[MOC] Falconry Training

[Aurore]

Here is a freebuild for Mitgardia! A small scene of everyday life in Horgaard.

Falconry was a serious matter in Horgaard. Generations of birds of prey had been raised and trained there : generations of powerful hunting companions, tireless war messengers, and, on at least one occasion, life-saving air fire support. 

Little Siggi, nine years old, already knew everything about this critical aspect of his education as a young noble. The different kinds of birds, how to handle them, and how to train them. The history of the art of falconry, the evolution of the techniques, and their regional particularities. He even knew the names and stories of all the famous birds raised by his family much better than he knew the names of their owners.

However, his falconry knowledge remained desperately theoretical. He had already been allowed to fly a trained kestrel, but the adults considered him too young for a greater bird. 
Sooner or later, he would train his own mighty eagle. In the meantime, he had much fun handling the lure.

As usual, more information on the featured flora/fauna is given in hidden text. 

Spoiler

Valholl eagles (Aquila Valhollensis) are the undisputed kings of the Mitgardian skies. They are commonly seen circling over the tundra or the pikes of the Heavenly Mountains, where they build unreacheable eyries. 
Despite being impressive and ruthless predators, they are very social and curious birds, easy to train and to interact with. These qualities make them very popular falconry birds.

Snowy owls (Bubo Scandiacus) are native to the Mitgardian toundra, where they prey on the small mammals that populate the lowlands.
Snowy owls are not often used for falconry, as they are usually rather stubborn to train and have a poor perching balance. However, for some reason, they are very popular wizard familiars.

 

[Eoin Wallace]

Charming build and nice minifig posing!

[Aurore]

@Eoin Wallace Thank you very much!

[Zilmrud]

A really nice MOC. I like the story and the background info of the birds, as usual 

The colours are great!

I like that bird. I haven't bought that yet.

[MAB]

That torso and dress go really nicely together, although I've just realised which minifigure/set the dress is from and hence its price.

[Aurore]

@Zilmrud Thank you very much! This eagle is very nicely done indeed - so sad TLG included it in one set only!

@MAB Well, my husband says that I spend way too much on clothes. My sigfig probably has the same issue! 

[Etzel]

Great work! I think you really have the "Mitgardian feel" in your landscaping, a very good balance between bright and subdued colors that fits well in the cold north. The birch tree really lifts the build and matches nicely with the flag. The minifigs are on point as well, I didn't know the hair you used for Siggi came in that color.

[zoth33]

Nice little scene.  I like the different trees and the groundwork looks good with the green leaf parts.  Nice use of the hat for training.  I like the bunny lurking on the other side.  

[Kai NRG]

This is a really nice little build, great use of the eagle and the vegetation colors look so good I can almost smell the outdoors! 

[adde51]

great little scene with a nice colourscheme. And the story is awesome  

[Aurore]

@Etzel Thank you so much! I'm really glad that you think I nailed a "Mitgardian landscape feel"!

@zoth33 Thank you very much!

@Kai NRG Many thanks! 

@adde51 Thank you very much!

[Louis of Nutwood]

Super cool build! 

I love the color scheme you’ve been using. The white dots of snow are perfect and very well found in Mitgardia. 

Great to see more animals (or flying beasts) around and that beautiful yellow and green banner flapping with the wind. 

Finally, very inspiring backstory. It is really an inspiration to see so much thought into a considerably small construction. 

Keep up the good work, Lady Aurore.

Cheers.

[Aurore]

@Louis of Nutwood Thank you very much, Louis, for you insightful and kind comment!

[Grover]

Great work!  I love how you pack a lot of detail into a small little vignette.  The colors are fabulous, as I have come to expect from your builds.  The tree colors are great (I assume those are the new Treehouse leaves, or are the yellow ones the alt-bricks version?).  The whole thing is very artistic--the olive green is great for the grasses of Mitgardia that are never exposed to super lush conditions, and the trees are great--the higher altitude aspen-type tree and the more bent trunk that is still thin and short compared to huge hardwoods of lower reaches really work well.  Falconry with an eagle is great, too!  I love the use of the new eagle, and to use the fur hat as a lure is spectacular.  My only concern is for the rabbit!  I think it's a 50/50 chance the eagle eats the rabbit rather than the lure.  Keep up the awesome work!

[socalbricks]

As someone with a limited parts collection/space to work with, I find these small-yet-detailed vignettes to be really inspiring! Great work all around. I especially love the trees, the figure posing, and concept behind this MOC. We don't see a lot of falconry in GOH!

[Aurore]

@Grover Your reviews are always so encouraging and helpful, thank you again! 

@socalbricks Thank you very much! 

[soccerkid6]

Those yellow leaves fit so well for birch trees Top notch color mixing in the landscape once again.
And excellent attention to detail by having the falconer wearing a glove only on the hand the eagle is perched on

[Aurore]

@soccerkid6 Thank you very much! I was really thrilled when those awesome yellow leaves were released...