A report from Matt Gage

"I have been using the kites for training a female peregrine and she has become a pretty hot hunter from a decent pitch and is incredibly fit.

Both kites remain very stable at a tremendous pitch and I use an electric fence winder which saves a lot of hard work and means the kites can be put aloft, tied down and then the bird flown. The kites perform superbly in a range of conditions which occasionally border on gales. (I would not recommend high winds when training your birds to lures actually on the kite.)

Having started this falcon off with small lures on the kite I now very rarely have food on the kite but call her to the lure downwind below the kite once she has reached its pitch (up to and over 1000 feet).

The kite is a marvellous cue to show her that rewards come from below when she goes very high and it maintains excellent fitness. It's possible to fly falcons at a much higher weight while maintaining focus and avoiding check.

The real beauty is that it's possible to go out and exercise your bird without fear of a dramatic loss in pitch which inevitably occurs if the falcon is not frequently served quarry and only brought down to a thrown-out lure. I would not train a gamehawk any other way."