Announcements:
50:50 draw - Participants names: Chuck T., Bill P., David B.
Trivia fundraiser for Waterloo Hospice a great success with over 10K raised.
Guest Speaker:
The Kilted Falconer – Mark is a licensed falconer that offers educational presentations to schools, youth groups, clubs, hospices, free of charge.
Mark’s extensive aviation career in service involved preventing air accidents, Navitech, LEAF Efforts (refugees), teaching all aspects of aviation resulting in many of his students flying airplanes around the world, a flight logistic coordinator and motorcycle instruction. An accident in 2014 led to rehabilitation, mindfulness and his Passion for Falconry. Mark doesn’t know that he would be here today without his birds and the emotional support they provide.
As the Kilted Falconer, Mark is in tune with nature, has a falconry licence, is a sponsored apprentice where he uses birds to hunt with and this is the lifestyle of his choice. Falconry is a highly regulated sport and is closely monitored and enforced. He provides vitamins, electrolytes and daily food. Mark’s birds “can see into your soul.” These birds are not good pets and they are always hunters.
One of his guests today was his Native Ontario Wild Red-Tailed Hawk who he has had for 6 years and his best hunter of squirrels. With dinosaur feet, she is amazing, stunning, a sweetheart, and extraordinary in every way. She is used for Falconry only with no monetary purposes and priceless to Mark. She can pick out Mark out of 100 people just by the way Mark walks. Another guest today was Lilly, smallest, Falcon in North America who is 6 years old and who can see ultraviolet light thereby easily hunting mice from above because the urine shines for Lilly. The third guest today was Gingus (Jay for short), a hybrid mix of Deer Falcon and Sacred Falcon who can fly 75 miles per hour in a straight line. Tracked with a GPS, Mark can dial in to hear surrounding conversations. Jay is extremely fast with an invincible mindset who hunts Ducks and Crowes.
Some interesting terms:
‘Rouse’ or shake from sleep.
‘Women rule the roost.” The female bird is larger guards, lays the eggs and is truly the boss! The male is smaller and if the female chooses, she will feed the male to her chicks.
Reach out to The Amazing Kilted Falconer at thekiltedfalconer@gmail.com for any opportunities where he can continue to reach out to others!
