Interview with American eagle falconer Lauren McGough
We speak to American eagle falconer Lauren McGough about how the change in legislation in Scotland will impact falconry, and why she believes it is so important to preserve.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself, your falconry journey and the birds you work with?
My name is Lauren McGough, and I’m based in the United States. I was lucky in that I stumbled across a book on falconry when I was 14 in the library – and that was it, I knew I had to become a falconer. I flew my first red-tailed hawk on rabbits in Oklahoma, in the United States, in 2001. I quickly became enamored with eagles in particular; so in 2006 when I studied at the University of Glasgow, I took my first trip on the moor to watch golden eagles fly at mountain hare. It was incredible and I was hooked!
I have since lived in and flown a variety of eagles in South Africa, Mongolia, and the United States. But I always come back to Scotland. I try to spend time every season on the moor in Scotland with eagles.
Why is the opportunity to hunt mountain hare in Scotland so important to you as a falconer and for your bird?
Scottish moorland is unique to the world. There is nowhere else in the United Kingdom that an eagle truly gets to be an eagle. This is the natural habitat of the golden eagle, and the mountain hare is its natural prey.
They've co-evolved together for millions of years, and nowhere else can a falconer or spectator gain such an incredible front-row seat to this ancient dance between predator and prey.
Every mountain hare is hard won for the eagle, and nothing goes to waste – either the eagle eats the hare, or we cook it ourselves (I’ve learned some amazing hare recipes!) Nothing goes to waste.
Why is hunting mountain hare with eagles so important? Are there other quarry species that could be hunted? If they aren’t suitable, why?
Eagles are hare specialists. Of course, there are brown hares, but their habitat is fractured. To hunt brown hares is to hunt near homes and towns, on agricultural land, which is restrictive to both the falconer and eagle. Eagles excel in open spaces without disturbance and relish the opportunity to soar and ride the wind against the hills. Again, there is no more natural place for a golden eagle then on the high ground.
Over the seasons I've seen some jaw-dropping flights by eagles across moorland. The eagle might be a pin dot in the sky, then folds up and stoops at high speed to make its attempt on a mountain hare. Or the eagle may leave your glove and fly nearly out of sight while powering after a mountain hare across the contours of the moor. The sheer joy of the eagle in this flying is obvious, whether or not the mountain hare makes good its escape.
Why does Scotland's landscape attract you to travel so far around the world for the purpose of falconry?
Scottish moorland is a stunningly unique landscape, with a beautiful isolation to it.
I struggle to think of anywhere else in the world where you can be in such a remote landscape that is so ideally suited to the golden eagle and its hunting instincts.
Watching golden eagles and mountain hares outwit and outmaneuver one another is a huge privilege, and something I will always travel to Scotland to be a part of. I know of no better way to connect to a landscape, with wildlife, and with an eagle hunting partner.
What positives does you visiting Scotland to hunt hare bring to the locals/local economy?
When I stay in Scotland, I rent a cottage and hire a car. I stock up on supplies from local grocery stores for my time on the moor, but also stay in hotels and eat at restaurants when I'm elsewhere.
Some of my falconer friends from the United States have come with me to Scotland because of how wonderful this falconry is there. I even use my falconry trip to Scotland as a basis to do further travel. I have visited the isles of Arran, Skye and up to Orkney as fun additions to my hawking trips.
What is your most memorable experience and what made it special to you?
Scotland is where I first learned to fly eagles. Scotland gave me a love of golden eagles and has been a springboard for my work in Mongolia, documenting the Kazakh tradition of eagle falconry and a subsequent PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of St Andrews.
Today I use the skills I gained in Scotland to help rehabilitate golden eagles in the United States. Many of the young eagles that come into rehab here don’t have enough hunting experience to survive in the wild if released, and so I spend a year or two giving them to the opportunity to hunt jackrabbits as a falconry bird. When they become proficient at catching their own dinner, these eagles are released. I only have that skill because of the time I spent hunting mountain hares with golden eagles in Scotland. I have so many wonderful memories from the moor.
One of my favorite experiences was a recent one - from December 2019 when I visited Scotland with Roy Lupton and his golden eagles. Roy's eagles come alive in Scotland.
We had a (rare!) beautiful blue-sky day and were walking around the lip of a dramatic, tall bowl between the hills. Suddenly we saw that flash of white – a mountain hare sprung into a loping run across the bottom of the bowl.
'Baby', Roy's golden eagle, powered out above the hare, keeping his height a couple hundred feet above. Then, looking over his shoulder, he rolled over and dove vertically. Tucked into a teardrop shape - Baby seemed to be going impossibly fast, falling all that way.
The eagle punched into the heather, but the mountain hare side-stepped at the last second and ran up the steep hillside and out of sight. Baby shook himself off, and excitedly stepped back on the glove for another go.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Falconry is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Falconry has zero impact on the population of mountain hares.
Hunting mountain hare lets eagles truly be eagles, and live as close to wild lives as possible. It connects us with nature, the land, and the animals we admire, both hares and eagles.
