Aspiring Middle School Falconer Brings Birds to Show-and-Tell

Seventh-grader Julia Stein-De Turck has been a bird lover since she was a little girl and has since taken her passion more seriously, apprenticing with Alyssa Bordonaro of The Hawk Pros to become a licensed falconer.

 

“It’s always been my favorite thing to read about, to study, to look at pictures, to watch videos,” said Julia, a member of the California Hawking Club. “The first time I held [a hawk], I couldn’t believe it. I was in awe.”

 

On the morning of March 9, Julia, with the help of Alyssa, showed off a trio of predatory birds to her Middle School peers during an assembly in the Science Education & Research Facility’s Monarch Butterfly Plaza. Julia handled Ghostface, a feisty female red-tailed hawk, while Alyssa held Esperanza, a stunning female Aplomado falcon. Meanwhile Phoenix, a female Harris hawk, sat hooded on a perch. 

 

Alyssa recommended the California Hawking Club to students interested in getting involved with falconry but cautioned that the hobby takes a lot of work.

 

That hasn’t deterred Julia, who has been learning the ropes of falconry from Alyssa since last December. She has been out hunting with Alyssa and is actively taking steps to become a certified falconer.

 

“She’s awesome,” Alyssa said of her 13-year-old apprentice. “We’ll see if she’s got what it takes, but so far she’s been proving herself.”