In Part 3 of my series with Ronnie Moore, we discuss Ron's recollection of implementation of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, how it came about, and its pitfalls for practicing falconers. Ron talks about his second shot at immortalization after he received an invitation to fly Ailsa on Bleasdale Towers estate. He recounts how the largest scotch and lemonade turned into two, and the unfortunate events that followed. He tells us about an outing where he and Diana Durman-Walters were caught out in less than ideal weather while hunting "Ailsa". Ron describes one particular flight where he believes that after flying into the next dale to find better wind, Ailsa followed two hikers and their dog. "Ailsa" typically took fur, but on least one occasion she obliged her taste for feathered quarry…Ron tells us that story. When transporting "Ailsa", Ron initially had her on a perch in his vehicle…he tells us why he had a change of mind, and switched to using a transport box. Ron acquired "Ailsa" in his early thirties, and was still hunting her into his sixties; he tells us how decades of hunting began to take its toll. Ailsa’s death marked the beginning of the end of Ron's falconry career – he tells us about the period of time after Ailsa’s death. In closing, Ron recounts the “three big ups” of his life, and he answers my rapid fire questions.
In Part 3 of my series with Ronnie Moore, we discuss Ron's recollection of implementation of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, how it came about, and its pitfalls for practicing falconers. Ron talks about his second shot at immortalization after he received an invitation to fly Ailsa on Bleasdale Towers estate. He recounts how the largest scotch and lemonade turned into two, and the unfortunate events that followed. He tells us about an outing where he and Diana Durman-Walters were caught out in less than ideal weather while hunting "Ailsa". Ron describes one particular flight where he believes that after flying into the next dale to find better wind, Ailsa followed two hikers and their dog. "Ailsa" typically took fur, but on least one occasion she obliged her taste for feathered quarry…Ron tells us that story. When transporting "Ailsa", Ron initially had her on a perch in his vehicle…he tells us why he had a change of mind, and switched to using a transport box. Ron acquired "Ailsa" in his early thirties, and was still hunting her into his sixties; he tells us how decades of hunting began to take its toll. Ailsa’s death marked the beginning of the end of Ron's falconry career – he tells us about the period of time after Ailsa’s death. In closing, Ron recounts the “three big ups” of his life, and he answers my rapid fire questions.