FalconQuester Longwings produce a number of falcons each season, we do this mainly through voluntary Artificial Insemination (AI)
along with some 'natural' breeding pairs.
Bellow we aim to give you a slight in site in to breeding via voluntary Artificial Insemination.
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Social imprints Our main breeding stock is made up of social imprints- these falcons are hand reared from day one and are exposed as much as possible in everyday human life. Our aim is always to produce a well rounded mentally balanced imprint which has no fear of humans and that will in future bond with humans as a sexual partner . |
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Semen donors Our imprinted falcons produce semen voluntary. The falcons are placed in a breeding chamber where interaction and courtship is undertaken daily, this method of breeding falcons is extremely labour intensive but obtaining semen this way allows the 'breeder' to use the semen in a number of different falcons. The picture on the left is a tiercel peregrine 'Arnie' copulating on the specially designed hat, thus the term 'Hat bird'. |
Insemination of Falcons A series of photos depicting a female peregrine 'standing' for insemination. This is a totally natural behaviour of breeding falcons. As you can see the falcon opens and closes the cloaca 'drawing' the semen up the oviduct where it waits to fertilise the next egg. |
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Eggs to Hatch Falcon eggs are either given 10 days natural incubation or placed straight in to incubators where they are weighed down daily to an average weight loss of 15% this is calculated from the 'fresh egg weight' . After incubation chicks are placed in the Hatcher to hatch. |
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Chicks are returned to the imprint falcons at around 4 days old.  First clutch of the 2007 breeding season for Sky and Arnie. |
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