Fun with falcons: How an Island falconer's business has taken flight

An Island falconer has seen his business take flight as cruise ship visitors flock to his home in Albany, P.E.I., for a chance to interact with birds of prey.

Jamie Stride owns and operates Island Falconry Services, which he started in 2010 as way to control pest birds such as seagulls, geese, crows, pigeons and starlings.

"It started as a passion, as a hobby, very much intrigued me and then I was able to carve out a small business," Stride explained.

Four years ago, he realized that he wasn't the only one fascinated with the birds he was training. He teamed up with a local tourism company, Experience PEI, and began to offer an experiential tour called Fun with Falcons.

Up close and personal

The educational side of the business has taken off, and now makes up almost half of what he does.

"It's something that most people have never even thought of being able to do in their lifetime," said Stride.

The presentations are not just for visitors but also locals, who book him through their school, watershed association or other community group.

He starts by giving a demonstration of what a falconer does.

"They also get some one on one time, very interactive, in which they're able to hold certain species, have their pictures taken with them."

Visitors from around the world

Those photos have travelled around the world, because many of his customers come from cruise ships visiting Prince Edward Island.

"It regularly sells out for the cruise ship market and for the independent market, we're generally booking one or two a week, usually family groups who want to go out and see Jamie and meet the falcons and the hawks," said Bill Kendrick, co-owner of Experience PEI.

"I've been to Europe and been on a falconry experience in Europe and I've talked to people who said, we were in the Middle East and did something there and they never imagined that it was something that was available here in Prince Edward Island," said Kendrick.

An experience lasts between one and a half and two hours, and costs $55 or $70 per person, depending on the number in the group.

"We try to keep things fairly authentic in that we don't put on a show," said Stride.

"Our guests get to experience what it's like to be a falconer, day-to-day operations if you will They don't simply watch, they get to be interactive, they get to handle birds."

There are also flights.

"Guests are able to wear a falconer's glove and have a bird in free flight land on their glove which is quite a unique experience," explained Stride.

The birds are hawks and falcons, ranging from the American kestrel which is the size of a robin or blue jay, to the red-tailed hawk, a common bird of prey on P.E.I., which can weigh around two pounds.

Training is key

Stride spends dozens of hours preparing the birds to be part of the presentations.

"Birds are very independent creatures, especially birds of prey, and it takes quite a bit of training to allow them to realize that the human interaction is of no fear to them," he explained.

A falconer does what's called "manning", says Stride, to get the birds used to human interaction.

"Part of that training is to have the birds inside so they get to see and experience and feel day to day activities," he added.

That includes time with Stride's four children, to help prepare the birds for presentations where there are kids present.

Stride has five birds on site, as well as two other falconers working part-time for a total of eight birds.

There are some misconceptions, he said, about what he does.

"We do practice falconry which by definition is the hunting of wild game using trained birds of prey and therefore it's not pet keeping," he said.

The birds are purchased from reputable breeders because it is illegal to trap a wild bird of prey on Prince Edward Island.

The business is open year round, but most of the tourists visit between May and November.

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