Lift

Comments a couple months ago on a post I wrote about falconry led me to Rebecca's blog and most recently to her book, Lift. A memoir, it shares the lessons learned in the practice of training a Peregrine Falcon.

I'm not very far into the book, yet, but expected from reading her blog that I would enjoy it. My impression, just 80-some pages in, is that she writes well and passionately about her falcon. Already she's spoken to one of the questions I raised in that earlier blog post, on training her falcon to fly to a lure:

"The falcon and I look at each other, both startled. Then he bows his head slightly over the bird in his feet, snaps the neck and looks back up. He allows me to meet his gaze, seeing deep into his falcon's eyes and I understand that I could keep this predator on a line forever, but he will never be my pet. Over that shared look our relationship changes just a bit, because suddenly, we both grasp an obvious truth. I am looking into the eyes of a wild peregrine. It's so soon, only ten days, but it's time to let him fly free."

Yes, it is dangerous to be bound to something that can break your heart.

She's lost her bird once already to the sky and reclaimed him, changed, after only five hours on his own. I'm looking forward to learning how their relationship continues to develop.