Falconer: Dan McCook and Falcon: Leylou Photography: Alison Neumark of Life and Love Studio
Falconry: an Illumination by Dan MCook
I am frequently asked how and why I became a falconer. It is a difficult question to answer and one I am not sure even I fully understand. Most literature defines the art as “Flying a trained bird of prey at wild quarry,” but it is much more. Very few people are aware of the regulatory difficulties and the immense amount of time and knowledge required to practice this unique endeavor. The first archeological evidence of falconry appeared over four thousand years ago in the land of China and the same techniques used to train and hunt with raptors eons ago are still used today. So why do a few very genial souls choose to keep this skill alive? To put it bluntly, most of us find the twenty first century exceedingly boring. While the world chooses to Twit, Myface and Text Message, falconers prefer to follow the ancient ways…hell; I don’t even own a cell phone! Suffice it to say, the thrill of entering the forest, releasing your bird into the tree canopy and hunting game together as a team is an experience I cannot easily translate into words.
To become a falconer you must first obtain a joint federal/state permit. To do this you must buy books and study, and study and study…natural history, biology, species identification, disease, first aid, behaviors, weight control, training techniques and state, federal and international regulations. After a year or two, when you feel confident your head will not explode and you’ve reached your credit card limit, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and schedule a time to be tested. After passing the examination with 80% or better, build a weathering yard (enclosure) built to state specification and collect the necessary falconry equipment (i.e. leather glove, leash, scales and hood). Then contact FWC for an inspection of your facility and the equipment. After passing the inspection contact and persuade a general class or Master Falconer to sponsor you as an apprentice for two years. After accomplishing these simple tasks then, and only then, will the state of Florida and the Federal Government allow you to trap and train a bird of prey under the experienced eye of a sponsor. After two years as a lowly apprentice, if you have passed muster, your sponsor will recommend to the government that you receive your general class permit. Now, eight years after my journey began I am less than a year from becoming a Master Falconer. Trouble…what trouble?
Hawks and falcons are both used in falconry. I trapped Leylou, my hen red tail hawk, on September 18, 2009 at 5:34pm. She is my third red tail. I first free flew her in the field after five weeks of training. How is this accomplished? I will list and answer some of the most common questions:
Why does she come back to you? Because I am her refrigerator. Leylou’s trapping weight was 1450 grams. She is weighed daily and that weight is recorded. During training her weight is gradually lowered until reaching hunting weight, the time when nature tells her it is time to make a kill. Leylou’s hunting weight is 1240 grams. When she reaches the magic weight I just happened to be there with a tasty chunk of beef heart. The light bulb flashes and it dawns on her, “Hey…this looks like a good deal…free food! I don’t have to hunt,” and she flies to the glove. When she is at high weight I don’t exist.
How did you tame her? I didn’t.
Does she bring her kill back to you? No. She is not an Irish Setter; she is a wild bird of prey. After she makes a kill I offer her a tasty morsel as trade for the quarry. Never steal food from your bird. She will forever see you as a competitor and the relationship is over. Leylou and I mainly hunt squirrels (feral cats have decimated the rabbit population in North Florida). She gets to eat everything she catches.
Why are you allowed to remove protected specie from the wild? First, falconers are trained and licensed. If you do not have a permit it is illegal to even pick up the feather from a bird of prey. Second, falconers are only allowed to trap immature birds. The first year mortality rate can be as high as eighty percent for some raptor species. A bird trained for falconry will stand a better chance at survival. The falconer trains the bird and provides an environment for the animal to hone its hunting skills to a sharp edge with no caloric expenditure. After a few years most falconers release their birds back into the wild and a healthy, well skilled falcon or hawk has been added to the gene pool.
Does she love you? No. I am just a food source. I love her but raptors are not social creatures. She has no frame of reference.
Is she your pet? No. She is a wild bird of prey. She will tolerate me but if I do not create an environment that is to her advantage she will fly over the nearest horizon.
What is a typical hunt like? We hunt in the fall and winter and fly at least two or three times a week. When Leylou reaches hunting weight I load her into a transport box, put her in the truck and we are off to one of five locations that generous landowners allow us to utilize. Upon arriving I open the box and she flies to the glove for a juicy tidbit. After acclimating for a moment or two I launch her from the fist into the nearest treetop and we’re off. I traipse through the briars and the brambles while she flies from tree to tree over head. Bells are attached to her anklets and the tinkling tones alert me to her location. As we progress through the woods I shake and pull on vines in hopes of flushing a nice big squirrel (I’m the bird dog). Once quarry is flushed a dance that has transpired for millions upon millions of years begins. It moves very fast. We will chase a squirrel from tree to tree through the forest. If the quarry heads down the trunk I flush it back up to Leylou. If it freezes I pull on vines to get it moving again. The chase can end in a few minutes or go on for as long as half an hour. The most spectacular events involve stoops. Leylou folds her wings back, stretches her eight razor sharp talons forward and dives at speeds exceeding fifty miles an hour at her prey. Once she binds to the quarry she will spread her wings and slowly spiral down from the treetops to the forest floor. I cautiously approach her and, if need be, help dispatch the quarry. We are both breathing heavily from adrenaline and exhaustion. We sit together alone on the forest floor while she eats her fill. Every time she takes a bite her bells jingle. I hear the forest come alive around us. I could offer her a tidbit, bag the game and continue hunting but most often I let her gorge on her prize. I enjoy this part of the hunt the most and like to reflect on my accomplishments as a falconer. I sit alone in the forest with a bird of prey eating her kill that we have made together. I think of a falconer a thousand of years ago that followed exactly the same path - removed a raptor from the wild and through ancient techniques passed on from generation to generation persuaded a raptor to allow us to participate in their world. A world without beeps and ring tones; a world without silly human pettiness; a dispassionate world where there is…or there is not. I know that one day I will lose her. I will release her back to the wild or she will decide to take wing of her own accord. But for now I will enjoy our time together. This is falconry.
Photographed by Carrie Canova on location at Leonardi’s Nursery.
Kevin and Kimberly Leonardi are both certified as Florida Certified Horticultural Professionals (FCHP) through Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA). Kevin is also a licensed contractor for irrigation and Kimberly holds a Bachelors degree. Kevin is Minorcan heritage and has lived in St. Augustine all of his life. He has been working with plants and working at the nursery since he was a small boy. He particularly enjoys landscape design. “I know Kevin is my husband and I’m surely bias, but when I watch him look at a yard and envision the design and then sketch it out on something as simple as a napkin and then see the outcome and know what it took to make it come to life, I’m like...wow...he’s so talented. He truly amazes me!! Yes, he is that good!!” Kimberly was born in Daytona and has lived in St. Augustine for the last 23 years. She is retired from the Florida National Guard with just over 20 years of service. Kevin and Kimberly have been married for over 17 years and they have four children - “his, mine and ours.” Trevor (22) who works at Leonardi’s, Ashlee (21) who is married to Mike (both are graduating from UCF this Spring/Summer), Amanda (20) who graduates from FSU next year and Michael (16) who also works at the nursery part time and graduates from St. Augustine High School next year and then hopes to go to UF or FSU. The picture that Kimberly is holding on the cover is of Winnie and Harold Leonardi who established Leonardi’s Nursery back in 1961. “We pride ourselves in being family owned and operated for almost 50 years, and we are thankful and grateful to our community and we try to show that by giving back through donations, sponsorships and volunteer work. Family and faith is an integral part of our lives. We know that this is a tough economy and we feel blessed, blessed, blessed to be able to be successful and we don’t take that for granted one bit! We also can’t say enough good things about our crew! They each have unique talents and have been on board with us for a long time. The ones that aren’t family feel like family. We keep the nursery and landscape operations running at full tilt. We owe our success to good old fashion hard work, our customers and our community and although we’ve learned over the years that you just can’t please everyone, we really try hard to do so. We operate as a full service garden center with a wide selection of flowering annuals, perennials, butterfly plants, native plants, citrus, shrubs, trees, palms and just about everything in between. We also carry mulches and great pottery lines. We travel to several shows per year and try to pick out the best pottery from each show and bring it to our nursery for resale. We also offer and provide landscaping and irrigation services where we install our products to customer specification, based on their expectations and our recommendations. “We get asked a lot how it is to work together. It can be challenging to work with family sometimes, but then again, isn’t it challenging to work with anyone at times? We try to set aside time in every day where the topic of work doesn’t come up just so we keep in touch with life outside of work. Maybe it’s not right for everyone, but we really just wouldn’t want it any other way. We enjoy building this business and life together and we hope and pray for many more successful years to come.”
Photographed in front of The Milltop Tavern by photographer Tom Addison, the beautiful model Sara Hansen is wearing an original creation by St. Augustine designer Kristen Adamczyk. Kristen’s line, she calls Honeywell, is made of recycled materials and can be found at The Closet. The crocheted cap with flower is from Willow Boutique. Sara’s make-up was done by Ashley Sawyer. This month’s cover model Sara Hansen will take part in The World Race, a mission trip that places each of its racers in 11 different countries in just 11 months.“I am stepping out in faith to pursue my passion and ultimately to serve,” Hansen said.She will begin her whirlwind journey by continuing earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. After a month in Haiti Hansen and her team, will trek to the Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Romania, Turkey, China, Mozambique, Malawi, Thailand, the Phillipines, and one currently unknown country all while living out of a backpack. In these countries racers will minister to the homeless, facilitate health clinics for AIDS orphans and work with the victims of sex-slave rings. Please help Sara in her efforts by attending “Models for a Mission” at Zhanras Friday, April 16, at 10pm. A benefit fashion show that will showcase the hottest female and male fashions from Rochelle’s Boutique and The Surf Station, while raising money for local World Racer Sara Hansen. The poignant cause has an eccentric fundraiser with an interesting twist: the audience will have a chance to bid on a meal with a model. Admission to the event is free, and auction paddles to bid on models will be sold for $5 at the door. To reserve a V.I.P. booth, ($50 - $60) which includes auction paddles and a bottle of champagne, call Zhanras at 904.823.3367. For more information about The World Race, check out sarahansen.theworldrace.org, or visit theworldrace.org for general information.
While planning events to celebrate Women’s History Month in March 2009, a coalition of several arts groups, including SJCC; National League of American Pen Women - St. Augustine Branch; Tale Tellers of St. Augustine; Limelight Theatre; and Janes’ Stories Press Foundation conceived the idea to acknowledge and honor outstanding women in our arts community. When we decided to ‘Recognize Outstanding Women in the Arts’ – the ROWITA Awards were born. The eight women recognized in 2009 were Emma Lee Carpenter, Rozelyn Cole, Eva Doolittle, Karen Harvey, Dr. Dorothy Israel, Anne Kraft, Monika Macbeth, and Barbara Vickers. We are pleased that the idea took off and that we will recognize five more outstanding women during our Festival of Muses celebrating Women’s History Month in March 2010. There are many women in St Johns County who have contributed to our cultural treasure by establishing, supporting, and promoting the arts in our community through their tireless efforts, their creativity and their passion. Thus we look forward to continued recognition of outstanding women in the arts.
by Gail Pflaster, Ed.D., Coordinator Festival of Muses and ROWITA Awards
ABATE of Florida Convinces the Nation’s Oldest City to Allow Motorcycles
In 2005 the City built a parking garage downtown so residents and visitors had an available parking area to safely park their vehicles. Unless you were riding a motorcycle, that is. Motorcycles were not welcome. If you rode into town on any motorcycle or scooter, you were banned from safely parking in this $20 million taxpayer-funded garage. Many options were offered over the years to reverse this decision, but the momentum for the change in policy came when ABATE of Florida’s Vintage Chapter began this fight in earnest back in November, 2009. After speaking at the St. Augustine December Commissioners’ Meeting, ABATE of Florida Vintage Chapter’s Public Relation Trustee, J.D. Long, found that two of the City Commissioners agreed with ABATE of Florida, feeling that the publicly funded garage should be allowing motorcycles in. Many felt modifying the existing gates was the least expensive and seemed to be the most logical method to correct the discrimination. The additional revenue from the motorcycles will pay off the modifications in a short time, and then help the City by providing new income. Thanks to the dedication of the ABATE of Florida members and OCL Magazine’s own J.D. Long for calling this problem to light, and then following through by standing up to stop the discrimination against bikers. The St. Augustine City Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of removing the ban and establishing a dedicated entrance to the garage and a shortened gate at the existing manned exit so that motorcyclists may now park their bikes safely in downtown St. Augustine.
Photographed by Tom Addison of Addison Fitzgerald Commercial and Fine Photography our beautiful, biking bride is Autumn. With a degree in fashion merchandising, Autumn works at a Jacksonville department store when she’s not in front of the camera or on the runway. She loves modeling and provides private modeling instruction and etiquette classes to aspiring young models in their St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and Jacksonville Beach homes. On our cover she’s mounted on Suzuki’s award winning Boulevard M109R, aka, “The best of all worlds.”
An incredible combination of cruiser styling and renowned Suzuki power and handling. By injecting the Boulevard M109R with a potent shot of race-proven technology developed for the championship-winning GSX-R sport bikes, Suzuki has literally redefined the concept of a cruiser. The Boulevard M109R’s exhilarating performance begins with its 109-cubic-inch, fuel injected V-twin engine. It’s tuned to produce massive torque all the way from idle to redline, which translates into acceleration that you have to feel to believe and makes this the most powerful cruiser Suzuki has ever produced. The big V-twin also produces a throaty, aggressive exhaust note designed to let the world know they’re looking at and listing to the hottest cruiser on the road. Check out its sleek, flowing lines and GSX-R inspired styling touches, and you’ll realize that the Boulevard M109R is in a class of its own. Purchased at FIRST COAST (Honda) SUZUKI, 2000 Ponce De Leon Blvd. from Jake Jeffers, this customized version belongs to OCL’s own Michael Richardson. To demo ride one or get more details call 904.797.8955 or go to www.FirstCoastSuzuki.com.
Autumn’s make up was done by Britnye Shore and hair by Stylist, Tara Hooper at Small Indulgences Day Spa. St. Augustine’s premier day spa and beauty salon offering facials, clinical skin care, massages, body treatments, manicures, pedicures, hair care and makeup located at 9 Sanchez Avenue. Call 904.824.6220 or visit www.smallindulgencesdayspa.com.
Michael’s Formalwear & Bridal provided the halter V-neck, A-line tea length dress by Forever Yours International accented with a simple shoulder length veil and dangling earrings. The St. Augustine Michael’s is a Full Service Bridal Salon and Designer Tuxedo location at 1948 US Highway 1 South. Call 904.824.3673 or visit www.michaelsformalwearandbridal.com.
In her hand a gathered bouquet of gerbera daisies, variegated Circus roses, magenta stock and double yellow tulips, accented with lime green sheer ribbon and Swarovski crystals by Flower Works, “The Natural Florist.” Located at 510 North Ponce de Leon Blvd, St. Augustine, call 904.824.7806 or visit www.thenaturalflorist.com.
Watch Out For Motorcycles Daytona Bike Week 2010
Approximately 500,000 people will make their way to Daytona Beach, Florida for the ten-day event from February 26th through March 7th. Most will head southbound on US 1 making the passage straight through St. Johns County. They are headed for Bike Week festivities that include motorcycle racing, concerts, parties and street festivals. The event is usually held on the first full week of March and contends with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally as the most popular motorcycle rally in the United States.
All of the major motorcycle manufacturers are present from Suzuki, Harley Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Victory, Triumph and Ducati. They are there to provide riders with “demo rides” to test-drive the newest motorcycle models. Bike Week has become the world’s largest gathering place for national motorcycle aftermarket parts manufacturers. Manufacturers with the knowledge and expertise are stocked and set up to customize your ride on the spot.
A full week of motorcycle races including the granddaddy of them all, the Daytona 200, takes place at the giant Daytona International Speedway while other smaller venues like New Smyrna Speedway features flat track racing. Daytona Bike Week also hosts the Rats Hole Bike Show and Boardwalk Bike Show featuring some of the most outstanding custom choppers, bobbers and import bikes in the world.
The annual pilgrimage to Daytona Bike Week can be a wonderful experience. With a little planning you can avoid traffic jams and keep your bike cool and on the move. The best way to avoid spending most of your time in traffic is being informed and planning ahead to enjoy your choice of the festivities. For details on what’s planned for this year visit the Daytona Beach Chamber web site at www.OfficialBikeWeek.com where you’ll find the “official event information” for Bike Week 2010 including popular Main Street, Destination Daytona and the Daytona International Speedway action for all ten days. For information direct from many local sources including lodging, restaurants, attractions, maps, travel information, special needs and more visit www.DaytonaBeach.com. For more personalized service we recommend Biker Beach’s toll free hot line 866.296.8960 or email them at info@BikerBeach.com to get the answers to your questions. For up to the minute announcements follow them at Twitter@BikerBeach or www.FaceBook.com/BikerBeach.
To kick off the east coast motorcycle-riding season you must get “the shirt.” The annual Daytona party includes visiting world famous biker venues like Iron Horse Saloon, Main Street’s Boot Hill Saloon, Cabbage Patch, Gilly’s Pub 44, Froggy’s and Broken Spoke Saloon. You need to keep your mind and reactions as sharp as possible so before swinging a leg over any bike never ever use alcohol or any other drugs before or during a ride.
A history lesson and drink from the Fountain Of Youth that can only be found in the Nation’s Oldest City is a stop along the way. Let’s not only “watch out for motorcycles” but welcome them and the revenue that they bring to St. Augustine.
Old City Motorcycle Life
What’s up? A big thumbs up to our St. Augustine City Manager Bill Harris and his staff for their huge help in getting safe and secure parking for motorcycles in our city parking garage. The city staff presented three proposals to the City Commission, two were quite expensive but they unanimously voted for the proposal which will allow motorcycles in safely with very minimum cost and pay a flat fee upon the existing rate of four dollars…a very fair price. So thanks again Bill Harris, your staff, and the City of St. Augustine City Commissioners for your support to improve parking for bikes. We would still like to see more handicap parking available in our city square and have the right to park multiple bikes in a paid meter parking space without being fined.
During the Hog Event last year many folks from around the country found parking tickets on their bikes even though the meter was paid. Do you think those bikers would want to come back with their families to visit St. Augustine? I don’t think so. It was bad enough that our local St. Augustine Harley Dealer was paying fines for those who got ticketed because of complaints so let’s hope that we can get these issues resolved with our City Commissioners.
Don’t forget to calendar two national local events the first is Daytona Bike week which is February 26 through March 7, and Leesburg Bike Fest, April 23 through April 25. Both are a great and fun events. I am very proud to announce the first annual Bikes, Bars, Cards and a Cure Poker Run being held on March 20, 2010. This event is a 120 mile ride through some of the most scenic roads in our county with a post ride celebration featuring BBQ, live music, vendors, chance drawings, and silent and live auctions. This run will benefit Relay for Life of St. Augustine. Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event that not only raises funds for research and patient services, but also raises the awareness of cancer in our community. Cancer touches so many of our friends and family. Bikers are stepping up to the plate once again to show support and help fight this terrible disease. They are in need of merchandise or gift certificates for the auction and in-kind donations of services from your business, or consider making a sponsorship donation. For more information please visit their website at www.bikers4acure.com. I hope to see you there to help make this ride a success.
St. Johns County Commissioner Ken Bryan was on my radio show, who rides in many bike runs throughout the year on his full dresser Harley with his wife, discussing the 2010 census that is getting underway. The Better Business Bureau advised people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. Census workers will count every person in the United States, and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data. If a census worker knocks on your door ask for their identification and badge before answering any questions. Do not give your social security number, credit card or banking information to anyone even if they claim they need it for the US Census. Anyone asking for that information is not with the US Census. (REMEMBER NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS).
Ride safe and be involved with your community. If you have any interest with these stories and clubs or any I have on my radio show please email me at jdmotorcycleshow@aol.com or visit my website at www.jdmotorcycleshow.com and I will put them in contact with you. Until next issue remember to tune into WFOY 1240AM every Friday night at 6:00 pm to listen to J. D.’s Ride to Live Motorcycle Show. For those of you who ride HOP ON THOSE BIKES – RIDE TO LIVE – AND DO SOME GOOD WITH IT!!
God Bless ya, J. D.
“Motorcycles inspired me to want to know the other side of the story. The who and the what bike runs are for and how many bike clubs are out doing good for our community.” J. D. Long works for St. Johns County and his hobby is riding motorcycles! Every Friday at 6 P.M. tune in to WFOY 1240 to hear J.D. live and learn what’s happening in St. Johns County biking community. Email jdmotorcycleshow@aol.com with your up-coming events.
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