Writing Excuses Transcripts

 

From https://writingexcuses.com/19-26-bringing-falconry-into-writing 

 

Key points: Falconry and writing. How do you become a falconer? A test, a patron, and facility inspection. How did you get started? Books! My Side of the Mountain, The Goshawk. What do you need to know? Husbandry, health, laws, vocabulary. Is the test local or national? State laws are different, so the test content is different. Where do you get a bird? Trap a first year bird, or buy from a captive breeder. Sensory details? The partnership, based on food. Talons, and ruffling feathers. Touch! What bothers you about writing about falconry? Skipping the husbandry and training. Honoring the animal? Be realistic. Mantling. Raptors are a core part of the ecosystem. 

 

[Season 19, Episode 26]

 

[Mary Robinette] This episode of Writing Excuses has been brought to you by our listeners, patrons, and friends. If you would like to learn how to support this podcast, visit www.patreon.com/writingexcuses.

 

[Season 19, Episode 26]

 

[Mary Robinette] This is Writing Excuses.

[DongWon] Bringing Falconry into Writing.

[Mary Robinette] 15 minutes long.

[DongWon] Because you're in a hurry.

[Dan] And we're not that smart.

[Mary Robinette] I'm Mary Robinette.

[DongWon] I'm DongWon.

[Dan] I'm Dan.

 

[Mary Robinette] We are joined today by our special guest, Krista Hong Edwards.

[Krista] Hi. I'm Krista Hong Edwards. I'm a falconer here in Utah, and I also happen to be an English teacher. So, the opportunity to be on Writing Excuses is combining my two loves. I'm very excited to be here.

[Mary Robinette] We met Krista in 2023, when we ran the Writing Excuses Bear Lake, where we were doing animal husbandry and we had horses and falconry. She came out with her peregrine falcon sky and several other birds, and introduced us to the wonderful world of falconry. We wanted to bring that to a wider audience, so we invited Krista to come join us in talking about how to bring falconry into your writing. So, when you are… Like, first of all, how do you become a falconer?

[Laughter]

[Krista] Yeah. That's always the first question that's asked when people see this predatory bird on my arm. They look at her talons and her hooked beak and they want to know why do you want that thing on your arm? And how do you get that thing on your arm? It's quite an intense process, but once you break it down, it's a step-by-step process. So, here in the United States, you have to check off three items, I guess you might say. Depending on your state, it differs in the order in which you can do this. But the first thing you need to do is pass a 180 question test that is administered by your Department of wildlife, your fish and game division. After you pass that test, you then have to secure what's called a sponsor or a mentor, really. Someone who's been practicing falconry for a number of years who agrees to kind of take you under their wing, so to speak, and train you in this very historic and ancient art. Then, at that point, after you have your sponsor who's agreed, "Yes, I'll train this person," you can get your equipment and your facilities inspected. So it's verified by the fish and game division that you are qualified and that you have all of the necessary equipment. It's safe for the bird, and it's appropriate for the bird. At that point, you can get your license. So it takes quite a while.

 

[DongWon] So, I'm curious, what brought you, specifically, to this? Like…

[Yeah]

[DongWon] How did you end up becoming a falconer and what was your journey?

[Krista] Oh, it all started with books, right?

[Laughter]

[Krista] It always starts with books. So, there's a book that's relatively well known, quite a few people have read it in school. It's called My Side of the Mountain.

[DongWon] I was wondering if that is what you were going to say.

[Krista] Oh, yes.

[DongWon] Yes.

[Krista] Yes. I would honestly say about 75 percent of American falconers will credit Jean Craighead George, the author of that book, with their own falconry journey. If it wasn't Jean Craighead George, then it was T. H. White The Goshawk. There's quite a few falconry related books out there that exposed individuals who wouldn't normally know that this is something you can do into the world of falconry. So when I was about… I don't know, seven, eight, probably a little too young to be reading that level, but I saw the bird on the cover and I said, "I have got to have this book." I read it and I realized, oh, that's a thing!

[Chuckles]

[Krista] I, like, beyond just my parakeet which I had at home, I can have a peregrine falcon. So I told my parents, "I'm going to get a peregrine." They said, "Oh, not when you're living under our roof."

[Laughter]

[Krista] So I moved out, came out here to Utah, which happens to be a great paradise for raptors. Which means it's a great paradise to practice falconry. And started my journey here.

[Mary Robinette] Did you have a question?

[Dan] I was just laughing at the implication that you moved out of your parents home at eight years old…

[Laughter]

[Dan] To [garbled get a?] peregrine falcon.

[Krista] No. At eight years old, I determined I was going to get a peregrine falcon. At 18, I moved out to Utah. I'm originally from New Jersey, where it's quite industrial. Right? So I knew I wasn't going to be able to pursue my journey there with a peregrine.

[DongWon] We've got some raptors out there, but not exactly…

[Krista] Yeah.

[DongWon] For this purpose.

 

[Mary Robinette] So, when you were talking about it, you said 180 question test?

[Krista] Yeah.

[Mary Robinette] 180 question test. I'm kind of curious, like, what sort of things do you need to know before you acquire a bird?

[Krista] Yes. That's a great question. So the test is really just to test your basic knowledge. The test goes over husbandry, it goes over health, it goes over laws, vocab… So, for example, the word cast in falconry could mean one of four different things. Do you know the four different things it could possibly mean?

[Mary Robinette] What are they?

[Laughter]

[Krista] What are they? It could mean to restrain the bird. It could mean the bird's pellets that it's coughing up. It could mean the action of bringing the pellet up. It could also mean… This when I don't understand why… It could also mean a group of birds that you're hunting together. So, if you have like two or more falcons or two or more hawks, it's a cast of hawks. So it's… And all spelled the same way.

[Mary Robinette] Of course they are.

[DongWon] Those are four very diverse meanings.

[Krista] Right.

[DongWon] Well, two of them are related, but the other ones… Yeah.

[Krista] But the other ones… Well, yeah. Again, I don't know how this vocab started. But it's been used for eons. Back in medieval times, they were using a cast of falcons and we still use it today.

 

[Dan] So, these questions that you have to do, how national or local is this test? Is someone in one particular state going to find a completely different…

[Krista] Yes.

[Dan] Process than what you just described?

[Krista] Abs… Well, not a different process, but the test questions themselves may differ.

[Dan] Okay.

[Krista] Because each state's laws are different. So you might be able to purchase the California Hawking club study guide, but that will real… The legal part of that will only apply to California. So if you try to take that legal part and let's say you're testing in Kentucky, you're going to fail that section of the test.

[Mary Robinette] I remember you saying at the workshop that some states you can only hunt birds that are not native to the region and others you can only hunt birds that are native to the region. Is that…

[Krista] Yeah. So each state also has restrictions on what species you can have. So, for example, here in Utah, we actually have a wide variety of birds that we can access. Some that you would never actually want to hunt with, because they're not exactly great birds to build a partnership with.

[Dan] Such as?

[Krista] Such as like the northern harrier. It's a really cool looking bird, look it up.

[Dan] Really beautiful bird. Yeah.

[Krista] It's gorgeous. But no one's ever hunted successfully with it, because they're just not wired to work with humans the way a red tailed hawk is or a peregrine falcon is. Then, meanwhile, you go out to… I think it's Connecticut and you cannot have an American Kestrel there. Which is interesting, because that's one of the most common starting birds here in the American West. So each state has its own laws and restrictions as well.

 

[Mary Robinette] Where do you get a bird? Like…

[Chuckles]

[Krista] I love that question. Because people are like I go to Petco and I don't see these things for sale. I'm like, yeah.

[Mary Robinette] It seems like that's not the norm.

[Krista] No, it's not the norm. Right. So there's two main ways you can get a bird of prey. Here in the United States, we actually have the privilege of being able to trap one from the wild. A lot of people at first are like, "Oh. No. Wait. Why do you want to trap one from the wild?" It's actually beneficial to the raptor population, because about 70 to 80 percent of them in the first year will not make it to their second year. Because the winter is harsh. If you don't catch something, on those cold nights, you might not make it to the next morning. So we are able to take first year birds. Not anything from the breeding population. That's actually illegal. But a first year bird that is going through its first molt, we are able to take from the wild and train for falconry. Alternatively, you can also get one from a captive breeder.

[Mary Robinette] So, Sky, your peregrine…

[Krista] She's captive bred.

 

[Mary Robinette] Okay. What are the… What are kind of some of the sensory details that you think about when you think about Sky? [Garbled]

[Krista] Such a good question. I would say, for me, it's the journey of being with her. When I am flying her, and this is something that a lot of falconers will talk about, it's a very ethereal experience. To be out in the wild, with this animal that should not want to partnership with you, because they can survive on their own. They know they can. But they keep coming back home with you. Because they trust you and they feel that connection and that relationship. They don't feel love for you. It's all food based

[laughter]

[Krista] I often joke… People are like, "How do you get her back?" I'm like, "Same way I get my boyfriends to come back, I offer them food."

[Laughter]

[Krista] But you build this relationship with them. So, sensory details I would start to describe. Once she's on my arm, I feel her talons. I try to use… A lot of falconers, all people at first, they think I want the thickest glove possible to protect me from those talons. I like to use the thinnest glove possible, so I feel exactly what she's thinking and feeling. I can feel each talon unlock. I feel her put pressure on one foot versus the other. So I know, a moment before she's gonna to fly. I know seconds before she's going to tell me that she satisfied by ruffling her feathers. There's that very direct connection where she can also feel my muscles tensing or she knows my cue of, hey, we're ready to go. Right? So I'll shift my wrist, just so slightly, so she's leaning more forward and she knows, okay, now we're ready to move on. Then, when I'm touching her… So it's not necessarily recommended that you touch your falcon, but for medical purposes, right? I like her to be used to my touch. I reach under her wing and just feel slick back one word feeling how the feathers overlap each other, they're like dragon scales. Right? It's just a very beautiful thing of nature to look at her, the armor kind of on her feathers, on her wings, and how each one perfectly overlaps. Then, when she molts, seeing the new ones grow in. When she molts, it's actually a really beautiful thing because her feathers become more sunbleached as the year passes on. So then she gets these dark blue new feathers each year. It's just… I don't know how to describe it. It's a work of art.

[DongWon] It sounds incredible.

[Mary Robinette] Yeah. Having met Sky, I was just… She's… She is a lovely, lovely bird.

[Krista] She is. She's got a great personality. You can see in her eyes that she's thinking, she's processing, that she's really understanding. Even when she's not on my glove, if she's on Mary Robinette's glove, she looks at Mary Robinette, she understands, oh, this is still a safe place. She knows that she's comfortable here.

[Mary Robinette] Well, speaking of safe and comfortable places, let's pause for our break. I think you have a recommendation for us?

 

[Krista] Yes, I do. So, if you're looking into writing realistic animals, something that I… A book that I really loved was this one called Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by author Kathleen Rooney. It's about a pigeon. I don't know how else to describe it. It's a true story, it's based on a true story, of a real pigeon in World War I. A lot of people when I tell them, look, guys, it's about a pigeon and the pigeon's handler, they're like, "Wait. Really?" But Kathleen Rooney wrote this book so well, and she wrote the pigeon character so well, that you can't help but fall in love with this pigeon and her story. It's just such a beautiful example of narration from an animal's point of view and her handler's point of view. Again, a lot of people are like, "Really? A pigeon? A street rat? Like, are you really plugging this book?" I promise you won't regret it. Everybody I've recommended it to falls in love with pigeons as well. Much to their chagrin.

[Mary Robinette] The title of that, again, was?

[Krista] Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey.

[Mary Robinette] Sounds amazing.

 

[Mary Robinette] So, now that we're back from the break…

[DongWon] I have a question I've been thinking about, which is, when we started this conversation, we talked about how you got into falconry from reading Jean Craighead George and then you mentioned T. H. White. One of my favorite books is H Is for Hawk…

[Krista] Yeah.

[DongWon] One of the things that so interesting about H Is for Hawk is it is in part an examination of T. H. White's book and a critique of it, in a lot of ways. So I'm kind of curious from your perspective, what are the things you see in fiction, whether that's books or movies or whatever it is, that you're like, "Ew, that's not right. That's not how this works," or it's frustrating to you in one way or another?

[Krista] Yeah. No, that's a great question. So I always tell when an author has really done a deep dive in trying to understand a bird of prey or a falconer's life. Something that I think a lot of authors want to skip over for their… When they're writing fiction is the husbandry aspects of taking care of the animal that their main character, protagonist, as in their possession. But what they're missing there is that it's the husbandry parts that really builds the relationship between the character and the animal. I mean, you think about your pet dog. Right? Your dog just doesn't decide it loves you one day and it's going to come home… Come back home with you every day. But it's when you're feeding it, it's when you're training it, it's when you're really taking it on walks and spending that mundane time with it. I wish that more fiction writers… Again, you don't have to spend chapters on the training, but that you touch on the husbandry aspects to make it more realistic and more authentic. That way, I think you're also doing more justice, not just to the character, but also to the animal as well.

[Mary Robinette] I… After we took the class in 2023, one of the things that I read was Fonda Lee's The Untethered Sky, which I keep telling…

[Krista] I just ordered it. It is at my house right now.

[Mary Robinette] That's very good. It's so good.

[Krista] It just arrived today.

[Mary Robinette] But one of the things I loved about it is so much of the front part of the book is the husbandry aspects. It is the bonding with the bird and just the daily aspect of, like, you have to clean a lot of bird poop.

[Krista] Yeah. Every day.

[Chuckles]

[Mary Robinette] Yeah.

[Dan] Well, these kinds of things and making sure to include this kind of detail in your books has a real-world effect. Like, how many kids got owls after they read Harry Potter with no clue as to how much work it was going to be and no actual love of taking care of birds. Yeah. It's important to depict this kind of stuff.

[Krista] Oh, absolutely. In fact in the United Kingdom, there's no laws preventing just the purchase of an owl from the general public. There's no licensing process over there. So that was actually something that naturally occurred as Harry Potter grew in popularity is kids started asking for owls for Christmas. If you watch the movies, you'll see that Hedwig is kept in a relatively small cage.

[Yeah]

[Krista] People don't know what is actually appropriate for these owls. It's still a question I get today. Do owls carry messages? No!

[Laughter]

[Krista] You get a pigeon for messages.

[Yeah]

[Krista] But nobody actually wants a pigeon until they read Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey.

 

[Mary Robinette] Something else that you said as we were getting ready to record this about writing. We're so lucky because you also are a writer. So you understand the craft of it. But talking about writing animals and honoring the fact that they are animals…

[Krista] Yes.

[Mary Robinette] What… Like, if I wanted to honor the fact that I had a falcon in a story, what are some things… Like, I guess, like the things that you see that are anthropomorphic and the things that falcons do that are… Like body language that is very specific to them? Like, I remember you talking about something on Sky's face that fluffed when she was happy.

[Krista] Yes. Well, what you're referring to is, it's their chin beard. So they have these little feathers underneath their beaks and when they're happy, they start to fluff them out. If there really happy, their eyes turn almond shaped. This is actually something I didn't know until maybe two years ago. I've been a falconer for seven years.

[Mary Robinette] Wow.

[Krista] There's all these little secrets. Again, that… The general author writing about a falcon may not know, and you don't necessarily need to know, but as you deep dive more into these cultures of animals and animal characters, and you build relationships with people who are familiar with your animal characters, you can start to learn this. Right? That's doing honor to this animal and being realistic with it. I think if you're going to anthropomorphize the animal, if it's obviously fantasy, right, then that's one thing. But if you're trying to write something realistic, then honor the animal by making sure it is actually acting as an animal.

 

[Mary Robinette] What does Sky do when she's cranky?

[Krista] Oh, she lets you know.

[Laughter]

[Krista] She has those talons and she has that beak.

[DongWon] Yeah.

[Krista] Usually she's not cranky as much as she's hungry. So…

[Mary Robinette] I get hangry. I mean, I get that.

[Krista] Right, hangry. Yes. So she'll just let me know that she's feeling quite hangry. Usually in the form of bobbing her head, looking around for her food, maybe start to open her wings as in I'm ready to fly right now. But she's never actually been aggressive. That's rare. I wouldn't say all falcons are this gentle. She just happens to be one that is very tame and mellow and every now and then, she'll remind me she's a wild animal.

[Dan] What are some aggressive behaviors you've seen in other birds of prey?

[Krista] In other birds… Yeah. So there's one thing called mantling that they'll do. It's actually a sign that they don't really trust the situation. Or they might not trust a certain person around them, or they might not trust a dog or even a falcon, occasionally. What it looks like is they will bring their wings out and cover their food. That's basically them saying, "This is my food. I caught it, and I think someone's going to try to steal it." They do it in the wild when they catch prey. Usually, it's because they want to hide their food from other soaring predators, other hawks or eagles. But a falconry bird doing that… It's quite unusual, because you want to see that it's trusting of the situation. It trusts its falconer to keep it safe.

[Mary Robinette] I had read about mantling and noted that when we went out with Sky.

[Krista] Yeah.

[Mary Robinette] That she was… She wasn't doing that so much.

[Krista] Yeah.

[Mary Robinette] There was one point when someone came up by the side of her and I saw her wing go up and I was like, "Oh, I've read about that."

[Krista] Yeah. Yeah. No, that's so true. That was the one time I noticed it as well. If you watched, you might have noticed me shift her so that she didn't feel uncomfortable with that person behind her. Because it's true, right? She's a bird of prey, she recognizes that, "Oh, somebody's behind me. I can't watch this person. So I'm going to cover my food." So the goal of the falconer there is just to reassure her. No, you're safe, you're fine. Let's move you so that you can see everybody in the group, and there's not one person behind you.

 

[DongWon] What's the thing that you wish the general public understood better about raptors in general? Like, what's the thing that, like, if you could make sure that everyone in the United States was aware of this fact? I mean, do you have a sense of what this might be?

[Krista] Wow. So many.

[DongWon] I know. That's okay.

[Laughter]

[Krista] Where do I start?

[Mary Robinette] We're only 15 minutes long, so…

[Krista] Okay. Right. Only 15 minutes long, so keep this fast. Fast as a falcon. So I would say just to understand that they're a core part of our ecosystem. The way that we as humans can impact that ecosystem… We became very clear that we were doing a lot of harm to them in the 1970s with DDT. We've done a lot better since. However, there are still people out there that are inadvertently and accidentally hurting these birds with rat poison, and with persecution in the American West. Some people shoot them because they think that, oh, they are trying to eat my chickens. Things like that. Right? There's ways to coexist with these animals peacefully in a way that doesn't harm you, your own land, and the birds themselves.

[DongWon] Yeah. Where I live in New York, the poison is such a huge issue with…

[Krista] I'm sure.

[DongWon] Especially getting into the fall, a lot of the larger raptors really struggle.

[Krista] Yeah. That's true, because as the temperature drops, there's less prey…

[DongWon] Yeah.

[Krista] So they're starting to get more desperate.

 

[DongWon] Yeah. It's really heartbreaking. Well, we have so enjoyed having you here on the podcast with us. Thank you for sharing all this incredible wealth of knowledge and first-hand experience. Is there anything you want to promote in terms of your own organization or social media? Where can people follow you and find out more?

[Krista] For sure. Again, being an English teacher, I love talking about writing and I love making connections with writers. So if anybody has any questions about writing realistic birds or perhaps if they want to get in contact with a falconer around them, I have lots of contacts all over the world and I'd be happy to share those. So my Instagram is Kristafeather, all one word. K. R. I. S. T. A. And then feather. Give me a follow, send me a message. I'd love to get in touch with you. If your local to Utah, I also do educational raptor experiences. So you can send me an email at feathers for thought, that is spelled the exact way it sounds, at gmail.com.

[Chuckles]

[Krista] Or, you can also, again, get in touch with me on social media on Instagram.

[Mary Robinette] I highly recommend following Krista because there are a lot of really beautiful photos of her with Sky and then just like randomly, oh, don't mind me, I'm just holding this Golden Eagle, that's like half the size of you.

[Laughter]

[Krista] Yes.

[Mary Robinette] He was so big.

[Krista] Oh, they're terrifying to. There's so majestic. Once you trust them not to hurt you, you feel really good. But in that moment, you're like, what are you going to do with me?

[DongWon] Absolutely terrifying.

 

[Dan] So what about your writing? Is that something people can go out and find and read?

[Krista] Yes. I published a few articles, mostly falconry related, as well as some personal memoirs. Short memoir, or falconry related articles. So there's a great magazine called Pursuit Falconry. It's published over in the UK and they kind of collect stories from falconers all over the world. I've published several there. There's also another magazine called Hawk Talk, published here in the United States. That one also publishes short stories and memoir and articles based on falconry. So if you're interested in, again, learning more about what this is and what it looks like, those two magazines would be a great one to give a shout out to.

[Mary Robinette] Those are always one of my favorite things, is reading a specialty magazine. I'm also going to say, for writers, that if you're thinking about writing falconry when you pick up one of these magazines, don't just read the articles. Actually read the advertisements as well.

[Krista, DongWon] Yeah.

[Mary Robinette] Because that's going to teach you so much about the things that go into the job and the lifestyle. Because it is a lifestyle.

[Krista] That's a great point.

[Mary Robinette] Yeah.

[Krista] Yeah. It is a lifestyle. It's an addiction.

 

[Mary Robinette] Actually, can you, before we go to homework, can you tell people what the care… What the care and feeding of Sky is like, because…

[Krista] Yeah.

[Mary Robinette] You all talked about this, and it was just like, oh, that's not like having a dog.

[Laughter]

[Krista] Yeah. With a dog, you just pour out some food, it eats it, the end, goodbye. With feeding a raptor, it's quite intense. Some of the individuals that came out for a demo the other day got to see me taking apart her food. Again, their predators. So we like to give them the best possible food for them. I compare it to giving the best gas to a Ferrari. So she eats a high quality diet of quail and dove and pigeon. We try to mimic something that she'd be eating in the wild. So she will eat the whole prey, but she will not eat the whole prey in one sitting, so I, the falconer, have to cut up that prey to make it more manageable for her. So that's part of the feeding routine. The care routine. I'm always cleaning up after her. She leads a very spoiled life, I'm just her servant.

[Chuckles]

[Krista] She's really the master of the house. So, anyways, yeah, it takes, I would say, it's about an hour to two hours every day dedicated to her. If we're out flying and hunting, then it's quite a lot more. It can be upwards of five hours a day occasionally, if I'm doing a weekend trip. It'll be all weekend we're out hunting.

[DongWon] Amazing.

[Mary Robinette] Wow. Going out with you to watch her free fly was really a very special experience. Truly.

[Krista] I'm glad you guys enjoyed. Yeah. I love sharing my corner of the world with you all.

 

[Mary Robinette] Actually, I keep saying, and then we're going to do homework, but I do have one…

[Krista] Yes.

[Chuckles]

[Mary Robinette] I promise this is going to be my last question. On her non-flight days, does she have enrichment activities? Like what…

[Krista] Yeah.

[Mary Robinette] What does a falcon do for fun?

[Krista] That's a good question. So she… I mean… Her enrichment is just kind of observing the world around her. Falcons aren't like parrots, where they need constant companionship. They're naturally solitary animals. So I bring her to work with me sometimes.

[Mary Robinette] Fun.

[Krista] Yeah. She has her own spa, she has her own perch, she hangs out, watches the students. Occasionally, I bring her over to my friend's house. She has a great outdoor space for her to enjoy and watch the world pass. So on non-flying days, she's really quite happy to take a break, I would say.

[Mary Robinette] That's fantastic.

 

[Mary Robinette] Well, speaking of a break, you don't get one, because you get some homework, which Krista has for you.

[Krista] Yes. So, we're going back to falconry and writing, of course. So my homework for you would be to really try to, if you want to write a falcon character, if you want to write about any animal character in general, try to find somebody who is intimately connected with that animal. Right? So, if we're going back to falconry, contact your local falconers club or association. A lot of times you can Google Tennessee Falconers Association or Tennessee Hawking Association. They hold… Most of these states will hold meats or club events every few months. If you're not able to get in contact with an actual falconer nearby, there's great memoirs out there. Helen McDonald's H is for Hawk is a great example, as is David Rowan's Onward which is actually just published last week. There's a lot of great falconry content and these writers give you a great glimpse into their life and into the relationship with their animals.

[Mary Robinette] Sounds amazing. Thank you so much for being with us.

[Krista] Thank you.

 

[Mary Robinette] For our listeners, you're out of excuses. Now go write.