Falconry lecture at museum Wednesday
MOSES LAKE — The partnership between humans and birds in the hunt for wild game will be the subject of a lecture at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. Ron Updegrave will talk about “Falconry” at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the museum, 401 S. Balsam St.
Admission is free.
Updegrave is the director for the central region of the Washington Falconers Association. Some of his current birds might be part of his lecture, but the falcons are trained to hunt, not to interact with the audience.
Falconry might date back to the beginnings of human civilization, all the way back to the first civilizations, in fact. It came to medieval Europe with the armies and conquerors from Central Asia. But falconers and falconry were popular all over Europe and Asia, and a falcon – or a bunch of falcons – was a status symbol all over Europe and Asia.
Falconers use their birds to hunt wild game, “birds as hunting partners,” said museum director Freya Liggett. Like any other hunter, falconers are required to have a license. Because the birds they use are raptors, some of which are protected by federal laws, falconers must meet a number of federal regulations. Updegrave will talk about the legal requirements of falconry, and some of the details that go into training raptors to hunt and come back. Modern falconers also have the advantages of modern technology, and Updegrave will discuss how it’s used.
Updegrave will also discuss falconry in central Washington. (The central region extends from the Canadian border to the Columbia River.) February is the end of winter falconing season.
People who want more information can contact the museum, 509-764-3830.
The presentation is part of the Salon Series, lectures by local residents on topics of interest both locally and to the speakers. Lectures are scheduled for the first Wednesday afternoon of each month.
Speakers have discussed central Washington saloons, eastern Washington railroads, the U.S. Air Force in Ephrata, poetry, books by local authors, topic of local interest and topics of interest to local speakers. “The program is designed to capture the diverse interests of our community,” Liggett said. Museum officials are looking for additional speakers; potential speakers can contact the museum.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.
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