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We admire the wild goshawk as a ferocious hunter. This is the quality of hawk we would all like to fly. A captive-bred, parent-reared hawk is a poor substitute because it has to be flown at an artificially light weight for control. An Imprint goshawk or, better still, a tame-hacked Imprint goshawk is the closest we will ever get to that wild hawk. It has the advantage of flying at a heavier weight with little fear of humans, making the hawk stronger and more focused on its prey.
Throughout the last ten years I have gathered knowledge and innovation to make my hawking more successful. Some of this has come from personal observation and some from a small group of Falconers and Austringers I fly with regularly (all of whom fly Imprint goshawks)
Each time I imprint a hawk I learn a little more and have another story to tell. These films show the results of some of the ideas I have put to the test and they cover every aspect of life with an Imprint goshawk.
So much mis-information was being tossed around by armchair Falconers and Austringers about imprinting hawks. For this reason I decided to make a film of “The Imprint Goshawk” as I know it.
It took four years of filming to try and capture the images and experiences of flying this superb raptor. There were many times when we did not have a camera and missed some exciting shots. There were also times when we got so taken-up with what was going on that we forgot to pick up the camera.
Whilst editing I realized I had to make two films in order to show the imprinting process clearly, taking the Hawk into its second and third year.
Part 1: From Egg to Flight
Part 2: From Flight to Hunting
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