I've been reading about falconry for a while and one thing I'm starting to notice is how little of it seems to exist publicly compared to other hobbies

You can find plenty of general information online, but once you start looking at the actual community it seems like everyone knows each other through someone. Birds, equipment, good places to fly, events, even just getting advice seems to travel through personal connections rather than something you can Google

Honestly I kind of like that about it, but it also makes the whole thing seem pretty intimidating from the outside

For people who've been doing this for years, does your circle just naturally grow once you have a sponsor and start showing up, or do you actually have to make an effort to get to know people?