RIYADH: The third international auction for falcon farms is set to take place from Aug. 5. Organized by the Saudi Falcons Club at its headquarters in Malham, north of Riyadh, the 21-day auction is drawing the attention of falconry enthusiasts from around the world. The auction recorded total sales exceeding SR10 million ($3.65 million) during its previous two editions, through the sale of more than 800 falcons. About 25 leading falcon farms took part. The upcoming auction will include six auction stages as part of the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival. Falconer Bargash Al-Mansouri said that the new stages will result in a flurry of auction activity. Bargash, a leading Saudi falcon farmer, said that he is ready to auction off 30 exceptional falcons at the event. He added that falcons he sold in the past two years achieved top three positions in local production rankings as well as top positions in qualifying stages. He praised the efforts of the Saudi Falcons Club to serve falconry and wished everyone success at the auction. The first edition of the international auction witnessed the sale of a free-range saker falcon for SR270,000 ($72,000), making it the most expensive of its kind in the Middle East. The event also involved the sale of a Garmousha Gear falcon by a US farm for SR1.75 million ($466,000).