Fun with Falcons
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port
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
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activityLevel
Easy Activity
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excursionType
All
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wheelchairAccessible
No
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startingAtPrice
$190
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minimumAge
Information Not Currently Available
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duration
3 Hours
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mealsIncluded
Meals not included
Watching a Saker falcon in full flight, soaring, diving and catching the air currents, is a magical sight. This is an event seldom seen because in the wild, Sakers are an endangered species. Today, fortunately, a growing number are being re-established through conservation breeding programs.
Here on Prince Edward Island, Peter McMurchy has been working with Sakers, Gyr falcons and Harris hawks for several years. Join him at his sanctuary as he trains his birds to fly free and return to a lure at speeds of up to 200 mph. It's a fascinating process and you'll be able to help him with some of the things he has to do, such as weighing the birds to see whether they're ready to eat. The falcons can only be trained if they're hungry. If the conditions are right he'll fly one of his falcons and have it return to attack a lure, but even if he can't fly the falcon that day, you'll have a chance to put on a handler's glove and have one of the birds sit on your hand. They weigh only about two pounds and this makes for a very cool photo to show your friends and family.
The Harris hawk loves to show off, so you'll be given the opportunity to have one fly in and land right on your gloved hand.