Falconry and falconeering with snow owls

About Jeanene Steeman - Apprentice Falconer

Jeanene and Chakotay the cat There really is not so much to tell, I have not been around all that long. I live with my mother and father and my brother in Eindhoven for as long as I can remember. Always enjoyed the company of and being around animals, and thus no suprise that I have two guinipigs, two rusian hamsters that look just like two small teddy bears, a budgie and a cockatiel, not forgetting the two cats. And if I could have my own way, a dog or two would also be in place, however my father is adamant we have enough. Friends are often surprised I do not have any birds of prey at home. I often have to remind them that birds of prey are not pets.

I study at an agricultural secondary school called "Helicon" in Eindhoven. I enjoy going to school and have a great group of friends there and many are a bit jealous of what I do at Falconcrest, as Frans does not just take anyone "under his wing", he is great mentor.

Jeanene training with a Chilean Blue Eagle I hope that in a year or two I will be able to do the falconers exam and also become a recognized falconer. Frans assures me it will be no problem, but I know I still have a lot to learn and understand about birds of prey and falconry before I am there. Birds of prey and falconry are very diverse, caring for hatchlings of different species requires a lot of knowledge, of each species, young owls are very different from young falcons. How to detect and treat illnesses and injuries is also an important part of caring for and maintaining the birds of prey's health. Being 'handy' is a big plus when working with leather, for making jesses, hoods and gauntlets. There are a lot of good falconry equipment suppliers on the market, but even more cheap and poor quality materials at dump prices. I prefer to learn the trade and know how and why things are made the way they are. So if you are not handy, do your homework before purchasing any falconry equipment, because like you, the birds of prey deserve the best. As I learn more about about the birds of prey I hope to share this information with everyone. I collect information on all the birds of prey I work with and provide it in the Birds Of Prey Information section of this site.

The future

Raptor flying free I am told it is a good thing to be young and to know what you want to do in life. And I know I want to work with wild life (Fauna and Flora), specially with birds of prey. So after my current schooling I want to go to college or university and continue my studies in the direction of Fauna and Flora.

Keeping up to date

QR code vCard+ Keeping current imformation up to date is always a challenge. My dad made this QR code which is great as I can update the information anytime I like. It has a vCard and I'm able to manage all my social media links and updates via it. You can even subscribe to it and get a notification if my details change. I think this is really cool.

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