Non-Falconer Asks 'Can I Pet Your Bird?' for the 10,000th Time, Falconer's Eye Begins to Twitch

Master falconer Raymond Cadge reached a personal milestone Saturday when a stranger at a public demonstration asked 'Can I pet your bird?' marking what Cadge estimates is the 10,000th time he has fielded the question in his 18-year falconry career. 'No,' Cadge said, as his left eye began its now-characteristic twitch. 'No, you cannot pet my bird. She is a peregrine falcon. She is not a pet. She is a hunting raptor with a grip strength of approximately 200 pounds per square inch. She can see a pigeon from a mile away. She does not want to be petted. She wants to kill things.' The question, which Cadge describes as 'the Can I speak to your manager of the falconry world,' arises at virtually every public appearance, field meet, and, on one memorable occasion, at a veterinary clinic while the falcon was being treated for bumblefoot. 'People see the glove and the bird and their brain goes directly to petting zoo,' Cadge said. 'They don't register the talons. They don't register the beak. They don't register the fact that the bird is staring at them like a meal.' Cadge has developed what he calls 'The Response,' a calibrated four-minute explanation that covers raptor temperament, the legal framework of falconry permits, and a visual demonstration of what a falcon's talons can do to a leather welding glove. 'The welding glove demo usually ends the conversation,' Cadge said. 'I let them hold the glove after. Most people go quiet.' Fellow falconers have expressed solidarity. A recent survey by the North American Falconers Association found that 'Can I pet your bird?' is the most common question asked of falconers, followed by 'Where do you buy those?' and 'Is that an eagle?' It is never an eagle.