Suggested Reading
Books for the pre apprentice/apprentice
While almost every book written on the subject has something to offer, the books mentioned below are suggested as being useful for falconers practicing falconry, or those considering practicing falconry, in New York State. Most of the titles will also be useful to falconers in other surrounding states, and less so for all USA based falconers.
North American Falconry and Hunting Hawks
Frank L. Beebe and Harold M. Webster
Forty-eight Chapters in five Sections: Introduction to North American Falconry (11 Chapters), The Broadwings (5 Chapters), The Shortwings (6 Chapters), The Longwings (11 Chapters), Further Reading (15 Chapters).
Falconry: A Guide for Beginners
Stuart E. Rossell
Book and DVD combination primarily aimed at the apprentice working with the passage Red-tailed Hawk but with useful information for falconers of all levels of experience.
Apprentice Study Guide
California Hawking Club
Essential Apprentice Pre-Test Material that applies to all states.
Apprenticeship Manual
California Hawking Club
Useful information for the apprentice.
The Falconer’s Apprentice
William Oakes
Guide to training the passage Red-tailed Hawk
The Red Tail Hawk
Liam J. McGranaghan
Guide to training the Red-Tailed Hawk
American Kestrels in Modern Falconry
Matthew Mullenix
The go to book for anyone wanting to fly American Kestrels.
Beginners Circle.
William Oakes
Collection of articles for the apprentice.
Understanding the Bird of Prey
Nick Fox
Very comprehensive book covering all aspects of falconry and captive breeding. Limited information on flying passage hawks.
Falconry, Art and Practice
Emma Ford
Limited information on flying passage Red-tailed Hawks but still full of useful information. A good first book.
Falconry and Hawking.
Phillip Glasier
Limited information on flying passage Red-tailed Hawks but choc full of useful information. Another good first book.
Further reading
For those who have read the books aimed at apprentices and are looking for further knowledge, the ones listed below are more focused and tend to be more in depth or specific to one or two species of hawks or a particular type of hawking.
Harris Hawk Revolution
Jennifer and Tom Coulson
Very comprehensive book on flying and breeding the Harris Hawk. Essential reading for anyone contemplating flying, or already flying this species.
A Hawk for the Bush.
Jack Mavrogordato
A treatise on training and flying the European Sparrowhawk. One of the best books ever written on flying the shortwings.
Desert Hawking IV
Harry McElroy
Covering the hawking of Quail and other desert species using Harris Hawks, Coopers Hawks and Aplomado Falcons. Lots of useful information for any falconer.
The Art of Sage Grouse Hawking
Steve Chindgren
Focused solely on hawking Sage Grouse in the American High Desert by the acknowledged master of this branch of hawking.
The Complete Merlin.
Multiple Authors
Covers the flying of Merlins on several continents including articles on flying merlins in the Eastern USA.
The Imprint Accipiter II
Mike McDermott
Covers all aspects of raising, training and flying imprint accipiters.
Developing the Modern Gamehawk
Lynn Oliphant
Guide to raising, hacking and training a longwing for waiting on flights.
Hawking Ground Quarry
Martin Hollinshead
Useful book including information on flying eagles.
Duck Hawking
Joe Roy III
Detailed book on flying large longwings at ducks.
Dirt Hawking
Joe Roy III
A guide to hawking rabbits and Hares.
General Knowledge
The following are books any falconer will find a useful addition to his or her library.
Trapping essentials.
Ben Woodruff
The most definitive book written on the trapping of raptors.
Raptors in Captivity
Lori Arent
Useful medical book covering the keeping and rehabilitating of raptors.
Hawks of North America
Peterson Field Guides
The standard field guide for identifying the different species of birds of prey found in North America.
A photographic Guide to North American Raptors.
Wheeler and Clark
Useful book containing hundreds of photos of North American Birds of Prey.
Recommended Booksellers
Books may be obtained from many sources including but not limited to:
Western Sporting
730 Crook Street
Sheridan, WY 82801
Phone # 888 359 4295
Website: www.westernsporting.com
Email: sales@westernsporting.com
Northwoods Falconry
7430 Manzanita Dr.
NW Olympia, WA 98508
Phone # 800 446 5080
Website: www.northwoodsfalconry.com
Email: sales@northwoodsfalconry.com
Mike’s Falconry Supplies
4700 SE Chase Rd.
Gresham OR 97080
Phone # 888 663 5601
Website: www.mikesfalconry.com