Falcon Fever: A Falconer Adrift in the Twenty-first Century

What is so compelling about falconry' Tim Gallagher mines his lifelong obsession with falcons for an answer in this engaging volume interweaving memoir, history, and travelogue. An entire subculture exists outside the mainstream of American society consisting of obsessed individuals (Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and film-writer Tony Huston among them) who still use the ancient training techniques and language of falconry. Gallagher finds that his personal story connects on many levels with that of Frederick II, the thirteenth-century Holy Roman Emperor, legendary falconer, and notorious freethinker who brought the full wrath of the medieval church down upon his dynasty. While following Frederick's footsteps through southern Italy, Gallagher ponders his personal history as well. What salve to his spirit did falconry provide when it ignited his passion at age twelve' Beset by a turbulent childhood dominated by a brutal and violent father, Gallagher turned to this sport for emotional release. He offers us a unique glimpse into the contemporary falconry subculture, and the result is a surprisingly frank and revealing personal story.;Introduction -- Part I. My back pages. 1. The falcon dreamer ; 2. Rex and Rowdy ; 3. The biker ; 4. Blow up ; 5. Flying free ; 6. Centerville days ; 7. The long spiral downward ; 8. Desolation row ; 9. O Tank -- Part II. My Frederick II year. 10. In Frederick II's footsteps ; 11. Winter in Wyoming ; 12. Highland fling ; 13. A born-again falconer ; 14. Forty years after ; 15. The Saracen citadel ; 16. The eye of Apulia ; 17. Jewel of the hill ; 18. On to Sicily ; 19. Palermo without a map ; 20. The hawks of Herculaneum ; 21. See Rome and die ; 22. Homeward bound -- Epilogue. The ornithologist and award-winning author of The Grail Bird shares his love of falconry in this “boundary-stretching memoir” ( Kirkus Reviews ). “To me, falconry at its highest level is an art form in which the canvas is the entire sky.” What is it about falconry that inspires such avid devotees? Tim Gallagher has pondered this question since he first became obsessed with the sport at the age of twelve. In Falcon Fever , he interweaves memoir, history, and travelogue as he takes us along on his many adventures—mallard hunting in upstate New York with his falcon MacDuff; traveling to Wyoming and the Scottish Highlands to visit and learn from other falconers; attending the annual field meet of the North American Falconers’ Association; and making his personal pilgrimage to the southern Italian lands and landmarks of his hero Frederick II, the thirteenth-century Holy Roman Emperor who wrote the classic text On the Art of Hunting with Birds . From his early use of falconry to escape a troubled childhood to the vibrant, modern community that continues to practice the centuries-old sport of kings, Gallagher offers both a knowledgeable introduction to these birds of prey and an inspiring personal story. “A series of exhilarating, often poignant stories. . . . He weaves an eloquent life story around his life with hawks and falcons.” — Houston Chronicle “The ideal tonic to reinvigorate a nation distracted by laptops from its love for its natural heritage.” —Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “A poignant, introspective volume.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

What is so compelling about falconry? Tim Gallagher mines his lifelong obsession with falcons for an answer in this engaging volume interweaving memoir, history, and travelogue. An entire subculture of the sport exists outside the mainstream of American society, consisting of obsessed individuals who still use the ancient training techniques and language of falconry. Gallagher finds that his personal story connects on many levels with that of Frederick II, the thirteenth-century Holy Roman Emperor, legendary falconer, and notorious freethinker who brought the full wrath of the medieval Church down upon his dynasty. While following in Frederick’s footsteps through southern Italy, Gallagher ponders his own history as well. What salve to his spirit did falconry provide when it ignited his passion at age twelve? Beset by a turbulent childhood dominated by a brutal and violent father, Gallagher turned to this sport for emotional release. He offers us a unique glimpse into contemporary falconry, and the result is a surprisingly frank and revealing personal story.

The author shares his lifelong obsession with falcons, discusses the subculture of individuals involved in falconry, and explores the role of the sport in providing him with emotional solace in response to his turbulent childhood