Adam’s Falconry

I purchased a Groupon for my 14 year old daughter and boyfriend. I tagged along to take pictures. What an amazing experience for the both of them. Up close, individual handling of the birds and a wealth of information. Adam and his lovely wife are personable, kind and pleasant to speak with. This experience will make you want to own a falcon. Lol.

When I saw the falconry experience, I was really excited, because I’ve never seen anything like this before. I think it would be amazing to have one of these birds, but they seem extremely expensive and a lot of work. Haha.
We arrived early in the morning on a Saturday (not my finest hour). It was a breeze to schedule with Adam. The first thing he did was give us a great deal of information on the birds and did a feeding demonstration.
Next, we went out into a clearing to watch one hunt a dead bird on a string and pole (almost like fishing). On this particular day, however, the bird wasn’t feeling it. Adam said there was a hormonal issue, but the bird refused to hunt. All it wanted to do was walk around and look for bugs in the dirt. At one point, it flew up on one guy’s shoulder, so that was awesome. I wish it had flown up and perched on me. I would have loved that.
Horace flew from arm to arm (two rounds to accommodate each participant), and that was great. One of my favorite parts was when he brought out the baby owl. How cute! After everyone got a turn petting it, it made a mad dash to get away, which was hilarious.
This is a fun and unique experience for all, and I recommend it!

Well worth time and money. Quite interesting to hear stories and watch birds in action. Remember to wear glasses and stand behind a tall person (just kidding). The event was about one and one half hours long, just right for a non birder. AWSOME watching the star of the show dive at high speed toward target… Demonstration was on the grounds of Hamilton Oaks Winery Tasting Room.

There was a 2 for 1 deal on Groupon so my spouse and I went for this experience with falcons.
Adam, the owner, is very nice and patient.
We had 3 opportunities to have falcons on a gloved hand: once with a falcon flying in a circle from hand to hand to get a piece of meat; once with a masked falcon tied to a string; and a third time with a masked falcon tied to a string.
In addition, we got to watch a falcon fly around Adam while Adam spun a lure on the end of a string, which was tied to a rod.
Finally, Adam showed us a baby owl and we were allowed to get extremely close to the owl.
The group was about 30 people and I’m not always comfortable in crowds, but everyone was friendly and had plenty of chances to have experiences so it was ok.

Super fun, informative, great experience!

Super fun experience! The birds are simply awesome! Majestic beauty within fingers distance. Adam makes it educational and fun. Don’t forget your camera!!!

This was an awesome experience! My girlfriend and I were in LA for the weekend and decided to check this out. Adam and his team were super nice and they made sure everyone got lots of time with the birds. Our GPS got a little funky on the way there and we were going to be late, but Adam was totally understanding and walked us through the directions. He made sure we made it in time without missing any of the experience. We watched a live training abatement demo and then got our experience calling «Horus» to each of our arms. Once in a lifetime experience and I couldn’t be happier. Thanks Adam for an awesome time!

I got this gig as a Christmas gift for my boyfriend and we finally got to use it this weekend. Adam’s Falconry is very educational as well as hands on fun! The birds they have are beautiful and super friendly. The overall experience was great we got to hold the birds, feed them and call them over to us. Adam is super cool guy, very knowledgeable about his birds and he shared with us how he will be getting an owl very soon. So, I will possibly come back just to experience that! However, be aware my iPhone got us lost which made us a few minutes late. The Falconry is at the Winery and not at the horse stables the iPhone took us too! If you are into birds of prey, outdoors, education, or just like to experience new things I would definitely come down here and experience this!

A good purchase on groupon. It was something different to do and it’s on the outskirts of beautiful San Juan Capistrano, so you can go there after and spend the day.
The experience itself gives you the opportunity to take photos with the beautiful Falcons and actually watch them in flight.
Adam taught us a good amount of what he uses the Falcons for and also what the different features each have.
The best part was having the peregrine falcon (Horus) fly on to your arm. He is quite a large bird, and his beak is very intimidating. But don’t worry, just don’t harm him and he won’t harm you.
Such a great experience nonetheless, and you get to see up close how awesome Falcons are.

Awesome experience! Thank you Ray and Adam!!! The only thing negative I have to say is how RUDE the old lady in the winery was. We were planning on staying afterwards for wine tasting but decide not to because of her. BUT like I said Ray and Adam were SUPER!

This was AWESOME! Our home school group loved Adam’s Falconry Experience. Adam was patient with the kids ranging from 5 years to 15 years and the parents to. Thank you Adam it was great. :)

What a wonderful experience!
A rare find thru Groupon and I’m so glad I spent the money, it was an overall fab experience, informative and fun! The owner has set this up with a local winery to utilize their land and its in SJC, so it was even a quick drive, staying in the O.C. His helpers and other master falconer were friendly and even though our group went over the 1 hour, they maintained their professionalism and friendliness.
The «Experience»: Hawks and Falcons are used. There are luring demonstrations and numerous picture taking opportunities with your new feathered friends. At one point, you’re given the gear needed (special gloves) and are shown how to stand, how to hold your arm and hand, how to call to «Horus» and then he gets his special treat of quail! He eats better than some! Here is «Horus» when Rohlin called to him:
Photo-​Op: Rohlin and I with «Mia»:
Helpful Tips: Reservations are a must, you can’t just show up. Waivers need to be signed. Children over 5 years of age can participate, but will need a parent present. I imagine boys would particularly enjoy this up close look at some large predator birds.
I ask want to add that my Groupon was shortly expiring and Adam was very communicative both via phone and email and said «no worries» and he would honor even after, as the birds don’t fly for this experience in those very hot Summer days.
Thanks Adam for this wonderful experience!

bought this experience for my husband and two of my sons. they loved it and were so impressed. adam and ray and so knowledgeable and friendly. my one son is in a wheelchair and is deaf and they made sure he could experience the whole event!!! great place with great people. highly recommend this place!!!

This was a great opportunity to learn about some awesome birds and to interact closely with them. I took my 13-​year old daughter as a birthday gift and we both enjoyed the experience. Adam does a great job of sharing information and answering the many questions posed during the session. Add this to your list of off-​beat things to do in San Juan Capistrano!

This review is really for the birds … falcons and hawks!
My better half purchase a Groupon for an introduction into «The Sport of Kings.» and originally Adam (the owner) had to cancel some classes (too hot) causing our Groupon to expire, but he assured us he would honor the Groupon beyond the expiration date and would keep us informed when the weather was better suited for his feathered friends. A recent Saturday turned out to be a perfect day and we arrived at Hamilton Oaks Winery Tasting Room about a half an hour before the 8:00 am start time.
Falconry most likely started around 2,000 B.C. in the region of Mesopotamia. It was first introduced in Europe around 400 A.D. with invasions from the Huns and Alans. Falconry was popular with the nobility of medieval Europe, the Middle East, and Mongolian Empire. It probably reached its height of popularity in the 17^th century, but quickly declined in the 18^th and 19^th centuries with the induction of firearms into hunting. In the late 19^th and 20^th century, falconry experience a renaissance of sorts in Great Britain and this revival led to the sport being introduced for the first time in North America during the early part of the 20^th century. The main function of falconry today is pest control in urban areas, landfills, commercial buildings, and airports. They are also used to chase off or abate the infestation undesirable birds on farmland.
Before you can start your feathery adventure, you must sign a waiver basically saying that you will follow all instructions and the business accepts no responsibility if one of the birds plucks your eyes out or otherwise disfigures you (just kidding). There are also no voyeurs allowed at these experiences, paying customers only! You need to show up 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time to sign in, turn in your waiver and receive your lanyard. Children 5 and older are able to participate, but children under 12 must be accompanied by a paying adult.
Arriving early gave us the opportunity to check out the area (
) and the birds (
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The first part of the experience is an introduction to Adam’s business and the various birds we will be interacting with:
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Note: You will see the birds are wearing helmets when they are on their perches to keep them calm.
The next part of the experience was getting a luring demonstration (
) with Tyrion. Luring is a training method which includes a dummy bird with quail stuffed in it, attached to a pole by a rope. The dummy bird is swung around in a circle and the falcon tries to catch it. The falcon gets a reward of quail when it catches the dummy bird.
After the luring demonstration, we were taken to the open grass area and everyone formed a circle where Adam taught everyone how to call Horus to their hands.
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Each person had a fingernail’s worth of quail placed on their glove and when everyone is ready the first person will call Horus by name while tapping their middle and pointer finger. Once Horus lands and eats his quail, you turn Horus toward the next person in the group and that person calls Horus to them. Horus flies around in a large circle until he has visited every person.
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Safety note: While it is okay to take pictures while Horus is perched, it is a bad idea of taking pictures of him in flight cause the camera /​phone may distract him.
Rohlinism: It is all fun and games until a hawk snatches your cell phone!
The final portion of the experience was some Q & A and posing with the Tyrion and Mia:
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I found the staff to be friendly and I never felt rushed even though the event ran over the designated hour. I found the experience fun, educational and well worth the Groupon price ($ 100 for two people). If you are interested in falconry, sign up with Adam!

Wow what an experience! We had such a great time learning about the Falcons and how they are raised. Adam and his crew are quite informative, patient, and funny (especially the sister-​in-​law). We had a chance to feed one of the Falcons, take lots of pictures, and see the birds up close and personal. This is a must-​do especially if you are animal friendly and want a unique experience.

Amazing experience. Adam and his crew are amazing and the birds are awe-​inspiring. My 6 year old had an amazing time. The setting at the winery is just perfect and we’re going back to do it again.

The husband and I had a fun time. It was great to interact with the Hawks and the Falcons. We learned, watched, and got hands on. Plus at the very end you can get a discount at the winery by mentioning Adams Falconry class.
I got lucky and found a groupon for $ 100 for 2 people. You just email Adam and he adds your name to the list of the date you chose. Easy!

Adam’s Falconry is absolutely THE BEST.
Adam and his team helped me propose to my girlfriend. Nicky, the Harris Hawk flew to her with the ring attached in a little pouch. Adam and everyone there was so warm, welcoming, and kind. I couldn’t have asked for better co-​conspirators, or a nicer environment in which to ask Rebecca to marry me. There were hugs and congratulations all around. On top of that, the raptor demonstration was incredible, and it was just fabulous to learn so much about these magnificent animals.
Their pest control service seems really great, too, from how it was explained. It allows the raptors to act like the animals they are, while safely removing pesky species without harm to either bird.
Honestly, though, Adam made it PERFECT. We could not be happier with Adam’s Falconry. :-D

This is for Adam’s weekend shows of his raptors
Great educationally. Fun show as he allows participants to «catch» a raptor on a gauntlet while educating the public about his great birds