A while back my mom and I took advantage of a Groupon to take a falconry lesson. We had a blast and for my parents’ birthday, my mom decided to take my dad. I wanted to go again, but due to our crazy busy lives, we didn’t get around to it until this weekend. 

Falconry (for those of you wondering) is hunting with a trained bird of prey. It dates way back to 2000 BC and was super popular in medieval Europe. 

We headed out to West Coast Falconry, in Marysville, bright an early. As with the first lesson we took, it was a blast. Jana and Shawna were our instructors and provide just the right mix of educational information and fun. They taught us the basics and then everyone had the opportunity to call and send the bird. 

After that, they taught us a little more about how you actually train a bird of prey… after all, if I took my cute little budgies outside right now, I doubt I’d ever see them again. There’s definitely a lot that goes into training, including focusing on the birds natural instinct and prey drive. The whole process really is fascinating, and at the end we got to pose with the birds:

If you’re at all interested in learning more about falconry or taking your family out for a fun event (the basic class is only about an hour long), I definitely recommend West Coast Falconry!