After finishing university my son Max moved home and decided to become a registered Falconer. In September, after three years of slowly and steadily learning the craft and taking courses, he got his first bird – a Harris Hawk he has named Equinox. But we call her Quin.

Quin was ‘chamber raised’ with her parents and had never seen a human when Max got her at four months old from Amy, a master Falconer who also raises birds of prey. After 3 1/2 months of training, Quin flys free when they go on hunts following along with Max, comes to his arm when he calls her, and sleeps on a perch in his tiny home on our property.

There are three ways falconers make money 1. Bird abatement – Falconers are hired by airports, farmers, whoever has a bird problem that needs to be sorted. 2. Events – giving demonstrations at fairs, parties, fancy hotels etc. 3. Personal experiences – people who want a one on one experience or to go on a hunt with a bird of prey.

For me here at Balderson Blueberries, I am thrilled to be Max’s first customer for bird abatement in our Blueberry field. Quin will start working in the spring and we will have no more bird pecked berries. Hallelujah!

Being a Falconer is a great fit for Max. Quin is everything he hoped she would be. It’s quite a learning curve to read the body language of a raptor and navigating the training when you are just starting out. It’s sometimes painful (as Max has experienced), sometimes a little nerve racking, but always exciting. Congrats to Max as he embarks on this new journey.