Phoenix Falconry Scotland

Hood Making

I was recently given a new falcon to start to work on after loosing one of our very best display falcons.
Kris was the victim of an inexperienced lurer, a fence post and an total lack of respect for personal safety. All very sad after 9 year together but finally time to move on.

My new falcon is called “6”, and is a 3/4 Peregrine/ Gyr Hybrid.

He came to me very low in condition and it took me almost two weeks to start to put condition back onto him and over the last week or so he is now starting to fly for the hell of it once more with energy reserves to spare and a spring in is step!

Tuesday found him tearing after the local feral pigeon populations of the farm in an adrenalin fuel’d flight that lasted almost 5 minutes..

I have high hopes for this little chap and decided by Thursday that he needed a new hood (Leather cap used to blindfold) befitting of his hallowed place amongst the Phoenix Flying Falcons.

I have been making hoods since childhood ( I might add mostly badly!) but over the last 15 years or so they have started to improve. Stitching what equates to four separate pieces of leather together seamlessly is not as easy as you might think!
Then there is the shaping and boning (a process of polishing the hood on a hard block using a piece of smooth bone, resulting in a patent affect) attaching a Plume and braceing up, all of which takes time, patience and a bit of skill.

After 10 Hours hard graft, the result speak’s for itself, and now an amazing young falcon has a brand new fancy piece of headgear… Result.