Next up under our customer spotlight is Ignacio Flores who kindly shared with us his Falconry journey and memorable moments...
My name is Ignacio Flores, I was born in Mexico City and am now living in Los Angeles, Ca. When I was studying in elementary, my homework consisted of translating some articles from English to Spanish. My Dad then bought me National Geographic which was much more interesting than translating his medicine books! In one magazine I came across an article about the nomads hunting with eagles in Kazakhstan, and then, the magic happened. I started to find more and more information about falconry and how to get involved; then at the beginning of high school, I met a falconer at the school and immediately started to build a friendship with him.
Eventually, I moved out of Mexico City to Baja California looking for better opportunities to practice falconry. I graduated from college and the financial company that I was working with made me an offer to expand the brand into the U.S. Market, I took that opportunity to expand my falconry experience into the United States. Now I have been living in the U.S. for more than 16 years and since I was 14 years old always had a raptor on my fist. Two years ago, I achieved another milestone in falconry experience, breeding falcons. I have 2 pairs of Peregrine Anatums and 1 pair is active, the second pair will have to wait one more year. This year Pepper ( Anatum Falcon ) laid 4 eggs and all were successful and all done by her. I own my Abatement company Urban Falconry Inc, and I do abatement in the Los Angeles area. I resigned my financial career, a very successful career, to do abatement 8 years ago and haven’t regretted it at all!
What was your first bird?
Female Harris Hawk.
What is your favourite bird to fly and why?
Harris Hawks / Female Anatums.
What is the most memorable moment you have experienced in Falconry so far?
Breeding my own falcons.
What part of Falconry do you most enjoy and why?
Used to be trapping and hunting, now breeding and making the little ones successful at hunting.
What is your dream bird to fly and why?
Gyrfalcon in Iceland. Love that country and the terrain and opportunities to hunt are amazing.
For those new to Falconry or thinking about getting started, what would be your most valuable advice?
Do it and be consistent! You will never be so closer to nature than Falconry, live the experience to be engaged directly with nature.
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If you are one of our customers and would like to share your Falconry journey, we would love to hear from you! Just email info@aclarkefalconry.co.uk for more details.