Erin Fredrichs

viewfinder: Open Spaces

In an empty lot southwest of Gibson and I-40, jackrabbits cringe in their burrows. Above them soars Zhel, a three-year-old Peregrine Falcon, looking for his prey as he stretches his wings.He is far from a traditional pet.“For a little while, when I’m with the bird, all the stupid aspects of modern society go away and it’s just me in the wild with a wild animal,” said Terence Wright, Zhel’s owner and third-generation falconer.Retreating into nature with our pets is slowly becoming a novelty. A brisk walk around the block or a spare half an hour at the dog park are meager substitutes for a hike with the dog in the Sandia Mountains. Busy lifestyles don’t accommodate high maintenance pets.Zhel is demanding, needing to be flown at least four times a week. He can’t be taken to Roosevelt Park and set free. Wright takes the bird to large open spaces so he can keep it within his sights as it hunts for jackrabbits.“I’m living in the city and at the same time I can slip between the cracks in the concrete and find these little spots of wilderness,’ said Wright.Urban sprawl continually encroaches the wilderness. As housing developments sprout throughout Bernalillo County, the open spaces falconers need to fly their birds diminish.“I get the privilage of seeing what most people will never see in their lives,” said Wright. “I watch Zhel hunt and do what he does naturally in the wild.”
Open Spaces

In an empty lot southwest of Gibson and I-40, jackrabbits cringe in their burrows. Above them soars Zhel, a three-year-old Peregrine Falcon, looking for his prey as he stretches his wings.

He is far from a traditional pet.

“For a little while, when I’m with the bird, all the stupid aspects of modern society go away and it’s just me in the wild with a wild animal,” said Terence Wright, Zhel’s owner and third-generation falconer.

Retreating into nature with our pets is slowly becoming a novelty. A brisk walk around the block or a spare half an hour at the dog park are meager substitutes for a hike with the dog in the Sandia Mountains. Busy lifestyles don’t accommodate high maintenance pets.

Zhel is demanding, needing to be flown at least four times a week. He can’t be taken to Roosevelt Park and set free. Wright takes the bird to large open spaces so he can keep it within his sights as it hunts for jackrabbits.

“I’m living in the city and at the same time I can slip between the cracks in the concrete and find these little spots of wilderness,’ said Wright.

Urban sprawl continually encroaches the wilderness. As housing developments sprout throughout Bernalillo County, the open spaces falconers need to fly their birds diminish.

“I get the privilage of seeing what most people will never see in their lives,” said Wright. “I watch Zhel hunt and do what he does naturally in the wild.”