Sea Island Day 3...

Our 3rd day was one of those once in a lifetime experiences. In fact, it was my favorite part of the entire trip!

The art of falconry is something I had not been very familiar with. That changed on this particular afternoon, as I was able to learn firsthand from a true master falconer! I really had no idea what I was signing us up for when I booked this little adventure, but it was truly something magical!

As I came to learn, falconry is much more than just having a bird land on your leather glove. Falconry is hunting wild animals in their natural habitats with trained raptors. In fact, it is the only sport in America that uses a trained wild animal. We started off our morning with a little meet and greet with the birds. We first met Snickers, a Peregrine Falcon who stayed hooded for her encounter. These birds are not real social and are focused solely on hunting. Next, we met one of the Hawks, Einstein. We got to interact with her unhooded, as Chris called her to land on each of our gloved arms. Believe it or not, these little guys are pretty heavy and holding up the perched birds was not near as easy as it appears!

After meeting the birds, we headed out on the buggy where we were properly introduced to the art of falconry in a hunting adventure you wouldn't believe. We took with us three hawks and two dogs, a pointer and a terrier. Our first hunt was with a hawk, Einstein, and Gracie, the pointer. Einstein stayed low in the treetops, watching for quail and keeping her eye on Gracie. Once Gracie pointed a quail, Chris shook the shrubbery, while calling to Einstein, where she then swooped down from the branches, taking out the quail in flight. It was incredible!

From here, we went over to a swampy area and met two more hawks, Susie and Erma, who actually hunt together, along with Minnie, the terrier. Minnie immediately set out in search of squirrels to tree, feisty and ready for her turn at the fun. Once she had them treed, the hawks stayed together, flying from tree to tree, until they successfully snagged their meal. Again, amazing!

We saved the best for last, when we got to watch Snickers and Gracie in a hunting adventure you wouldn't believe. As Snickers flew over a hundred feet in the air, circling and watching, Gracie ran into the field to find pheasant. Once Gracie pointed a pheasant, Chris called up to Snickers, and then we got to witness the magic of the Peregrine dive at a speed of over 200 mph, as she knocked the pheasant out of flight and made her kill. 

There truly is a magical art to this sport in the interacting of wild animals, who have no obligation to stay and participate in this lifestyle, but choose to do so anyways. That line of pet and wild, never crossed, but fine, nonetheless. To say we were awestruck is and understatement, and by the end of that morning, both boys found themselves, wanting to become falconers themselves.

We had lunch back at the Broadfield hunting lodge, which had me reminiscing of lunch around Grannies dinner table and times long gone. The buffet was set with comfort food, spilling out of milk glass bowls, sweet tea filled our glasses- the southern kind that doesn't skimp on sugar, as picture windows let in afternoon light that filtered through dreamy live oaks and covered porches.

The fact that we ended this day with a round of golf feels like an afterthought, for in our minds, this day belonged to our adventures in the enchanting wilderness of southern hospitality and a nostalgia that took us all back to another place and time.