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A year in the life of my Imprint Accipiter “Jake”

Chapter One - In the beginning

When I first picked up Jake from the breeder's, I wondered how I would fair with taking on an Imprint Accipiter. Everybody concerned with in the falconry fraternity at the time said “Oh! No don't have an imprint, you will regret it”.

Within the confines of this last statement, I personally found a challenge. A lot of people I knew had spoke about imprints, some had tried them, however the vast majority of falconers had steered clear, Why?

In answer to my own question the reason is really quite simple, working with imprints takes a lot of hard and dedicated work in the early stages, however this hard works pays off in the long run.

I first came across imprints some nine to ten years ago when through one of my so called friends I was sold one. The bird, a falcon, as well as the breeder were to say the least less than professional, and needless to say both I and the hawk parted company soon after the first year of attempted training.

The problem with this hawk besides the atrocious way the imprinting was done in the first place was that the owner/breeder was a so called experienced falconer within a very reputable falconry club within the U.K.

As you must appreciate for legal reasons the breeder must remain anonymous however it is a test for all future falconers concerned that breeders selling imprints whether they be falcons, hawks, or whatever, must take care in locating a breeder who has had considerable experience with all birds of prey, especially imprints.

Once I had located my breeder, and had numerous telephone conversations concerning my imprint, I felt everything was in place ready for the day I could pick the hawk up. That day came. Deposits had been paid, and the final balance was due. When I walked into the back garden of the breeder, the formal cup of tea had already been sorted and the placement of whose hawk was who's had begun.

In front of me were four imprinting pens, two contained two large female goshawks and the other two contained tiercels's of the same breed. After a short while the tea was served and all hawks were released out of their respected pens onto the lawn.

I duly asked which one was mine and the breeder pointed to one of the smaller hawks running around his back yard. At first glance I didn't think the package highlighted was worth the money I had agreed. The one thing that stuck out at that particular moment was the size difference of the female regards the male. The female imprints seemed unbelievably large in relation to the tiercel I had ordered.

Within the hour all monies had been paid and I was on my way home with my newly acquired hawk.