Falconer for a day in the province of Pisa

What would it be like to spend a day as a falconer? There’s no need to wonder, because you’re about to find out!

In Santa Maria A Monte, in the province of Pisa, you’ll be able to assist a real falconer and get up close to over 40 birds of prey, including golden eagles, vultures, Harris’s hawks and owls. A truly huge family that will welcome you… with open wings!

During the mini-course, you’ll learn the basics of falconry, watch high-flying falcons in free flight and practise calling certain species back to your fist. The first step towards becoming a professional falconer? We’ll leave that up to you to decide.

What we will do

We’ll meet in Santa Maria A Monte (PI).

The falconer will welcome us to his farm, which is home to more than 40 birds of prey of various species: from the golden eagle Valchiria to the vulture Hannibal, and from the European eagle owl Morgana to the buzzards Thor , Ares and Cordelia. Once all participants have gathered, the falconer will hold a brief briefing and get the activities underway.

We’ll spend the day as proper falconers, starting with an inspection of the aviaries. Among our first tasks, we’ll weigh the birds of prey to check their physical condition, noting the results in a special notebook. At this point, the falconer will decide which birds to release and explain the behaviour expected of us during the afternoon’s activities.

We will then have a two-hour lunch break; we can choose to sit at the tables provided by the centre with our packed lunch (not included) or drive into the village centre, where there are cafés and restaurants.

We will then resume with the free flight of the birds of prey. We will be able to interact with some of the species present, such as Harris’s hawks, the Bengal owl, barn owls , scops owls, Virginia owls and the vulture. The falconer will teach us how to call them back to the glove and make them fly from fist to fist.

Next, the falconer will release several noble falcons, such as the peregrine falcon, the saker falcon and the lanner falcon: we’ll watch them soar high into the sky and be brought back down using the ‘logoro’, one of the most useful tools for a falconer. It will be a truly marvellous spectacle, demonstrating just how far the art of falconry can go.

The activity will last a total of 6. 5 hours, including a 2-hour lunch break. During the summer season, the activity may be rescheduled for the late afternoon and last approximately 4½ hours, with no lunch break.

Who it is aimed at

The activity is suitable for everyone from the age of 10. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

It is also possible to participate in the experience in a wheelchair, subject to prior arrangement with the falconer.

Other information

The activity is available all year round. From June to September, at weekends, a minimum of two participants is required.

Please note: during the summer season, the activity may be rescheduled to the late afternoon and last approximately 4½ hours, with no lunch break.

Any accompanying adults may watch the activity free of charge, without taking part.

Dogs are welcome at the farm, but for safety reasons they are not permitted during the activity; if brought along, they must be left in the care of an accompanying adult.

The meeting point is accessible by public transport, with a bus stop right outside the farm (buses do not run on Sundays) . Parking is available on site.

Recommended clothing

• Comfortable clothing
• Trainers

Don't forget to bring

• Packed lunch
• Water