Coming In for a landing

I took this clip while attending the B.O.W.(Becoming an OutdoorsWoman) weekend at Squam Lake last September '07. One of the seminars I attended was Falconry. This bird is a Marsh Hawk.
We each took a turn feeding the various birds of prey on hand. There were several; Marsh Hawks, and Peregrine Falcons. Because the weather was hot, we could only allow the birds a few runs at our baited gloves. The bird would fly up into a tree, then we would hold a piece of bait in a thick leather glove. The bait was baby chicks raised just for this purpose.

The bird of prey would see the bait, then swoop down from its lofty perch. It was amazing to watch and experience. The instructor told us that birds of prey are opportunistic hunters that are not actually "trained" to respond to a glove with bait. The birds are simply following their instinct and need for food. The birds tired quickly after landing on many gloved hands. They began to pant, their bills agape.

In order to be a falconer and hunt as such, you have to jump through several complicated governmental hoops. You can't simply go out and catch yourself a Marsh Hawk and start hunting. There are federal and state laws that govern both catching and using your winged hunting partner.