Drake Haydock, a sophomore, transferred here from Albemarle High School right before winter break. Haydock likes his teachers and fellow students, and how the school is smaller. Overall, he has been having a positive experience. However, that is not what this article is about.

Drake Haydock owns a hawk. For a long time, he has been interested in having a bird that he can hunt with. Haydock’s interest in these unique animals started at about the age of nine. The thing is, he did not begin with a large, intimidating bird as one might expect – he trained a chicken. He did some research, and learned that most people hunt small animals with birds of prey, as opposed to chickens.

Each year, Haydock is able to get a new bird if he wants to – but only one at a time. In the past, Haydock had owned a female hawk named Cora, and then replaced her with a male named James Dean. Neither of them were very good hunters, so Haydock released them back into the wild. He currently has a male hawk named Lemon, who, the falconer is happy to say, is much better than his past two birds. Do not get confused by the name; falconry applies to multiple types of birds, not just falcons.

In order to become a falconer, the first thing to do is acquire a permit. Haydock had to train for three years before he got his. After that, the falconer is legally allowed to trap a wild, juvenile hawk. Then, the bird needs to be trained. According to Haydock, it takes a “maximum of 4 weeks of spending at least 4 hours a day with the hawk.” Once that was finished, he was finally able to bring his hawk into the woods, where it hunts small animals like rabbits and squirrels.

At his current level, Haydock is only allowed to own one hawk at a time. But the sophomore hopes that he will advance to a higher stage in falconry soon. Right now, Haydock is an apprentice.

The next level is the General’s License. With this, Haydock can have three birds, as opposed to now when he can only have one as an apprentice. The falconer is excited, because with this, he will be allowed to hunt with “many species, including falcons and other exotic birds of prey.”

After that, Haydock can then become a Master Falconer, where one is able to have more birds than they could with the General’s License. He explained that someone would also be able to hunt with a larger variety of birds, “including eagles, with proper permits.”

For anyone interested in falconry, Haydock recommends doing some research about the sport. He also suggests attending a falconry meet, an event where a large group of falconers from all over the state come together to hunt for a weekend. This occurs multiple times a year, and Haydock has been to every single one since he became interested in the sport. The meets are a great way for anyone to become involved in falconry if they want to.

Haydock emphasizes that it is important to spread awareness of falconry. The red tailed hawk population is declining, and he thinks that people should know that so it could be stopped.

Haydock clearly has a passion for his birds that is very admirable. “Falconry is increasing in popularity and it’s really an amazing sport,” he said.

For more information, visit the Virginia Falconer’s Association website.