Last Saturday afternoon, I stopped by the Akashic Book store in Thousand Oaks. As I parked on T.O. Boulevard, I notice the SUV in front of me belonged to a special friend of mine, Cynthia Maxwell. Cynthia is a licensed falconer. ( Here is a photo of her with her red tailed hawk, Lance, in front of the Akashic Bookstore.)
Before I met Cynthia, I thought falconers only belonged to the Middle Ages, when kings and nobles would go out in hunting parties with their prized birds of prey. Well, that is not so. There are falconers today in California, but they are heavily regulated. First, they have to have adequate housing for a raptor, then serve a rigorous apprenticeship, and finally, pass a test and get licensed with the California Department of Fish and Game.
Here is a video of falconers and birds of prey at work: YouTube: Dartmoor Hawking School
Bob Coutts // May 24, 2011 at 10:42 AM
Both Cynthia and Lancelot are very special. The world is a better place with them in it.