Soaring

It is days like today that makes living in Ireland tolerable. After the rain last night, today dawned a beautiful crisp clear morning and a more perfect day for flying falcons would not be possible. There was a good stiff breeze blowing as I gave my Saker falcon his daily exercise; stooping him at the lure to tire him out and build up some muscle. I gave him about five or six minutes of that and he was panting hard as I let him catch the lure.

My Lanner falcon then had her turn on the wing, and it being such a perfect day she wasted no time and headed for the clouds; those big fluffy cumulus clouds that kids love to draw. Within four or five minutes she was just a dot in the sky overhead and when a plane came past pulling a large-winged glider I took my eye off the Lanner.  It’s not until you are looking for something that you really realize just how much big blue sky is up there. After a few minutes fruitlessly scanning the part of the sky I knew she was in, I noticed one of the local buzzards was up soaring around, using its broad wings and the rising air or thermals to climb higher and higher .......

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