Our Canada series continues with another familiar name in the falconry community! A falconer of multiple decades from Saskatchewan, Lynn Oliphant, author of Developing the Modern Gamehawk, takes some time here on the podcast to discuss his background and history, as well as some of the preparation and work that went into putting together his book. The amount of work that goes into such endeavors is always impressive, and hearing more about all the work that Lynn put into his is no exception! We hope you enjoy another information packed episode of this series featuring falconers from Canada!

Our dachshund series continues with a guest who has been requested often on the podcast, but until recently, we couldn't connect with and make a recording happen in person. Tyler Sladen has been a friend for awhile, having started falconry around relatively the same time. However, a recent terrier trial event in Kentucky held on the weekend of my birthday was the first time in seven or eight years that we had seen each other, so we finally got a chance to make it happen. We had a lot of catching up to do, and in that time, we of course talked dachshunds and other breeds, as well as many of the things that we've encountered and dealt with along our respective falconry journeys. It was great getting to catch up with him, and we hope you enjoy it and get something from it!

Well, you all have been asking for it, and we listened.... This is the start of a series featuring falconers from Canada! We heard the requests before, but as always, we try to do as many episodes in person as possible. However, after much debating, discussing, and planning, we conceded that the only way we were going to be able to ever initially put out episodes for Canada was to start remotely. Therefore, thanks to the help of our guest for this episode, we were able to get in contact with some falconers from Canada, and link up over the internet. We've done the best we can with the audio quality of these episodes, but that being said we think you'll enjoy them, especially this initial episode with Mark Williams! On top of being a very experienced falconer, Mark is also the communications director and NAFA trustee for the Falconry Fund. In the past, he's also worked abroad in the Middle East for an established telemetry company, and the stories of that experience alone are enough to make this episode well worth the listen! We hope you enjoy this series, and will do our best to bring you more episodes featuring falconers from Canada that are recorded in person in the future!

We're shaking things up a bit over the next few months of the podcast! This episode brings the start of one of a couple of new series, with this series featuring one of the favorite dog breeds used in falconry: Dachshunds! After meeting the guest for this episode of the podcast for the first time, the inspirational spark for a series featuring this breed was lit. While attending my first dachshund field trials, we fortunately found the time in between Teddy's judging obligations to discuss her long history with this breed and falconry. Credited by many for being the "Godmother" of dachshunds being used in falconry, Teddy Moritz has a wealth of knowledge spanning decades in regards to these little dogs and their uses in falconry and hunting, so you all are in for a treat! Hopefully someday we can capture more of her memories and stories. In the meantime, we have many more episodes of this series coming up for you in the coming weeks with some new types of conversations and discussions, so we look forward to getting these series out to you! Happy hawking!

This episode has taken awhile to come to fruition, but thanks to some mutual friends (and some bourbon!), Mike McDermott has agreed to come on the podcast to discuss his falconry experiences with us. Amongst other things, we talk about passage Cooper's hawks, imprint goshawks vs. chamber/parent reared goshawks, and the motivations for writing books. He also discusses his change in mindset throughout his years in falconry as well. There's a lot of great stuff in this episode, but just a heads up, there's some "colorful" language at times in this episode, so just consider yourself warned! A lot of fun was had during the recording and editing of this episode, and we're confident you'll get some good info and laughs out of it too!

We're switching gears again, bringing you a couple of individual episodes before starting into a mix of a couple of new exciting series for you all! Recently, we were fortunate enough to be able to meet up with Seth Roy while recording with several falconers around the New Jersey area. He was nice enough to show us around his amazing property, discuss some of the aspects of his breeding project, North Mountain Goshawks, and talk some about his approach to falconry. We're also happy to announce that North Mountain Goshawks is now a sponsor of the podcast, so if you're in the market soon for a new goshawk, head to http://www.northmountaingoshawks.com and fill out the contact form or drop them a message on Facebook. He has produced some great birds, so if you give one a shot, we're sure you won't be disappointed!

The Cape Falconry Club series concludes with this second bonus episode featuring another falconer from the UK, Steve Eastwood. In this conversation, we discuss Harris's hawks, ferrets in falconry, and experiences coming to South Africa. Steve also talks some about what falconry is like for him in the northern part of England, where he currently resides. Thanks again so much for listening to the series, and we hope you've gotten a lot out of it! We're switching gears in the coming weeks with some individual episodes we know you'll enjoy, as well as starting a couple of new series for you too, so we look forward to having you with us again during our coming travels!

This Cape Falconry Club series concludes with two bonus episodes, both with falconers from the UK in attendance at the meet. This first bonus episode is with Robert Kenward, a falconer who has volunteered a lot of time with the IAF and IUCN, helping many falconers with their conservation efforts. We discuss some of his background and experiences with those efforts, as well as some of his experiences with goshawks, which also happens to be among the raptors he's most passionate about. Just one bonus episode left in the series, so don't miss it, and the exciting things we have coming up after!

This Cape Falconry Series is almost at an end, with this being the last falconer in the series from South Africa. Originally from Zimbabwe, Dr. Adrian Lombard has a lot of experience volunteering with the IAF, and has served in multiple capacities, including chairman. We discuss that, as well as some of the details of his medical practice, and we also discuss one of the favorite species of raptor he's enjoyed flying over the years: the black sparrowhawk. After this episode, we have two bonus episodes left with falconers from the UK who were in attendance at the CFC meet to conclude the CFC series, so be sure not to miss them!

As we come closer to ending this series showcasing some of the wonderful falconry in South Africa, Dr. Edmund Oettlé joins us in this ninth episode of the series to discuss some of his experiences in the sport, and experience is something he has no shortage of! On top of being one of the falconers responsible for getting falconry legalized in the Western Cape, he has also had an interesting career as a veterinarian. To add to this, he also decided later on to switch careers and start making wine, so juggling all of that along with his falconry and family responsibilities produced a very intriguing conversation! We have just a few episodes left before this series concludes, so enjoy!

In this eighth episode of the Cape Falconry Club series, Zayin Vermaak joins us to talk about some of the experiences he's had in the many years he's practiced falconry. He elaborates some about the species he's flown, including black sparrowhawks and lanner falcons, as well as some of the challenges he's faced with them! We have just a handful of episodes left in this series, and we hope you all have enjoyed the journey with us!

This Cape Falconry Club series continues on with this seventh episode, which features another falconer with a unique experience. Francois Breedt is another falconer who has had the experience of helping to get falconry legalized and a club established in their respective province, which was the Free State province at the time. Along with that experience, in this episode he also discusses his love for pointers, as well as his favorite prey to hunt, amongst other things. Thanks for continuing to join us as this series continues on!

The fun at the CFC meet continues with this sixth episode of the series. This recording was made shortly after a morning of hawking, where Thean Prinsloo bagged the first head of game at the meet. Later in the morning, after his falcon took a duck in a nice flight, we sat down to discuss his first few years in falconry. He talks about his experiences with the CFC and mentorship, some of the lessons he's learned being a relatively new falconer, as well as some of things he's had to do to incorporate falconry around his academic pursuits. A big thanks also goes out to Thean for the transportation to the meet and other places during my time in and around Cape Town!

During another rainy day recording this fourth episode at the CFC meet, Trevor Oertel sits down with us to talk about his lengthy falconry history, and quite a history it is! Trevor is one of the falconers responsible for getting falconry legalized in the Western Cape province, as well as helping to form the Cape Falconry Club and South African Falconers Association. He provides a lot of valuable insight into the challenges that go with that whole process, and why falconry was illegal for a period of time in that part of South Africa. You won't want to miss hearing about some of these experiences!

During another rainy day recording this fourth episode at the CFC meet, Trevor Oertel sits down with us to talk about his lengthy falconry history, and quite a history it is! Trevor is one of the falconers responsible for getting falconry legalized in the Western Cape province, as well as helping to form the Cape Falconry Club and South African Falconers Association. He provides a lot of valuable insight into the challenges that go with that whole process, and why falconry was illegal for a period of time in that part of South Africa. You won't want to miss hearing about some of these experiences!

We're joined by Dr. Kyle Perrin during a very rainy day at the CFC meet for this third episode of the Cape Falconry Club series. Kyle is another falconer who is also a veterinarian, with experience practicing not just in South Africa, but also the UK. He's also practiced falconry in both countries, so offers insights and stories into his falconry experiences from both perspectives. We hope you've been enjoying the series so far, and thanks again to the CFC and Falconry Heritage Trust for helping to make it possible!

In this second episode coming to you from the Cape Falconry Club, we're joined by its chairman, André Cilliers, and he does a great job of going into further detail about how falconry is regulated and conducted in the Western Cape. He also discusses his use of dogs in his falconry and what led him to choose his current dog, his journey to flying longwings, and some of the other challenges he's had to face in his position along with his personal falconry. He was also very instrumental in helping to organize and coordinate this series, and without his help, it probably wouldn't have happened, so we're very appreciative of his invitation to attend the CFC meet! We also thank the Falconry Heritage Trust for their grant to help meet travel expenses for this series, and if you want to find out more about them and help support their cause, please head to http://www.falconryheritage.org.

Thanks for joining us for the start of our journey in South Africa! Our first podcast episode of this series organized by the Cape Falconry Club features a conversation with Richard Huchzermeyer. We were able to get this recorded in between breaks during the joint IUCN/IAF conference being held in Cape Town the first weekend I was in South Africa, and along with hearing about Richard's falconry story, this is the first of many educational and informative episodes of how things work with falconry in the South African provinces. We hope you find the series as interesting as we did, and hopefully hearing how falconry is conducted from another country with different provincial perspectives will peak your interests as much as it did ours! We'd also like to thank the Falconry Heritage Trust for helping to sponsor the travel expenses to make this series possible. For more information about the mission of the FHT and how to donate to their cause, please go to https://www.falconryheritage.org.

This episode was recorded the week of the Archives Spring Rendezvous, and we're happy to finally be able to release it for you all! Joe and Alyssa were kind enough to host us at their home that week, and we took the opportunity to have a fun conversation catching each other up on our falconry seasons during the visit. Since Joe and Alyssa also haven't been guests on the podcast before, they also shared some of their favorite falconry and abatement stories while we were catching up. We hope you enjoy this fun falconry banter between friends before starting on our journey in South Africa next week!

It's only fitting that we conclude this Arizona Falconers Association series with a tribute to the man who kicked the series off, Harry McElroy. When we started putting this series together, it became apparent very quickly that a tribute episode was in order for Harry, who's made so many contributions to falconry and had an impact on so many falconers around the world. We were able to get in touch with some more of the falconers who've had the privelege of knowing Harry throughout the years and give them the chance to share some of their favorite memories and experiences with Harry. Thanks again so much for joining us for this special episode and we hope you've enjoyed the series! Next up: South Africa!!