On Saturday July 1, at 2 p.m. (weather permitting), Hancock Town Library will present “Hawks and Hawkers: Nature’s Odd Couple” at Moose Brook Park.
Henry Walters, master falconer and founder of Monadnock Falconry, along with his hawk Mahood, will provide a hands-on introduction to the partnership between human beings and a falcons. An undergraduate Latin course led Walters to Frederick the Great’s 13th-century treatise, “De arte venandi cum avibus,” or “Concerning the Art of Hunting with Birds.” After graduating, a traveling fellowship brought him to Ireland’s School of Falconry, where he apprenticed with European falconers, flying raptors such as the peregrine falcon, sparrowhawk, Eurasian eagle-owl, ferruginous hawk and northern goshawk.
After returning to the United States, Walters earned his falconry license in Massachusetts before moving to New Hampshire, where he worked as a seasonal raptor biologist for New Hampshire Audubon and co-founded the New Hampshire Young Birders Club. Now a master falconer, he lives in Hancock with his young family and a year-old Harris’s hawk, Mahood.
The presentation is free and open to all, but people are asked to leave their dogs at home. Please leave your dogs at home as they may ruffle some feathers! Free and open to all. Check the library’s Facebook, Instagram or website at hancocktownlibrarynh.wordpress.com for updates on weather conditions for this program. People can also call the library at 603-525-4411.