By the time members receive this Fall issue of On The Wing, a number of changes will have occurred concerning the THA board. November 1st marked the date when new officers take their positions from this summer’s nomination and election process. Jack Brady is your new Northern Director, Chuck Redding continues to be your Southern Director, and Chris Davis is now THA President. Along with Pierre Bradshaw, Director at Large and Jim Coody as Secretary/ Treasurer, members can feel confident with this group of fine officers.

Along with THA’s new officers, members will also see changes in the volunteer Apprentice Coordinator and Outreach Coordinator positions. Jack Brady asked the Officers late this summer to find another member to fill his role as Apprentice Coordinator upon his accepting the position of Northern Director. While Jack filled the position of Apprentice Coordinator for only a short period, he had assisted Roger Crandall with this task for several years. Within just a few days of Jack’s decision to vacate the Apprentice Coordinator position, long time Outreach Coordinator Jay Lehmer also decided to step aside. It will be strange seeing someone else take on this task, since Jay admirably occupied this position well for many years. Jay has spent countless hours overseeing and managing the large amount of requests THA receives for education and display programs.

Officers continued the tradition of sending out a call to the membership for volunteers to fill these two vital positions. Thanks to those of you who stepped forward to help. While it was a difficult decision to choose between all of the excellent candidates, in the end the Directors selected Dustin McCoy to fill the position of Apprentice Coordinator, and Axel Schardt, along with Mike Tigh as an assistant, will take the reins as Outreach Coordinator. The Directors are encouraged to see new folks step up to fill these important positions within THA, and we’re sure they will fold into the team very well.

There is a very important reminder to our members on behalf of the Officers and that is the critical need for a new Graphic Design/Editor and Webmaster person. Greg Pearson notified THA Officers a year ago that he has to step aside from the various positions he had held for THA by the end of this year. This is the last OTW issue from Greg. THA Officers have been actively looking for someone with enough experience in editing and graphic design to fill this position. The same can be said as for the THA webmaster’s position. THA needs one, two, or three people to fill these critical positions as soon as possible. There have been a couple of folks who have graciously offered their time and while the Officers do appreciate their gesture, these responsibilities require someone with an above average technical understanding and familiarity to competently assume the duties required. If you willing to help fill any of these positions and have the knowledge to assume these duties, please contact one of your Officers as soon as possible.

With that being said, Greg Pearson simply out did himself with the last issue (Fall 2011) of On The Wing. Credit goes to our members as they did an excellent job submitting a considerable amount of great articles, photos, and more. It was by far the largest and best looking issue in the history of THA. Greg Pearson deserves huge kudos and accolades for the years of service he has generously provided to THA. We will miss seeing Greg’s great work.

At the time of typing up this report, passage Peregrine trapping is being completed for the third season in a row. Texas had received ten permits for this trapping season, with six being issued to residents and four to non-residents. Expectations are high that yet again all ten Texas passage Peregrine permits will be filled by the last day of trapping- October 20th. Texas falconers hope to see all thirty-six permits from all three flyways filled this season. Failure to fill all of the permits allotted is detrimental to increasing the number of permits sometime in the near future.

Another event that would have happened by the time this issue is received is the Jimmy and Karen Walker’s 4th Annual Trapping Mini-Meet, held once again in Amarillo November 4th, 5th and 6th.  The panhandle area is great for trapping pretty much anything- from Merlins, Prairie falcons, Red-tails- even the occasional Gyr that happens through. The Carroll family insisted once again to host an awesome barbeque meal the Saturday night of this trapping mini-meet as they have done over these past three years. Hopefully Jimmy Walker will take the time to write a short article in the next issue of this sure-to-be great weekend of trapping for our members to read.

Jack Brady will once again bring back a day of flying opportunities for some of the longwingers out amongst the ranks December 10th. This event will be held just west of Glen Rose at the beautiful hunting Rough Creek lodge. For allowing fellow hunters and their family members to tag along with us, Rough Creek will give falconers pen-raised pheasants to fly for our falcons. In years past, these pheasants have been extremely strong flying birds, and really test the falcon’s ability not only in the air, but also on the ground in some cases. It is a beautiful setting to fly and a really nice event to attend.
 
Of course the biggest event coming down the pipeline is the 31st Annual THA Field Meet, and Abilene will again be the host city. Chuck Redding will be returning as the THA Meet Coordinator- no doubt in an attempt to improve on last year’s very successful field meet. Chuck and his fine team of volunteers will assuredly conduct another fantastic meet for all of us to enjoy. There is a lot to accomplish during the annual field meet, so there’s always a need for volunteers. We really would like to see more members volunteer a couple of hours to help relieve the few members having to work the entire Meet. Not sure where you could help out? Just let Chuck know you are interested in lending a hand.

He will be grateful for the assistance and will assign you a task, no problem at all. Examples of needing additional help in the past include meet registration, helping during the raffle, organizing at the banquet, manning the weathering yard and, of course, land acquisition.

Mark your calendars now, and get the word out to your friends – long time and highly acclaimed Idaho falconer Ed Pitcher will be our keynote speaker at the Saturday night banquet. Ed’s recent book, "The Flying of Falcons" is a superb read that has had the falconry community abuzz these last few years. His documented and very successful methods have changed how a lot of falconers are now training their longwings. It was a great surprise to have Ed visit Texas two years ago during our Annual Field Meet, and we all had a great time talking with him. We look forward to seeing Ed come back this time as our guest. Ed will be bringing along his son with him this time. They plan to fly his falcons and are also

hoping to hunt some of our pesky wild hogs, that is if we can help him find a great place to do so. Currently we have one gracious member offering their place a few hours out of Abilene, but it would be nice to hopefully find a good hog hunting spot a little closer to Abilene for Ed and his son. So if you know of someone who could help out with this endeavor, please let one of your Officers know soon.  

I hope to see as many of you as possible attend the THA Annual Field Meet this coming January 13th – 16th, 2012. Over these last few years the number of falconers who have been coming earlier and staying longer has increased significantly. This just goes to show how much fun a THA meet can be. Please consider taking advantage of sending your Meet early registration form in today. Not only will it save you a few dollars, but it helps us with the planning, preparation, and success of our Meet. You can find the Meet registration forms on the THA website. Don’t hesitate- fill out the form and send it back to Jim Coody today!

There is one last popular event to mention in closing of this report. The 8th Annual Sky Trials is scheduled for February 18, 2012. At the time of this report, the location for this event has been yet to be determined. Further announcements will be made for this event at the Annual Field Meet, through e-mail notifications, and under the THA website (Events page.) Last year’s Sky Trials boasted amazing weather, ten-plus great falcons flying and, more importantly, an awesome crowd of spectators who not only enjoyed the flights during the Sky Trials, but the friendship afterwards with a great lunch. For those of you who haven’t made one of these Sky Trials, you should consider joining the fun. Hope to see more of you there!

[Editor’s note: By the end of the passage peregrine trapping season here in Texas, all ten permits issued had been filled.  Congratulations to each of you from the THA Board!]

..