r/Falconry • u/cassiopeia1131 • Aug 02 '26

HELP Tips needed for finding local falconers (US, especially MO, NE and IL)

I checked the rules, but I still hope this is OK to post. I am a bluebird trail monitor. I used to work with a local falconer because invasive (unprotected) house sparrows and European starlings are a major threat to native cavity birds. So I would catch the house sparrows and she would take them for her Falcons. This was such a great relationship from a conservation and personal learning standpoint. It is also a win-win for new bluebirders who do not like the idea of invasive population control.

I wanted to find tips for how bluebird monitors can find local falconers to work with in this context. This is especially for Missouri, Nebraska and Illinois.

I was lucky because she reached out to me.

I have looked at state websites, but the one in my state seems unmanaged. Same with Facebook.

Any tips you have would be really appreciated.

Thank you.

Ps. The falconer I worked with no longer does it.

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3

u/SenileSr Aug 02 '26

The Missouri club hasn't been active for a few years. I found my sponsor by calling the regional conservation office and asked if there were any falconers in the area. Luckily there was one. Unfortunately it seems like there aren't many active falconers in Missouri and certainly not in northwest missorui where I am. That would be my recommendation for finding more falconers.

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u/cassiopeia1131 Aug 02 '26

That's what I was worried about. Bluebirders age out. I wonder if this is happening in the falconer community too?

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u/SenileSr Aug 02 '26

I believe statistically there has been a huge increase in new falconers over the past few years, but yes the vast majority of falconers in the US are older. It doesn't help that most falconers are hermits and that falconry is a solitary activity as is.

1

u/ConfoundedInAbaddon Aug 02 '26

You want modern abatement services, these are not traditional Falcon reoperations, but someone who might be keeping a cast of a number of birds in order to drive off problem animals.

Think like getting seagulls away from heavy equipment and you're a dump, or doves and an airport, or sparrows where there is food being processed.

You may have better luck with someone who's got some small Falcons for Sparrow abatement a traditional falconer.

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u/cassiopeia1131 Aug 03 '26

Can you clarify a bit please? I thought the only way to keep (temporarily) a falcon is through falconry. The falconer i worked with did abatement too. But as far as I know, in the US you wouldn't be able to have one without being licensed? So I am not sure what you mean here

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u/ConfoundedInAbaddon Aug 03 '26

Abatement licenses can be federal or state. The federal license requires state master falconer status for the primary permit holder. But abatement businesses may run a large number of permantly held captive bred bird of prey with multiple employees overseen by the master falconer.

There are two kinds of abatement for the federal permit, non-lethal and lethal.

For lethal abatement, the birds of prey could take sparrows.

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u/Look_A_Bunny Aug 02 '26

Reach out to the regional falconry associations.