Hunting wolves with a golden eagle

Kunal Biswas

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In western Mongolia, an ancient tradition of hunting with Golden Eagles is still alive. We know from history that Genghis Khan had 1,000 hunting birds - eagles, falcons and gyrfalcons - and so did Kubla Khan. There were protected areas in the steppe marked with stones where only the khans were allowed to hunt. The Kazakhs of Mongolia train their eagles to hunt and here the bird of prey is often considered a family member. The Berkutchi is a falconer who hunts with the Golden Eagle. The training of this bird was seen as difficult and even perilous even by the experienced Synchy. the bird is never a slave of its owner, only a partner in hunting. From ancient times, berkutchi-falconers in the nomadic herder societies had the role of preserving and stocking furs. The high social status of the berkutchi and his family was conditioned by the climate, as warm strong and durable clothing for the people during the winter seasons was a vital necessity. Best-suited for this were the pelts of wolves and foxes. Apart from hunting, berkutchi can give spiritual support to pregnant women, who experience or may experience difficulties in childbirth. Through the owner of the bird, which in the imagination of Asian peoples is a symbol of well-being and power. According to folk wisdom, a berkutchi is the indisputable authority in the sphere of childbirth or of renewing fertility. In the cultures of many nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples of Asia, it is said that a berkutchi, regardless of age, can make pregnant a woman who for a long time had not had children.

--- CATALÀ --- A Mongòlia occidental, una tradició antiga de cacera amb Àguiles Daurades és encara viva. Sabem de la història de Genghis Khan que tenia 1,000 ocells de cacera - àguiles, falcons i gyrfalcons - i Kubla Khan hi tenia espais protegits a l'estepa marcats amb pedres on es permetien caçar només els khans. Els Kazakhs de Mongòlia preparen a les seves àguiles per caçar i aquí l'ocell de presa es considera sovint com un membre familiar. El Berkutchi és un falconer que caça amb Àguiles Daurades. La formació d'aquesta au es considerava difícil i fins i tot perillosa, fins i tot pel experimentat Synchy. l'ocell no és mai un esclau del seu propietari, només un soci a la caça. Des dels temps antics, els falconers berkutchi a les societats de pastors nòmades tenien la funció de la preservació i emmagatzematge de pells. L'alta condició social del berkutchi i la seva família va ser condicionada pel clima, tan càlides com fortes i duradores peces de vestir per al poble durant les temporades l'hivern varen ésser una necessitat vital. El més adequat per a això van ser les pells de llops i guineus. A part de la caça, el berkutchi pot donar suport espiritual a les dones embarassades, que experimenten o poden experimentar dificultats en el part. Mitjançant el propietari de l'ocell, que a la imaginació dels pobles asiàtics és un símbol de benestar i poder. Segons la saviesa popular, un berkutchi és l'autoritat indiscutible en l'àmbit del part o de la renovació de la fertilitat. En les cultures de molts pobles nòmades i seminómadas d'Àsia, es diu que un berkutchi, independentment de la seva edat, pot fer que quedi embarassada una dona que durant molt de temps no havia tingut fills.
 
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sob

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Terrific stuff. Had read about it but never seen before.
 

trackwhack

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Kunal, Golden Eagles are found in India too, though in very few numbers. If you are keen on watching them in the wild, here is some info. You will need spotting scopes and a good pair of binoculars with a tripod.

Best place to watch - Ooty or Sholur. Nilgiri ranges

Ideal location : High up in the hills. There are several guest houses on the 36 hairpin highway between Masinagudi and Ooty. You ideally want to scout for a few to see if any of them overlook a deep valley. Pick one that does and one which is as close to a hilltop as possible. Pick up your viewing kit and find a nice spot where you can sit and wait. Start at 11 AM after the sun has warmed the place a bit. Avoid monsoon, any other time of the year will work as the eagles in the south are non-migratory and nest there. If your spot is good, you will literally be able to look down on the eagles as they scout for food. You will be able to see the patterns on the top side of their wings. Trust me watching them is priceless. It is impossible to follow them accurately without a tripod for you binoculars so this is very important.

I was lucky enough to be able to watch two birds scouting and hunting in tandem (may have been mates), one of them finally plucked a wild pigeon out of the air and then both disappeared. A friend of mine owns property in sholur right at the top of one of the hills so I got lucky. :)

These birds are very rare in India so good luck if you do try.
 

Sukerchakia

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Kunal, Golden Eagles are found in India too, though in very few numbers. If you are keen on watching them in the wild, here is some info. You will need spotting scopes and a good pair of binoculars with a tripod.

Best place to watch - Ooty or Sholur. Nilgiri ranges

Ideal location : High up in the hills. There are several guest houses on the 36 hairpin highway between Masinagudi and Ooty. You ideally want to scout for a few to see if any of them overlook a deep valley. Pick one that does and one which is as close to a hilltop as possible. Pick up your viewing kit and find a nice spot where you can sit and wait. Start at 11 AM after the sun has warmed the place a bit. Avoid monsoon, any other time of the year will work as the eagles in the south are non-migratory and nest there. If your spot is good, you will literally be able to look down on the eagles as they scout for food. You will be able to see the patterns on the top side of their wings. Trust me watching them is priceless. It is impossible to follow them accurately without a tripod for you binoculars so this is very important.

I was lucky enough to be able to watch two birds scouting and hunting in tandem (may have been mates), one of them finally plucked a wild pigeon out of the air and then both disappeared. A friend of mine owns property in sholur right at the top of one of the hills so I got lucky. :)

These birds are very rare in India so good luck if you do try.
I was under the impression that Golden eagles in India are only found in the Himalayan ranges. Even wiki and other birding sites claim them to be only found in the upper reaches of the western Himalayas.

 

trackwhack

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I was under the impression that Golden eagles in India are only found in the Himalayan ranges. Even wiki and other birding sites claim them to be only found in the upper reaches of the western Himalayas.

Nops, they are pretty much everywhere though not in huge numbers. Get a birding book for India, it should give you more accurate ranges if you plan to scout for a few.
 

Mr.Ryu

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Great

But i always thought wolf's will roam in pack lol but in video not even a 2 wolf pack why ?
 

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