Many folks love bird watching.  In fact birding is rated as the #1 sport in America—hard to believe if you’re a fellow New Englander with Patriots and the Red Sox fever — but there you have it.  Bird watching is a quiet passive sport often seeking to spot birds hidden in the bush.

Falconry, the “Sport of Kings” on the other hand is something entirely different, very exciting and supposedly the origin of this saying.  Having a valuable falcon or hawk on your hand was more valuable than two birds of prey.

A Harris Hawk

Falconry dates back to approx 2000 BC and it was very much a part of the royal lifestyle in China, Arabia and medieval Europe  (400AD-1500AD).

Falconry reaches its highest level in England and is governed by very strict rules– only a king could fly a gyrfalcon.  Other designations were that an earl could fly a peregrine; a yeoman could have a goshawk, a priest the sparrowhawk and servants were allowed to fly kestrels.  William Shakespeare(1564-1616), famous as a writer but not a sportsman was nonetheless an avid falconer.

Falconry came to the US in the early 1930’s and today the North American Falconer’s Association boasts over 2000 members.  Quite a feat considering that falcons almost died out in the US  from the use of pesticides in the 1960’s and 1970’s.   It used to be that falconry meant working with falcons but today one is called a falconer when working with a falcon or a hawk, the word “hawker” just doesn’t have good connotations anymore.

Falconry is not every man’s sport.  It requires tremendous dedication and a thorough understanding of the falcons (or hawks).  It is necessary to care for and work with your birds every day.  Teaching a wild animal to hunt on command and then give up it’s prey and resubmit itself to a human control, is not an easy feat.  Yet that is what this sport is all about.

Master Falconer Chris Davis

It is however possible to experience flying a falcon, even if you do not happen to have any royal blood in your veins.  If you love nature and are looking for a modern day adventure, consider a trip to the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts where Master Falconer Chris Davis will introduce you to the ancient “Sport of Kings” using his trained Harris Hawks.

Chris Davis instructs Innkeeper Mark Ellis on the art of Falconry

Innkeepers Mark and Deni Ellis of Clamber Hill were lucky enough to experience a “bird in the hand” up close and personal and highly recommend an afternoon with Chris Davis and his falcons.  Chris offers three different levels of falconry, an introductory session for $65, a 1.5 hr extended session for $150 or a full blown hunting session for $200 per participant.  Any of the three will be an experience you will never forget.

Coming in for a landing

If you are interested in falconry call ahead for reservations 413-259-1466, and of course you may stay at Clamber Hill Inn , it’s not far away and we’ll share experiences at the end of the day.   You may even see a Red Tail Hawk in the bushes of Clamber Hill.

Clamber Hill Inn where Red Tail Hawks may be seen flying overhead

North Hampton is great for shopping (it’s the best in the area unless you want to drive to Boston) and also has a great selection of restaurants. In fact North Hampton is about the only place in central Mass to get great ethnic food, Japanese, Mexican, Indian and more….

But in all the times we’ve been over there we never knew about the Smith College Museum of Art. It’s not quite in the center of town, but it’s right there on Rt. 9 and once you discover it, you wonder how you could miss it.

It was the gift of a new Massachusetts travel book that allowed us to find this great little art museum. A forty five minute drive from the Inn makes it an ideal place for us to visit on a Sunday afternoon.

What a gem! — especially when you love the late nineteenth century French artists such as Monet, Degas, Picasso, Pisarro, Manet, Seurat, Cezanne etc. They don’t have a lot of any individual artist (they do have three Monets and two Degas) but they have a nice collection and it’s a permanent collection. The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Museum in Williamston, MA is famous for it’s Impressionist Collection but it was a very pleasant surprise to find another wonderful collection much closer to home.

Admission to the museum is only $5.00 making it one of the best bargains in the Pioneer Valley.