A New Adventure: Der Jagdschein

I am on the brink of starting a new and daunting project, and I’m going to good-naturedly “blame” Tanja Brandt, Ingo, Poldi and Rüdi for this.

About a year ago I came across Tanja’s first book about Ingo and Poldi, and since then I have read everything that comes out about them – and the rest of Tanja’s troop of dogs, owls, and Greifvögel (birds of prey). Since then she has published four books and produced postcards, calendars, and bookmarks, and in her online shop one can also order shirts and knickers, bags and sofa pillows, cups and posters. I also just found a link to several videos about animal photography featuring Tanja, Ingo and Gandalf – just in time for Christmas, as M sits here next to me filling out an order form…

Poldi on the cover of a photography magazine

But what is my daunting project? I am going for my hunting license. Wait…Whaaaat? How are these two related?

In Germany in order to become a Falkner, one must first earn a hunting license. I don’t want to shoot a gun – like, ever – and I don’t want to hunt. But I want to work with owls and birds of prey, and M wants to photograph them. Maybe one day we’ll even see about getting a Harris hawk or a Steinkauz.

Harris Hawk

But that’s a long way away, since I first need to tackle this:

The class I need to take consists of a minimum of 130 hours of instruction - theoretical and practical. In Wisconsin the optional (for someone born before Jan. 1, 1973) hunter education class is  approximately 10 hours.

I made contact with a Jägerschule near Stuttgart, and they have space in a 3-week Blockkurs in April. I have since re-thought that plan and will probably register at the Landesjagdschule instead. Their course is stretched out more during the summer months, giving me time for self-studying in between weeks of class. I bought a study book for the Jägerprüfung a while ago already, but now I’m digging in in earnest. I started the other day with chapter one, which is all about Jagdrecht (hunting rights & laws). Yikes. I abandoned that chapter and skipped to something I can better handle for now – dogs. 

As an example of how I need to prepare for the test, I need to be able to recognize and know the attributes of at least 34 breeds of hunting dogs. In German. Fortunately for me, identifying dog breeds has been a fun pastime of mine since I was young, and therefore I knew more than half of them already. I need to know how the dogs hunt (a pointer hunts differently than a hound or a terrier) and what they are expected to do before and after the hunter shoots. Illnesses, general dog care, training methods & tools, breeding… All this despite the fact that M and I will never have a dog, but it’s part of what a hunter in Germany needs to know. If I understand correctly, for most types of hunting in Germany, the hunter is required to have a “brauchbarer Hund” (suitable and well-trained dog) with him or her.

I recently found and printed off the 117 questions from the pool of questions* on the test for Baden-Württemberg about dogs. M bought a laminator two weeks ago for a different purpose, but now I also have 34 laminated flashcards of the dog breeds to aid my studying (some shown in above photo). I can confidently identify all but 5 of them, and probably I’ll have those identified by the time I publish this post.

*There are 1250 questions in the pool for the entire test, covering five different subjects. The whole "dogs" topic is one section of one of the five subjects.

The thing that makes this project more challenging for me as an expat is that I am not only learning the Jägersprache (hunter’s language, which all potential hunters need to learn), but there are also a lot of regular German words I need to look up along the way. That gets frustrating, especially when a word is not unfamiliar to me – I should know this word, but I don’t.

I don’t know if there is such a thing as a Jägersprache in the US. These are words that are not even familiar to Germans unless they hunt, and they usually don’t appear in a regular dictionary: Brackieren, buschieren, spurlaut, Waidlaut, bogenrein, schnallen, schliefen… And since these words are special to the Jägersprache, there is often no fitting English translation available, or none at all. Sometimes I come across a word that is used in regular German, but it means something else or something more specific in the Jägersprache. An example is "stöbern". In regular German that means "to rummage," but in Jägersprache it is a certain type of hunting that a certain type of hunting dog does.

At any rate, this will be quite an adventure and a challenge, and I'm both freaked out by the sheer amount of stuff I have to learn and eager to learn it.

I spent four hours recently with the former Landesjägermeister of Baden-Württemberg and his wife, who are family friends. Landesjägermeister is another word that doesn't translate into English because, at least in the US, there is no such person. He was the master hunter of the state for many years. In other words, concerning all things hunting, the buck stopped with him. He helped me come to some decisions about how I can tackle this project, and his wife served Hirschgulasch for lunch (the Hirsch shot by him, of course!). I am incredibly grateful for their help and advice.

This is my end goal:

Falknerspektakel Hohen Neuffen

...perhaps minus the cool medieval leather dresses. But I want to work with Eulen und Greifvögeln and get involved with a Falknerei. I want to learn more about these majestic birds and also how to help sick or injured wild ones - who are often victims of automobiles or wind turbines - and rehabilitate them.

Tomorrow we're heading to Burg Hornberg for the Flugvorführung of a new (for us) Falkner! I need to keep my eye on the end ball, so that I hopefully do not lose my nerve or my resolve along the way.

Wish me luck. In Jägersprache, that's...

Waidmannsheil!

Falknerspektakel Hohen Neuffen

I've often written about how much I like Sundays in Germany because stores are closed and in Swabia, at least, there's a Sonntagsruhe, meaning you basically need to be quiet. Sunday is a day of rest and for family.

So what on earth can you do if not yardwork or shopping?

One very enjoyable outing is driving to a Burg (castle or fortress), walking up to it - most fortresses were built on the tops of hills - exploring and learning about the fortress's and area's history. If you choose wisely, you might even be treated to a Falconry show!

Burg Hohen Neuffen is a 50-minute drive from Esslingen. It's actually a Burgruine (ruins), which I find more interesting than fancy palaces. The walk from the parking area up to the castle takes probably 25 minutes for normal people. M and I were on a mission to photograph Greifvögel and Eulen, so we overtook families with small children, grandchildren and their dad pushing Oma up the hill in a wheelchair, and one man wearing shockingly green trousers, and made it in 15 minutes. It's not strenuous if you pace yourself. There's a restaurant at the top and plenty of places to sit and recover.

Falkner Show area with Harris Hawk photo bomb

We'd explored the Burg on previous visits, so this time we focused on the falcon show. Falkner Wolfgang Weller brings his beautiful birds here every Sunday and holiday between Easter and the end of November, and the shows are at 12:00, 14:00, and 16:00. Adult admission is €5, and for a donation after the show you can hold an owl, hawk, falcon, or Golden Eagle on your arm. Donations support the care of the birds and owls as well as the rehabilitation of injured birds that are nursed back to health and re-released into the wild - an important part of the world of Falknerei!

The show begins with dramatic music and Falkner Weller announces to the crowd the purpose of the show: to demonstrate die Kunst mit Vögeln zu jagen (the art of hunting with birds). His assistants have the Wüstenbussarde (Harris Hawks) on their arms, and at his cue they let them loose one by one until all three or four are in the air. They fly right over the tops of the spectators' heads, up to the walls of the fortress, back to the glove, grab a treat and repeat. So impressive! You need to be a better photographer than I am to get great photos, and besides, I wanted to watch the show!

Harris Hawk returning to the glove for a tasty reward

I cannot tell you how impressive and graceful these birds are. Before the show they rest tethered with Langfessel to their Sprenkel or Block, and sometimes they flutter around or squawk looking impatient to get going while guests gawk at and photograph them.

sassy Harris Hawk on a Sprenkel

If you're thinking they shouldn't be tied but rather allowed to fly free as birds love to do, don't worry. We've learned that birds and owls in the wild fly for only three reasons, and "for fun" isn't one of them.  Either they need to hunt, or defend their territory, or find a mate. That's it. And why do the birds return to the Falkner after being set free? Because they know a meal or snack provided by the Falkner is a sure thing, but hunting is hard work and often not successful. They are free when the Falkner takes them out, and they choose to come back.

Ketan the Steinadler

Ketan the Steinadler (Golden Eagle) has a Flugverbot (flight ban) at Hohen Neuffen because the Burg is in the Biosphärengebiet Schwäbische Alb (Biosphere Reserve) and Steinadler are not native to the area. Therefore if this enormous eagle were flying about, he might very well scare off birds that are native to the area, which wouldn't do. Since he doesn't need to hunt, defend the area, or find a mate, he gets shown off - and if you're strong enough you can hold him on your arm after the show! - but otherwise has a siesta at the Burg while his companions have to work.

After the Harris Hawks are back on their Sprenkel, Falkner Weller invites a young volunteer to join him as a junior Falkner, and he explains some of the equipment a Falkner needs: Ledertasche, Federspiel, Langfesseln, Bellen, and the Falknerhandschuh, worn on the left hand/arm (because in traditional Falknerei the Falkner rode a horse holding the reins in his right hand, so the bird was always on the left). Incidentally, the right hand is needed today not for holding the reins, but rather for pulling pieces of Eintagskücken out of the Ledertasche to entice the birds back to the glove. That Sunday the brave volunteer was "Prinz" Othgar*, who was then invited to sit on the king's chair in the middle of the "stage" for the rest of the show.
*name changed

Falkner Weller also showed us how he trains with the Federspiel - a feathered lure with fresh meat attached to a long rope. They released a Lannerfalke, a Gerfalke, and a Wanderfalke (Peregrine Falcon), and the last two soared and swooped dramatically while the Falkner swung the Federspiel. They kept swooping and diving at it until he let them catch it one at a time to bring them in. Clearly this was hard work for the Falkner as well - he was huffing and puffing afterwards!

Here is another trailer for his Falknerspektakel showing the Federspiel.

Then he pointed out that Herzelinde the Lannerfalke was the smartest of them - she had flown straight up to the top of a castle wall and just sat there watching the other two falcons burn themselves out.

She's the oldest and most experienced of them, and she's learned to sit back while the young pups...er, falcons...do the hard work. When they were spent, Falkner Weller coaxed her down from the wall and she swooped impressively at the Federspiel a few times, always returning to the wall as if to ask, "Oh, come on. Must I?" In the end she caught it in the air with a tremendous thud, brought it to the ground, and was rewarded with the chunk of meat attached to it.

Believe it or not, I could go on! Falkner Weller told funny anecdotes, gave us a lot of information, and told us what not to do if we find an injured Greifvogel in the wild. As with the other Falkner shows we've seen, it is obvious how passionate the Falkner and their assistants are about the birds and owls. Falknerei is serious and hard work; it is not just a hobby. I think we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to see these majestic birds and owls up close and learn about them.

Uhu Susi

Schneeeule

Buntfalke

Turmfalke

Schleiereule

Gerfalke auf einem Block

Alfred II: the Falknerstunde

Any day you get shat on and don't even care...that's a good day.

M and I had our Falknerstunde the other day at the Garuda Falknerei near Stuttgart. I'd arranged this as a birthday present near the end of last year, and we'd randomly selected an afternoon in March, hoping the temperature would at least be reasonable (it was).

This was the latest step in our near-obsession with Steinkäuze and other gorgeous owls, and we'll surely do it again. At the Falknerstunde it was just the Falknerin, M, and me - no other guests - so we had her undivided attention, and she had ours! We learned plenty, some of which I'd read in my various books about owls and new information as well. 

When our hour began, the Falknerin (Vanessa Müller)* asked if we had any specific wishes. Since I didn't want to admit that I would love to spend the entire hour hanging out with her Steinkäuze, I said we are open to everything but very interested in owls. We began, then, with the lovely Schneeeulen (snowy owls).

*The link to this TV program about her might not work for you if you're not in Germany.

Bijuu, the Schneeeule

Vanessa told us about the calls owls make - their conversational call, their begging for food sound, the beak clacking they do when they're annoyed, the call they make when they're threatened, and their mating call. We heard all but the last two. The owls are very conversational since they are used to humans, and she said they can chat all day long. I found the sound beautiful.

You can't hear the sound she's making, but this is her body language
when she's begging for food.

We learned that owls with black eyes hunt at night, owls with orange eyes hunt in the twilight, and owls with yellow eyes hunt usually in the daylight. Schneeeulen and Steinkäuze have a unique hunting technique: they sit on a low or medium-height branch of a tree and wait. Flying takes great effort, and since they are not particularly fast, they can actually be in danger from eagles and other large and faster Greifvögel (birds of prey). So they wait, watch, and listen, and when a poor little mouse scrambles by, the owl drops down and nabs her warm and tasty snack.

Baldur, being rewarded for putting up with our visit

Hunting was not on the plan for the hour, so Vanessa brought out a box o' chicks (dead day-old male chicks, still fluffy and cute but...ex chicks). I'd post the photo I took, but I had to promise my daughter I wouldn't. It's really nothing more than tough life. Farmers kill newborn male chicks because they need egg-laying hens and not a barnyard full of future roosters, and so the chicks are used to feed and train birds of prey. It's a good deal for the farmer, the Falknerin, and the Greifvögel. Just not for the chicks.

Joschi in the cold at the Weihnachtsmarkt (Dec. 2017).

After we left the Schneeeulen in peace, Vanessa fetched the adorable Steinkäuze, Joschi and Marie. We'd met Joschi at the Weihnachtsmarkt in Horb a few months ago, but he looked slimmer now. It was warmer, so probably he was just less hunched up. Or maybe he was trying to impress Marie with his slim, trim, buff figure by standing up a little straighter - but then we learned that she is his sister. Vanessa handed Marie to me, which is when I learned what the annoyed beak-clacking sounds like. She'd been cuddled up in her barn home, and because of our unfortunate arrival, she had to be extracted and paraded around in the cold. She was less than pleased and made sure I knew it. I also didn't have any Eintagsküken to offer her, so basically I was useless to her. So she shat on me. I can't really blame her.

Right about the same time, her brother, who'd been making pleasant conversation with M and Vanessa when he wasn't trying to flutter up to M's shoulder while tethered to his wrist, shat on his camera. Anyone who gets unnerved by such things probably shouldn't spend time around wild or semi-wild animals. Getting to hold and stroke a grumpy Steinkauz is totally worth a little owl poo.

Tweety
Notice his orange eyes - when does he hunt?

After Vanessa returned Joschi and Marie to their comfy quarters, she brought out her Uhu, Tweety. Based on comments on her Facebook page, he's quite a star. He allowed himself to be tempted by the leg and thigh of an Eintagsküken, and flew from one post to another several times. We learned that the owls and birds prefer to fly against the wind, because a tail wind pushes down on them and requires more effort to fly where they wish to go. Tweety occasionally made it clear that he wasn't exactly enthused about the exercise, but he cooperated. Despite his diminutive name, Tweety is very impressive.

After Tweety came the Harris Hawks, Jake and Merlin. They are allowed to fly free (as is Tweety; the Steinkäuze prefer not to fly anyway, and would be in danger from the wild buzzards, hawks, and magpies flying about), and during demonstrations they swoop close to the heads of onlookers, judging exactly how close they can get to both stay safe and uninjured, and freak out the guests. We took these two chaps on walkabout down the road and back (Gassi gehen mit Vögeln) while they flew from post to tree to cornice, keeping their eyes on Vanessa the whole time. She explained that in the world of falconry, we humans were playing the part of trackers. When we see our prey (a plump rabbit, for instance), the hawks need to be nearby and alert to go get the wee beast. If they're off sight-seeing, miss our cue, and the rabbit gets away, that would be very embarrassing (for the hawk). So they stay close and wait for cues. Now and then she called them back for an Eintagskükenkeule, which they seemed to appreciate.

Jake (or Merlin?)

It is clear how much Vanessa cares for her birds and owls, and vice versa. She talks passionately about them, seems to enjoy sharing what she knows, and expertly guides bumbling newcomers like us in how we must position ourselves, how to offer the tasty treats, and what not to do around them. For instance, they are far-sighted and don't see well what is right in front of them. So if you hold out a finger near their chest area or make an attempt to pet their soft chest feathers, "you'll probably get your finger back, but it will not look the same as it once did." If they think your finger is food, they will treat it as such.

There are many Falknereien in Germany, and during the warmer months they do demonstrations of their beautiful birds and owls at various festivals and castles. We've seen shows at Hohenneuffen, Hohenzollern, and Hohennagold, as well as at the Weihnachtsmärkte in Horb and Esslingen.  I highly recommend going to a show (and leaving a donation if the Eintritt is free), though we really liked the one-on-one learning at the Falknerstunde. The Garuda Falknerei has a Tag der offenen Tür (an open house) on May 1st every year, and we are determined to go this year.

I would guess there are falconries in the US as well, but it was not something I had any exposure to and I didn't find much when I googled falconries in Wisconsin. There's a falconers association, but that's for specialists and falconers, not for demonstrations for the general public. In Germany all you need to do to find the nearest Falknerei is google your town or city name and add "Falknerei." That's how I found Vanessa.

For more on my obsession with interest in Steinkäuze, see my first post about Alfred.
Just as an update, Alfred's Steinkauzhaus has been built. More on that another time.

Alfred I

I want an owl. More specifically, I want a Steinkauz. That translates in English to "Little Owl," which is a breed of European screech owl and not a commentary on its size, although the dear things are indeed quite small.

If you are or know an animal activist, fear not. I am well aware that the best home for a Steinkauz is not a human-inhabited stone bungalow. Just because I want one doesn't mean I think I can or should have one. M and I have even ruled out dogs and cats because our lifestyle does not lend itself to pets that need care and attention. We have a good feel for what would and would not be fair to an animal, and we would not consider having one until we know exactly how to care for it.

What we'd really like is a wild Steinkauz to willingly move to our quiet yard - into the Steinkauzhaus that M is going to build, knowing full well that Steinkäuze do not necessarily inhabit our area. It's a real shame, because I'm certain they'd be quite comfortable here.

How it all began

M's mother has a sizable collection of owl figurines in her flat, which began because M's father was headmaster at a Gymnasium in Esslingen whose mascot is an owl. Like many of their friends and acquaintances, I thought of her every time I saw anything owlish - a bag, a picture, a calendar, a mug... Eventually I started liking the things I'd bought for her and began keeping them for myself! (Even she says she has enough by now.)

Since moving to Germany I have had several opportunities to see exhibitions of Falknereien, which almost always have owls as well as falcons and other birds of prey. The falcons and eagles are impressive, but I have eyes only for the gorgeous owls.

photo credit: M

My love affair with Steinkäuze began - appropriately - in Esslingen, at the Weihnachtsmarkt. I'd met a fellow blogger there and wanted to show her the view from the Burg on the hill overlooking the Altstadt, and so we trudged up the 350 steps and were rewarded with the lovely view...and owls! A Falknerei had taken up roost on the lawn of the Burg where there is plenty of space for the birds to fly, though while we were there they were all tethered or being held by their handlers.

I spied this darling little fellow and was captivated by his indignant, angry face, as he seemed to be imploring me to put down my damn camera and set him free! At the time I thought he was a baby owl because of his size - I did not realize he was a Steinkauz and clearly full grown.

His fettered companions were splendidly regal and appeared less ill-tempered, but he'd stolen my heart.

Reading

I stumbled upon this book (left, in the photo below) while looking for information about Steinkäuze just the other day. I was going to save it and give it to M for Christmas, but I couldn't wait! I showed it to him the day it arrived and read every word and studied every gorgeous photo that evening. 

The book on the right is her children's book I then ordered
for our nephews.

It's a book by Falknerin, photographer, and writer Tanja Brandt, mainly about her two charming companions, Poldi the Steinkauz and Ingo the Belgian Malinois. These two unlikely friends pose for photos doing all kinds of crazy things: cuddling with each other, standing in the snow, sitting in a tree or on a bench, cowering under a mushroom in the rain (well, that's Poldi; Ingo doesn't fit under mushrooms), and often Poldi sits on Ingo's head... Ingo is patient and enthusiastic, and Poldi is grudgingly cooperative most of the time. They are clearly good friends. I would have bought the book for the photos alone, but Tanja also includes tons of information about Steinkäuze, and Poldi in particular. I am totally in love with him, and reading about him makes me want a Steinkauz of my very own all the more.

posted with permission

From her website I learned that Poldi's full name is Napoleon, a.k.a. Grumpy Owl. Fitting for that darling little bugger!

Where this is (probably not) heading

A mild interest in owls has turned into a near-obsession. Even M is in on it. We've actually discussed some evenings how we could attract a Steinkauz and future mate to relocate to our area, despite the fact that the more I learn (for instance Steinkäuze prefer not to fly if they can avoid it, and certainly not long distances), the more unlikely it seems we'll ever see one here of its own free will. We've talked about putting an ad in the Steinkauz-Presse that housing is available (once M builds the Steinkauzhaus, of course), and I've considered owl-napping one just briefly enough to show him how comfortable our area is, so he can get the word out. But we don't want one that is captive; we want a wild Steinkauz who just tolerates our presence and who would accept occasional snack offerings from us only during the hard winter months. And yes, we already know what Steinkäuze eat* and that one of the options wouldn't be all too difficult for work out with a local farmer.

*Curious? Newborn male chicks that are killed anyway because farmers need egg-laying hens, not tons of future roosters. Due to the small size of the Steinkauz, one meal is actually half a chick, so we'd be cutting them in half with a garden scissors and saving the leftovers in a ziplock bag in the freezer. In the wild they eat mainly field mice (though Poldi can't stand them), but they also enjoy rain worms and other creepy-crawlies now and then.

M is an engineer, so he's already been looking into how to build a proper Steinkauzhaus. They like a longish, tubular wooden house, and they need a Windfang (foyer). The door to the outside should not be right in line with the inner door into the nesting quarters, so if the door to the outside is on the right side of the front, the inner door should be on the left side. More on that in a later post when he starts building it.

We've gone to several exhibitions by Falknereien at castles in the area, and for M's birthday I have arranged a "Falknerstunde" (Hawker's Hour) at a Falknerei not far from home. Incidentally, if you click on that link and scroll down a bit, you'll see a Steinkauz glaring at you from the left side of the screen.

Why "Alfred"?

But why am I calling this post and the sure-to-come sequels "Alfred"? We've decided to name our Steinkauz Alfred. We're not sure why, but we tossed around a couple of names and this one stuck. So yes, we have named the Steinkauz that will probably never move into our yard.

In the mean time we will be looking into becoming Patentante and Patenonkel (godparents) to a sweet, grumpy little Steinkauz at a Falknerei somewhere near us. Photos will follow, even if they won't be as gorgeous and clever as Tanja's!

posted with permission

ein Virginia-Uhu

Owl write again soon, I promise!