING

In the past I would custom-make bells, usually outof bronze, to suit a particular falconers hearing.

Nowadays falconers try the bells by ringing andringing until they find a pair that fits their hearing.I am now able to change the pitch and volume bymaking adjustments to the equator band, thicknessof the alloy, shape and weight of the clapper, andthe placement of the sound slit and holes. For myhearing and for durability, sterling silver bells win

by a mile.

For the last 20 years, I have used a hydraulic pressand a lathe to produce bells. The process I havedeveloped 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 haveapproached me to supply bells for them. I oncecreated camel bells for an Arabian camel owner.A Celtic storytelling troupe once asked for bellsfor a storytelling stick. Hobbyists wanting to find

just the right bell for intricate crafting projectshave contacted me to supply bells to fulfill their custom orders. My bells have also adorneddancers (both Native American and erotic), bird

dogs, and cats. Recently I have had numerousrequests for bells for womens jewelry. And everyholiday season I have many queries about sleigh

bells and ornamental displays.

My bell shop is located inside my travelingcaravan in a space measuring 8 x 10, whichincludes a space for a small freezer stocked withhawk food. An air filtration system mountedinside the bell shop has proven to be a necessaryinnovation to assure that interior air quality ismaintained.

All in all, bell making is a hobby for an ever-so-small profit. Mostly it is therapeutic, and a glassof whisky or a pint on the workbench makes lifegood!

Larry Counce is a master falconer, bell maker, andtraveling medical technologist. His email addressis [email protected], and his web page can

be found at www.councebells.com .

Cutting Bench

Anealing Bench

Finished bells


13/20


14/20


PRODUCT REVIEWS

For years when hawking I have always used awaistcoat for hawking,

The type with the poachers pouch in the back anda multitude of pockets. Having seen so manyhawking vests on the market and in the field noneof them really appealed to me, being a larger blokedoesnt help the matter either. When I looked atsome being worn I didnt fancy the idea of having

a pocket sit almost under the armpit or have a vestthat fitted best undone flapping about either as Ihave seen so many times in the field with others.

One day I was advised about Keiths Dead Dogshawking vest, each one is hand made and can beadjusted to suite all. I spoke to Keith who I mustsay is a real nice chap, and he needed my waistand chest size along with the measurement from

Deaddog Hawking Vest Reviewed by Kevun Massey As recomm


15/20

PRODUCT REVIEWS

my shoulder to my waist and also what colour Iwanted. Keith also mentioned that he doesaccessories for the vest like the telemetry bag etc.

A couple of days later my vest arrived, first thingthat struck me was the quality of workmanship, itreally was a quality bit of work. Trying it on itsoon became apparent just how adjustable it is. Iset the shoulder straps first, so the pockets satwhere 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 pocketswould sit exactly where I wanted them around my

waist. Having the pockets where I wanted them allthat I needed to do then was do up the front and

pull the draw straps in so the vest fitted when doneup properly and that was it.

The vest has a large quarry compartment that sitson your back; this is vented allowing air to flow sothat the heat from the dispatched quarry doesntcause them to sweat. On the front there are twomain big pockets Attached to the front of these

pockets is another pocket both pockets both of which (because I requested them) had removablewashable liners for putting cut meat etc, these areheld in place by a Velcro strip. Both pockets areclosed with a flap that comes over with a fastener system that can be closed and secured with 1 handthese also have eyelets for Jesses to pull through.

There are also clips on the front for puttingswivels, leash etc.

Now last season I really put the vest to the test, Ifound my self going through dense hedges, woodsand all sorts of under growth. To begin with I waschecking 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 Hawkingvest on the market but with this quality and finishI personally believe its great value. The vest willfit every shape and size and adjust to just how youwant it.

Price: 75.00 plus P&P

www.eldandfalcon.co.uk

Coming up next month:Pineo Pendleton Glove

by Neil Davies Dave Noble Falconry Bellsnded...

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


16/20

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 Hollinsheads book The CompleteRabbit & Hare Hawk rst published?Send your answers to [email protected]

The Winner* will be drawn from the entries received beforethe 25th August 2010 and will be notied by email and theresults of the draw will feature in next months issue ofTHE CHASE.

*T&Cs - The editors decision is nal and the draw is only open to the UK Falconry Club and forum members. No other alternative prize will be offered to the winner.Only one entry per member. Competition closes midnight 25th August 2010.

WIN a signed copy of

Martin Hollinsheads bookMemoirs of a Hunter

COMPETITION


17/20

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

continues to be indispensable

A compelling and enduringlyfascinating read lives up to itsboastful title. IBR

Everyone could benefit from this book. BFC Newsletter

This book should be compulsoryreading for anyone flying orcontemplating flying a Harris hawk

International Falconer

Every stage of the birds training iscarefully thought out.The Falconers Magazine

This is probably one of the mostdescriptive accounts of ferreting [tohawks] ever written. Hawk Chalk

All novice falconers should be made toread this chapter [Dealing With Kills]

Countrymans WeeklyThis book is a must for all rabbit andhare hawking enthusiasts. Scottish Hawking Club

Available August Hard Covers 240 pages 25.00 + 3.00 p&p

SIGNED COPIES STRAIGHT FROM THE AUTHORTelephone 01902 561075 or

Email [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Also available from The Fernhill Press

Martin Hollinshead, The Fernhill Press, PO Box 1682, Wolverhampton, WV1 4GQWebsite: http://business.virgin.net/fernhill.press/index.htm


18/20


CLUB NEWS

Club NewsBBQThe UK Falconry Club will be holding a Summer BBQ in September 10th - 11th atRhosllefain, Tywyn, Gwynedd LL36 9ND.If any members wish to attend, please contact Ben Crane for further [email protected] 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 theclubs 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 supportsthe campaign for falconry


19/20


20/20

chase august (1)

Documents