2011 Summer Picnic

Saturday, August 20, 1:00 p.m.
McCook Point Park Pavilion
8 Atlantic Street, Niantic, CT

(click here to see picnic details in pdf format)

-------------------------------------------------------

Brief History of Falconry

Get more information

Falconry is an inveterate sport tracing back hundreds of years.  It is believed to have been originated in the Asiatic plains by nomadic peoples.  However, there would soon be a great twist in regards to who practiced Falconry.  It may have been .started by a simple nomadic people, but was soon claimed by the upper class, and .would remain this way for thousands of years.
       In one of the first written records of falconry birds were given to princes as royal gifts in 2205 BC, but it is believed to be around for as long back as 4000 BC.  Later in 1700 BC there was wall hangings found in Arabia and Persia depicting men with falcons on their arms.  There are not many records after that for a time Till the Middle Ages in Medieval Europe where falconry reached its highest popularity in its history.
        A falconer was seen as a figure of authority, taking part in a beautiful cooperation between man and a stupendous hunter who is second to none.  The sport was reserved mostly for royalty.  Some of the royalty of the time that participated include, King Harold, William of Normandy, Alburtas Magnus, Mary Queen of Scots, Edward III, and the list continues on to name many famous rulers, and even the famous playwright William Shakespeare was believed to be a falconer.  Kings would often take falconers with them on campaigns to entertain the knights.  Some even collected upwards of 300 birds.  The type of bird used could even tell you someone’s stature in the upper-class.   An eagle or vulture would only be for an emperor, a gyrfalcon would be royalty, an earl would have a peregrine, a yeoman would have goshawks, the priest would own sparrow –hawks and a servant would be allowed a kestrel.
.. . Falconry has worked towards protecting raptors for hundreds of years.  In what is believed to be the first legislative act protecting birds in history Henry VII of England made a law protecting England’s Goshawk’s population. 
.....In the 1900’s falconry made the trip across the Atlantic and came to the United States.  Currently there are approximately 4,000 falconers with 5,000 birds in the United States.  However our group in Connecticut is much smaller only boasting about sixteen members.  This is not bad considering that the practice of falconry in the state has only been legal for 3 years.  We hope that this brief history on the enormous topic of falconry will give you an idea on its backround and our website will help you better understand it.

Recent Activities

Get more information

Here is Steve with his Bird. Lets write some interesting text and place it here.