The Falconer
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE FALCONER (R8x32) 3C (4C set) Richard Bennett Katannuta Book1- 8 1s dance in, touch hands and cast to 2nd place (2s step up bars 3-4), 1s cross up RH and cast to 2nd place opposite sides
9-16 1s dance DoSiDo with 3rd corners, 2s+1s+3s pas-de-basque Coupe
17-24 1s slip step down and back, remain in middle with both hands joined
25-32 1s ½ turn 2H while 2s+3s set advancing, 2s+1s+3s "Celtic Curve" (dance out 2 bars, pulling back RSh and curve by right back to place). All set
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Information
A falconer is a person skilled in the art of falconry.Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small and larger animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds.
There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an Austringer (French origin) flies a hawk (Accipiter, some buteos and similar) or an eagle (Aquila or similar).
In modern falconry, the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), the Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), and the peregrine falcon (Falco perigrinus) are some of the more commonly used birds of prey. The practice of hunting with a conditioned falconry bird is also called hawking or gamehawking, although the words hawking and hawker have become used so much to refer to petty traveling traders, that the terms falconer and falconry now apply to most use of trained birds of prey to catch game.
Probably the best place to see many falconers in action is The Hawk Conservancy Trust in Weyhill, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8DY.
The Hawk Conservancy Trust regularly fly a medley of hunting birds in live flying displays throughout the day, including African Vultures, European Black Kites, Bald Eagle, Harris Hawk, Vultures, Long Eared Owl, Great Grey Owl and many others.
They are also involved in conservation and research projects both in the UK and abroad, and rescue (and release) injured birds of prey.
Chart Illustrating Falconers' Terminology, By Louis Agassiz Fuertes, 1920
This page contains both original content, which is copyrighted, and excerpts from Wikipedia and other sources using the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Text from this original Falconry article on Wikipedia.
Image from Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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