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Falconry is not a hobby or an amusement, it is a rage. You eat it and drink it, sleep it and think it. You tremble to write of it, even in recollection. It is, as King James the First remarked, an extreme stirrer-up of passions.

-T.H. White

It might be hard to imagine that in the fast paced, high tech world that we live in, a sport that possibly began as early as 2,000 B.C. is still being practiced today. To really begin to understand falconry, one must first look back to its tradition and heritage.

Although a cloud of speculation covers the sport's ancient past, it's thought that falconry, or a form of it, began in either Asia or the Middle East. In the Heian dynasty in China, dating back to 2205 B.C., the falcon was among the gifts to change hands among royalty. In the Middle East, particularly in Arabia and Persia, pictorial records from 1700 B.C. show falconers carrying hawks on their wrists.

In Europe, the oldest records of falconry are found in the writings of Aristotle, and although the literature is somewhat vague, they do show that falconry was popular in ancient Greece between 384 B.C. to 40 A.D.

Probably the most prolific time in the history of the sport, and the period and place with which it is best associated, was medieval England. It was practiced by royalty only, possibly as early as 733 A.D. Around 821 A.D. those with royal blood became slightly more liberal and commoners were allowed to take to the fields with hawks. Of course, they were still not worthy of the noble falcons, but they were practicing falconry nonetheless. Social status being what it was, the office of the Royal Falconer was held in high regard, ranking fourth in line from the king.

By the seventeenth century the popularity of falconry hit its highest level and strict laws governed the sport, with fines or imprisonment being the usual prescription for an infraction of the rules. As harsh as those punishments may have been, they paled in comparison to those administered during the reign of Edward III. In Edward's court, theft of a trained hawk was punishable by death! In addition, if literary works are any indication of societal norms, falconry appears to be an integral part of life for most of this generation. The period's most famous author, William Shakespeare often made mention of it in his writings.

Following several dramatic and turbulent social crisis, such as the French Revolution, much began to change, and falconry faced a great decline in Europe and England. The emergence of firearms also delivered a serious blow to the art, as they provided a quick and effective way to obtain food. Still, for devotees, the attraction to birds of prey and falconry would keep the sport alive.

On the other side of the great oceans, the first record of falconry in the Americas was documented in the 16th century by the Spanish traveler, Cortez. Upon his arrival in Mexico, he found that the Aztec king, Montezuma, fancied hawks more than most. He had so many birds of prey in his elaborate facilities, that it is written, that five hundred guardians were needed to care for the birds.

As for North America, the exact time at which falconry was introduced here is unknown. According to the writings of Fuertes, in 1920 falconry was gaining some popularity, and by his estimation, probably arrived here around the late 1800's. The falconers of this period were generally spaced few and far between over the United States, and no particular organization would exist for several more decades.

The Peregrine Club, as it was called, became the first official falconry organization in the United States. Founded in the mid 1930's, by the late Al Nye, the club held its first meet in Pennsylvania in 1938. Those who were fortunate enough to attend, were graced by an address from keynote speaker, Col. Luff Meredith, who has long been considered by many to be the father of American Falconry. Unfortunately, the history of the Peregrine Club turned out to be rather brief. On June 6, 1941, they would hold their final banquet. Several months later, America was at war and the club was never reactivated.

For the next several decades, it appears that the number of individuals practicing falconry became somewhat limited. The only organization which apparently existed during the period was called the Falconry Club of America. In time, it too would move aside for the birth of another organization.

In 1961, the formation of the North American Falconer's Association took place, and with its arrival, national falconry meets were organized and held annually. NAFA also began to produce several publications a year along with a yearly journal. On its thirtieth anniversary in 1991, NAFA was still going strong with a membership of 2200 individuals. It is considered to be the largest and most organized falconry association in the world today, and amazingly, by "old world" standards, it's still in its infancy.

In recent years a number of state and regional organizations have been formed as well. Many in fact are considerably larger than the first national club, which just goes to show that falconry is once again gaining in popularity, and the cycle continues on.

A person may have regrets that there is no travel back in time. Many falconers may consider themselves unfortunate to never have had the opportunity to meet men such as Meredith, or Nye, or other noteworthy falconers of the past. These men may be gone, but their memories will live on forever, in a very special place.

The Archives of American Falconry was created in 1986 to help preserve the history, and the heritage of North American falconry. The World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise Idaho is the home of the archives, which contains falconry related memorabilia of all kinds, located in the James Nelson Rice wing of the center. Dedicated in the name of Jim Rice, another gifted falconer who has been lost to time, the archives are worth a visit buy anyone interested in falconry and its history.