Weird or unique hobbies.

Abird@sh.itjust.works to [Outdated, please look at pinned post] Casual Conversation@lemmy.world – 181 points –

I've always loved flashlights. Yes FLASHLIGHTS with an A!!! Anyway, apparently not many people share my rather niche interest.

So I ask you, fellow Lemmites, what are your hobbies and weird obsessions that you can ramble on about for hours?

Please feel free to ramble on about your passions here. Maybe you'll find some likeminded individuals!

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Falconry. It's really more of a lifestyle than a hobby now though. I've been doing it for a little over 10 years now and am currently flying a cast (group of birds flown together) of 3 Harris's Hawks.

Quick faqs:

  • I use the glove and everything
  • It's a hunting sport, we catch rabbits 3-5 times a week
  • We all go out together, I flush they catch
  • No, they do not bring what they catch back to me, I go to them
  • They don't eat the whole rabbit, I trade them a small reward
  • They are completely free flighted when doing this
  • I've trained them just enough to get them back and work with me, they know how to do bird things naturally
  • They don't really go for your eyes, and getting bit hurts 50x less than getting footed
  • They are not rescues and are perfectly healthy
  • Mine are captive bred, but some are wild trapped
  • Wild trapping has 0 effect on native populations, 50-90% of raptors don't make it through their first year
  • Even though mine are captive bred they are still wild animals, they are just tamed.
  • This is the most regulated sport in the US

Birbs:

Do you like owls? How smart are the birds? Are they as smart as a talking raven?

I like owls but they are not used for Falconry because they have poor lateral thinking (Owl knows how to jump to the glove inside, take them outside owl knows nothing) and because we have to follow all hunting laws (can't hunt after dark). But for people who can hunt after dark, using an owl sucks because it's dark and you can't see anything that happens. Most falconers just love to watch their birds fly and it's hard to see them fly in the dark!

Harris's hawks are one of the smartest hawk species but I'm sure ravens are smarter. I think they've gotten HHs to use a simple tool but they are not as proficient as ravens. But in my observations it only takes one single bad experience for most raptors to never want that experience to happen again. And on the flip side, if they get rewarded doing something once they will remember that for a long time

Owls sound a bit dumb. Though they're still cute. I plan on training a local starling population to fetch me money and attack my enemies. I'm training them with Gregg's. They're already taking food from my hands.

You may like c/superbowl

Who owns the birds? Are you tired of eating rabbit? It's a really cool hobby!

Technically the US government owns the birds, but two of these are mine and one is my wife's who is also a licensed falconer. We purchased them from licensed breeders. They are from, left to right, Nevada, Washington, Louisiana. They were shipped to us on an airplane and we picked them up at the airport.

Most of the rabbit goes back into feeding them over the summer when they are molting their feathers. I do make 2-3 rabbit dishes a year though. Last year I made sausage which was pretty good.

Does the government own ALL raptors, or are yours part of something like an airport bird removal project?

Idk if own is the correct term but the US regulates most native birds through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Falconry has a special exclusion from that act. But it's along the same lines as just because a deer is in your yard it doesn't mean you own that deer. You need permission from the government to take it.

Looked into this for a hobby. Was amazed at how well regulated it is and such a big commitment.