The Peregrine Falcon is starting to go higher and higher. We flew from The Raritan Inn Bed & Breakfast today and Susan covered some ground.
Posted by New Jersey Falconry on Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Wildlife Control Specialist llc to Hire P.J. Simonis to head up Ocean City Abatement Project
Last year from August to October P.J. Simonis flew an assortment of birds to control the presence of gulls on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. This year Ocean City put the project out to bid and Wildlife Control Specialists llc won the contract with the lowest bid. In an interview with OCNJ Daily Joe Kosakowski of WCSllc announced they would be hiring P.J. Simonis to train and fly their raptors over the boardwalk in 2020. Joe owns WCSllc with his son Matt.
World of Flight Bird Show at Hogle Zoo Program Cancelled
Steve Chidgren and his daughter Jena will not be presenting at the Hogle Zoo any longer. The Utah Zoo has ended the program at the Zoo. We wish Steve a happy retirement and a wonderful Falconry season. Here you can see a news piece from five years ago on the program. Steve has a true love for Raptors and has been a great ambassador for the birds and the sport of Falconry.
Ocean City awards Gull Abatement Contract to Wildlife Control Specialists llc
Last year Ocean City, NJ hired East Coast Falcons to clear the Gulls off the Boardwalk in the resort town that regards itself as Americas Greatest Family Resort. The program was a huge success. In the video below you can see some clips from 2019 from Ocean City and hear and Interview from Bill Spadea with Joe Kosakowski discussing FBBA (Falconry Based Bird Abatement) with one of his Harris’s Hawks, Seven. Joe, along with his son Matt, own one of the companies that bid on the contract along with East Coast Falcons and Foster Falconry. The contract was won by Wildlife Control Specialists llc., Joe and Matt’s company, for the 2020 season. Due to the Covid 19/ Coronavirus Epidemic it is uncertain when the contract will start but it was slated for mid-May. WCSllc has stated they will hire P.J. Simonis to fulfill the contract. P.J. was the falconer who handled the contract for East Coast Falcons in 2019. You can see the project documented on Resource Raptors on Facebook.
Meet Seven, a Harris's hawk whose brethren are soaring above Ocean City, NJ, to stop seagulls from terrorizing beachgoers.
Posted by Chasing News on Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Up close and personal with a Peregrine Falcon
This beautiful girl gets flown every day. Another part of her day is what we call weathering. Weathering is basically putting the bird out in the weather. Giving them an opportunity to soak up some vitamin D from the sun, take a bath in some fresh, clean water and just take in the fresh air.
Conditioning / Training Falcons and Dogs
Even when we are not on a contract and even when there is a pandemic going on we are still working with our dogs and birds. Flying every day and getting everyone acclimated and used to each other is what we do. Here is a quick video look into the day in the life of Susan the Peregrine Falcon.
Part of the Manning Process
It is very important to get a new bird used to you when you first start the training process. They make positive associations with food so we try to get them used to the lure we will ultimate use while they eat as well as following up with an audible cue such as a whistle. Today was the first time this peregrine falcon ate off the lure and then she stepped to the fist to finish her meal.
We are expanding the team!
Some new falconers have been added to the mix and we can’t wait to share the news officially. New birds are in training too and you are not going to be disappointed. Here is a little sneak peek at one of the new birds. She is a very large 1400g white Gyr Falcon.