The Falconry Club
	"The Bird Comes First"

Craig Mirams, Master-In-Charge of the
Falcon College Falconry Club and Secretary of the Zimbabwe Falconers Club
About Craig Mirams Ü

The Falconry club is open to boys in Form 2 and above who have a genuine interest in the outdoors.

The boys serve a year apprenticeship and write 2 exams in that year. If they pass both the written exam and a practical exam they qualify to handle a bird the following year.

Presently, the club has 30 boys with 13 having passed their exams and will be flying birds this season.  The headmaster, Mr. Reginald Querl (About Falconer Reg Querl Ü) is an active member of the College Falconry Club. 

In the club there are presently 7 African Goshawks, 2 Ovambo Sparrowhawk’s, 2 African Hawk Eagles, 2 Black Sparrowhawk’s and 2 Lanner Falcons, we also have a Wood Owl and a Spotted Eagle Owl.
In the breeding pens we have 4 Taita Falcons and 2 Peregrines.

Left: Eos female Lanner falcon
             Right:Xena female black Sparrowhawk on a guinea fowl

The birds are generally hunted 5 times a week with Tuesdays and Thursdays being rest days.

One of the most exciting projects at the Falconry Club is the hatching and breeding of Falcons.  The Club has had several successes in breeding Falcons.                                                                                      

Left: A Taita chick just after it had been hatched at the falconry Club.
Right: 10 weeks later, the Taita chick had reached maturity.
The Taita falcons are a very rare species.

Left: Peregrine Falcon female, Abbey

Right:Taita falcon male chip - hatched and raised at Falcon College

Vaughan Whitehead-Willson and African Hawk Eagle Smiegel on a scrub hare (2006)

Falconers on the move......2006
from Left: Vaughan Whitehead-Willson with immature African Hawk eagle, Wicks and Amos with female African goshawks.




About falconer Craig Mirams

Craig Mirams, a keen Falconer, joined the College from Peterhouse College in 2006.  He was a student of Reg Querl, the headmaster, at Peterhouse College in the third term of 1986.  Craig run the Peterhouse Falconry Club.  He is the Editor of the Zimbabwe Falconers Club magazine, the Talon.

About Falconer Reg Querl

Reg Querl, the headmaster of Falcon College is a keen falconer.  He is the the President of the Zimbabwe Falconers Club.  When the opportunity arises from his usually busy schedule as headmaster and First XV Rugby coach he takes boys into the surrounding bushes and scrubland to train them how to fly and hunt with the falcons. Currently he is the only falconer in Zimbabwe known to be making falcon bells.