Falconry at the Broadmoor

The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs is one of the few locations in the nation where falconry is being offered as an activity for guests.

The program is conducted by Broadmoor Outfitters, which partners with the hotel to offer activities that also include rock climbing, mountain biking, paintball, hiking and fly fishing.

A 90-minute beginner falconry class begins with a visit to the mews where the birds live and is conducted by a falconer.

“They will talk about the history of falconry, they’ll talk about conservation, they’ll talk about how they train the birds and they’ll introduce the guests to a minimum of three different species of birds — a saker falcon, a Eurasian eagle-owl and a Harris’s hawk,” said Teresa Taylor, a Broadmoor Outfitters naturalist.

Then guests are transported to an open field to watch a flying demonstration.

“They’re going to watch that falconer

cast the bird — launch the bird from their arm — and the bird will fly,” Taylor said. “Then the falconer will call that bird back and the bird will come back to the falconer’s arm. And then, the part that everybody loves the most, everybody gets to don the falconer’s glove — a big leather glove that goes up to the elbow — and everybody has an opportunity to hold one of the birds.

“There are pretty happy faces when people are holding those birds on their arm.”

Guests who complete the beginner class can sign up within a year for an intermediate class, which is generally limited to two people.

“The guest is actually doing the releasing of the bird, the casting of the bird, and having the bird return to them,” Taylor said. “They are learning more about how that bird is trained to do that. They are actually the one who is flying the bird during that class.”

Broadmoor Outfitters is in the process of developing an advanced class; check with them for details.