# My Latest Endeavor...



## Tom

Its taken a long time to jump through all the government hoops and other obstacles, but I am finally realizing my dream of becoming a licensed Falconer. I'm only just beginning my journey, after 20 years of dabbling, but here I go...

I will post lots of pics and keep this thread ongoing, and I invite all discussion about keeping wild animals, hunting, and of course the awesomeness of raptors in general. I find that many people (myself included) are ignorant of what is really going on, and how beneficial to the species falconry is. For example, the Peregrine Falcon was saved from extinction by falconers and falconry, in spite of the dismal failure on the part of government programs to save it. Falconry is VERY different than pet keeping, and it has great benefit for the birds involved who hatch wild and are eventually returned to the wild healthier and better skilled at hunting.

I am now a licensed Apprentice Falconer. I will spend a minimum of two full years as an apprentice working closely under the direct supervision of my sponsor who is a Master Falconer and has been for 10 years. After 2 years, if all goes well, and my sponsor is willing to sign off on my abilities, I will become a General Falconer and be allowed to "fly solo" so to speak.

Enough with the boring words: Here is "Toothless" at our first formal meeting.


I almost named him "Phoenix" after I saw this picture. Its kind of a big deal to not stare them in the face at close range at first, so I did not know he was looking at me like that. I'm sure if he could have shot fire from his mouth at me, he would have. My sponsor is not 100% sure if this one is male or female. You can usually tell by the weight. This is either a big boy or a small girl as the weight is right in the middle. We will get some behavioral clues as time passes, but we are leaning male at this point. Toothless is a "passage" (meaning this years baby, or worded another way, he hatched this last spring) red-tailed hawk. Buteo jamaicensis.


Here he is on the drive home:


The hood blocks all the visual stimulation and keeps them a lot calmer and safer during this stressful time. Understand that this 9 month old bird was flying wild minutes before this picture and has never had any previous human contact.

Here he is on his weathering perch on day one, while I prepared the scale for his first weighing and got his mew (hawk house) all ready for him.




Here we are on day 2 when the old finally came off. This is what I was greeted with.




We are now on day 5. He began taking food from me on day 2 and I "man" him (handle him on my glove) for several hours a day as part of the desensitization process. I weigh him at least once a day and I am even more fascinated that I imagined I would be. My sponsor assures me he will be free flying and hunting with me in a month or so.

Lots more pics to come. Please ask any questions you might have about falconry or raptors in general. I'm no expert yet, but I know a few things, and I know lots of guys that can answer any questions I don't know the answers to.


----------



## dmmj

how long do Falcons live? Varmits ywhere beware.


----------



## wellington

That's pretty cool Tom, congrats. Maybe you could come here and train some of the peregrine falcons that fly over my yard and kill my wild bunnies and make me nervous with my torts outside. I love seeing them though.
Can't wait for updates. Be careful, a slip up could be very costly and painful.


----------



## wellington

If that bird was wild and no human contact before the pics, how was the bird caught?


----------



## Tom

dmmj said:


> how long do Falcons live? Varmits ywhere beware.



This does depend on the species but most falcons can live 20 years in captivity. Their lifespan in the wild is much shorter.

Red-tail hawks can live almost 30 years in captivity. If they survive their first year in the wild, (most don't) few of them live more than a few years in the wild. The DFW has stats on all this. Its been studied quite a bit.

About 75% of the babies that hatch every year do not make it to winter. Of the ones that survive to their first winter, about 80% of those don't survive winter. As a falconer, we can ONLY trap this year's juveniles and only from October until the end of January. You can easily tell with binoculars at a distance by the plumage. Of the birds that are trapped for falconry, 98+% survive their first winter and are either released back to the wild where they were trapped in a very healthy condition, or kept according to strict guidelines in captivity for future hunting seasons.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> That's pretty cool Tom, congrats. Maybe you could come here and train some of the peregrine falcons that fly over my yard and kill my wild bunnies and make me nervous with my torts outside. I love seeing them though.
> Can't wait for updates.



You have peregrines hunting rabbits? I have no experience with them yet, but what I've read reports them to be avian predators. I'm surprised to hear they would go after a rabbit.




wellington said:


> Be careful, a slip up could be very costly and painful.



Just like bite work for dogs… Its not a question of "if". Its a question of "when".

He already got me once through a soft spot in the glove.


----------



## Markw84

WOW! What a fascinating endeavor. Congratulations on such an exciting new opportunity. I look forward to the updates.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> If that bird was wild and no human contact before the pics, how was the bird caught?



I made a "bal chatri" trap from scratch. You can look them up on-line easily.

You find the bird you want to try for, set your trap out, drive away and keep your eyes glued on the bird, and let the trap do its work. When you think they are caught, you rush back over and get a hold of their feet, immobilize them and give them a quick exam for any injuries, foot damage, broken feathers, etc. If the birds suits your needs, you can keep it. If not you turn it loose and resume the search.

Toothless hit the trap immediately. We weren't even 50 feet away. He was caught before we could even turn the car around. This sort of aggressiveness and boldness will lend itself very well for what I intend to do with him.

Trapping is a really fun and exciting process. This process is stressful on the bird initially, but the end result is a confident, healthy, strong bird that learns to hunt with the falconer better than what it learned on its own flying around wild for its first 4-5 months after it left the nest.

This whole subject has always interested me, but I had a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions about what it really is and what really happens. The more I read and learn the more fascinated I become. I've been able to tag along on a few hunts and what happens out there is amazing.


----------



## Grandpa Turtle 144

Tom said:


> I made a "bal chatri" trap from scratch. You can look them up on-line easily.
> 
> You find the bird you want to try for, set your trap out, drive away and keep your eyes glued on the bird, and let the trap do its work. When you think they are caught, you rush back over and get a hold of their feet, immobilize them and give them a quick exam for any injuries, foot damage, broken feathers, etc. If the birds suits your needs, you can keep it. If not you turn it loose and resume the search.
> 
> Toothless hit the trap immediately. We weren't even 50 feet away. He was caught before we could even turn the car around. This sort of aggressiveness and boldness will lend itself very well for what I intend to do with him.
> 
> Trapping is a really fun and exciting process. This process is stressful on the bird initially, but the end result is a confident, healthy, strong bird that learns to hunt with the falconer better than what it learned on its own flying around wild for its first 4-5 months after it left the nest.
> 
> This whole subject has always interested me, but I had a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions about what it really is and what really happens. The more I read and learn the more fascinated I become. I've been able to tag along on a few hunts and what happens out there is amazing.


I'm happy for you when we talked in Mesa this was important to you ! I'll be waiting for your updates . Good luck !


----------



## wellington

Tom said:


> You have peregrines hunting rabbits? I have no experience with them yet, but what I've read reports them to be avian predators. I'm surprised to hear they would go after a rabbit.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just like bite work for dogs… Its not a question of "if". Its a question of "when".
> 
> He already got me once through a soft spot in the glove.



Well I may be wrong on the peregrine and rabbit. I am more assuming here. I have seen one that was flying my fence line and the only thing out at that time were little chickadee type birds. I found rabbit tufts of hair and a bunny body part of some sort the other day in my yard. It could have been coyote, fox or owl, but I see the Falcons all the time, so figured it had to be them, plus my yard is privacy fenced in, so harder for the others to get in or see in.


----------



## wellington

Back of one of them, right side of pic, sitting on my fence.
Btw, I don't think they like squab (pigeon) The city brought the Falcons in to help with the pigeon over population. It hasn't worked, that was in the 80's they brought them in and the pigeon population has not seem to fallen at all.


----------



## naturalman91

i've alway's been interested in this thanks for the post please keep us up to date


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Back of one of them, right side of pic, sitting on my fence.
> Btw, I don't think they like squab (pigeon) The city brought the Falcons in to help with the pigeon over population. It hasn't worked, that was in the 80's they brought them in and the pigeon population has not seem to fallen at all.



I'm not an expert, but that long tail suggests a Cooper's Hawk to me. There are actually lots of species of raptors across the country. I'm just now starting to learn to ID all the ones here in the South West.

Pigeons are incredibly strong and agile flyers. Few birds of prey are going to actually catch a healthy pigeon in a chase. The falcon flyers that I work with here are in awe of the pigeon's flying prowess. I'm not surprised that the Peregrines have had no effect on the local pigeon population. No falconer would be, but hey, the government knows best, right?


----------



## hingeback

Congrats, they look awesome! I never knew about falconry, but I have been to a raptor watch once, their migration was very amazing.


----------



## Tom

hingeback said:


> Congrats, they look awesome! I never knew about falconry, but I have been to a raptor watch once, their migration was very amazing.



In Malaysia? That would be amazing. Do you have any pics? Do you recall which species you saw? Where were they migrating to and from? I wouldn't think they would need to migrate in such a tropical place.


----------



## hingeback

Tom said:


> In Malaysia? That would be amazing. Do you have any pics? Do you recall which species you saw? Where were they migrating to and from? I wouldn't think they would need to migrate in such a tropical place.


If I am not mistaken they were migrating from Thailand to Indonesia. Here is just their "resting station". I didn't really get to see the big ones very clearly.



Their spiraling was very cool, and according to them 2014's raptor watch had much more(thousands of them). We went last year March, and we saw the beginning of the take of. When we were half way to the top of the hill we saw some starting to take of and by the time we reached the top of the hill there are already quite a lot of them

. Didn't stay for a long time, there were many small raptors flying quite low to the top of the hill.


----------



## Team Gomberg

Tom said:


> Of the birds that are trapped for falconry, 98+% survive their first winter and are either released back to the wild where they were trapped in a very healthy condition, or kept according to strict guidelines in captivity for future hunting seasons.



So, this means you can choose to release your bird the next year but you don't have to? You can opt to keep and use him year after year?

From my "no knowledge of the subject" perspective, I'd think it's better to stick with the same bird year after year, right?
You establish a relationship that can continue verses starting all over each year with a new bird, right?
Or, is that wrong and you want to use new bird each year to create a stronger wild population?


----------



## Team Gomberg

Tom said:


> Just like bite work for dogs… Its not a question of "if". Its a question of "when".
> 
> He already got me once through a soft spot in the glove.



What type of injuries are associated with this type of work?


----------



## Team Gomberg

Super cool Tom. 
Back in CA I worked for a lady who did raptor rehab and held a baby once! But other than occasionally thawing mice for those guys,I didn't work around them. It'll be neat to follow along with your adventure.


----------



## Tom

hingeback said:


> If I am not mistaken they were migrating from Thailand to Indonesia. Here is just their "resting station". I didn't really get to see the big ones very clearly.
> Their spiraling was very cool, and according to them 2014's raptor watch had much more(thousands of them). We went last year March, and we saw the beginning of the take of. When we were half way to the top of the hill we saw some starting to take of and by the time we reached the top of the hill there are already quite a lot of them. Didn't stay for a long time, there were many small raptors flying quite low to the top of the hill.



This post will now give me hours of fun researching the raptors of Malaysia. Thanks!


----------



## sibi

Love the colors of Toothless! My fascination with hawks started way back in the movie, "Lady Hawk." The falcon used in that movie had a great relationship with the lead actor. Years later, I was at Disney land and saw the bird in person. I sure loved that bird!! I envy your endeavors into falconry. It must give you a fuller appreciation for the wild and in knowing you're making life for these birds better. Kudos for you. I'll be looking forward to your progress.


----------



## Prairie Mom

Tom said:


> Its taken a long time to jump through all the government hoops and other obstacles, but I am finally realizing my dream of becoming a licensed Falconer. I'm only just beginning my journey, after 20 years of dabbling, but here I go...
> 
> I will post lots of pics and keep this thread ongoing, and I invite all discussion about keeping wild animals, hunting, and of course the awesomeness of raptors in general. I find that many people (myself included) are ignorant of what is really going on, and how beneficial to the species falconry is. For example, the Peregrine Falcon was saved from extinction by falconers and falconry, in spite of the dismal failure on the part of government programs to save it. Falconry is VERY different than pet keeping, and it has great benefit for the birds involved who hatch wild and are eventually returned to the wild healthier and better skilled at hunting.
> 
> I am now a licensed Apprentice Falconer. I will spend a minimum of two full years as an apprentice working closely under the direct supervision of my sponsor who is a Master Falconer and has been for 10 years. After 2 years, if all goes well, and my sponsor is willing to sign off on my abilities, I will become a General Falconer and be allowed to "fly solo" so to speak.
> 
> Enough with the boring words: Here is "Toothless" at our first formal meeting.
> View attachment 163624
> 
> I almost named him "Phoenix" after I saw this picture. Its kind of a big deal to not stare them in the face at close range at first, so I did not know he was looking at me like that. I'm sure if he could have shot fire from his mouth at me, he would have. My sponsor is not 100% sure if this one is male or female. You can usually tell by the weight. This is either a big boy or a small girl as the weight is right in the middle. We will get some behavioral clues as time passes, but we are leaning male at this point. Toothless is a "passage" (meaning this years baby, or worded another way, he hatched this last spring) red-tailed hawk. Buteo jamaicensis.
> 
> 
> Here he is on the drive home:
> View attachment 163626
> 
> The hood blocks all the visual stimulation and keeps them a lot calmer and safer during this stressful time. Understand that this 9 month old bird was flying wild minutes before this picture and has never had any previous human contact.
> 
> Here he is on his weathering perch on day one, while I prepared the scale for his first weighing and got his mew (hawk house) all ready for him.
> View attachment 163628
> 
> 
> 
> Here we are on day 2 when the old finally came off. This is what I was greeted with.
> View attachment 163629
> 
> 
> 
> We are now on day 5. He began taking food from me on day 2 and I "man" him (handle him on my glove) for several hours a day as part of the desensitization process. I weigh him at least once a day and I am even more fascinated that I imagined I would be. My sponsor assures me he will be free flying and hunting with me in a month or so.
> 
> Lots more pics to come. Please ask any questions you might have about falconry or raptors in general. I'm no expert yet, but I know a few things, and I know lots of guys that can answer any questions I don't know the answers to.


I think the forum just became a little cooler


----------



## Tom

Team Gomberg said:


> So, this means you can choose to release your bird the next year but you don't have to? You can opt to keep and use him year after year?
> 
> From my "no knowledge of the subject" perspective, I'd think it's better to stick with the same bird year after year, right?
> You establish a relationship that can continue verses starting all over each year with a new bird, right?
> Or, is that wrong and you want to use new bird each year to create a stronger wild population?



All birds are different. Some are better than others. There are also so many things that can go right or wrong with the training, that influence the outcome. This is definitely a case of "nature" AND "nurture". A new falconer that ends up with the Michael Jordan of rabbit hunting hawks, might decide to keep the same bird for many years. A trainer who got a less than stellar bird and made some trainer mistakes, might appreciate the opportunity to do better during the next hunting season. On the other hand, either trainer might decide the want the experience of a new and different bird regardless of the outcome with their first bird. I'm leaning toward this latter way of thinking. My sponsor is very knowledgeable and experienced and I'd like to learn from his expertise as much as possible. Starting a new bird will bring new and different challenges, and that will bring me new and different learning opportunities.


----------



## Tom

Team Gomberg said:


> What type of injuries are associated with this type of work?



Their feet are very dangerous weapons. If they get a hold of your skin, its a bad deal. You will bleed. A lot. Just ask their prey…

Also, to do these activities requires us to walk around out in the wilderness and get into all sorts of strange predicaments. The usual injuries associated with miles of hiking in rough terrain are common too.


----------



## DutchieAmanda

They are beautiful creatures!
How is the bird kept while at home? Do you have a huge cage for him to fly around in?


----------



## Team Gomberg

Thanks for the answers Tom. Detailed and satisfied my curiosity 

I looked for the photo of me holding the baby but couldn't find it. Oh well


----------



## Tom

DutchieAmanda said:


> They are beautiful creatures!
> How is the bird kept while at home? Do you have a huge cage for him to fly around in?



How you house them evolves as they tame down. They always live in a mew. You can do an internet search for info on mews, but its basically a square with flat smooth walls to protect them from the elements and prevent them from damaging their feathers. The main premise is to keep them contained and safe, but also keep them from hurting themselves. They don't need flying space at home as they fly daily as part of their training and when you hunt with them.


----------



## 4jean

Fascinating....really enjoying this thread. Thank you so much for sharing this exciting journey with us.


----------



## sibi

Tom said:


> Their feet are very dangerous weapons. If they get a hold of your skin, its a bad deal. You will bleed. A lot. Just ask their prey…
> 
> Also, to do these activities requires us to walk around out in the wilderness and get into all sorts of strange predicaments. The usual injuries associated with miles of hiking in rough terrain are common too.



What about your eyes? Will the bird try to peck at your eye? The pic you provided was awesome; however, I would have felt he was eyeing your eye, yikes!!


----------



## kathyth

This is extremely cool, Tom!! He/ she is gorgeous! I will be following this thread and am happy your dream is coming true.
Fun!!


----------



## hingeback

Tom said:


> This post will now give me hours of fun researching the raptors of Malaysia. Thanks!


Another day we went bird watching and we spotted these three:
Crested goshawk, brahminy kite, black-tighed falconet.


----------



## Tom

sibi said:


> What about your eyes? Will the bird try to peck at your eye? The pic you provided was awesome; however, I would have felt he was eyeing your eye, yikes!!



Anything is possible, but that is not what they normally do. Like ostriches, everybody is concerned about the mouth, when its the feet that will get ya'.


----------



## Tom

hingeback said:


> Another day we went bird watching and we spotted these three:
> Crested goshawk, brahminy kite, black-tighed falconet.



I wonder how similar the tropical goshawks are to the temperate ones. My sponsor has a Goshawk, and that is one serious hunter.


----------



## hingeback

Tom said:


> I wonder how similar the tropical goshawks are to the temperate ones. My sponsor has a Goshawk, and that is one serious hunter.


We got this from the telescope, it was on the branch.


----------



## DutchieAmanda

Hi Tom, if you ever get bored with "normal" hunting, I've got a nice new hobby for you  Free tip from The Netherlands!

http://mentalfloss.com/article/74704/dutch-police-are-training-eagles-pluck-drones-sky


----------



## Tom

Its been over a month and I haven't updated this thread… 

Today was a monumental day. Toothless and I got our first rabbit today. But let me fill you in on the last month…

The first big step is to get them to eat from your glove. We did that on day two, well ahead of schedule for a late season bird. My sponsor had already built in a contingency plan for if the bird wouldn't take food from me after four or five days, but we didn't need plan "B".

The next big step is to get them to hop from their perch to your glove for food. You begin a gradual progression of weight loss until they are hungry enough to overcome their fear of the giant hairless ape, and fly to you for food. You feed them every day, but just not so much that they get fat or put on weight. You have to get them down to "flying weight". There is no way to "make" these birds do what you want, so you have to have something they want. Inducement. If they are hungry, they want the food in your hand. When they bravely jump to your fist, they get a big juicy food reward.

Concurrent to dropping the weight and trying to get them to jump to your fist, you do what is called "manning". I am still wondering if lady falconers call it "womanning", but I don't know and lady falconers. Basically you pick up the bird on your gloved hand and either sit, stand or walk for hours and hours. Your hand is the bird's perch and this process desensitizes them to you and your mannerisms. At first you take it really easy and don't move around too much. You don't want to jostle them around, overly stress them or cause them to bate (Bate: when a leashed bird flies off of the fist or perch…). Too much bating is not good. Some birds do it more than others, and for a variety of reasons. After a few hours or days and the bird seems calm, you can do more and more stuff with them on your fist. You get really good at planning ahead and doing things one handed. The more hours they spend on your hand in these first few days and weeks the better. I would go around the 5 acre ranch in the mornings and open the tortoise doors, water the greens and refill the tortoise waters with toothless on my fist, then in the afternoons, I would go around and shut the tortoises doors. In between I just went about my business with a big bird on my hand. He desensitized VERY quickly and hardly ever baited, which I thought was a bit strange…

So manning was going very well, weight was slowly dropping, and it should only take a few days to get them to jump to your hand. At day 12, he still had not jumped to my hand, but he was very eager to come to me and take food if I let him scoot along a big perch or block wall. He just wouldn't fly to me. I suspected something was wrong, but didn't know what. Being an animal trainer, I started thinking of new ways to get him to jump to my hand. In his mew, I had seen him on the ground and off his perch and he readily hops back up there when I come around. Most birds feel vulnerable on the ground. My thought was to put him on the ground and cover the perch with my glove and a food reward. There was nowhere else to go BUT onto my glove if he didn't want to be on the ground, and there was a tasty food tidbit for even more incentive. I set him down on the ground right in front of the perch, he thought about it for a minute, and then hopped up onto my glove and ate. SUCCESS! I backed him up a little more for the next one thinking he would either walk toward me and then hop, or he would fly from farther away. That's when I saw the limp. My heart sank and tears welled up in my eyes. My bird was limping on his left leg. I did it again just to be sure, and there was no doubt. What could have happened? My sponsor came over right away and we examined him. The dude knows EVERYTHING about these birds and ran down a long check list in his head as he examined every part of the bird. He was pretty sure it wasn't broken. Probably a sprain. If it didn't get better in a few days, then I was to take Toothless to my avian vet friend for an x-ray. I had not previously noticed the limp because the bird was ALWAYS standing still, either on my fist, on his bow perch in the mew, on the scale, or on the perch in his transport box. There was never anytime when we was loose and walking during those early days. I only saw this because of my unusual idea to get him to jump to my glove. This would also explain why he almost never baited.

I fed him up good for a few days, and left him completely alone. No more manning or trying to get him to fly. Just lots of perch rest, good food and water. It got better after a few days, but we left him alone for a solid two weeks, just to make sure. A re-check confirmed that he had recovered and was fine.

Thinking back we figured out where the problem likely occurred. On day one we hooded him and put on his custom fitted, handmade bracelets. The bracelets go around his legs and are held on with grommets and the jesses pass through the grommets, which is what the swivel attaches to, and finally the leash goes through the other end of the swivel. (Do an internet search for pics and diagrams of all this equipment. It sounds complicated, but its really very simple and sensible.) He slept his first night hooded in his hawk box. On day two I weighed him and manned him for a while with the hood on. Then I went into his mew with him still on the fist and took the hood off. I calmly and quietly stood in the mew with him for a while until he calmed down. Around noon I tied him off to his bow perch, set him on it and quietly slid away and shut the door. I planned to come back and do some more that evening. Around 4pm my friend looked in to check on my bird for me and called to tell me that Toothless had slipped out of one bracelet. "Impossible", I thought. I rushed over and sure enough one leg was loose and the other was almost loose. The grommets that held the bracelet ends together had not held for some reason. My sponsor has made and fitted bracelets 100s of times over the last 20 years. He had no explanation for this. I put the temporary bracelets on and put him back in the mew thinking everything was fine. The next day we re-fitted the bracelets and used a different "hammer and anvil" type tool to properly set the grommets. This time we got it right and they are still holding strong to this day. Sometime during the time he had one leg loose, he must have been bating inside the mew and all of that force was hitting the end of the leash that was only attached to one leg. We are guessing that this is what caused the injury way back on day two, but because I never saw him walking, I had no idea. He didn't hold that leg funny. He still gripped my glove fine and stepped on and off the glove, the scale and his perch for me. I felt horrible knowing I'd caused an injury, but at least this explained why he wouldn't jump to me. He knew the landing would hurt his leg. Time healed this wound, and we began again…

The third major step is to get them to fly to you for their food. Flight training. This is really just a natural progression from the hop and the manning. During this phase we use a "creance" (Basically a long line attached to the swivel…) In case the bird were to get spooked and try to fly away, or if it just decides to do something different. I started session one with a hop. It was an awkward attempt. One foot on the perch and one foot on the glove, tail haphazardly pushing against the perch… The next one was the biggest step of all. He had to jump about 2-3 feet to me. He couldn't reach the food unless he took to the wing, ever so briefly. He did so confidently and eagerly. Next one was four feet, then 5, 6 and I ended day one at about 7 feet. Words cannot describe the elation I felt. Here was this wild animal CHOOSING to come to me for its food. It could have just tried to fly away. It wanted to come to me. Repeatedly. Day two started at 4 feet and quickly stretched to about 12 feet. We weren't hopping now. We were FLYING!!! Day three started at 10 feet and quickly progressed to about 35 feet. I was astonished, and still am. No mistakes. No misses. Not even a wayward glance. He immediately flew straight to my fist at every call without hesitation. Nothing distracted him or put him off. Day four started at 40 feet and I went as far as I could to the wall of the property at about 80 feet. I report to my sponsor daily. After day four's report he told me that I needed to drive up there so he could see it. Day five was in my sponsor's large backyard. I started with a 30 foot flight just to make sure he was tuned in to me in this new place and because we had a good breeze blowing up there. Perfect. I backed up to about 60 feet for the second flight and he had his very first "mistake". He flew to the top of an awning that was pretty close to being in-line with me, but just a little off to my right. No problem. I called him down from about 40 feet away and he came straight away without hesitation. For flight three I backed up to about 80 feet and he flew straight to me. I ended the day with three more perfect flights all to about 100 feet until I ran out of food and yard.

My sponsor looks at me and says, "He's ready. Its time to go hunting." I was incredulous. Already? Yep. Already.

The first step for hunting is to get them off your glove and up to a high perch like a tree or telephone pole. They use gravity to accelerate up to striking speed. Well my baby boy wouldn't get off my hand. We put on the telemetry device and reward tag, took off the leash and tried to set him free. He wouldn't go. We had to "trick" him. My sponsor took him on his own glove and backed up about 60 feet. I was directly between Toothless and the pole we wanted him to fly up to. At my sponsor's direction, I called Toothless to my glove and as soon as he was airborne, I turned my back to him and hid the glove low in front of me. The bird was supposed to pass me and fly up to the obvious high perch. Nope. He landed on my unprotected shoulder. Nothing but a t-shirt between those talons and my skin. Luckily he didn't clamp down and my sponsor quickly came and picked him up. We tried a second time and this time it worked perfectly. We flew him up there into the wind. Now I quickly walked ahead and called him to my glove, still into the wind. He was totally loose. He could have headed for the hills anytime he wanted. What did he do? He flew straight to my hand on cue. I wanted to jump up and down like a child and scream with joy, but my bird was on my hand swallowing his tidbit… We did this a couple of times and then we proceeded to try and scare up a rabbit. We got one rabbit to bolt that day and toothless watched it with interest as it ran away and hid. He was not interested enough to try and catch it though. I called him down to me, hooked up the swivel and leash and we called it a day. He needed to be hungrier. That was Monday. Two days ago.

Today was day two of actual hunt training. (We are really training me, more than the bird…) New location. As on day one, he would not leave my fist. I placed him on a low curb and then got between him and a big dead tree and did the fake-out call again. It worked like a charm. Looking up at him in that tree was awe inspiring. He looked so majestic. No wild bird would ever let you get that close, but here I was looking up at him. When hunting with a red tail, the usual strategy is to get them to follow along from tree to tree as you hike along and try to scare up game for the bird to chase. To get him from tree to tree, I did the fake call thing, occasionally interspersing the fake calls with a reward on the fist. We managed to scare up a rabbit and Toothless watched and did the head bobbing thing, but did not go after it. We got the rabbit to run again and still no action from the bird. One more bolt and he finally jumped down and grabbed it. The catch was pretty uneventful. The rabbit just gave up as soon as he grabbed it. It would take too long to explain all the details, but basically you let them eat on their kill for a bit, and then "trade" them for a big chunk of food on the fist. You have to proceed very carefully so that you don't make them distrust you and want to carry the food off somewhere to eat without you trying to "steal" it from them. Toothless took to all of this exceptionally well and we encountered no problems. I leashed him up, my sponsor put our rabbit in my bag, and we headed home. Toothless was quite content. He had a big full crop and I weighed him to see how much he'd eaten. 80 grams of freshly killed rabbit. The rest of the rabbit is in the freezer for him to eat after the hunting season is over.

I cannot believe how quickly we have progressed through all these steps. He was a wild 10 month old bird just over a month ago. Now he's totally tame, comes when called, and is in the process of learning how to use his human to have fun and catch game. We still have a ways to go, and I still have a lot to learn, but I am thrilled beyond words at our progress. I knew that I would enjoy this and learn a lot, but there is just no way I could have imagined how amazing the whole thing would be.

Please ask all your questions. I'm eager to share and would love to have conversation about all of this.


----------



## G-stars

Awesome stuff Tom. I have a neighbor that has been doing this for a decade now. He is supposed to take me under his wing next year, pun intended. But I'm going to start practicing free flying this summer with my green winged macaw. I know two different things but still.


----------



## keepergale

I had missed this thread somehow. Anyway this is all very cool.


----------



## Yvonne G

Sorry, Tom...pictures or it didn't happen.


----------



## Tom

G-stars said:


> Awesome stuff Tom. I have a neighbor that has been doing this for a decade now. He is supposed to take me under his wing next year, pun intended. But I'm going to start practicing free flying this summer with my green winged macaw. I know two different things but still.



That is awesome! I've been flying parrots and other birds for 30 years, but this is so much different. Do it all! Some things that you learn with your greening will translate over, but you will be amazed at what you learn with a hawk.

Good luck and I hope you'll do your own thread so we can follow along.


----------



## Tom

Yvonne G said:


> Sorry, Tom...pictures or it didn't happen.



Okay. Here is my man in his mew sitting on his bow perch.



Not a great pic, but this was me sitting at work waiting for them to need me. We were filming on location at a residence and I brought Toothless along so I could man him with all the down time.


----------



## hingeback

Tom said:


> Okay. Here is my man in his mew sitting on his bow perch.
> View attachment 166721


Is that his home?


----------



## Tom

hingeback said:


> Is that his home?



That is where he stays when we aren't traveling or working. Its designed with his safety and well-being in mind.


----------



## hingeback

I'm not sure if I missed it, but how did you come about naming him Toothless?


----------



## Tom

hingeback said:


> I'm not sure if I missed it, but how did you come about naming him Toothless?



My daughter names most of my animals anymore. She liked the movie and given the physical traits and habits of a hawk, she thought Toothless suited our new friend very well.

Who am I to argue?


----------



## DutchieAmanda

How is your bird doing Tom?


----------



## Tidgy's Dad

Wonderful thread! 
Update, please, Tom. 
I heard once that some of these birds (was it peregrines?) have dodgy hearts and will suddenly just keel over and die. 
is that true, do you know?
We have dozens of birds of prey in Morocco, from falcons to eagles, buzzards to vultures, there's something hovering over my house nearly every day.
So we are very vigilant with Tidgy.
I've had several encounters with these animals back in the UK and it's a marvelous feeling to have one sat on your arm. 
The guy next door to me in one of my homes had a collection of owls. 
Having a huge eagle owl on ones arm is just awesome and yet they weigh so much less than you'd think. (obviously). 
Good luck with all this.


----------



## Moozillion

Wish I'd seen this earlier! This is SOOOO cool! And his name TOTALLY cracks me up!!!!!! 
For some reason I had thought you were going to work with owls...


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Its been over a month and I haven't updated this thread…
> 
> Today was a monumental day. Toothless and I got our first rabbit today. But let me fill you in on the last month…
> 
> The first big step is to get them to eat from your glove. We did that on day two, well ahead of schedule for a late season bird. My sponsor had already built in a contingency plan for if the bird wouldn't take food from me after four or five days, but we didn't need plan "B".
> 
> The next big step is to get them to hop from their perch to your glove for food. You begin a gradual progression of weight loss until they are hungry enough to overcome their fear of the giant hairless ape, and fly to you for food. You feed them every day, but just not so much that they get fat or put on weight. You have to get them down to "flying weight". There is no way to "make" these birds do what you want, so you have to have something they want. Inducement. If they are hungry, they want the food in your hand. When they bravely jump to your fist, they get a big juicy food reward.
> 
> Concurrent to dropping the weight and trying to get them to jump to your fist, you do what is called "manning". I am still wondering if lady falconers call it "womanning", but I don't know and lady falconers. Basically you pick up the bird on your gloved hand and either sit, stand or walk for hours and hours. Your hand is the bird's perch and this process desensitizes them to you and your mannerisms. At first you take it really easy and don't move around too much. You don't want to jostle them around, overly stress them or cause them to bate (Bate: when a leashed bird flies off of the fist or perch…). Too much bating is not good. Some birds do it more than others, and for a variety of reasons. After a few hours or days and the bird seems calm, you can do more and more stuff with them on your fist. You get really good at planning ahead and doing things one handed. The more hours they spend on your hand in these first few days and weeks the better. I would go around the 5 acre ranch in the mornings and open the tortoise doors, water the greens and refill the tortoise waters with toothless on my fist, then in the afternoons, I would go around and shut the tortoises doors. In between I just went about my business with a big bird on my hand. He desensitized VERY quickly and hardly ever baited, which I thought was a bit strange…
> 
> So manning was going very well, weight was slowly dropping, and it should only take a few days to get them to jump to your hand. At day 12, he still had not jumped to my hand, but he was very eager to come to me and take food if I let him scoot along a big perch or block wall. He just wouldn't fly to me. I suspected something was wrong, but didn't know what. Being an animal trainer, I started thinking of new ways to get him to jump to my hand. In his mew, I had seen him on the ground and off his perch and he readily hops back up there when I come around. Most birds feel vulnerable on the ground. My thought was to put him on the ground and cover the perch with my glove and a food reward. There was nowhere else to go BUT onto my glove if he didn't want to be on the ground, and there was a tasty food tidbit for even more incentive. I set him down on the ground right in front of the perch, he thought about it for a minute, and then hopped up onto my glove and ate. SUCCESS! I backed him up a little more for the next one thinking he would either walk toward me and then hop, or he would fly from farther away. That's when I saw the limp. My heart sank and tears welled up in my eyes. My bird was limping on his left leg. I did it again just to be sure, and there was no doubt. What could have happened? My sponsor came over right away and we examined him. The dude knows EVERYTHING about these birds and ran down a long check list in his head as he examined every part of the bird. He was pretty sure it wasn't broken. Probably a sprain. If it didn't get better in a few days, then I was to take Toothless to my avian vet friend for an x-ray. I had not previously noticed the limp because the bird was ALWAYS standing still, either on my fist, on his bow perch in the mew, on the scale, or on the perch in his transport box. There was never anytime when we was loose and walking during those early days. I only saw this because of my unusual idea to get him to jump to my glove. This would also explain why he almost never baited.
> 
> I fed him up good for a few days, and left him completely alone. No more manning or trying to get him to fly. Just lots of perch rest, good food and water. It got better after a few days, but we left him alone for a solid two weeks, just to make sure. A re-check confirmed that he had recovered and was fine.
> 
> Thinking back we figured out where the problem likely occurred. On day one we hooded him and put on his custom fitted, handmade bracelets. The bracelets go around his legs and are held on with grommets and the jesses pass through the grommets, which is what the swivel attaches to, and finally the leash goes through the other end of the swivel. (Do an internet search for pics and diagrams of all this equipment. It sounds complicated, but its really very simple and sensible.) He slept his first night hooded in his hawk box. On day two I weighed him and manned him for a while with the hood on. Then I went into his mew with him still on the fist and took the hood off. I calmly and quietly stood in the mew with him for a while until he calmed down. Around noon I tied him off to his bow perch, set him on it and quietly slid away and shut the door. I planned to come back and do some more that evening. Around 4pm my friend looked in to check on my bird for me and called to tell me that Toothless had slipped out of one bracelet. "Impossible", I thought. I rushed over and sure enough one leg was loose and the other was almost loose. The grommets that held the bracelet ends together had not held for some reason. My sponsor has made and fitted bracelets 100s of times over the last 20 years. He had no explanation for this. I put the temporary bracelets on and put him back in the mew thinking everything was fine. The next day we re-fitted the bracelets and used a different "hammer and anvil" type tool to properly set the grommets. This time we got it right and they are still holding strong to this day. Sometime during the time he had one leg loose, he must have been bating inside the mew and all of that force was hitting the end of the leash that was only attached to one leg. We are guessing that this is what caused the injury way back on day two, but because I never saw him walking, I had no idea. He didn't hold that leg funny. He still gripped my glove fine and stepped on and off the glove, the scale and his perch for me. I felt horrible knowing I'd caused an injury, but at least this explained why he wouldn't jump to me. He knew the landing would hurt his leg. Time healed this wound, and we began again…
> 
> The third major step is to get them to fly to you for their food. Flight training. This is really just a natural progression from the hop and the manning. During this phase we use a "creance" (Basically a long line attached to the swivel…) In case the bird were to get spooked and try to fly away, or if it just decides to do something different. I started session one with a hop. It was an awkward attempt. One foot on the perch and one foot on the glove, tail haphazardly pushing against the perch… The next one was the biggest step of all. He had to jump about 2-3 feet to me. He couldn't reach the food unless he took to the wing, ever so briefly. He did so confidently and eagerly. Next one was four feet, then 5, 6 and I ended day one at about 7 feet. Words cannot describe the elation I felt. Here was this wild animal CHOOSING to come to me for its food. It could have just tried to fly away. It wanted to come to me. Repeatedly. Day two started at 4 feet and quickly stretched to about 12 feet. We weren't hopping now. We were FLYING!!! Day three started at 10 feet and quickly progressed to about 35 feet. I was astonished, and still am. No mistakes. No misses. Not even a wayward glance. He immediately flew straight to my fist at every call without hesitation. Nothing distracted him or put him off. Day four started at 40 feet and I went as far as I could to the wall of the property at about 80 feet. I report to my sponsor daily. After day four's report he told me that I needed to drive up there so he could see it. Day five was in my sponsor's large backyard. I started with a 30 foot flight just to make sure he was tuned in to me in this new place and because we had a good breeze blowing up there. Perfect. I backed up to about 60 feet for the second flight and he had his very first "mistake". He flew to the top of an awning that was pretty close to being in-line with me, but just a little off to my right. No problem. I called him down from about 40 feet away and he came straight away without hesitation. For flight three I backed up to about 80 feet and he flew straight to me. I ended the day with three more perfect flights all to about 100 feet until I ran out of food and yard.
> 
> My sponsor looks at me and says, "He's ready. Its time to go hunting." I was incredulous. Already? Yep. Already.
> 
> The first step for hunting is to get them off your glove and up to a high perch like a tree or telephone pole. They use gravity to accelerate up to striking speed. Well my baby boy wouldn't get off my hand. We put on the telemetry device and reward tag, took off the leash and tried to set him free. He wouldn't go. We had to "trick" him. My sponsor took him on his own glove and backed up about 60 feet. I was directly between Toothless and the pole we wanted him to fly up to. At my sponsor's direction, I called Toothless to my glove and as soon as he was airborne, I turned my back to him and hid the glove low in front of me. The bird was supposed to pass me and fly up to the obvious high perch. Nope. He landed on my unprotected shoulder. Nothing but a t-shirt between those talons and my skin. Luckily he didn't clamp down and my sponsor quickly came and picked him up. We tried a second time and this time it worked perfectly. We flew him up there into the wind. Now I quickly walked ahead and called him to my glove, still into the wind. He was totally loose. He could have headed for the hills anytime he wanted. What did he do? He flew straight to my hand on cue. I wanted to jump up and down like a child and scream with joy, but my bird was on my hand swallowing his tidbit… We did this a couple of times and then we proceeded to try and scare up a rabbit. We got one rabbit to bolt that day and toothless watched it with interest as it ran away and hid. He was not interested enough to try and catch it though. I called him down to me, hooked up the swivel and leash and we called it a day. He needed to be hungrier. That was Monday. Two days ago.
> 
> Today was day two of actual hunt training. (We are really training me, more than the bird…) New location. As on day one, he would not leave my fist. I placed him on a low curb and then got between him and a big dead tree and did the fake-out call again. It worked like a charm. Looking up at him in that tree was awe inspiring. He looked so majestic. No wild bird would ever let you get that close, but here I was looking up at him. When hunting with a red tail, the usual strategy is to get them to follow along from tree to tree as you hike along and try to scare up game for the bird to chase. To get him from tree to tree, I did the fake call thing, occasionally interspersing the fake calls with a reward on the fist. We managed to scare up a rabbit and Toothless watched and did the head bobbing thing, but did not go after it. We got the rabbit to run again and still no action from the bird. One more bolt and he finally jumped down and grabbed it. The catch was pretty uneventful. The rabbit just gave up as soon as he grabbed it. It would take too long to explain all the details, but basically you let them eat on their kill for a bit, and then "trade" them for a big chunk of food on the fist. You have to proceed very carefully so that you don't make them distrust you and want to carry the food off somewhere to eat without you trying to "steal" it from them. Toothless took to all of this exceptionally well and we encountered no problems. I leashed him up, my sponsor put our rabbit in my bag, and we headed home. Toothless was quite content. He had a big full crop and I weighed him to see how much he'd eaten. 80 grams of freshly killed rabbit. The rest of the rabbit is in the freezer for him to eat after the hunting season is over.
> 
> I cannot believe how quickly we have progressed through all these steps. He was a wild 10 month old bird just over a month ago. Now he's totally tame, comes when called, and is in the process of learning how to use his human to have fun and catch game. We still have a ways to go, and I still have a lot to learn, but I am thrilled beyond words at our progress. I knew that I would enjoy this and learn a lot, but there is just no way I could have imagined how amazing the whole thing would be.
> 
> Please ask all your questions. I'm eager to share and would love to have conversation about all of this.



Tom, THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!!!  What a THRILL it must be!!!!!!


----------



## Moozillion

Is Toothless going to be for hunting or a movie star or both?


----------



## wellington

Yes Tom, we need an update please.


----------



## wellington

wellington said:


> Yes Tom, we need an update please.


With pictures too


----------



## tortoise5643

Didn't see this thread until now. Just spent a long time reading every post on it. Toothless is awesome! Can't believe how "easy" (I know you worked a lot for it) it is to train a wild bird. I would never have expected you caught them and trained them.


----------



## MichaelaW

I second the update request!!!


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Yes Tom, we need an update please.




Toothless died of aspergillosis. Everything was going great for a while and then I just found him dead. A good friend of mine is a Board Certified Avian vet and he performed the necropsy for me himself. My falconry sponsor felt awful about it. He said that many of them carry it and sometimes it just gets them. He said its not anything we did or anything that I could have prevented. He said that once you see symptoms its too late, and that there isn't much that can be done. I was very upset about it for a long time. Still am. When you do everything "right", bad things aren't supposed to happen, but sometimes they just do.

The new season starts October 1st, and the lessons that Toothless taught me will carry over for the next bird and I'll do an even better job.


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Is Toothless going to be for hunting or a movie star or both?



Its illegal to use native raptors for any sort of commercial purpose, so none of my falconry birds can ever work in my industry. I could go get restricted species permits and buy non-native birds for move use, and someday I probably will.


----------



## DutchieAmanda

That's so sad, I'm sorry to hear this Tom


----------



## wellington

Tom said:


> Toothless died of aspergillosis. Everything was going great for a while and then I just found him dead. A good friend of mine is a Board Certified Avian vet and he performed the necropsy for me himself. My falconry sponsor felt awful about it. He said that many of them carry it and sometimes it just gets them. He said its not anything we did or anything that I could have prevented. He said that once you see symptoms its too late, and that there isn't much that can be done. I was very upset about it for a long time. Still am. When you do everything "right", bad things aren't supposed to happen, but sometimes they just do.
> 
> The new season starts October 1st, and the lessons that Toothless taught me will carry over for the next bird and I'll do an even better job.


Tom, I am so sorry. I know the love, care and hard work you put into your animals. That's a hard pill to swallow, losing an animal, when you put the best out there for them.
Is there any testing that can be done next time to see if one carries it?
Again very sorry.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Is there any testing that can be done next time to see if one carries it?



I should learn a bit more, but the impression that I'm getting is that they are exposed to it in the wild, and some carry it around with no symptoms while others just get hit by it. My avian vet and my falconry sponsor are both making it sound like this is just something that happens and there is nothing that can be done about it. I asked about prophylactic treatment, and both seemed to think that was not the way to go. I'll be asking more questions as time goes by.

The new season starts October 1st, so I'll be starting again soon.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Toothless died of aspergillosis. Everything was going great for a while and then I just found him dead. A good friend of mine is a Board Certified Avian vet and he performed the necropsy for me himself. My falconry sponsor felt awful about it. He said that many of them carry it and sometimes it just gets them. He said its not anything we did or anything that I could have prevented. He said that once you see symptoms its too late, and that there isn't much that can be done. I was very upset about it for a long time. Still am. When you do everything "right", bad things aren't supposed to happen, but sometimes they just do.
> 
> The new season starts October 1st, and the lessons that Toothless taught me will carry over for the next bird and I'll do an even better job.



Oh, Tom!!! I'm so sorry to hear this.


----------



## ColleenT

i am so sorry you lost him. I hope you find a new Falcon soon, and continue your adventure.


----------



## Tom

Time for an update. The saga continues…

After such an upsetting first round, I was afraid to post anything about round two for fear that the same sort of thing would happen again. Well… spoiler alert… Year two has a very happy ending with a fine story to go along with it. Sorry to give away the ending, but last year's devastating, sudden and unexpected death really shook me and made me question everything.

Before you read on, I would like to warn everyone reading that this thread is about _hunting_ with a hawk, and I'll show some hunting pics of the bird on game. Stop now if you don't want to see pics of that nature.

Meet Minerva:


This is her perched upon her training lure after catching it and eating her tidbit. This picture was taken mid-season


Let me back track and tell the story of how Minerva and I came to be acquainted. I started trying to trap a new bird as soon as the season started in October. The warm weather prevented the birds from migrating down from the north and the pickin's were slim to say the least. I didn't want another bird from the area where I got Toothless, so I was looking elsewhere. I had been pre-scouting in September, and this is one of the only birds I saw:



This was my first few of Minerva. Its a view I would see many times… After seven attempts over a period of weeks, she refused to show any interest whatsoever in my trap with the delicious free rat in it. Time after time, I'd drive all the way out to where she was, and time after time she'd look at my offering and refuse to come down. I tried for a few other birds, but wild hawks are all pretty leery. At least this one never tried to fly away at my approach, and she looked so big and beautiful sitting up there ignoring me.



On the day of attempt number 8, my frustration level was high. I was frustrated that I _still_ did not have a bird, and I was double frustrated that 7 attempts at all hours of the day had failed to catch _this _bird. I told myself that this was the _last_ time I would try for this bird. I kept trying because this bird was always in the same spot, and there were no other birds anywhere around her… {Foreshadowing here…} and there were few birds to choose from anywhere, unless I wanted to go back to where Toothless came from, which I really didn't.

So I get everything ready and drive all the way out there. Like always, there she is sitting in her same spot looking content as the master of her world. Like usual, I place the trap in the perfect spot, right in her view and I hightail it out of there. I drove a good mile away, whipped around and pulled out the binoculars. Was she down on my trap getting caught up this time? Nope. Still sitting in the same spot that she is always sitting in. Mocking me. Surely laughing at the silly hairless ape who keeps coming back and fussing around under her pole perch week after week. So I sit there for 40 minutes, muttering to myself the whole time about this bird who just doesn't want to come down and play with me. In a huff, I say: "That's it. I'm out of here. I'm done with this stupid bird!" I start the car and before I can pull back on to the road, I had to wait for another car that is coming and heading in the same direction as the bird. While waiting for that car to pass, I glanced back over to see the tiny dot sitting atop the pole in the distance. This is when I think I see the tiny dot fly down to where I left the trap…

Gotta go to work. To be continued...


----------



## Team Gomberg

Cliff hanger!


----------



## Link

Wow, I actually looked into this years ago. The years of dedication, labor, costs, and red-tape is extraordinary and extreme. It's amazing and most people wouldn't understand the task you have taken on. The hours a day and schedule you have to maintain to be successful. The aviary alone puts any turtle pen needs to shame. I am blessed to live in a region where falcons, hawks, owls, and eagles are plentiful. I get to witness the amazing predators in action without all the effort.  I salute you and your efforts.


----------



## Tom

So she flies down to the trap and now me and this other car are headed her way and going to pass her on the right side of the road. Normally, you wait a few minutes for them to get entangled in the trap. If you drive back over to the trap before they are caught, they'll fly away and never come back. Since the bird is used to cars passing like this all day long, I figure I will just pass by, go down the road, and observe from the other side. This would give her time to get caught up in my trap. Then, once I saw through the binoculars that she was caught, I could drive over and she'd be on the driver's side and I could make a quicker dash and grab.

The first car passes by, and she acts like it isn't there. No reaction whatsoever. Doesn't even give it a glance. I figure I'm golden. I'll just quietly pass by like nothing is wrong, and I'll come back once she's caught. Nope. Not with this bird. No reaction to the first car, but as soon as she sees _MY_ car coming, she acts like Satan himself is riding on the hood with a giant fiery pitchfork pointing at her! She looks over, sees who it is, and she _attempts_ to bolt into the sky. But she's caught! So I slam on the brakes, hard right into the mud on the shoulder, fling the car door open, dive into the mud, and…

After all these weeks of trying, I've got my prized bird in my hands. I'm covered head to toe in mud, but I'm grinning like a child at Disneyland. And not the kid at Disneyland that should have had lunch two hours ago, I'm talking about the kid who just got there after a long car ride and Mickey Mouse is right inside the front gate. Yes, _THAT _kind of happy.

I untangle her from the trap and I begin looking her over. Feet and talons are good. Tail looks a little worn, but in good shape. Wingtips are a little roughed up, but all feathers are intact and looking strong. Eyes are clear and wide open. Beak is in great shape and… what is this??? The crop is extremely distended, hard as a rock, and full of pieces of "hard stuff". Awe maaaannnnnnn… After all this, she has something wrong with her crop? Maybe she ingested something and she's blocked up? Or maybe some sort of internal infection from a puncture? I call my falconry sponsor and he tells me to bring her to him for inspection. He checks the crop and sort of shakes his head. "I don't know, man…" He says keep her over night. If its stuffed with food, it will go down over night. So I bring her home, apply some seven dust to get rid of the feather mites, and I wait. I check on her that night, and its gone down a bunch. Next morning, the crop is totally back to normal, and the box is full of doo doo. She was fine and she'd apparently eaten something huge just before coming down to the trap. Maybe a rabbit or a squirrel. I cleaned up her and the hawk box and put her on the scale. Even with a now empty crop, she weight almost 1600 grams. That is HUGE! Normal for a female would be around 1200. What? Did she eat her siblings? Where were her parents? Why was she out there all alone with no other red tails for miles? Hmm…

Here she is the day after I caught her:


----------



## Tidgy's Dad

Tom said:


> Time for an update. The saga continues…
> 
> After such an upsetting first round, I was afraid to post anything about round two for fear that the same sort of thing would happen again. Well… spoiler alert… Year two has a very happy ending with a fine story to go along with it. Sorry to give away the ending, but last year's devastating, sudden and unexpected death really shook me and made me question everything.
> 
> Before you read on, I would like to warn everyone reading that this thread is about _hunting_ with a hawk, and I'll show some hunting pics of the bird on game. Stop now if you don't want to see pics of that nature.
> 
> Meet Minerva:
> View attachment 212643
> 
> This is her perched upon her training lure after catching it and eating her tidbit. This picture was taken mid-season
> 
> 
> Let me back track and tell the story of how Minerva and I came to be acquainted. I started trying to trap a new bird as soon as the season started in October. The warm weather prevented the birds from migrating down from the north and the pickin's were slim to say the least. I didn't want another bird from the area where I got Toothless, so I was looking elsewhere. I had been pre-scouting in September, and this is one of the only birds I saw:
> View attachment 212644
> 
> 
> This was my first few of Minerva. Its a view I would see many times… After seven attempts over a period of weeks, she refused to show any interest whatsoever in my trap with the delicious free rat in it. Time after time, I'd drive all the way out to where she was, and time after time she'd look at my offering and refuse to come down. I tried for a few other birds, but wild hawks are all pretty leery. At least this one never tried to fly away at my approach, and she looked so big and beautiful sitting up there ignoring me.
> View attachment 212645
> 
> 
> On the day of attempt number 8, my frustration level was high. I was frustrated that I _still_ did not have a bird, and I was double frustrated that 7 attempts at all hours of the day had failed to catch _this _bird. I told myself that this was the _last_ time I would try for this bird. I kept trying because this bird was always in the same spot, and there were no other birds anywhere around her… {Foreshadowing here…} and there were few birds to choose from anywhere, unless I wanted to go back to where Toothless came from, which I really didn't.
> 
> So I get everything ready and drive all the way out there. Like always, there she is sitting in her same spot looking content as the master of her world. Like usual, I place the trap in the perfect spot, right in her view and I hightail it out of there. I drove a good mile away, whipped around and pulled out the binoculars. Was she down on my trap getting caught up this time? Nope. Still sitting in the same spot that she is always sitting in. Mocking me. Surely laughing at the silly hairless ape who keeps coming back and fussing around under her pole perch week after week. So I sit there for 40 minutes, muttering to myself the whole time about this bird who just doesn't want to come down and play with me. In a huff, I say: "That's it. I'm out of here. I'm done with this stupid bird!" I start the car and before I can pull back on to the road, I had to wait for another car that is coming and heading in the same direction as the bird. While waiting for that car to pass, I glanced back over to see the tiny dot sitting atop the pole in the distance. This is when I think I see the tiny dot fly down to where I left the trap…
> 
> Gotta go to work. To be continued...


Glad to hear you got back on the horse, Tom, and even more so that this time we have a happy ending.
I love the name Minerva, though she was normally associated with owls, of course. 
She _is _a big girl. 
Can't wait for the next installment! 
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!


----------



## Tidgy's Dad

Tom said:


> So she flies down to the trap and now me and this other car are headed her way and going to pass her on the right side of the road. Normally, you wait a few minutes for them to get entangled in the trap. If you drive back over to the trap before they are caught, they'll fly away and never come back. Since the bird is used to cars passing like this all day long, I figure I will just pass by, go down the road, and observe from the other side. This would give her time to get caught up in my trap. Then, once I saw through the binoculars that she was caught, I could drive over and she'd be on the driver's side and I could make a quicker dash and grab.
> 
> The first car passes by, and she acts like it isn't there. No reaction whatsoever. Doesn't even give it a glance. I figure I'm golden. I'll just quietly pass by like nothing is wrong, and I'll come back once she's caught. Nope. Not with this bird. No reaction to the first car, but as soon as she sees _MY_ car coming, she acts like Satan himself is riding on the hood with a giant fiery pitchfork pointing at her! She looks over, sees who it is, and she _attempts_ to bolt into the sky. But she's caught! So I slam on the brakes, hard right into the mud on the shoulder, fling the car door open, dive into the mud, and…
> 
> After all these weeks of trying, I've got my prized bird in my hands. I'm covered head to toe in mud, but I'm grinning like a child at Disneyland. And not the kid at Disneyland that should have had lunch two hours ago, I'm talking about the kid who just got there after a long car ride and Mickey Mouse is right inside the front gate. Yes, _THAT _kind of happy.
> 
> I untangle her from the trap and I begin looking her over. Feet and talons are good. Tail looks a little worn, but in good shape. Wingtips are a little roughed up, but all feathers are intact and looking strong. Eyes are clear and wide open. Beak is in great shape and… what is this??? The crop is extremely distended, hard as a rock, and full of pieces of "hard stuff". Awe maaaannnnnnn… After all this, she has something wrong with her crop? Maybe she ingested something and she's blocked up? Or maybe some sort of internal infection from a puncture? I call my falconry sponsor and he tells me to bring her to him for inspection. He checks the crop and sort of shakes his head. "I don't know, man…" He says keep her over night. If its stuffed with food, it will go down over night. So I bring her home, apply some seven dust to get rid of the feather mites, and I wait. I check on her that night, and its gone down a bunch. Next morning, the crop is totally back to normal, and the box is full of doo doo. She was fine and she'd apparently eaten something huge just before coming down to the trap. Maybe a rabbit or a squirrel. I cleaned up her and the hawk box and put her on the scale. Even with a now empty crop, she weight almost 1600 grams. That is HUGE! Normal for a female would be around 1200. What? Did she eat her siblings? Where were her parents? Why was she out there all alone with no other red tails for miles? Hmm…
> 
> Here she is the day after I caught her:
> View attachment 212665


Silly me, part two already here! i would have loved to have seen you all covered in mud. Of course I roll in mud frequently. 
Nicely written, i can't wait for the next installment, though i'm not sure about the Disneyland analogy, that would give me nightmares. 
I'm glad you told us it was a happy ending or i'd be very worried by now. 
Chapter 3, please!


----------



## wellington

I am so happy for you. Sure hope all goes well for the two of you for a very long time. 
Although, I could have killed you when you did the to be continued. Luckily, I didn't see this update until after you had continued on.


----------



## G-stars

Come on @Tom, tell us more. Your just teasing us at this point, I eagerly await the next installment of Minerva's story.


----------



## Tom

On day two I took a fecal sample to the vet and she was carrying a substantial load of intestinal worms. We put her on a course of Panacur for that. Second fecal showed the worms were all gone, but we found coccidia, so we treated that with a little Ponazuril. Third fecal was finally all clean. I don't know how any of them survive in the wild. They are all so full so many internal and external parasites and pathogens.

Since she had a full stomach and crop when I caught her, it took a couple of days for her to get hungry enough to take food from my hand, but she came around quickly. She also learned how to stand on my gloved hand quickly. Some of them go catatonic, or get defensive, but she just seems fine with it right away. The next big step is to get them to step or hop from the perch onto your gloved hand for a food tidbit. It took a few days, but I could feel it was about to happen so I started videoing the sessions. Didn't take long and I was able to capture her very first hop to the glove. I can't figure out how to post the video, but if someone wants to message me a way to do it, I'll post it.

You can't "make" them do this. They have to choose to do it willingly on their own. When they do make that choice, its exhilarating! Once you get to this step, the flight training is all but done. After that first hop, the fist with the food just keeps getting farther away. Once we go outside the mew, we use a thin lightweight tether called a "creance" just in case. I started her on short hops of 4-6 feet and increased by a few feet during each training session. After a week or two of flying 100+ feet on the line, its time to go off line, and get her to fly away to a perch, as well as come back when called. Getting them to fly off the fist and go land somewhere can be a challenge at first, but they figure it out.

On day 20, my sponsor told me she was ready to hunt. I was to take the line off and go look for game. I got her out and was going to fly her over to an area near my ranch that had rabbits. I flew her to the top of a normal 6 foot wall, and intended to call her to me. Instead she decided to head for high ground and hopped up to the peak of the nearby barn roof before I was ready. (Another sign of things to come.) As I was maneuvering into a good position to call her down to me and proceed over to the rabbit area, she dove off the roof like a guided missile and crashed into the brush hot on the heels of a fleeing cotton tail. She missed, but she tried. On day 20 after I caught her. I can't tell you the joy I felt in that moment. I walked over to where she was sitting in the bushes and she had this look of utter disappointment. We both contemplated life for a moment, her disappointment at a miss and my elation at an attempt, and then I extended my glove and she hopped right up. Then while on my fist she roused her feathers. This is a sign of a very relaxed and content bird. Unbelievable. Less than 3 weeks ago this was an untouched wild bird. Now she's sitting on my hand, free to leave any time, and she's rousing…

We walked on down the road and I got her to follow me from telephone pole to telephone pole until we got to the rabbit clearing. We pushed a rabbit directly away from us and she had another near miss. By this point, I'd gotten all of her food into her, and we had to call it a day.

The very next day, day 21, we went around the long way and came up to that same spot and I put her up on a tall pole. Then I went way around the outside of that clearing and started pushing the rabbits toward her. One cottontail panicked, broke cover and started bolting across the clearing… right toward a waiting Minerva. She seemed angry about her miss the day before, and she took her anger out on that rabbit. She hit him so hard that when I got over to them, the rabbit had dirt and grass in its mouth. The impact shook the ground and made a horrid noise. I didn't have to euthanize this rabbit. Minerva had already taken care of that:



I hooked up her leash, took a seat nearby, and let her eat her hard earned meal. She ate that rabbit's whole head. It was truly amazing watching her disassemble the entire skull and eat every piece. I know it sounds gross, but to sit 3 feet away, snapping pics, while this wild animal went about the business of feeding itself was a privilege that I'll never be able to put into words. It is truly awe-striking, and I was struck. A normal red tail hawk needs about 50 grams of food a day to maintain weight. Minerva needs around 80 grams. That day, she ate a little over 300 grams. We took our first rabbit on day 21, on our second day of trying. Some apprentices go their whole first season without catching a rabbit. I was a proud falconer's apprentice on that day.


----------



## wellington

Congrats Tom. I can't believe in such a short time you were about to train this bird to come back to you and not just take off. That's amazing! 
Do you have to work with her on a daily basis to keep her trained?


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Congrats Tom. I can't believe in such a short time you were about to train this bird to come back to you and not just take off. That's amazing!
> Do you have to work with her on a daily basis to keep her trained?



I find it amazing too.

To answer your question: I keep mentioning the "season". What I'm referring to is the hunting season. October through March. During this "season", and also a little before it starts, we work with our birds every day. Ideally, we hunt with them every day, but that is not always possible. Some falconers have regular jobs and long hours, so they do what they can. My schedule is highly variable and erratic, so I hunt whenever I can. If I'm not able to hunt for a day, I still get my bird out, weigh her, and do some training flights for her food. I mix it up a lot, but sometimes I work her on the lure (My daughter _loves_ running the lure for me.), and other times I work on getting her to follow me and fly from perch to perch as I walk along. But she gets out and flying every day all season long.

This brings up the off season. This is referred to as "putting your bird up for the molt". We manage their weight all winter long for hunting. They are kept lean, fit and hungry. Sort of like an athlete in the competitive season. They gorge on a kill and then need a day or two off to digest their huge meal and get back down to the correct flying weight. In spring time the weather heats up, the prey species are making lots of babies (We don't hunt babies or juveniles.), and our birds need a break. Springtime is the time when our birds drop the feathers they've been using for a year and grow all new ones. Wild birds have to tough it out and fend for themselves, but our falconry birds get a free ride. We put them up in their mews and feed them up. We keep them fat and happy throughout spring and summer. They don't have to work for their food and all the good nutrition and rest allows them to grow pristine new feathers while minimizing the risk of damaging the new feathers as they come in. My sponsor had to tell me several times to leave the bird alone. I'm supposed to stay mostly hands off, and this is how the birds prefer it. When they are fed up and heavy, they have no need for the falconer, show no desire to have any contact and actually regress partway back to their wild state. When I come into the mew to feed her and clean her water daily, she avoids me during this time of year. She'll still hop on the glove for a large meal, but she'd rather I kept my distance. This is the polar opposite of what they do when they are at flying weight and hunting daily. During the season I could just open her door with no fear of her leaving. Even if she did somehow bolt past me at the door, I could just show her some food or a lure, and she'd come right back. If she were to "escape" right now, I might never see her again. This prompted me to add on a cage to the front of her mew so I'd have a double door set up.


----------



## wellington

Wow, very interesting. Totally opposite then I thought. 
Now when the season does come back around the next year. The training, her getting used to you and coming to you, etc, has to start from the very beginning as if you just got her or just more like a refresher course?


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Now when the season does come back around the next year. The training, her getting used to you and coming to you, etc, has to start from the very beginning as if you just got her or just more like a refresher course?



I don't know yet. I'll tell you in October! I'm told they get better and smarter year after year if you keep hunting with them.


----------



## Tom

On this day we were hunting in a field in Palmdale. I saw her dive off of a large telephone pole after a jackrabbit. For anyone that doesn't know, jackrabbits are formidable adversaries. They are very fast, very agile, and unlike a cottontail that goes limp and catatonic when the hawk grabs it, jacks fight. I couldn't see what was happening on the ground as there were bushes between us as I ran over to where I saw them intersect, but the is is the view I got upon arrival:



See those little fluff balls on the ground behind her? That is jackrabbit fur. I can only guess that the jack kicked her off of him before I could get there to assist. We'll have to bring back the Golden Eagle to deal with that rabbit...


----------



## Tom

She's very possessive when she's on a kill. She doesn't want me stealing her prize. There were times when I would see her dive into the scrub off in the distance and by the time I got over there, she had secreted off into some bushes and I had a heck of a time finding her and her new rabbit friend. One time I actually had to pull out the telemetry device to figure out where she was. I'd been walking within 10 feet of her for 20 minutes. They are _that _good at hiding and blending in.


----------



## Tom

All total we got 9 rabbits for the season. I'm told that is pretty good, especially since we'd been in a 5+ year drought and prey was scarce. With all the rain last winter, more prey animals should survive the summer, and hunting should be good this coming winter.

This is what her crop looks like after I let her "crop up" on a kill in the field:



Also in this pic:
-You can see the long line I use to clip on to her when she's on game and feasting. You don't want a full bird to fly up to a pole. They don't tend to come down as well when they aren't hungry. {A little sarcasm there…}
-You can see the little black telemetry device on her left leg. I actually needed this a couple of times this year. I was flying her too heavy and she would get up soaring in the thermals, go pick a new field a mile or two away and go self-hunting without me. She is a pretty independent bird. There was a little male wild red tail that would sometimes follow us around on hunting days. He was more attentive to me than my own bird. She'd chase him from perch to perch, trying to drive him away, and he'd be diving after the rabbits I was flushing.
-The feathers on her head were a little tousled in this pic because she dove into some thick brush to catch that day's rabbit. Some people call red tails "brush busters".


----------



## tortdad

Wow, what a cool thread... I just read all of it. One on my old neighbors in southern AZ was a falconry guy too, also with a Red Tail. I would see lots of red tail in that area. 

I saw a story one about symbiotic relationships between birds and other animals. Do any such relationships exist with birds of prey? Have you any experience with wildebeest training? Perhaps you can start a gnu trend.


----------



## Tom

tortdad said:


> I saw a story one about symbiotic relationships between birds and other animals. Do any such relationships exist with birds of prey?



None that I know of. Only the normal relationship of predators picking off the weak, sick or unfit. Only the strongest, smartest, fastest prey animals survive, thereby making the species as a whole stronger and more fit.



tortdad said:


> Have you any experience with wildebeest training? Perhaps you can start a gnu trend.


What a coincidence! Of all the people you could ask, and all the animals you could ask about…

As it turns out, yes. Yes I do have wildebeest training experience. In fact, I'm one of only 6 humans on the planet that have actually "trained" a group of wildebeest. Some of the guys I work with are in their 70s and have been training animals of all types for the entertainment industry for 50+ years. Plus they've heard all the stories from their own mentors. I have asked all of these guys and there has only ever been one gnu job that any of them have heard of. I was one of the six trainers on it. We trained about 12 wildebeest to run around in a giant circle and "stampede" over a semi-buried camera. It was for a Fruit Loops cereal commercial around1997-1998. We filmed it in the old Denver airport, soon after they moved the airport to its current location. While these gnu fun facts are now old, I find great amusement in the fact that of all the people in the whole world, I got asked this question!  If you had asked any of the other 100s of people who do what I do, the answer would have simply been, "No."


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> On this day we were hunting in a field in Palmdale. I saw her dive off of a large telephone pole after a jackrabbit. For anyone that doesn't know, jackrabbits are formidable adversaries. They are very fast, very agile, and unlike a cottontail that goes limp and catatonic when the hawk grabs it, jacks fight. I couldn't see what was happening on the ground as there were bushes between us as I ran over to where I saw them intersect, but the is is the view I got upon arrival:
> View attachment 212744
> 
> 
> See those little fluff balls on the ground behind her? That is jackrabbit fur. I can only guess that the jack kicked her off of him before I could get there to assist. We'll have to bring back the Golden Eagle to deal with that rabbit...


She really does look disappointed!!!!


----------



## Moozillion

Tom, I am SO GLAD that you were able to carry on with the falconry!!!!!!
LOVING.THIS.THREAD!!!!!!!


----------



## MichaelaW

Tom said:


> None that I know of. Only the normal relationship of predators picking off the weak, sick or unfit. Only the strongest, smartest, fastest prey animals survive, thereby making the species as a whole stronger and more fit.
> 
> 
> What a coincidence! Of all the people you could ask, and all the animals you could ask about…
> 
> As it turns out, yes. Yes I do have wildebeest training experience. In fact, I'm one of only 6 humans on the planet that have actually "trained" a group of wildebeest. Some of the guys I work with are in their 70s and have been training animals of all types for the entertainment industry for 50+ years. Plus they've heard all the stories from their own mentors. I have asked all of these guys and there has only ever been one gnu job that any of them have heard of. I was one of the six trainers on it. We trained about 12 wildebeest to run around in a giant circle and "stampede" over a semi-buried camera. It was for a Fruit Loops cereal commercial around1997-1998. We filmed it in the old Denver airport, soon after they moved the airport to its current location. While these gnu fun facts are now old, I find great amusement in the fact that of all the people in the whole world, I got asked this question!  If you had asked any of the other 100s of people who do what I do, the answer would have simply been, "No."


Wow! Is there anything you haven't worked with?


----------



## Moozillion

MichaelaW said:


> Wow! Is there anything you haven't worked with?


I'm guessing the only animal he hasn't worked with is penguins...but I could be WRONG!!!!!


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> I'm guessing the only animal he hasn't worked with is penguins...but I could be WRONG!!!!!



Yep. You are wrong.  One of the companies I work with has some of those South African penguins. I've done a few jobs with them over the years. And while in South Africa, I went and swam with the wild ones too. All the locals looked at me like I was nuts, but hey, how could you _not_ take advantage of the opportunity to swim with real live wild penguins!!!

I haven't worked with Koalas, Pandas, Komodo Dragons, Cape Buffalos, Bald Eagles, hmm… There are lots of species I've never worked with...


----------



## tortdad

Tom said:


> I haven't worked with Koalas, Pandas, Komodo Dragons, Cape Buffalos, Bald Eagles, hmm… There are lots of species I've never worked with...



Slacker!


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Yep. You are wrong.  One of the companies I work with has some of those South African penguins. I've done a few jobs with them over the years. And while in South Africa, I went and swam with the wild ones too. All the locals looked at me like I was nuts, but hey, how could you _not_ take advantage of the opportunity to swim with real live wild penguins!!!
> 
> I haven't worked with Koalas, Pandas, Komodo Dragons, Cape Buffalos, Bald Eagles, hmm… There are lots of species I've never worked with...


The Penguin Whisperer!


----------



## Team Gomberg

Did I miss the reason why no other hawks were in her area? 

Or why you think she was so difficult to catch?

Is it possible she was caught and hunted before? I think you said people will catch, hint with and then release the birds after the season is over. 

Will you release her and try a new bird next season? Or do another season with this bird?

This is a great read. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.


----------



## Tom

Team Gomberg said:


> Did I miss the reason why no other hawks were in her area?
> 
> Or why you think she was so difficult to catch?
> 
> Is it possible she was caught and hunted before? I think you said people will catch, hint with and then release the birds after the season is over.
> 
> Will you release her and try a new bird next season? Or do another season with this bird?
> 
> This is a great read. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.



I'm getting to the part about why she was all alone out there…

And why she wouldn't come down to my trap…

Not possible she was caught and hunted with before because she had the baby plumage. Since I caught her in November, there is no possible way anyone had time to catch her, train her, and release her. They molt into adult colors at one year old. I'll be showing pics of that soon. 

I don't know about whether or not I'll keep her another season. We had some frustrating times last season, and I don't know if that was because of my ignorance and inexperience, or because she's an obstinate pain in the rear. Probably the former, but time will tell. Those stories are on the way. When that little male wild hawk was following me around and waiting for me to flush game, _that_ is what I was expecting out of my own hawk. I never really felt like I got much attentiveness from her. That little wild male was watching me like a "hawk". Har-d-har. My bird? Sometimes I think she hung around because flying away would take too much effort. Then, on other days, I would see moments of brilliance. She and I would be totally tuned-in and working together. If I get more of those good days, I might keep her another year. If not, I might try another red-tail, or buy a CB Harris Hawk and try that, since I'll be a General Falconer by that time.

Also for this coming winter season, I'm planning on adding a dog the my hunting team. From what I've been reading, a good dog makes for a much more enjoyable experience for the hawk and falconer alike. This is all new to me and I have ssssssooooooooooOOOOooooo much to learn, but I'm enjoying every minute of it, both the successes and failures. Adding the dog should give the hawk much more action and keep her much more interested, _if_ it all goes the way it is supposed to. One way or another, I'm sure there will be good stories to tell at the end of each day.


----------



## tortdad

Tom said:


> I'm getting to the part about why she was all alone out there…
> 
> And why she wouldn't come down to my trap…
> 
> Not possible she was caught and hunted with before because she had the baby plumage. Since I caught her in November, there is no possible way anyone had time to catch her, train her, and release her. They molt into adult colors at one year old. I'll be showing pics of that soon.
> 
> I don't know about whether or not I'll keep her another season. We had some frustrating times last season, and I don't know if that was because of my ignorance and inexperience, or because she's an obstinate pain in the rear. Probably the former, but time will tell. Those stories are on the way. When that little male wild hawk was following me around and waiting for me to flush game, _that_ is what I was expecting out of my own hawk. I never really felt like I got much attentiveness from her. That little wild male was watching me like a "hawk". Har-d-har. My bird? Sometimes I think she hung around because flying away would take too much effort. Then, on other days, I would see moments of brilliance. She and I would be totally tuned-in and working together. If I get more of those good days, I might keep her another year. If not, I might try another red-tail, or buy a CB Harris Hawk and try that, since I'll be a General Falconer by that time.
> 
> Also for this coming winter season, I'm planning on adding a dog the my hunting team. From what I've been reading, a good dog makes for a much more enjoyable experience for the hawk and falconer alike. This is all new to me and I have ssssssooooooooooOOOOooooo much to learn, but I'm enjoying every minute of it, both the successes and failures. Adding the dog should give the hawk much more action and keep her much more interested, _if_ it all goes the way it is supposed to. One way or another, I'm sure there will be good stories to tell at the end of each day.


 
I know a guy who can train that dog for you


----------



## leigti

What breed of dog would you get?


----------



## Tom

leigti said:


> What breed of dog would you get?



I've got a female malinois that I've been working with for this. Though not a traditional hunting breed, I refer to them as the supreme working dog of the universe. They can be trained to do anything. I think she will work well. I've also got a Patterdale and two Jack Russels I could try out.

But what I really want to get is a little wiener dog that can get into the little rabbit holes and chase them out for Minerva.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> I've got a female malinois that I've been working with for this. Though not a traditional hunting breed, I refer to them as the supreme working dog of the universe. They can be trained to do anything. I think she will work well. I've also got a Patterdale and two Jack Russels I could try out.
> 
> But what I really want to get is a little wiener dog that can get into the little rabbit holes and chase them out for Minerva.


Ooh!!!! Are you using Sophie???


----------



## MichaelaW

Tom said:


> I've got a female malinois that I've been working with for this. Though not a traditional hunting breed, I refer to them as the supreme working dog of the universe. They can be trained to do anything. I think she will work well. I've also got a Patterdale and two Jack Russels I could try out.
> 
> But what I really want to get is a little wiener dog that can get into the little rabbit holes and chase them out for Minerva.


What about a Vizsla?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Ooh!!!! Are you using Sophie???



Yes! She's already into chasing rabbits and she's got a good nose.

Plus, Minerva is already used to seeing her, Minerva is pretty unlikely to try to grab such a big dog, and Sophie already has a suburb down stay on the fly.


----------



## Tom

MichaelaW said:


> What about a Vizsla?



I've never seen a single one with a good temperament. I've helped train a few of them, and they don't appeal to me.

JRT, Daschund, or beagle hold the most appeal for me, but given my complete lack of experience with using any dog for this purpose, I could be wrong.


----------



## leigti

Tom said:


> I've never seen a single one with a good temperament. I've helped train a few of them, and they don't appeal to me.
> 
> JRT, Daschund, or beagle hold the most appeal for me, but given my complete lack of experience with using any dog for this purpose, I could be wrong.


I know somebody that had a Vizsla for a guide dog and he had a wonderful temperament. He was so sweet. So smart.
I know someone that had a toy poodle carried away by a hawk. I would be a little worried about using a small dog.


----------



## Moozillion

(Drums fingers, hums impatiently...)

Soooooo how come she was out there alone and so hard to catch?


----------



## Moozillion

Moozillion said:


> (Drums fingers, hums impatiently...)
> 
> Soooooo how come she was out there alone and so hard to catch?


@Tom


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> (Drums fingers, hums impatiently...)
> 
> Soooooo how come she was out there alone and so hard to catch?



Okay, okay… I've been busy lately… 

So my bird is a beast. She's quite a lot larger than average for her species. For months I pondered why in November/December of 2015 there were dozens of birds out in that area, but in Sept/Oct of 2016 it was a ghost town except for this one bird, who would not come down to my trap for some reason. My sponsor speculated it was due to the warmer weather that lasted well into fall. The Northern birds don't migrate south until the weather cools. It hand't cooled much yet. Even when it did cool though, there were still not many birds out there. Warmer weather also reduces their appetite and hunger drive.

Fast forward… I caught Minerva, trained her up, started hunting and catching game with her and I'de been flying her loose around my ranch for weeks, when one day, totally out of the blue, she just takes off and leaves me standing there alone. She just left for no "apparent" reason. I watched her fly across the valley back in the direction of the ranch, but I couldn't see exactly where she landed due to the distance and the trees. I waited a minute to see if she'd come back, and no sign of her. Very odd. I pulled out the telemetry device and it confirmed she was right over where I saw her go and apparently not moving. So with a fair amount of concern and frustration, I began the 10 minute march all the way back over there. As I approached I could see her sitting on a pole that we regularly use for training. At some distance, I can see her restlessly moving around. "What is she doing?", I think to myself as I keep walking toward her. She keeps lowering her head. As I get closer, and I'm looking straight up at her, I can see that she's eating. I can also see her crop is pretty full, so she's been eating for a while. Its about this time that I'm also noticing the familiar scream of the resident adult red tail hawks that own and control this territory. They always scream at Minerva whenever I put her up, but they keep their distance when I'm around, so this wasn't unusual.

Well… My bird found some food. Now what? There was nothing I could do. I had to sit there and wait for her to finish her meal. Knowing what a greedy pig she is, I wasn't too worried about getting her down. After 20 minutes and several attempts, she predictably flew down to the lure. I took her back to the ranch and weigher her. She'd eaten about 270 grams of whatever she found. No flying tomorrow for her…

The next day it was business as usual. We hunted for several weeks without incident. All was going pretty well. She flew over to the next field a couple of times to go "self-hunting" because I wasn't scaring up enough game, the thermals were favorable, and because she's an independent cuss that doesn't need me for nuthin'. A little help from my sponsor and a slight weight adjustment fixed that problem, and we were a having a great season. Then, one day…

It was late mid February. I finished work and I had enough time to get her up and fly her for her food, but not enough time to drive to one of our usual hunting areas. I pulled her out, got her hunting jesses and telemetry on her and sent her up to the nearest pole that we always used. As she flew, I was already reaching into my vest to get her first piece of food ready to call her straight back. She took a sudden hard bank to the left and started flying straight away from me into the distance. Not coincidentally, she was flying straight toward that same pole from the first "food" incident weeks ago. Mind you, this is totally out of character. She never just flies away from me like this… I'm trying to see where she's going and as I look ahead of her, I notice one of the resident hawks perched on that pole in the distance. "Uh oh…" I think to myself… "That adult is going to kick her butt if she gets too close…" For a brief second, I was worried that my bird was going to get herself injured or killed, and I still had no idea what she was doing or where she was going…

She was about 200 yards away from me now and moving fast. All of my questions and all of the mysteries were answered in an instant. BAM!!!!! My 10 month old, immature, juvenile bird, flew straight into the resident, adult, territorial adult female and knocked her right off the food she had captured. No hesitation. No regard for her safety. No doubt about how this was going to go. Just BLAMMMO! Minerva slammed right into this adult and snatched her meal away from her, and then proceeded to sit right there on her pole and eat the entire thing. The resident adults are all paired up and nesting at this point in the season. They get extremely territorial and defensive as they know they've got babies coming soon and they can't be sharing space or resources with competitors. Both adults were pissed. They were screaming and dive bombing Minerva while she ate. She ignored them like meaningless flies, and kept right on eating. She finished her meal and with a full crop, it took me about a half hour to get her down this time. I was shocked. I'd never seen or heard of behavior like this from a juvenile. All these thoughts and answers came flooding into my head. This explained so many things…

Late February/early March. Fast approaching the end of the hunting season. I get another clue about who and what my bird is: There is a complex of hunting fields that I go to that are surrounded by businesses, buildings, side walks and lots of human activities. These factors all conspire to make a perfect rabbit breeding/living area. All the human activity, cars, foot traffic, etc… keeps all the predators away and desensitizes the rabbits to a degree. All the light poles, telephone poles and building make prefect perching places for a red tail to hunt from, but the wild ones are intimidated by all the activity, so they stay away. Since there are no predators to keep the rabbit population under control, they can breed to levels that are not healthy and unsustainable. So I'm happy to provide a service in keeping the local rabbit populations healthy and in-check. Another little male juvenile red-tail had discovered this area, and I'm guessing his hunger helped him to over come his fear of the people and activity. I'm guessing that after enough repetitions of people walking down the side walk next to these fields and the rabbits bolting, that he was able to put 2 and 2 together, the same way we deliberately teach our captive birds this same lesson. The lesson is: Watch the humans near these fields because they will make the rabbits jump up and run so you can catch them. Anyhow, this little male would attentively follow me from field to field and watch my every move. He was much more attentive than Minerva, in fact. Well Minerva didn't like this. Instead of hunting and going after all the rabbits I was flushing, she spent her time trying to drive away this little male. She hopped from pole to pole trying to displace him and make him leave, while he hopped from pole to pole paying attention to me and going after the rabbits I scared up. The point of the story is this: Minerva is very territorial. She cares more about defending her turf than catching game.

As a side not to the Minerva story: This fantastic little male appears to have met an early demise, which is so common for the wild birds. I had silly dreams of him and Minerva pairing up and making wonderful babies some day after her falconry career is over, but it was not to be. When engaging in the sport of falconry, we are all supposed to conduct ourselves courteously and professionally. Ambassadors for the sport, as it were. This being the case, I stop and make small talk with the people who live and work in the areas that I hunt. One of the business owners in the area comes out to watch and talk sometimes. He hadn't seen me for a couple of weeks and he came out to tell me how relieved he was that my bird was okay. I asked what he meant and he told me they'd seen a dead hawk on the side of the road and they feared it was my bird because they hadn't seen me for a couple of weeks. It was my little attentive male. I can only guess that he was hit by a car, or that he succumbed to the parasites or diseases that are so common in these wild birds. There is a reason why so few of them survive their first year, and this wonderful little male that was so smart and full of life is now part of those statistics. I quietly cried a little over his loss. I only knew him for a few weeks, but I felt like I'd lost a friend, companion and teacher. I looked forward to seeing him every time I drove out there.

Moving on to the very last day of the hunting season, March 31st of 2017. Things have been going very well up to this point. We'd caught nine rabbits for the season, (And one unintentional ground squirrel, which is vey dangerous…) which I'm told is a pretty high number for a first year apprentice with a new bird. I was determined to get one more rabbit to make it an even 10 for the season. Problem is that all the slow and dumb rabbits are already caught. The ones that are still alive at the end of winter are alive for a good reason. They know how to not get caught. So we get out there around 5pm and I'll have light until around 7-7:15pm. We start hitting the fields hard. She's on her game and paying attention. We have a few near misses.





These late season rabbits dive into this heavy cover and Minerva can't get to them. This is where a good dog with a strong nose will come in handy. The dog will sniff them out and flush them again.

To be continued...


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Okay, okay… I've been busy lately…
> 
> So my bird is a beast. She's quite a lot larger than average for her species. For months I pondered why in November/December of 2015 there were dozens of birds out in that area, but in Sept/Oct of 2016 it was a ghost town except for this one bird, who would not come down to my trap for some reason. My sponsor speculated it was due to the warmer weather that lasted well into fall. The Northern birds don't migrate south until the weather cools. It hand't cooled much yet. Even when it did cool though, there were still not many birds out there. Warmer weather also reduces their appetite and hunger drive.
> 
> Fast forward… I caught Minerva, trained her up, started hunting and catching game with her and I'de been flying her loose around my ranch for weeks, when one day, totally out of the blue, she just takes off and leaves me standing there alone. She just left for no "apparent" reason. I watched her fly across the valley back in the direction of the ranch, but I couldn't see exactly where she landed due to the distance and the trees. I waited a minute to see if she'd come back, and no sign of her. Very odd. I pulled out the telemetry device and it confirmed she was right over where I saw her go and apparently not moving. So with a fair amount of concern and frustration, I began the 10 minute march all the way back over there. As I approached I could see her sitting on a pole that we regularly use for training. At some distance, I can see her restlessly moving around. "What is she doing?", I think to myself as I keep walking toward her. She keeps lowering her head. As I get closer, and I'm looking straight up at her, I can see that she's eating. I can also see her crop is pretty full, so she's been eating for a while. Its about this time that I'm also noticing the familiar scream of the resident adult red tail hawks that own and control this territory. They always scream at Minerva whenever I put her up, but they keep their distance when I'm around, so this wasn't unusual.
> 
> Well… My bird found some food. Now what? There was nothing I could do. I had to sit there and wait for her to finish her meal. Knowing what a greedy pig she is, I wasn't too worried about getting her down. After 20 minutes and several attempts, she predictably flew down to the lure. I took her back to the ranch and weigher her. She'd eaten about 270 grams of whatever she found. No flying tomorrow for her…
> 
> The next day it was business as usual. We hunted for several weeks without incident. All was going pretty well. She flew over to the next field a couple of times to go "self-hunting" because I wasn't scaring up enough game, the thermals were favorable, and because she's an independent cuss that doesn't need me for nuthin'. A little help from my sponsor and a slight weight adjustment fixed that problem, and we were a having a great season. Then, one day…
> 
> It was late mid February. I finished work and I had enough time to get her up and fly her for her food, but not enough time to drive to one of our usual hunting areas. I pulled her out, got her hunting jesses and telemetry on her and sent her up to the nearest pole that we always used. As she flew, I was already reaching into my vest to get her first piece of food ready to call her straight back. She took a sudden hard bank to the left and started flying straight away from me into the distance. Not coincidentally, she was flying straight toward that same pole from the first "food" incident weeks ago. Mind you, this is totally out of character. She never just flies away from me like this… I'm trying to see where she's going and as I look ahead of her, I notice one of the resident hawks perched on that pole in the distance. "Uh oh…" I think to myself… "That adult is going to kick her butt if she gets too close…" For a brief second, I was worried that my bird was going to get herself injured or killed, and I still had no idea what she was doing or where she was going…
> 
> She was about 200 yards away from me now and moving fast. All of my questions and all of the mysteries were answered in an instant. BAM!!!!! My 10 month old, immature, juvenile bird, flew straight into the resident, adult, territorial adult female and knocked her right off the food she had captured. No hesitation. No regard for her safety. No doubt about how this was going to go. Just BLAMMMO! Minerva slammed right into this adult and snatched her meal away from her, and then proceeded to sit right there on her pole and eat the entire thing. The resident adults are all paired up and nesting at this point in the season. They get extremely territorial and defensive as they know they've got babies coming soon and they can't be sharing space or resources with competitors. Both adults were pissed. They were screaming and dive bombing Minerva while she ate. She ignored them like meaningless flies, and kept right on eating. She finished her meal and with a full crop, it took me about a half hour to get her down this time. I was shocked. I'd never seen or heard of behavior like this from a juvenile. All these thoughts and answers came flooding into my head. This explained so many things…
> 
> Late February/early March. Fast approaching the end of the hunting season. I get another clue about who and what my bird is: There is a complex of hunting fields that I go to that are surrounded by businesses, buildings, side walks and lots of human activities. These factors all conspire to make a perfect rabbit breeding/living area. All the human activity, cars, foot traffic, etc… keeps all the predators away and desensitizes the rabbits to a degree. All the light poles, telephone poles and building make prefect perching places for a red tail to hunt from, but the wild ones are intimidated by all the activity, so they stay away. Since there are no predators to keep the rabbit population under control, they can breed to levels that are not healthy and unsustainable. So I'm happy to provide a service in keeping the local rabbit populations healthy and in-check. Another little male juvenile red-tail had discovered this area, and I'm guessing his hunger helped him to over come his fear of the people and activity. I'm guessing that after enough repetitions of people walking down the side walk next to these fields and the rabbits bolting, that he was able to put 2 and 2 together, the same way we deliberately teach our captive birds this same lesson. The lesson is: Watch the humans near these fields because they will make the rabbits jump up and run so you can catch them. Anyhow, this little male would attentively follow me from field to field and watch my every move. He was much more attentive than Minerva, in fact. Well Minerva didn't like this. Instead of hunting and going after all the rabbits I was flushing, she spent her time trying to drive away this little male. She hopped from pole to pole trying to displace him and make him leave, while he hopped from pole to pole paying attention to me and going after the rabbits I scared up. The point of the story is this: Minerva is very territorial. She cares more about defending her turf than catching game.
> 
> As a side not to the Minerva story: This fantastic little male appears to have met an early demise, which is so common for the wild birds. I had silly dreams of him and Minerva pairing up and making wonderful babies some day after her falconry career is over, but it was not to be. When engaging in the sport of falconry, we are all supposed to conduct ourselves courteously and professionally. Ambassadors for the sport, as it were. This being the case, I stop and make small talk with the people who live and work in the areas that I hunt. One of the business owners in the area comes out to watch and talk sometimes. He hadn't seen me for a couple of weeks and he came out to tell me how relieved he was that my bird was okay. I asked what he meant and he told me they'd seen a dead hawk on the side of the road and they feared it was my bird because they hadn't seen me for a couple of weeks. It was my little attentive male. I can only guess that he was hit by a car, or that he succumbed to the parasites or diseases that are so common in these wild birds. There is a reason why so few of them survive their first year, and this wonderful little male that was so smart and full of life is now part of those statistics. I quietly cried a little over his loss. I only knew him for a few weeks, but I felt like I'd lost a friend, companion and teacher. I looked forward to seeing him every time I drove out there.
> 
> Moving on to the very last day of the hunting season, March 31st of 2017. Things have been going very well up to this point. We'd caught nine rabbits for the season, (And one unintentional ground squirrel, which is vey dangerous…) which I'm told is a pretty high number for a first year apprentice with a new bird. I was determined to get one more rabbit to make it an even 10 for the season. Problem is that all the slow and dumb rabbits are already caught. The ones that are still alive at the end of winter are alive for a good reason. They know how to not get caught. So we get out there around 5pm and I'll have light until around 7-7:15pm. We start hitting the fields hard. She's on her game and paying attention. We have a few near misses.
> View attachment 213315
> 
> 
> View attachment 213317
> 
> These late season rabbits dive into this heavy cover and Minerva can't get to them. This is where a good dog with a strong nose will come in handy. The dog will sniff them out and flush them again.
> 
> To be continued...


GREAT STUFF, Tom!!!!   
MAN!!! Minerva is one kick-butt gal!!


----------



## Tom

So last day of the season. 5pm. Hitting the fields hard. Several near misses…

Its getting late in the day and I'm moving from field to field trying to catch one of these late season rabbits off guard. My daughter is a frequent hunting companion and she helps me flush the rabbits. I've got Minerva in perfect position up on a pole at the edge of the field. I'm walking in the middle of the field toward her and my daughter is walking the edge of the field along the row of poles that Minerva is patiently waiting on. The idea is to have the rabbits jump up and run away from the people and into the field in Minerva's direction. No luck here at this field, so my little helper stops near the brush right under the pole where Minerva is sitting, and I've given up and am walking back over to call Minerva down and move over to next and last field. My daughter is bored at this point and starts lazily kicking the bushes under Minerva's pole. Rabbit jumps up, Minerva jumps up, my daughter jumps up, and I'm watching the whole thing from a distance as I approach. Rabbit is running right into the middle of the field where we want him to go, sees me and does a 180. Minerva follows. Rabbit bolts through the field, across the side walk and into the street, headed for the landscaped bushes next to the business on the other side of the street. Minerva makes her move and dives when the rabbit is almost to the curb on the other side of the street. She touches the rabbits hind quarters because I see the push, but she's unable to latch and the rabbit evades her and dives into the cover of the bushes. This is where a good dog could have given me a second flush. We looked for 10 minutes and couldn't find the rabbit in the is low ground cover. So frustrating.

Minerva hops onto my fist and we move over to the last field of the day for a few more minutes of hunting before dusk on the last day of the season. Got one near miss at the new field, and I put her back up again. I've got maybe one more chance and I've saved a choice area for last. There are always rabbits in this last little patch, and I had seen movement over there when we first walked up. Minerva is in perfect position to strike as I begin working this last patch of brush. I snapped this pic:


I look up at her in time to see her take off and start flying right toward the middle of the field with a purpose. I'm thinking she sees a rabbit and she's going for it, so I go running that way to keep the rabbit moving and focused on me… But Minerva just keeps going… Where is she going? She's taking off again! Dammit! No time for this!!! I lose sight of her behind a building that she flew over. As we start our long walk in the direction we last saw Minerva, I realize its almost dusk. We are done hunting one way or the other. I'm also hungry and I know my daughter is too. As I round the corner of the building visually scanning every possible perching point for birds, I realize there is a hawk on a light pole right in front of me and its shaking its disheveled feathers off. Whew! I found her. But why did she come all the way over here to this building? Wait… That's not _my_ hawk. That's a wild bird with no bracelets or jesses. So where is Minerva. The disheveled adult bird is staring hard over at the nearby building. I follow the gaze, and there is Minerva eating this bird's catch. As the sun begins to set.

Now go back and look at the pic. See how she's looking off in the distance, up high, not at the ground where rabbits would be… That my friends is what we call a clue. Its a clue I missed until long after the fact. A more seasoned falconer would probably have caught that.

So its dusk, my bird is up on a building, out of reach, cropping up on this other hapless bird's meal, and I've got a starving 10 year old and a wife calling to see where we are and when we're coming home. Sh*t! This is not good. Nothing to do but wait for her to finish and then call her down like usual. She finishes eating, and I give her a few minutes to settle in and relax after her meal. Its dark now, but were are right under a street light, and being the prepared-for-antything kind of guy I am, I've got a flashlight _and_ a headlamp with fresh batteries. I hold up my fist with a tasty morsel and spot light it with the light and… No dice. Tossing the food on the ground ALWAYS works, right? Nope. Not tonight. Alright… time to pull out the "big guns". I carry a thawed rabbit leg with me to trade her off of any rabbits that she catches. I pull out this whole rabbit leg. I'm about 20 feet away from the bird waving this giant bloody rabbit leg and calling her. She glances at it and them promptly looks away without a care. Okay. If that's how she wants to play it… Out comes the show stopper. I pull out the rabbit lure and attach the rabbit leg to it. My daughter runs this lure for Minerva several times a week and the bird loves it. Ava takes off at full speed. Minerva looks at the lure, thinks about going for it, and then does nothing. Settles back in and rouses her feathers. She's good for the night and settling in. Its about 9 o'clock now. Security for the strip mall showed up, watched us for about 20 minutes and then left. I'm starving, my daughter is crying, wife is pissed, and the bird is sitting on a building, not more than 10 feet away form me, and I can't do a darn thing about any of it. I circle the building looking for a way to get on the roof, but these new modern buildings put the roof access INSIDE the building to thwart people like me who want to get on the roof and have no business there.

What to do? Hmm… Gotta get creative. The ledge where Minerva is sitting is only about 10 feet off the ground. If I had a 6' ladder, I could reach her. But I don't. OOOHHHhhh! I have an idea! I'll toss the baited lure up to her. If I land it two or three feet away, she won't be able to resist the free food, even though she's already got a full crop. You remember the day I caught her, right? If she binds to the lure like usual, I can use the string to gently pull the greedy bird off the roof and catch her and the lure on the way down. Not ideal, and certainly not how it is supposed to be done, but desperate times call for desperate measures. So I pull out the lure, bait it up and I look up to spot where I want to toss it and… Minerva flies off into the night before I even do anything. What? They aren't supposed to fly at night.

She flies to a lamp post across the street, just like the one in the picture above. I can see her silhouette, but since I'm looking straight into the light, I can't see much else. I'm right in the light now, so I do the dance with the rabbit leg drop, and the lure and all that. After about three minutes on the pole, she takes off again and flies around the back of the strip mall building.

Great. Perfect. Just what we needed. Thinking I've really lost her now, me and Ava begin walking around the building to get back to the van and pull out the telemetry device. Who knows where she's gone now? As we round the corner into the parking lot, there is Minerva sitting in a small landscaping tree. This is a new plaza, so the trees are all young and immature. Too thin to climb. I walk up to the tree and she's only about 2 feet farther up than my reach. I look for a trash can or something to stand on… Nothing. So frustrating. She looks a little worried, so I'm afraid she'll bolt again. The only thing I can think of to stand on is my van. So I back it right up to the curb and climb on top, trying desperately to not scare the bird into flight again. I walk as far as I can on the buckling roof of my van, and I'm at eye level with her now, but I just can't quite reach her. She's about 2 or there feet beyond me reach and she won't come to the food or lure. I climb back down and I'm going to back the van up the curb and onto the side walk. I'm expecting the police to show up any minute: "Hahaha… Hi Officer. Just doing a little falconry with my car on the side walk, in the dark, after the season has now officially ended, with my crying daughter…" Luckily, the popo had better things to do that night. Then I started thinking: "Man. I wish the popo _would_ show up. I'm out here after dark with my kid and I can't leave without the bird…".

Now I don't want to scare the bird, so I slowly back the rear tires right up to the curb and then gun it to get up onto the sidewalk. No such luck. The tires just start spinning and smoking, and making all sorts of racket. The bird is just 10 feet away form all this non-sense, but she stays put. So I pull forward a couple of feet and I make a run at it hoping the momentum will carry me up onto the curb. It does, and then I have to slam on the brakes so I don't back right into the little tree she's on. Once again I climb onto the roof of the van and slowly walk back to the bird in the tree. I just now she's going to take off any minute, but she doesn't. I reach right out and grab a jess, and then ease her onto my fist. She seems pretty relaxed about the whole thing and happy to be on the glove again. I'm so hooped up on adrenaline that my knees are shaking and I'm about to collapse. Thinking quickly, I attach the long leash to her jesses, so that if I fall off the roof she won't be able to fly away again. I successfully climb down, get her in her transport box, and nearly collapse from the excitement.

Our story has a happy ending. Everyone goes home safe with a great story to tell. Or maybe its an awful story, but its a story none the less. Me and the daughter head to In N Out for a 10 o'clock burger and that is how we ended the season.


----------



## Tom

Here she is a few days after the end of the season, snacking on some defrosted quail while free lofting in her mew:


----------



## Tom

Anyone one watch "The Walking Dead"? You know that show after the show called "Talking Dead"? Well in the "Talking Dead", they have a segment where there is a reverent moment of remembrance for those we've lost. Well this is that moment in my thread. We saw her first catch earlier in the thread in post number 70 on page 4. Here is number 2:




3)




4)




5)



6)




7)




8)



9)




All of these rabbits were humanely euthanized, if needed, and then skinned, butchered and frozen. The kills made during hunting season are used to feed Minerva during the molting season over spring and summer, while the wild rabbit populations are allowed to replenish, flourish and grow in peace. Well… I suppose the wild predators aren't leaving them in peace, but I am.


----------



## Tom

And finally, here is a recent pic showing her with her new feathers growing in, or as I like to call it, her new pantalones:




Its hard to get new pics right now because she'd prefer me to stay away and leave her alone. I feed her, clean her mew, and give her fresh water, but other than that, I leave her be. I'll get more pic in September when we start training again.

If anyone can tell me how to post a video, I'll post some of her training flights.


----------



## G-stars

I truly enjoyed this @Tom .

To post videos on here try this:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/How-to-post-youtube-videos.133015/


----------



## Team Gomberg

I laughed so hard when you described the last night with walking on the van roof, that my kids came running to see what was so funny!


----------



## Moozillion

WOWIE!!! 
WOWIE-ZOWIE!!!! 
What a great story!!!!!!!!!
Boy, oh boy: Minerva is one gosh darn HANDFUL!!!!!!!!   
I sure admire your patience, resilience and creativity in working with her!!!!!


----------



## leigti

That was a great story! Wouldn't you just give anything to know what they are thinking at times like that?


----------



## Link

I'm not saying you have a spoiled bird.....but she sure has you well trained!


----------



## Tom

Link said:


> I'm not saying you have a spoiled bird.....but she sure has you well trained!



That thought has seriously occurred to me. There were times when I'd call her to the fist and she'd just look at me from on high, and basically say: "No thanks. Don't need anything."


----------



## Tom

Followed by: "I'll just wait here until you offer me something better…"


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> That thought has seriously occurred to me. There were times when I'd call her to the fist and she'd just look at me from on high, and basically say: "No thanks. Don't need anything."


Ha ha ha!!!


----------



## tortdad

Well boss, it's September... has the training started?


----------



## Tom

tortdad said:


> Well boss, it's September... has the training started?



I've slowly begun feeding her less. Dropping her weight very slowly. My sponsor says the actual retraining will only take a few days, but the weight dropping should be done very gradually.

Since I intend to hunt with a dog this season, I've been taking the dog with me every day to go feed her. Its worked very well. At first she was understandably a little put off by the dog. Now, If I go to her mew without the dog, she just ignores me. If she sees the dog, she hops to the window and begs for food. Its gonna be a fun hunting season.

As soon as I get jesses on her and get her out, I'll take some current pics. She is looking gorgeous right now. Perfect feather.


----------



## tortdad

Tom said:


> I've slowly begun feeding her less. Dropping her weight very slowly. My sponsor says the actual retraining will only take a few days, but the weight dropping should be done very gradually.
> 
> Since I intend to hunt with a dog this season, I've been taking the dog with me every day to go feed her. Its worked very well. At first she was understandably a little put off by the dog. Now, If I go to her mew without the dog, she just ignores me. If she sees the dog, she hops to the window and begs for food. Its gonna be a fun hunting season.
> 
> As soon as I get jesses on her and get her out, I'll take some current pics. She is looking gorgeous right now. Perfect feather.



What breed of dog did you decide on?


----------



## Tom

tortdad said:


> What breed of dog did you decide on?



I decided to use my Malinois female. You can train a mal to do anything, and she's really into hunting and chasing rabbits already. Plus I have a tremendous amount of off leash control on her. I can drop her into a down stay at a full run from 50 yards away.


----------



## wellington

She's beautiful Tom.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> She's beautiful Tom.



Seven's Mommy.


----------



## wellington

Tom said:


> Seven's Mommy.


I was wondering if she was.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> I decided to use my Malinois female. You can train a mal to do anything, and she's really into hunting and chasing rabbits already. Plus I have a tremendous amount of off leash control on her. I can drop her into a down stay at a full run from 50 yards away.
> 
> View attachment 217715


Such a beauty- and a sweetie, too!


----------



## Tom

Time for an overdue update.

My bird is a porker. Plain and simple. I started cutting her back on food in September in anticipation of being ready for the start of hunting season on October first. I pulled her out and weighed her in mid September to see where we were. I've been warned not to drop the weight too fast, so after a couple of weeks of reduced food I needed to see where we stood.



*HOLY COW!!!* That is the heaviest she's ever been and that was after two week of dieting. Wow. We had a long way to go. Under my Master Falconer's guidance, I reduced her caloric intake a bit more. Now, 3 weeks later, we're at about 1400 grams and I've got about 200 grams to go. Last year I started flying her and hunting at around 1200 grams and that is WAYYYYYYY heavier than most people fly a female red tail hawk.

At this point I'm exercising her and weighing her and her food daily, checking the keel and closely watching her behavior and eagerness to come to the fist for food. We've got a long way to go before she'll be ready to go hunting. Due to my inexperience, I had no idea it would take so long to drop her back down to working weight. I should have started this process in the beginning of August!

So it will be awhile before I have anything fun to report. Here's a pic to hold you over:


----------



## Tidgy's Dad

She has a stash. 
Twinkies under the bed, that sort of thing.


----------



## Tom

Tidgy's Dad said:


> She has a stash.
> Twinkies under the bed, that sort of thing.



We've had a distinct shortage of mice around the ranch… Maybe she's figured out a way to get them to come hide in her house at night…

My baboon used to lure mice in with food crumbs. Then she'd catch them, break their legs so they couldn't run away and then groom them to death. I felt bad for the mice, so I set out lots of snap traps to try and give them a quick, humane end and save them from the maniacal monkey.


----------



## wellington

I'm not shocked she's over weight with the big girl Ethel I got from you lol
I still can't believe how easy it seems to train a wild bird like. 
When one of our wild Falcons sat on my fence and stared at me it was really cool, but kinda creepy too as I was wondering when was he going to make a mad dash at me, lol


----------



## no one

She is beautiful!! What a thrill it must give you to go out hunting with her. Thank you for sharing this story.


----------



## Tidgy's Dad

Tom said:


> We've had a distinct shortage of mice around the ranch… Maybe she's figured out a way to get them to come hide in her house at night…
> 
> My baboon used to lure mice in with food crumbs. Then she'd catch them, break their legs so they couldn't run away and then groom them to death. I felt bad for the mice, so I set out lots of snap traps to try and give them a quick, humane end and save them from the maniacal monkey.


Goodness! 
The baboon version of "Misery". - Stephen King.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> I'm not shocked she's over weight with the big girl Ethel I got from you lol
> I still can't believe how easy it seems to train a wild bird like.
> When one of our wild Falcons sat on my fence and stared at me it was really cool, but kinda creepy too as I was wondering when was he going to make a mad dash at me, lol


Maybe he's a former falconry bird. He's wondering when a quail or grouse is going to flush from the bushes near you.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> We've had a distinct shortage of mice around the ranch… Maybe she's figured out a way to get them to come hide in her house at night…
> 
> My baboon used to lure mice in with food crumbs. Then she'd catch them, break their legs so they couldn't run away and then groom them to death. I felt bad for the mice, so I set out lots of snap traps to try and give them a quick, humane end and save them from the maniacal monkey.


 OH.MY.GOD!!!! What in the world was she (the babboon) thinking???!!?!?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> OH.MY.GOD!!!! What in the world was she (the babboon) thinking???!!?!?



We speculate that she wanted a baby. I used to let her groom some of the other smaller monkeys (Under VERY close supervision on leash.), and she was very into that.

I found it curios that she didn't eat them. She was a piggie, and we regulated her food to keep her from getting obese. Wild baboons will opportunistically hunt and eat any animals they can catch.


----------



## Tom

Her weight is slowly dropping down to working weight and she is out and flying to my glove again. Still not able to take her out hunting just yet, but getting closer every day. Here are some beauty shots showing off her new feathers:


----------



## JoesMum

Tom said:


> Her weight is slowly dropping down to working weight and she is out and flying to my glove again. Still not able to take her out hunting just yet, but getting closer every day. Here are some beauty shots showing off her new feathers:
> View attachment 221145
> View attachment 221146



She is beautiful. I would love to do something like this.


----------



## Tom

JoesMum said:


> She is beautiful. I would love to do something like this.



Falconry is huge in the UK. I've heard of an outfit in Ireland that does a sort of "Falconry Tour" too. They let the public get some instruction and then actually handle and hunt with the birds. I don't know how far of a drive that would be, but it might be a neat way to get introduced to the amazing world of falconry.

I don't think you'd have any trouble finding a sponsor in your area. You'll be the best friend of every farmer in your area.


----------



## JoesMum

Tom said:


> Falconry is huge in the UK. I've heard of an outfit in Ireland that does a sort of "Falconry Tour" too. They let the public get some instruction and then actually handle and hunt with the birds. I don't know how far of a drive that would be, but it might be a neat way to get introduced to the amazing world of falconry.
> 
> I don't think you'd have any trouble finding a sponsor in your area. You'll be the best friend of every farmer in your area.



We have a bird of prey centre not far from here. I might just have to drop hints to my husband about a Christmas present 

It’s the practicalities of actually having one that would stop me. I just couldn’t accommodate it. I love going birdwatching and going out to see the predators in action is amazing. 

We saw 4 species of vulture, 2 species of eagle, 2 species of buzzard, 2 species of kite and others in just a two week holiday in France this year.


----------



## Tom

JoesMum said:


> We saw 4 species of vulture, 2 species of eagle, 2 species of buzzard, 2 species of kite and others in just a two week holiday in France this year.



Now you are speaking my language! Four vulture species in France? Man, I've got some studying to do. I didn't know there were any vultures native to France.


----------



## JoesMum

Tom said:


> Now you are speaking my language! Four vulture species in France? Man, I've got some studying to do. I didn't know there were any vultures native to France.



Black, Griffon and Bearded are all in the Cevennes having been part of reintroduction programmes. They have done well. Egyptian vultures migrate to this area. You frequently see mixed species flocks. 

I have also seen Lammergeier in the Pyrenees (we didn’t go there this year). They’re very scarce and you have to know where to go as it’s not publicised!


----------



## wellington

Beautiful bird there Tom.


----------



## wellington

JoesMum said:


> We have a bird of prey centre not far from here. I might just have to drop hints to my husband about a Christmas present
> 
> It’s the practicalities of actually having one that would stop me. I just couldn’t accommodate it. I love going birdwatching and going out to see the predators in action is amazing.
> 
> We saw 4 species of vulture, 2 species of eagle, 2 species of buzzard, 2 species of kite and others in just a two week holiday in France this year.


Go for it. Maybe there's a way you can do it without having to own it. 
Every time I see a Falcon or Red Tail
Hawk in my yard, I'd like to get a piece of chicken or something and see if I could get it to come to me. LOL. Never know, might have been someone's bird in the past.


----------



## no one

Wow, she is beautifull!! I like the look at the birds but now when I see one like yours I dream away thinking of your story.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Her weight is slowly dropping down to working weight and she is out and flying to my glove again. Still not able to take her out hunting just yet, but getting closer every day. Here are some beauty shots showing off her new feathers:
> View attachment 221145
> View attachment 221146


GOSH, She's GORGEOUS!!!


----------



## Tom

The point of this thread, for me, is to showcase the art of falconry. To demonstrate to friends and readers just how amazing and awesome these birds are and to highlight the connection to nature that is derived from participating in this ancient "sport". I wish to show the pitfalls and the triumphs. The frustrations and the elations. Tragedies and comedies. Failures and successes.

I've been training birds for decades, but I am new to falconry. I figured I'd pick up a few tidbits of knowledge that I didn't already have and be on my merry way with my new falconry license in hand. Man, was I wrong… I had, and have, so much to learn…

In our last episode, my bird was a fat fatty after the molting season, and taking forever to drop back down to "fightin' weight". With parrots and other birds, this is simple food management and exercise using sanctuary methods until weight drops to where the bird responds well. This bird is giving me fits! I've managed this weight watching on little conures, cockatiels and even parakeets. One would think it would be even simpler with a MUCH larger carnivorous bird, right? Not necessarily…

It turns out that some red tails migrate thousands of miles in Fall and they have some sort of ability to conserve calories and not lose weight. They can fly thousands of miles and they might only see food a couple of times. Biologically, how they accomplish this makes no sense to me. If you are burning calories, then you need to take in at least that many calories to maintain weight, right? Wrong. These birds have some sort of mechanism that somehow bends these physiological laws of physics and biology. They can somehow maintain weight for long periods of time on hardly any food. Well if there is a way to be difficult, my bird will find it and excel at it…

Now this whole weight loss process is a complicated balance of many factors. I can't start exercising her and burning those calories until she loses enough weight to want to fly to the fist. But if I'm not exercising her, she doesn't lose much weight. And its not just a number on a scale. Its also dependent on the birds behavior. If they respond well at a higher weight, you don't have to drop as much. If they aren't responding well, then you need to drop a little more until they are motivated to participate. All the while you have to be careful to not drop them too fast or too much, and observe their behavior and demeanor for tell tale signs of good or bad news. Constant adjustments are made in the food quantity and routine throughout this process.

So it took me about 10 weeks to get her weight down and her working attitude up. At the right point in her training, I took her off the line and started free flying her. One of the training exercises we do is to get her to fly from telephone pole to telephone pole and follow along with me while we hunt. In training, I cue her to fly to me and then put my hand down and walk away once she is on her way to me. When she passes over me and lands on the next pole in front of me, she gets an instant reward. We move down the line of poles this way. I "fake" her out, then reward her for landing on the pole ahead of me. When we get to the hunting fields, her reward will come in the form of a rabbit flush. Well… the ranch is out in a rural area and while we were training, a rabbit popped up and ran and she decided to catch it instead of doing my lame training stuff. This is the view I got on approach:


Look at those feathers! Gorgeous. I call her my little sky dragon.

Here is the front view of this scene:


I let her tank up and we were done "training" for a couple of days...

Now her weight was still on the high side, and she was really taking her sweet time deciding whether or not to come to me when I called her to reposition her to a better hunting spot. Can't hunt with a bird that just wants to perch and won't be moved to the right area for rabbit flushes, so I continued on with the exercises and food rationing. All of a sudden, the weight loss kicked in. She went from 10 weeks of dropping hardly any weight to suddenly dropping "normal" amounts overnight. Now the trick is to feed enough to stop further weight loss, while continuing to build strength and stamina, and continuing the training. As the muscles build and the workouts increase, so do the caloric needs. Its all a big balancing act with constant adjustment and twice a day weigh ins. All was progressing perfectly, albeit very slowly, and I decided it was time to get her out in the field and hunting. On purpose this time…

At the end of last season, frustrated with all the rabbit flushes that Minerva had no chance at because she was in the wrong position being her usual difficult self, I decided I wanted to add a dog to our hunting outings to flush more rabbits and re-flush rabbits that Minerva wasn't in the right position to catch. All through the off season I took my Malinois Sophie with me to feed Minerva every day. Minerva was a little unnerved by Sophie at first, but soon began to ignore her, and then began to associate the sight of the dog with feeding. It got to a point after a couple of months where if I walked by the mew and Sophie wasn't with me, Minerva would sit quietly and ignore me. But if Minerva saw the dog, she'd come to the window and eagerly beg for food. Sophie was with us every day during the 10 weeks of weight dropping and training too. Minerva was totally indifferent to Sophie by now, which is how you want it. So I gathered the bird and the dog and all the food and gear, and off to the hunting fields we went. I checked and double checked all my equipment, outfitted the dog, put the hunting jesses and radio transmitter on the bird and we walked to the field for our very first day of the 2017/2018 hunting season, and only 6 weeks late... I sent Minerva up to a nice light pole that is in the perfect spot and she went directly to it with no fuss. Sophie and I then walked up the sidewalk a bit and entered the field about 100 feet up from where Minerva was. The idea is that as Sophie and I work the field, we will flush rabbits right in the direction where Minerva sits and waits. Well after about 10 seconds a rabbit jumps up ahead of Sophie. Sophie didn't even see it, but Minerva did… She dove into action and WHAM! Caught our first "official" rabbit of the season after roughly 12 seconds of "hunting". I was elated, but also disappointed. I was ready for a "day" of hunting. I din't expect everything to go so perfectly and be over in 12 seconds. But there we were.




Sophie and I sat there patiently for a good 20 minutes while Minerva ate her fill.


Despite a slow beginning, our season couldn't be off to a better start.

Because I am so inexperienced, I wanted my avian vet to examine her and give her a clean bill of health. I brought her into my vet friend's clinic for a full check up, to make sure everything was okay. He wanted to x ray her and make sure we had no apsergillosis, or any other problem that would show up in an x ray. I got her out put her hood on and she promptly gave us a stool sample to check, and then I held her feet while we put the bell hood on her head and started the iso-flourane anesthetic gas. Didn't take long and she was out. We got some clean x rays and everything looked perfect:




You can see the bits of quail bones in her stomach from her morning meal.

Then, we pulled blood:



While she was out, we were ably to really examine her keel, and it was sharper than I originally thought, but all else looked great.

Blood and fecal results came back the next day. Blood came back good with no signs of any infection. Fecal showed low levels of coccidia which we are now treating for. She had this last year and was asymptomatic, but we still eliminated it. We will eliminate it again.

So my challenge as a beginning falconer is to keep the weight high enough to keep her strength and energy up, but low enough to keep her responsive to the hunting cues. Its tough and ever changing. As the muscle, strength and stamina build, I have to feed her more and more to maintain the correct hunting weight. She appears to have beefed up a bit over the molting season and I'm finding that I have to keep her weight significantly higher than where I had it last season. Constantly striving for that balance.


----------



## JoesMum

Fascinating stuff, Tom. Thanks for the update!


----------



## JLM

Birds freak me the eff out but I admire your work and appreciate the stories. Good stuff!


----------



## Tom

JLM said:


> Birds freak me the eff out but I admire your work and appreciate the stories. Good stuff!


I have video of the hawk flying straight toward camera and landing on my daughters gloved hand. I'd post it for you if I could figure out how to do it with out a Youtube channel.


----------



## Moozillion

Fascinating thread, Tom, and wonderful photos!! She really IS like a feathered dragon! And headstrong!!!!
Great fun to read about the Adventures and Misadventures of Tom and Minerva!!!!![emoji2][emoji2][emoji2]


----------



## JoesMum

I watched a programme on BBC last night featuring people who flew Golden Eagle and White Tailed Sea Eagle in Scotland. The sea eagle makes an enormous Golden Eagle look small... I guess you need strong arms to hold them!

Watching the Sea Eagle take a salmon from a lake was amazing!


----------



## Chizbad

Not to be weird.... Tom is my hero


----------



## Moozillion

Chizbad said:


> Not to be weird.... Tom is my hero



That’s not weird at all: Tom is many people’s hero! [emoji2][emoji173]️


----------



## JoesMum

Moozillion said:


> That’s not weird at all: Tom is many people’s hero! [emoji2][emoji173]️



Yes. He’s right up there with Aldabraman for a high risk of finding a crazed Brit camped out on his property raving about tortoises (and birds)


----------



## Moozillion

JoesMum said:


> Yes. He’s right up there with Aldabraman for a high risk of finding a crazed Brit camped out on his property raving about tortoises (and birds)



HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!


----------



## Moozillion

JoesMum said:


> I watched a programme on BBC last night featuring people who flew Golden Eagle and White Tailed Sea Eagle in Scotland. The sea eagle makes an enormous Golden Eagle look small... I guess you need strong arms to hold them!
> 
> Watching the Sea Eagle take a salmon from a lake was amazing!


Linda, after I read this I looked up White Tailed Sea Eagle:  HOLY MOLY!!!!!!! That's a HUGE bird!!!!!!


----------



## Team Gomberg

Tom, a friend of mine mentioned that she knew of a falconer who made a decent living flying his raptors in airports. He flew them on a regular basis to keep the pigeons and geese away. Something about them causing damage getting sucked into the engines...? 

It sounded interesting. Any truth to that?


----------



## JoesMum

Team Gomberg said:


> Tom, a friend of mine mentioned that she knew of a falconer who made a decent living flying his raptors in airports. He flew them on a regular basis to keep the pigeons and geese away. Something about them causing damage getting sucked into the engines...?
> 
> It sounded interesting. Any truth to that?


There are falconers in the UK that do this at airports...and Rufus the Harris Hawk that keeps the pigeons away from the Wimbledon tennis courts has celebrity status and his own twitter account


----------



## Tom

Team Gomberg said:


> Tom, a friend of mine mentioned that she knew of a falconer who made a decent living flying his raptors in airports. He flew them on a regular basis to keep the pigeons and geese away. Something about them causing damage getting sucked into the engines...?
> 
> It sounded interesting. Any truth to that?



Yes. I have a couple of friends that make a good living doing that. Its called bird abatement. They have contracts with airports, golf courses and trash dumps. I'd much rather work around a golf course than the dump...


----------



## Moozillion

Sooooo...wassup with you, Minerva and Sophie? [emoji2]


----------



## wellington

Team Gomberg said:


> Tom, a friend of mine mentioned that she knew of a falconer who made a decent living flying his raptors in airports. He flew them on a regular basis to keep the pigeons and geese away. Something about them causing damage getting sucked into the engines...?
> 
> It sounded interesting. Any truth to that?


There is truth to birds flying into plane engines. Very dangerous for both plane and bird. Airports usually use animals for removal. O'Hara airport here in Chicago uses goats, sheep, llamas and even a burro to eat down the weeds and grasses which also help to keep the number of birds down. They rent them from someone.


----------



## bouaboua

Moozillion said:


> That’s not weird at all: Tom is many people’s hero! [emoji2][emoji173]️


I'm with you on this one! ! ! !


----------



## Tom

Minerva is alive and well. After a great start, we've had a rough season. I had to get some advice and apply it. Had to rethink some things, and start doing things a little differently. Getting performance out of your bird takes much more than looking at a number on a scale and waiting for instincts and training to kick in. Every bird and every situation is different. The things I've figured out with Minerva this year, may or may not apply to any other bird I work with in the future. All of them are different and adjustments must be made to allow for these individual differences.

After such a strong start, I started seeing lots of the same old stuff from last year. Moments of brilliance bookended by lack of attention and self hunting. I had to change things up. I was failing to be a "good" hunting partner for her. There had to be more reward and more fun to keep her interested. Last year my thought process was that if she failed to catch game, she'd go home hungry and try harder next time. That is certainly how it works for wild hawks. But a wild hawk doesn't need to cooperatively hunt with anyone, and cooperative hunting is my goal. Now when Minerva doesn't catch game, we go home to a familiar training area and I work her butt off, _for a reward._ She doesn't get free food for poor performance. She gets a hard workout with a substantial reward.

I learned another important lesson that was broached last year. DIfferent foods have different nutrient qualities. Rabbits are very lean and offer relatively poor nutrition. I can feed her a lot of rabbit, make her feel full and rewarded, but not put a ton of weight on her. Quail, on the other hand, is very high in nutrients and is considered a very "rich" food. If I tank her up on quail, she gains a lot of weight. Tank her up on rabbit and she feels "fulfilled" mentally and physically, but remains at a good working weight and is very in tune with me and the work. I mix in rodent and quail for good nutrition, but use lots of rabbit meat for bulk.

Sounds like a bunch of fancy talk, but how well does it all work? We haven't had a bad day since I started implementing this new info about 3 weeks ago. We went over a month without catching a rabbit and had some rough days in the field. She caught two rabbits in the first week we started this new plan, and then, to my shock, disbelief and utter elation she took her first jack rabbit this last saturday. She wouldn't even try for jacks last year after that first one kicked her off. She just looked at them and watched them go by. Think about it... A 2 pound bird has got to be feeling pretty good about life to think it is going to latch onto a 6-7 pound jack and have a good outcome. Well, Minerva is feeling _that_ good now:


She is so big that the jack doesn't look that huge, but HOLY COW!!! That animal was powerful and heavy!

Being the pragmatist that I am, I keep expecting to have another bad day, but so far so good. Going through a difficult time and persevering has taught me another good lesson, and now me and my team of girls and I are reaping the rewards. All the naive rabbits are already gone for this season. Only the hardened pros are left. Every catch from this point on will be hard earned and we will have to be on our game every time we go out.

I attended my first falconry meet last week and I will write about that next time. You can look up "California Hawking Club Annual Field Meet" for a pre-view. Met some great people and learned a ton!

I leave you with this catch. Just three days after catching the jack, and our first time out hunting after returning home from the CHC meet. It was a glorious day with three amazing flights/chases, that ended in this:



Look at where her feet are in relation to the big branch…


----------



## wellington

Well, ending on a positive note, like your doing now in your training at home, working her hard for big rewards, when she fails to hunt in the field works, much better on dogs, ending all training on a positive note. I guess it can be applied to all animals.
Glad your getting things worked out so you both can really enjoy your time together. 
Btw, that rabbit does look big. I thought it was too big to be one at first.
What is the largest animal they can take down, do you know?


----------



## Yvonne G

***Yvonne smiles smugly and mentally says, "Neener, neener, neener!" because she got to meet Minerva when Tom brought her north to the falconry meet***


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Well, ending on a positive note, like your doing now in your training at home, working her hard for big rewards, when she fails to hunt in the field works, much better on dogs, ending all training on a positive note. I guess it can be applied to all animals.
> Glad your getting things worked out so you both can really enjoy your time together.
> Btw, that rabbit does look big. I thought it was too big to be one at first.
> What is the largest animal they can take down, do you know?



Jack rabbits are generally the largest and heaviest prey any normal hawk hunter takes. Some of the larger jacks can reach 7-8 pounds. This one felt like it weight about 20 pounds when I picked it up to put it in my hunting vest, but it was probably in the 5-6 pound range. Some of the falcons will take large ducks or pheasants. There are nomadic tribes in Mongolia that hunt wolves from horseback with Golden Eagles. The eagles know to grab the snout of the wolf and hold it shut. I've seen video of Golden eagles taking sheep off of cliffs.

Some of these raptors are capable of amazing feats.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> The point of this thread, for me, is to showcase the art of falconry. To demonstrate to friends and readers just how amazing and awesome these birds are and to highlight the connection to nature that is derived from participating in this ancient "sport". I wish to show the pitfalls and the triumphs. The frustrations and the elations. Tragedies and comedies. Failures and successes.
> 
> I've been training birds for decades, but I am new to falconry. I figured I'd pick up a few tidbits of knowledge that I didn't already have and be on my merry way with my new falconry license in hand. Man, was I wrong… I had, and have, so much to learn…
> 
> In our last episode, my bird was a fat fatty after the molting season, and taking forever to drop back down to "fightin' weight". With parrots and other birds, this is simple food management and exercise using sanctuary methods until weight drops to where the bird responds well. This bird is giving me fits! I've managed this weight watching on little conures, cockatiels and even parakeets. One would think it would be even simpler with a MUCH larger carnivorous bird, right? Not necessarily…
> 
> It turns out that some red tails migrate thousands of miles in Fall and they have some sort of ability to conserve calories and not lose weight. They can fly thousands of miles and they might only see food a couple of times. Biologically, how they accomplish this makes no sense to me. If you are burning calories, then you need to take in at least that many calories to maintain weight, right? Wrong. These birds have some sort of mechanism that somehow bends these physiological laws of physics and biology. They can somehow maintain weight for long periods of time on hardly any food. Well if there is a way to be difficult, my bird will find it and excel at it…
> 
> Now this whole weight loss process is a complicated balance of many factors. I can't start exercising her and burning those calories until she loses enough weight to want to fly to the fist. But if I'm not exercising her, she doesn't lose much weight. And its not just a number on a scale. Its also dependent on the birds behavior. If they respond well at a higher weight, you don't have to drop as much. If they aren't responding well, then you need to drop a little more until they are motivated to participate. All the while you have to be careful to not drop them too fast or too much, and observe their behavior and demeanor for tell tale signs of good or bad news. Constant adjustments are made in the food quantity and routine throughout this process.
> 
> So it took me about 10 weeks to get her weight down and her working attitude up. At the right point in her training, I took her off the line and started free flying her. One of the training exercises we do is to get her to fly from telephone pole to telephone pole and follow along with me while we hunt. In training, I cue her to fly to me and then put my hand down and walk away once she is on her way to me. When she passes over me and lands on the next pole in front of me, she gets an instant reward. We move down the line of poles this way. I "fake" her out, then reward her for landing on the pole ahead of me. When we get to the hunting fields, her reward will come in the form of a rabbit flush. Well… the ranch is out in a rural area and while we were training, a rabbit popped up and ran and she decided to catch it instead of doing my lame training stuff. This is the view I got on approach:
> View attachment 223688
> 
> Look at those feathers! Gorgeous. I call her my little sky dragon.
> 
> Here is the front view of this scene:
> View attachment 223689
> 
> I let her tank up and we were done "training" for a couple of days...
> 
> Now her weight was still on the high side, and she was really taking her sweet time deciding whether or not to come to me when I called her to reposition her to a better hunting spot. Can't hunt with a bird that just wants to perch and won't be moved to the right area for rabbit flushes, so I continued on with the exercises and food rationing. All of a sudden, the weight loss kicked in. She went from 10 weeks of dropping hardly any weight to suddenly dropping "normal" amounts overnight. Now the trick is to feed enough to stop further weight loss, while continuing to build strength and stamina, and continuing the training. As the muscles build and the workouts increase, so do the caloric needs. Its all a big balancing act with constant adjustment and twice a day weigh ins. All was progressing perfectly, albeit very slowly, and I decided it was time to get her out in the field and hunting. On purpose this time…
> 
> At the end of last season, frustrated with all the rabbit flushes that Minerva had no chance at because she was in the wrong position being her usual difficult self, I decided I wanted to add a dog to our hunting outings to flush more rabbits and re-flush rabbits that Minerva wasn't in the right position to catch. All through the off season I took my Malinois Sophie with me to feed Minerva every day. Minerva was a little unnerved by Sophie at first, but soon began to ignore her, and then began to associate the sight of the dog with feeding. It got to a point after a couple of months where if I walked by the mew and Sophie wasn't with me, Minerva would sit quietly and ignore me. But if Minerva saw the dog, she'd come to the window and eagerly beg for food. Sophie was with us every day during the 10 weeks of weight dropping and training too. Minerva was totally indifferent to Sophie by now, which is how you want it. So I gathered the bird and the dog and all the food and gear, and off to the hunting fields we went. I checked and double checked all my equipment, outfitted the dog, put the hunting jesses and radio transmitter on the bird and we walked to the field for our very first day of the 2017/2018 hunting season, and only 6 weeks late... I sent Minerva up to a nice light pole that is in the perfect spot and she went directly to it with no fuss. Sophie and I then walked up the sidewalk a bit and entered the field about 100 feet up from where Minerva was. The idea is that as Sophie and I work the field, we will flush rabbits right in the direction where Minerva sits and waits. Well after about 10 seconds a rabbit jumps up ahead of Sophie. Sophie didn't even see it, but Minerva did… She dove into action and WHAM! Caught our first "official" rabbit of the season after roughly 12 seconds of "hunting". I was elated, but also disappointed. I was ready for a "day" of hunting. I din't expect everything to go so perfectly and be over in 12 seconds. But there we were.
> View attachment 223684
> 
> 
> 
> Sophie and I sat there patiently for a good 20 minutes while Minerva ate her fill.
> View attachment 223685
> 
> Despite a slow beginning, our season couldn't be off to a better start.
> 
> Because I am so inexperienced, I wanted my avian vet to examine her and give her a clean bill of health. I brought her into my vet friend's clinic for a full check up, to make sure everything was okay. He wanted to x ray her and make sure we had no apsergillosis, or any other problem that would show up in an x ray. I got her out put her hood on and she promptly gave us a stool sample to check, and then I held her feet while we put the bell hood on her head and started the iso-flourane anesthetic gas. Didn't take long and she was out. We got some clean x rays and everything looked perfect:
> View attachment 223691
> 
> View attachment 223692
> 
> You can see the bits of quail bones in her stomach from her morning meal.
> 
> Then, we pulled blood:
> View attachment 223693
> 
> 
> While she was out, we were ably to really examine her keel, and it was sharper than I originally thought, but all else looked great.
> 
> Blood and fecal results came back the next day. Blood came back good with no signs of any infection. Fecal showed low levels of coccidia which we are now treating for. She had this last year and was asymptomatic, but we still eliminated it. We will eliminate it again.
> 
> So my challenge as a beginning falconer is to keep the weight high enough to keep her strength and energy up, but low enough to keep her responsive to the hunting cues. Its tough and ever changing. As the muscle, strength and stamina build, I have to feed her more and more to maintain the correct hunting weight. She appears to have beefed up a bit over the molting season and I'm finding that I have to keep her weight significantly higher than where I had it last season. Constantly striving for that balance.


This is so interesting. Love reading it.


----------



## Maro2Bear

All great stuff Tom, thanks for sharing. When I lived in Kuwait we frenzy visited the souks and pet markets on weekends. Was always fascinated with the Falconry Corner. All kinds of birds and the required equipment. I DID almost by a camel, but that’s a different thread. Keep the updates coming.


----------



## JoesMum

Not a trained hawk, but I thought Tom might like this snap of a wild sparrow hawk that plucked a great t it (sorry I had to put an extra space to avoid the censor) on our snowy lawn... on this day 5 years ago according to Facebook.


----------



## ColaCarbonaria

Fantastic read. Congratulations on the hard work and dedication you’ve put into your successful apprenticeship. Really awesome.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Jack rabbits are generally the largest and heaviest prey any normal hawk hunter takes. Some of the larger jacks can reach 7-8 pounds. This one felt like it weight about 20 pounds when I picked it up to put it in my hunting vest, but it was probably in the 5-6 pound range. Some of the falcons will take large ducks or pheasants. There are nomadic tribes in Mongolia that hunt wolves from horseback with Golden Eagles. The eagles know to grab the snout of the wolf and hold it shut. I've seen video of Golden eagles taking sheep off of cliffs.
> 
> Some of these raptors are capable of amazing feats.



[emoji33] INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!! [emoji2]
...AND incredibly COOL!!!!!![emoji2]


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Minerva is alive and well. After a great start, we've had a rough season. I had to get some advice and apply it. Had to rethink some things, and start doing things a little differently. Getting performance out of your bird takes much more than looking at a number on a scale and waiting for instincts and training to kick in. Every bird and every situation is different. The things I've figured out with Minerva this year, may or may not apply to any other bird I work with in the future. All of them are different and adjustments must be made to allow for these individual differences.
> 
> After such a strong start, I started seeing lots of the same old stuff from last year. Moments of brilliance bookended by lack of attention and self hunting. I had to change things up. I was failing to be a "good" hunting partner for her. There had to be more reward and more fun to keep her interested. Last year my thought process was that if she failed to catch game, she'd go home hungry and try harder next time. That is certainly how it works for wild hawks. But a wild hawk doesn't need to cooperatively hunt with anyone, and cooperative hunting is my goal. Now when Minerva doesn't catch game, we go home to a familiar training area and I work her butt off, _for a reward._ She doesn't get free food for poor performance. She gets a hard workout with a substantial reward.
> 
> I learned another important lesson that was broached last year. DIfferent foods have different nutrient qualities. Rabbits are very lean and offer relatively poor nutrition. I can feed her a lot of rabbit, make her feel full and rewarded, but not put a ton of weight on her. Quail, on the other hand, is very high in nutrients and is considered a very "rich" food. If I tank her up on quail, she gains a lot of weight. Tank her up on rabbit and she feels "fulfilled" mentally and physically, but remains at a good working weight and is very in tune with me and the work. I mix in rodent and quail for good nutrition, but use lots of rabbit meat for bulk.
> 
> Sounds like a bunch of fancy talk, but how well does it all work? We haven't had a bad day since I started implementing this new info about 3 weeks ago. We went over a month without catching a rabbit and had some rough days in the field. She caught two rabbits in the first week we started this new plan, and then, to my shock, disbelief and utter elation she took her first jack rabbit this last saturday. She wouldn't even try for jacks last year after that first one kicked her off. She just looked at them and watched them go by. Think about it... A 2 pound bird has got to be feeling pretty good about life to think it is going to latch onto a 6-7 pound jack and have a good outcome. Well, Minerva is feeling _that_ good now:
> View attachment 228107
> 
> She is so big that the jack doesn't look that huge, but HOLY COW!!! That animal was powerful and heavy!
> 
> Being the pragmatist that I am, I keep expecting to have another bad day, but so far so good. Going through a difficult time and persevering has taught me another good lesson, and now me and my team of girls and I are reaping the rewards. All the naive rabbits are already gone for this season. Only the hardened pros are left. Every catch from this point on will be hard earned and we will have to be on our game every time we go out.
> 
> I attended my first falconry meet last week and I will write about that next time. You can look up "California Hawking Club Annual Field Meet" for a pre-view. Met some great people and learned a ton!
> 
> I leave you with this catch. Just three days after catching the jack, and our first time out hunting after returning home from the CHC meet. It was a glorious day with three amazing flights/chases, that ended in this:
> View attachment 228108
> 
> 
> Look at where her feet are in relation to the big branch…
> View attachment 228109



WOW!!!!!
There’s SO MUCH that must be considered in working with a bird like this!!!!! What a trip!!!!!! [emoji2][emoji106]


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> WOW!!!!!
> There’s SO MUCH that must be considered in working with a bird like this!!!!! What a trip!!!!!! [emoji2][emoji106]



Yes. Much more than I initially realized. It is not just feeding and flying. There is so much training and thought that must go into every single interaction with your bird. I have learned so much, and I think I have things working pretty well now, but there is SOOOOOOOOO much more to learn. I know new challenges will continually pop up.

One new challenge that I'm eager to learn is getting my bird "waiting on". AKA "slope soaring" or "getting up in the thermals". Right now the way Minerva and I hunt is for her to wait on nearby high perches like telephone poles, light posts, or buildings, while I beat the brush trying to flush rabbits for her to chase and catch. "Waiting on" is when the bird takes to the wing and soars overhead while I try to flush game. There are guys who hunt this way with their red tails on a regular basis, and I'm trying to get in touch with them and hopefully get to know them and learn their training secrets. Just getting to watch them and their birds in action will be a privilege. Minerva has surreptitiously done this with me several times, and every time it happens, I've frantically tried to flush a rabbit and reward her for the behavior, but no luck yet. It is AWESOME when it happens. Those are the days when I feel like she and I are really working together and she completely understands what we are doing and why I'm walking around in the bushes.

So much to learn...


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Yes. Much more than I initially realized. It is not just feeding and flying. There is so much training and thought that must go into every single interaction with your bird. I have learned so much, and I think I have things working pretty well now, but there is SOOOOOOOOO much more to learn. I know new challenges will continually pop up.
> 
> One new challenge that I'm eager to learn is getting my bird "waiting on". AKA "slope soaring" or "getting up in the thermals". Right now the way Minerva and I hunt is for her to wait on nearby high perches like telephone poles, light posts, or buildings, while I beat the brush trying to flush rabbits for her to chase and catch. "Waiting on" is when the bird takes to the wing and soars overhead while I try to flush game. There are guys who hunt this way with their red tails on a regular basis, and I'm trying to get in touch with them and hopefully get to know them and learn their training secrets. Just getting to watch them and their birds in action will be a privilege. Minerva has surreptitiously done this with me several times, and every time it happens, I've frantically tried to flush a rabbit and reward her for the behavior, but no luck yet. It is AWESOME when it happens. Those are the days when I feel like she and I are really working together and she completely understands what we are doing and why I'm walking around in the bushes.
> 
> So much to learn...


This must feel like a dream sometimes- it would for me!!!!!!


----------



## Moozillion

Maro2Bear said:


> All great stuff Tom, thanks for sharing. When I lived in Kuwait we frenzy visited the souks and pet markets on weekends. Was always fascinated with the Falconry Corner. All kinds of birds and the required equipment. I DID almost by a camel, but that’s a different thread. Keep the updates coming.


WOW! That sounds so exotic!!!!!!


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> This must feel like a dream sometimes- it would for me!!!!!!


Every time she flies down to my glove I am in awe. I turn her loose every day and she chooses to come back to me each time.


----------



## Stuart S.

@Tom I noticed you had. Mack’s Prairie Wings hat on in one of your photos..are you a waterfowler? If you are have you taken your bird hunting? I’ve seen videos of this but have never seen it live or talked to anyone personally who have done it.


----------



## Tom

Stuart S. said:


> @Tom I noticed you had. Mack’s Prairie Wings hat on in one of your photos..are you a waterfowler? If you are have you taken your bird hunting? I’ve seen videos of this but have never seen it live or talked to anyone personally who have done it.


Wow. Very observant. I'm not a water fowler yet, but I have several friends who duck hunt with goshawks and falcons.

I got that hat and some other items while shooting the movie "Mud" in Stuttgart Arkansas. That store was fantastic! They had a giant mallard statue out in front of the store.


----------



## Stuart S.

Tom said:


> Wow. Very observant. I'm not a water fowler yet, but I have several friends who duck hunt with goshawks and falcons.
> 
> I got that hat and some other items while shooting the movie "Mud" in Stuttgart Arkansas. That store was fantastic! They had a giant mallard statue out in front of the store.



I grew up doing it and Mack’s is one of my favorite stores, it’s great! 
I’ve always thought falconry was amazing, the birds are incredibly smart and loyal. Speaking of “Mud,” random fact, Matthew McConaughey graduate from the same high school my wife went to, Longview High in Longview, Texas. I went to the more rural school about 20 minutes away.


----------



## Tom

Stuart S. said:


> I grew up doing it and Mack’s is one of my favorite stores, it’s great!
> I’ve always thought falconry was amazing, the birds are incredibly smart and loyal. Speaking of “Mud,” random fact, Matthew McConaughey graduate from the same high school my wife went to, Longview High in Longview, Texas. I went to the more rural school about 20 minutes away.


Some people in Hollywood are jack asses and some are nice. I suppose its just like every other walk of life in that way…

Matthew was a very nice guy. Considerate, kind, intelligent and professional. I was happy to work with him for those few days. He's one of the good ones. Not surprising, I suppose, given where he came from.


----------



## Stuart S.

Tom said:


> Some people in Hollywood are jack asses and some are nice. I suppose its just like every other walk of life in that way…
> 
> Matthew was a very nice guy. Considerate, kind, intelligent and professional. I was happy to work with him for those few days. He's one of the good ones. Not surprising, I suppose, given where he came from.



I can only imagine! I’ve heard he’s a nice guy!


----------



## Tom

Work has kept me from updating this thread, but here is the result of this morning's effort:


Not a great pic, but that there is a jack rabbit. She's taken two of them now. She got this one in much the same manner as the last one. Me and the dog bolted the rabbit, but it was much too far and fast for her to catch from where she was. Me and Sophie just kept walking in the direction we saw the jack go, and Minerva was there waiting on the edge of the field. This jack was doing that sneaky belly crawl that they do trying to evade me and the dog and sneak to safety, but he didn't evade Minerva's gaze. It belly crawled and snuck its way right under the hawk. She just dropped almost straight down on to it. This time she had it by the back end and it was kicking the heck out of her. She did her job and held on, and that jack will now be fed to her over the coming months.

I've been giving the whole idea of "falconry" a lot of thought lately. I am still so new and inexperienced at it, but I feel like I've gained some perspective in the last few months. The "sport" of falconry isn't something you just do. Is a process and a way of life that takes years and is never fully completed. It just seems to be in some people's nature to do this, despite the hardships, legalities, costs and risks. During a presentation at the CHC (California Hawking Club) meet a few weeks ago, one of the presenters illuminated an interesting point of view. This was an old salty guy whose been doing falconry for many decades. He quipped: "If you are a results oriented falconer, you'll have good and bad days. If you are a process oriented falconer, every day is a good day."

The whole presentation was wonderful, but this paraphrased quote has really resonated with me. My first two seasons were all about how quickly could I get the bird up and flying free and hunting, and how many rabbits I could bag in the season. Results oriented. This year's hunting season started out much the same. I got nine rabbits last year, and I need to get more this year now that I have "so much" experience under my belt. In the last few weeks, I've made a huge mental shift. Things weren't going as well as I wanted them to. Much of last year, and now the first part of this year, me and the bird just weren't meshing. There would be moments of brilliance, but those moments were bookended by disinterest or failure. With the help and guidance of men and women much more experienced than me, I've really turned a corner recently. I have become a "process" oriented falconer. I don't really care if we bring home a rabbit or not anymore. What I care about is the experience of working with this amazing bird out in the wild, and working as a team to _chase_ wild game. She doesn't always connect. Most slips end in an escaped rabbit. But all the stuff that happens before, during and after that chase is _pure magic._ Sometimes I can't believe what I'm seeing. I just stand there in the middle of some desolate field grinning ear to ear. Just me, my bird, my dog and a dust trail left behind by an escaped rabbit who lives another day and is now just a little bit wiser. The ariel acrobatics, her ability to seemingly distort and bend the laws of physics, her extreme fitness and ability, AND the same traits in these fit and healthy wild rabbits, is truly awe-inspiring. It is literally a life and death chase with both hawk and rabbit giving it everything they've got. The outcome is never certain, and the wiley rabbit usually wins. And when he does, I applaud him or her. Those rabbits earn my respect and admiration daily. Most people don't think much about rabbits, but when you get to know them as I have over the last few years, they are pretty amazing themselves.

As most falconers, myself included, nearing the end of their two year apprenticeship, their thoughts turn to all the other species they might want to work with, and what adventures they will be having in the future. I'm very interested in Harris' hawks, Goshawks and even the Merlin. I've got all sorts of future plans in the works. But this year has taught me how little I know. I've only scratched the surface and have so much more to learn. There are many more adventures to be had with Minerva before I move on to a new bird and new species. My plan for now is to hunt with her at least one more year, and learn as much as I can with her. We are only doing basic stuff right now and there is so much more we could be doing. RIght now we are limited to hunting in fields that have suitable perching for her to sit on and wait for me to flush a rabbit. If I can figure out how to get her 'waiting on', the falconry term that describes a hawk that takes to the thermals and soars above the falconer and hunts from the wing instead of a perch, we could hunt in a whole lot more places than we do now. That is my goal for the rest of this season and next season. Simultaneously, I will try to learn as much about other species as I can by going hawking with other falconers and watching their birds in action.

In other words, I'm in no rush to get somewhere anymore. I'm just enjoying the ride and seeing the sights along the way. Or maybe, looking at it another way, I've already arrived and I'm now enjoying my destination.


----------



## JoesMum

Absolutely fascinating. The shift from results to process seems the right one Tom. That’s what makes you a proper falconer probably... when you and the bird enjoy the process together then the results will come naturally 

I love watching Merlins in the wild here in the UK. Tiny little falcons and such agile flyers. Out on the coastal marshes we watch them catching and eating dragonflies on the wing.

The other predator I love watching here is the Red Kite. They seem to fly for pure enjoyment, playing on thermals as they keep a beady eye out for food


----------



## Tom

Some shots from today:

She chose to hunt from up here today instead of a light pole:



Here comes a local raven to harass her:







As you can see, she doesn't care about the ravens. She ignores them. I've considered teaching her to hunt them. She'll never go hungry, and it might save a few desert tortoises too.

Here is Sophie imitating a pointer:


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> Some shots from today:
> 
> She chose to hunt from up here today instead of a light pole:
> View attachment 230175
> 
> 
> Here comes a local raven to harass her:
> View attachment 230176
> 
> View attachment 230177
> 
> View attachment 230178
> 
> 
> As you can see, she doesn't care about the ravens. She ignores them. I've considered teaching her to hunt them. She'll never go hungry, and it might save a few desert tortoises too.
> 
> Here is Sophie imitating a pointer:
> View attachment 230179


Awesome. I love reading this post. So informative.


----------



## Tom

Friend took some pics for me:


----------



## JoesMum

Tom said:


> Friend took some pics for me:
> View attachment 231460



Wow!


----------



## NorCal tortoise guy

Thanks for posting this!
I attended a CHC meet as a youngster with a scouting group we were able to see lots of fun thing and even go on a couple hunts. That experience fostered in me a keen interest in falconry!
An interested Ive yet to be able to act on and maybe never will who knows. 
I very much enjoyed reading about you experiences!


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Friend took some pics for me:
> View attachment 231460



Oh, WOW!!!!! [emoji2][emoji2][emoji2]


----------



## Tom




----------



## CarolM

She is so majestic. I can see why you love it so much.


----------



## Tom

We have one week left in the cottontail hunting season. I'm making the most of my last season with Minerva. We continue to have amazing days out hunting together interspersed with days where she does her own thing and flies over to the next field to go hunting by herself. Self hunting, as my sponsor calls it. I think I've got her figured out. She never leaves me. If I get out of her sight, she'll come back looking for me. When she takes off she doesn't go far and if I'm out of sight on the other side of a building or hill, she will fly back just enough to see me. I think what she is doing is trying to lead the hunt. Some days she doesn't want to hunt with me, she wants me to hunt with her. Other falconers might call it bad training, but a few times I've let her lead and just followed her from field to field to see where she would go and what she would do. She has a much better vantage point than me, so I wondered if she was seeing something that I couldn't see. I don't think so. We fare no better when I follow her, than when she follows me. In fact, when I am walking over to catch up to wherever she's flown off to, lots of rabbits jump up and run, which would have been great hunting opportunities for her, if she'd stayed with me and been in position.

She has been an amazing teacher. I've enjoyed my time with her and learned from both the triumphs and frustrations. I look forward to returning her to the exact pole that I caught her from. She will be parasite and disease free, well hydrated, well fed and in top shape when I release her. She will also be dosed with Ivermectin from my vet the day before release which will give her about a month of residual parasite protection out there in the wild. I do feel sorry for any birds that moved into the territory in her absence. She will surely kick them out.

Some people seem to think I should be sad about not having her any more. I just don't feel that way. She was never "mine" to begin with. I borrowed her from Mother Nature. I rescued her from a certain slow and miserable death. I've shared daily adventures with her since November of 2016. I turn her loose daily as we enter the hunting fields, with no guarantee or certainty about what will happen or what we will see, and together, we have seen some amazing stuff. Most days we don't catch any rabbits, but we sure try and some of the flights and near misses are nearly as much fun as the occasional catches. The acrobatic ability and maneuverability of this huge bird of prey in mid air is astounding. Its enough to make a person question the laws of physics sometimes. My time with her has been a privilege and an honor. I look forward to seeing her return to where she came from, and I look forward to rescuing another bird from certain death next year.


----------



## JoesMum

Tom said:


> We have one week left in the cottontail hunting season. I'm making the most of my last season with Minerva. We continue to have amazing days out hunting together interspersed with days where she does her own thing and flies over to the next field to go hunting by herself. Self hunting, as my sponsor calls it. I think I've got her figured out. She never leaves me. If I get out of her sight, she'll come back looking for me. When she takes off she doesn't go far and if I'm out of sight on the other side of a building or hill, she will fly back just enough to see me. I think what she is doing is trying to lead the hunt. Some days she doesn't want to hunt with me, she wants me to hunt with her. Other falconers might call it bad training, but a few times I've let her lead and just followed her from field to field to see where she would go and what she would do. She has a much better vantage point than me, so I wondered if she was seeing something that I couldn't see. I don't think so. We fare no better when I follow her, than when she follows me. In fact, when I am walking over to catch up to wherever she's flown off to, lots of rabbits jump up and run, which would have been great hunting opportunities for her, if she'd stayed with me and been in position.
> 
> She has been an amazing teacher. I've enjoyed my time with her and learned from both the triumphs and frustrations. I look forward to returning her to the exact pole that I caught her from. She will be parasite and disease free, well hydrated, well fed and in top shape when I release her. She will also be dosed with Ivermectin from my vet the day before release which will give her about a month of residual parasite protection out there in the wild. I do feel sorry for any birds that moved into the territory in her absence. She will surely kick them out.
> 
> Some people seem to think I should be sad about not having her any more. I just don't feel that way. She was never "mine" to begin with. I borrowed her from Mother Nature. I rescued her from a certain slow and miserable death. I've shared daily adventures with her since November of 2016. I turn her loose daily as we enter the hunting fields, with no guarantee or certainty about what will happen or what we will see, and together, we have seen some amazing stuff. Most days we don't catch any rabbits, but we sure try and some of the flights and near misses are nearly as much fun as the occasional catches. The acrobatic ability and maneuverability of this huge bird of prey in mid air is astounding. Its enough to make a person question the laws of physics sometimes. My time with her has been a privilege and an honor. I look forward to seeing her return to where she came from, and I look forward to rescuing another bird from certain death next year.
> 
> View attachment 233815
> 
> 
> View attachment 233814



Good luck Minerva. We have enjoyed your stories. 

And Tom, thank you so much for telling those stories. It has been a fascinating insight.


----------



## Tom

JoesMum said:


> Good luck Minerva. We have enjoyed your stories.
> 
> And Tom, thank you so much for telling those stories. It has been a fascinating insight.


I'll do a post on her release day with more pics, and I'm sure she'll give me a good story to tell!


----------



## wellington

Do you know, once released, do they have a hard time going back to just being wild? No more person, no straps, no man made shelter, etc.
Has a study ever been done? Are they more prone to being human friendly?
I guess I didn't realize you released them, or dont remember.
A couple weeks after her release, I wonder if she would come back too you if you went out there and called her? Anyone ever done that you know of?
Have a great time this last week with her and enjoy the release. Although I would be sad and it would be hard too do. It's got too also be a great feeling.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Do you know, once released, do they have a hard time going back to just being wild? No more person, no straps, no man made shelter, etc.
> Has a study ever been done? Are they more prone to being human friendly?
> I guess I didn't realize you released them, or dont remember.
> A couple weeks after her release, I wonder if she would come back too you if you went out there and called her? Anyone ever done that you know of?
> Have a great time this last week with her and enjoy the release. Although I would be sad and it would be hard too do. It's got too also be a great feeling.


Good questions. These are things that I should have already explained, but haven't yet, so thank you for the opportunity and reminder.

DFW (Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, formerly known as Fish and Game) has done extensive studies on this. I believe the number is a 98% survival rate for falconry birds returned to the wild after a season or two of hunting with a licensed falconer. These are not captive raised birds. They are not "imprinted" on humans in any way. They hatched in the wild and were raised by their parents. After a few months of being cared for by their parents, each new year's babies are kicked out of the territory of their parents. They must leave, go find their own territory, learn to hunt, defend themselves, evade predators, find water, and survive completely on their own. On average 75% of each year's hatchling don't make it to October 1st. They die from starvation, predation, dehydration, disease, parasites, poisoning, hit by cars, shot by idiot humans, electrocution, windmill power generators, etc… Of the ones that make it to October 1st, 80% of these survivors don't make it through winter to see their first birthday. So we are talking about 5 of every 100 that see their first birthday in the wild on average. As bad as that sounds, its way better than baby tortoise survival rates in the wild.

Wild juveniles that hatch in the spring time are called "passage" birds. Mature adults in the wild that manage to survive a season or two on their own are called "haggard" birds. We are only allowed to trap the passage birds and only from Oct. 1st through Jan 31st. These passage birds know how to survive on their own and are 100% imprinted on other red tail hawks, not people. During the time they spend working with a falconer, they become reasonably tame, and recognize us as a food source, but they do not "bond" to us in any way. When they are not hungry, they are not coming back to their falconer. When the hunting season is over and we put our birds up for the molt in late March and feed them up, they don't have any desire to come to the falconer and really don't want us around. They revert to an almost wild state within days of the free-flowing food. Only when we bring them back down to a hunting weight the next fall do they have any interest in coming to the fist.

They go back to surviving on their own in the wild with no problem whatsoever, and my bird has no interest in people other than me, even when she's hungry and at flying weight. She is very leery of anyone she doesn't see on a regular basis. So leery that when I try to bring other people out hunting with me, she frequently leaves that field to get away from them. She has a healthy fear of people. I'd bet $1000 that if I found her in the wild a couple of weeks after releasing her that no amount of her favorite food would make her come any where near me. I'll bet she'd leave the area on sight of me or any other human walking within 100 yards of her lofty perch.

In a nutshell: We capture a juvenile wild bird, get vet help to make sure they are disease and parasite free, tame them down and train them to hunt with us, and then we return them to the wild as sturdy, healthy, well-practiced adult hunters. They fall right back into their role as wild predators with no problem at all, and have no desire to interact with any people they may encounter.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> We have one week left in the cottontail hunting season. I'm making the most of my last season with Minerva. We continue to have amazing days out hunting together interspersed with days where she does her own thing and flies over to the next field to go hunting by herself. Self hunting, as my sponsor calls it. I think I've got her figured out. She never leaves me. If I get out of her sight, she'll come back looking for me. When she takes off she doesn't go far and if I'm out of sight on the other side of a building or hill, she will fly back just enough to see me. I think what she is doing is trying to lead the hunt. Some days she doesn't want to hunt with me, she wants me to hunt with her. Other falconers might call it bad training, but a few times I've let her lead and just followed her from field to field to see where she would go and what she would do. She has a much better vantage point than me, so I wondered if she was seeing something that I couldn't see. I don't think so. We fare no better when I follow her, than when she follows me. In fact, when I am walking over to catch up to wherever she's flown off to, lots of rabbits jump up and run, which would have been great hunting opportunities for her, if she'd stayed with me and been in position.
> 
> She has been an amazing teacher. I've enjoyed my time with her and learned from both the triumphs and frustrations. I look forward to returning her to the exact pole that I caught her from. She will be parasite and disease free, well hydrated, well fed and in top shape when I release her. She will also be dosed with Ivermectin from my vet the day before release which will give her about a month of residual parasite protection out there in the wild. I do feel sorry for any birds that moved into the territory in her absence. She will surely kick them out.
> 
> Some people seem to think I should be sad about not having her any more. I just don't feel that way. She was never "mine" to begin with. I borrowed her from Mother Nature. I rescued her from a certain slow and miserable death. I've shared daily adventures with her since November of 2016. I turn her loose daily as we enter the hunting fields, with no guarantee or certainty about what will happen or what we will see, and together, we have seen some amazing stuff. Most days we don't catch any rabbits, but we sure try and some of the flights and near misses are nearly as much fun as the occasional catches. The acrobatic ability and maneuverability of this huge bird of prey in mid air is astounding. Its enough to make a person question the laws of physics sometimes. My time with her has been a privilege and an honor. I look forward to seeing her return to where she came from, and I look forward to rescuing another bird from certain death next year.
> 
> View attachment 233815
> 
> 
> View attachment 233814



So beautiful, Tom.[emoji2][emoji173]️
You have a rare gift of truly appreciating and enjoying animals, and you don’t let your ego taint the relationship.
No wonder you’re so good at what you do!!! [emoji2][emoji173]️[emoji93][emoji93][emoji93][emoji93][emoji93][emoji93][emoji93]


----------



## mrnewberry

Now this is nuts. I “discover” all these non tortoise sections of the forum today and find out that you are into bees (I also have done a bit of beekeeping) and now you are also a falconer. (I also do falconry and even just changed my profile pic here to the one that I use on FB which has my first hawk in the photo.) I feel like I am going to find some other section on here and discover that you make knives.


----------



## Tom

mrnewberry said:


> Now this is nuts. I “discover” all these non tortoise sections of the forum today and find out that you are into bees (I also have done a bit of beekeeping) and now you are also a falconer. (I also do falconry and even just changed my profile pic here to the one that I use on FB which has my first hawk in the photo.) I feel like I am going to find some other section on here and discover that you make knives.


HA! That's great!

I don't make knives, yet, but I do appreciate them and my daughter and I always carry a folder or short fixed blade. Wife carries one in her purse and refuses to heed my warnings about not having one on her person.

How long have you done falconry? I just received the paperwork to turn in and finish my apprenticeship. As of July 1st, I'll be a general. Have I accurately depicted what its all about and how some aspects work? What bird(s) do you have? I'm open to any advice you'll offer.


----------



## mrnewberry

Tom said:


> HA! That's great!
> 
> I don't make knives, yet, but I do appreciate them and my daughter and I always carry a folder or short fixed blade. Wife carries one in her purse and refuses to heed my warnings about not having one on her person.
> 
> How long have you done falconry? I just received the paperwork to turn in and finish my apprenticeship. As of July 1st, I'll be a general. Have I accurately depicted what its all about and how some aspects work? What bird(s) do you have? I'm open to any advice you'll offer.



The bits I read seemed accurate. I’m sure by now you would know it if it wasn’t. I have been at it four seasons. I became a general falconer almost a year ago. I do not currently have any birds. I haven’t kept any for more than a single season. I had a red tail my first season and have done Kestrels the last three. Mainly because I had a small child and a Kestrel seemed to work out better for hanging out in the living room and training during naps.


----------



## Tom

mrnewberry said:


> The bits I read seemed accurate. I’m sure by now you would know it if it wasn’t. I have been at it four seasons. I became a general falconer almost a year ago. I do not currently have any birds. I haven’t kept any for more than a single season. I had a red tail my first season and have done Kestrels the last three. Mainly because I had a small child and a Kestrel seemed to work out better for hanging out in the living room and training during naps.


I've always loved the kestrels. We have loads of them around here. They pester my hawks everywhere we go in spring with their peeping. I may try one for fun in the next few years.

I have a friend who flies Merlins. Says they are like kestrels on speed.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> Toothless died of aspergillosis. Everything was going great for a while and then I just found him dead. A good friend of mine is a Board Certified Avian vet and he performed the necropsy for me himself. My falconry sponsor felt awful about it. He said that many of them carry it and sometimes it just gets them. He said its not anything we did or anything that I could have prevented. He said that once you see symptoms its too late, and that there isn't much that can be done. I was very upset about it for a long time. Still am. When you do everything "right", bad things aren't supposed to happen, but sometimes they just do.
> 
> The new season starts October 1st, and the lessons that Toothless taught me will carry over for the next bird and I'll do an even better job.


Oh no. That is really sad. Toothless sounded like such an awesome bird. I know this is two years too late, but my condolences. Especially as Toothless was your first one and I imagine holds a very special place in your heart.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> Time for an update. The saga continues…
> 
> After such an upsetting first round, I was afraid to post anything about round two for fear that the same sort of thing would happen again. Well… spoiler alert… Year two has a very happy ending with a fine story to go along with it. Sorry to give away the ending, but last year's devastating, sudden and unexpected death really shook me and made me question everything.
> 
> Before you read on, I would like to warn everyone reading that this thread is about _hunting_ with a hawk, and I'll show some hunting pics of the bird on game. Stop now if you don't want to see pics of that nature.
> 
> Meet Minerva:
> View attachment 212643
> 
> This is her perched upon her training lure after catching it and eating her tidbit. This picture was taken mid-season
> 
> 
> Let me back track and tell the story of how Minerva and I came to be acquainted. I started trying to trap a new bird as soon as the season started in October. The warm weather prevented the birds from migrating down from the north and the pickin's were slim to say the least. I didn't want another bird from the area where I got Toothless, so I was looking elsewhere. I had been pre-scouting in September, and this is one of the only birds I saw:
> View attachment 212644
> 
> 
> This was my first few of Minerva. Its a view I would see many times… After seven attempts over a period of weeks, she refused to show any interest whatsoever in my trap with the delicious free rat in it. Time after time, I'd drive all the way out to where she was, and time after time she'd look at my offering and refuse to come down. I tried for a few other birds, but wild hawks are all pretty leery. At least this one never tried to fly away at my approach, and she looked so big and beautiful sitting up there ignoring me.
> View attachment 212645
> 
> 
> On the day of attempt number 8, my frustration level was high. I was frustrated that I _still_ did not have a bird, and I was double frustrated that 7 attempts at all hours of the day had failed to catch _this _bird. I told myself that this was the _last_ time I would try for this bird. I kept trying because this bird was always in the same spot, and there were no other birds anywhere around her… {Foreshadowing here…} and there were few birds to choose from anywhere, unless I wanted to go back to where Toothless came from, which I really didn't.
> 
> So I get everything ready and drive all the way out there. Like always, there she is sitting in her same spot looking content as the master of her world. Like usual, I place the trap in the perfect spot, right in her view and I hightail it out of there. I drove a good mile away, whipped around and pulled out the binoculars. Was she down on my trap getting caught up this time? Nope. Still sitting in the same spot that she is always sitting in. Mocking me. Surely laughing at the silly hairless ape who keeps coming back and fussing around under her pole perch week after week. So I sit there for 40 minutes, muttering to myself the whole time about this bird who just doesn't want to come down and play with me. In a huff, I say: "That's it. I'm out of here. I'm done with this stupid bird!" I start the car and before I can pull back on to the road, I had to wait for another car that is coming and heading in the same direction as the bird. While waiting for that car to pass, I glanced back over to see the tiny dot sitting atop the pole in the distance. This is when I think I see the tiny dot fly down to where I left the trap…
> 
> Gotta go to work. To be continued...


Oh No!!! You have been in the movie business too long. At least I am a good couple of years late in reading this. It is like watching a series, and you have all the seasons lined up to watch one after the other.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> All total we got 9 rabbits for the season. I'm told that is pretty good, especially since we'd been in a 5+ year drought and prey was scarce. With all the rain last winter, more prey animals should survive the summer, and hunting should be good this coming winter.
> 
> This is what her crop looks like after I let her "crop up" on a kill in the field:
> View attachment 212748
> 
> 
> Also in this pic:
> -You can see the long line I use to clip on to her when she's on game and feasting. You don't want a full bird to fly up to a pole. They don't tend to come down as well when they aren't hungry. {A little sarcasm there…}
> -You can see the little black telemetry device on her left leg. I actually needed this a couple of times this year. I was flying her too heavy and she would get up soaring in the thermals, go pick a new field a mile or two away and go self-hunting without me. She is a pretty independent bird. There was a little male wild red tail that would sometimes follow us around on hunting days. He was more attentive to me than my own bird. She'd chase him from perch to perch, trying to drive him away, and he'd be diving after the rabbits I was flushing.
> -The feathers on her head were a little tousled in this pic because she dove into some thick brush to catch that day's rabbit. Some people call red tails "brush busters".


Do you think the male was at some point someone elses bird for a while, and as such knew that if he followed the two of you that you would be flushing out rabbits for him?


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> Okay, okay… I've been busy lately…
> 
> So my bird is a beast. She's quite a lot larger than average for her species. For months I pondered why in November/December of 2015 there were dozens of birds out in that area, but in Sept/Oct of 2016 it was a ghost town except for this one bird, who would not come down to my trap for some reason. My sponsor speculated it was due to the warmer weather that lasted well into fall. The Northern birds don't migrate south until the weather cools. It hand't cooled much yet. Even when it did cool though, there were still not many birds out there. Warmer weather also reduces their appetite and hunger drive.
> 
> Fast forward… I caught Minerva, trained her up, started hunting and catching game with her and I'de been flying her loose around my ranch for weeks, when one day, totally out of the blue, she just takes off and leaves me standing there alone. She just left for no "apparent" reason. I watched her fly across the valley back in the direction of the ranch, but I couldn't see exactly where she landed due to the distance and the trees. I waited a minute to see if she'd come back, and no sign of her. Very odd. I pulled out the telemetry device and it confirmed she was right over where I saw her go and apparently not moving. So with a fair amount of concern and frustration, I began the 10 minute march all the way back over there. As I approached I could see her sitting on a pole that we regularly use for training. At some distance, I can see her restlessly moving around. "What is she doing?", I think to myself as I keep walking toward her. She keeps lowering her head. As I get closer, and I'm looking straight up at her, I can see that she's eating. I can also see her crop is pretty full, so she's been eating for a while. Its about this time that I'm also noticing the familiar scream of the resident adult red tail hawks that own and control this territory. They always scream at Minerva whenever I put her up, but they keep their distance when I'm around, so this wasn't unusual.
> 
> Well… My bird found some food. Now what? There was nothing I could do. I had to sit there and wait for her to finish her meal. Knowing what a greedy pig she is, I wasn't too worried about getting her down. After 20 minutes and several attempts, she predictably flew down to the lure. I took her back to the ranch and weigher her. She'd eaten about 270 grams of whatever she found. No flying tomorrow for her…
> 
> The next day it was business as usual. We hunted for several weeks without incident. All was going pretty well. She flew over to the next field a couple of times to go "self-hunting" because I wasn't scaring up enough game, the thermals were favorable, and because she's an independent cuss that doesn't need me for nuthin'. A little help from my sponsor and a slight weight adjustment fixed that problem, and we were a having a great season. Then, one day…
> 
> It was late mid February. I finished work and I had enough time to get her up and fly her for her food, but not enough time to drive to one of our usual hunting areas. I pulled her out, got her hunting jesses and telemetry on her and sent her up to the nearest pole that we always used. As she flew, I was already reaching into my vest to get her first piece of food ready to call her straight back. She took a sudden hard bank to the left and started flying straight away from me into the distance. Not coincidentally, she was flying straight toward that same pole from the first "food" incident weeks ago. Mind you, this is totally out of character. She never just flies away from me like this… I'm trying to see where she's going and as I look ahead of her, I notice one of the resident hawks perched on that pole in the distance. "Uh oh…" I think to myself… "That adult is going to kick her butt if she gets too close…" For a brief second, I was worried that my bird was going to get herself injured or killed, and I still had no idea what she was doing or where she was going…
> 
> She was about 200 yards away from me now and moving fast. All of my questions and all of the mysteries were answered in an instant. BAM!!!!! My 10 month old, immature, juvenile bird, flew straight into the resident, adult, territorial adult female and knocked her right off the food she had captured. No hesitation. No regard for her safety. No doubt about how this was going to go. Just BLAMMMO! Minerva slammed right into this adult and snatched her meal away from her, and then proceeded to sit right there on her pole and eat the entire thing. The resident adults are all paired up and nesting at this point in the season. They get extremely territorial and defensive as they know they've got babies coming soon and they can't be sharing space or resources with competitors. Both adults were pissed. They were screaming and dive bombing Minerva while she ate. She ignored them like meaningless flies, and kept right on eating. She finished her meal and with a full crop, it took me about a half hour to get her down this time. I was shocked. I'd never seen or heard of behavior like this from a juvenile. All these thoughts and answers came flooding into my head. This explained so many things…
> 
> Late February/early March. Fast approaching the end of the hunting season. I get another clue about who and what my bird is: There is a complex of hunting fields that I go to that are surrounded by businesses, buildings, side walks and lots of human activities. These factors all conspire to make a perfect rabbit breeding/living area. All the human activity, cars, foot traffic, etc… keeps all the predators away and desensitizes the rabbits to a degree. All the light poles, telephone poles and building make prefect perching places for a red tail to hunt from, but the wild ones are intimidated by all the activity, so they stay away. Since there are no predators to keep the rabbit population under control, they can breed to levels that are not healthy and unsustainable. So I'm happy to provide a service in keeping the local rabbit populations healthy and in-check. Another little male juvenile red-tail had discovered this area, and I'm guessing his hunger helped him to over come his fear of the people and activity. I'm guessing that after enough repetitions of people walking down the side walk next to these fields and the rabbits bolting, that he was able to put 2 and 2 together, the same way we deliberately teach our captive birds this same lesson. The lesson is: Watch the humans near these fields because they will make the rabbits jump up and run so you can catch them. Anyhow, this little male would attentively follow me from field to field and watch my every move. He was much more attentive than Minerva, in fact. Well Minerva didn't like this. Instead of hunting and going after all the rabbits I was flushing, she spent her time trying to drive away this little male. She hopped from pole to pole trying to displace him and make him leave, while he hopped from pole to pole paying attention to me and going after the rabbits I scared up. The point of the story is this: Minerva is very territorial. She cares more about defending her turf than catching game.
> 
> As a side not to the Minerva story: This fantastic little male appears to have met an early demise, which is so common for the wild birds. I had silly dreams of him and Minerva pairing up and making wonderful babies some day after her falconry career is over, but it was not to be. When engaging in the sport of falconry, we are all supposed to conduct ourselves courteously and professionally. Ambassadors for the sport, as it were. This being the case, I stop and make small talk with the people who live and work in the areas that I hunt. One of the business owners in the area comes out to watch and talk sometimes. He hadn't seen me for a couple of weeks and he came out to tell me how relieved he was that my bird was okay. I asked what he meant and he told me they'd seen a dead hawk on the side of the road and they feared it was my bird because they hadn't seen me for a couple of weeks. It was my little attentive male. I can only guess that he was hit by a car, or that he succumbed to the parasites or diseases that are so common in these wild birds. There is a reason why so few of them survive their first year, and this wonderful little male that was so smart and full of life is now part of those statistics. I quietly cried a little over his loss. I only knew him for a few weeks, but I felt like I'd lost a friend, companion and teacher. I looked forward to seeing him every time I drove out there.
> 
> Moving on to the very last day of the hunting season, March 31st of 2017. Things have been going very well up to this point. We'd caught nine rabbits for the season, (And one unintentional ground squirrel, which is vey dangerous…) which I'm told is a pretty high number for a first year apprentice with a new bird. I was determined to get one more rabbit to make it an even 10 for the season. Problem is that all the slow and dumb rabbits are already caught. The ones that are still alive at the end of winter are alive for a good reason. They know how to not get caught. So we get out there around 5pm and I'll have light until around 7-7:15pm. We start hitting the fields hard. She's on her game and paying attention. We have a few near misses.
> View attachment 213315
> 
> 
> View attachment 213317
> 
> These late season rabbits dive into this heavy cover and Minerva can't get to them. This is where a good dog with a strong nose will come in handy. The dog will sniff them out and flush them again.
> 
> To be continued...


Oh I jumped the gun with my question about the little male. Hmm must learn to be patient. So sad though about the little male. I was busy dreaming that he was going to be an addition to your hunting endevours.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> So last day of the season. 5pm. Hitting the fields hard. Several near misses…
> 
> Its getting late in the day and I'm moving from field to field trying to catch one of these late season rabbits off guard. My daughter is a frequent hunting companion and she helps me flush the rabbits. I've got Minerva in perfect position up on a pole at the edge of the field. I'm walking in the middle of the field toward her and my daughter is walking the edge of the field along the row of poles that Minerva is patiently waiting on. The idea is to have the rabbits jump up and run away from the people and into the field in Minerva's direction. No luck here at this field, so my little helper stops near the brush right under the pole where Minerva is sitting, and I've given up and am walking back over to call Minerva down and move over to next and last field. My daughter is bored at this point and starts lazily kicking the bushes under Minerva's pole. Rabbit jumps up, Minerva jumps up, my daughter jumps up, and I'm watching the whole thing from a distance as I approach. Rabbit is running right into the middle of the field where we want him to go, sees me and does a 180. Minerva follows. Rabbit bolts through the field, across the side walk and into the street, headed for the landscaped bushes next to the business on the other side of the street. Minerva makes her move and dives when the rabbit is almost to the curb on the other side of the street. She touches the rabbits hind quarters because I see the push, but she's unable to latch and the rabbit evades her and dives into the cover of the bushes. This is where a good dog could have given me a second flush. We looked for 10 minutes and couldn't find the rabbit in the is low ground cover. So frustrating.
> 
> Minerva hops onto my fist and we move over to the last field of the day for a few more minutes of hunting before dusk on the last day of the season. Got one near miss at the new field, and I put her back up again. I've got maybe one more chance and I've saved a choice area for last. There are always rabbits in this last little patch, and I had seen movement over there when we first walked up. Minerva is in perfect position to strike as I begin working this last patch of brush. I snapped this pic:
> View attachment 213319
> 
> I look up at her in time to see her take off and start flying right toward the middle of the field with a purpose. I'm thinking she sees a rabbit and she's going for it, so I go running that way to keep the rabbit moving and focused on me… But Minerva just keeps going… Where is she going? She's taking off again! Dammit! No time for this!!! I lose sight of her behind a building that she flew over. As we start our long walk in the direction we last saw Minerva, I realize its almost dusk. We are done hunting one way or the other. I'm also hungry and I know my daughter is too. As I round the corner of the building visually scanning every possible perching point for birds, I realize there is a hawk on a light pole right in front of me and its shaking its disheveled feathers off. Whew! I found her. But why did she come all the way over here to this building? Wait… That's not _my_ hawk. That's a wild bird with no bracelets or jesses. So where is Minerva. The disheveled adult bird is staring hard over at the nearby building. I follow the gaze, and there is Minerva eating this bird's catch. As the sun begins to set.
> 
> Now go back and look at the pic. See how she's looking off in the distance, up high, not at the ground where rabbits would be… That my friends is what we call a clue. Its a clue I missed until long after the fact. A more seasoned falconer would probably have caught that.
> 
> So its dusk, my bird is up on a building, out of reach, cropping up on this other hapless bird's meal, and I've got a starving 10 year old and a wife calling to see where we are and when we're coming home. Sh*t! This is not good. Nothing to do but wait for her to finish and then call her down like usual. She finishes eating, and I give her a few minutes to settle in and relax after her meal. Its dark now, but were are right under a street light, and being the prepared-for-antything kind of guy I am, I've got a flashlight _and_ a headlamp with fresh batteries. I hold up my fist with a tasty morsel and spot light it with the light and… No dice. Tossing the food on the ground ALWAYS works, right? Nope. Not tonight. Alright… time to pull out the "big guns". I carry a thawed rabbit leg with me to trade her off of any rabbits that she catches. I pull out this whole rabbit leg. I'm about 20 feet away from the bird waving this giant bloody rabbit leg and calling her. She glances at it and them promptly looks away without a care. Okay. If that's how she wants to play it… Out comes the show stopper. I pull out the rabbit lure and attach the rabbit leg to it. My daughter runs this lure for Minerva several times a week and the bird loves it. Ava takes off at full speed. Minerva looks at the lure, thinks about going for it, and then does nothing. Settles back in and rouses her feathers. She's good for the night and settling in. Its about 9 o'clock now. Security for the strip mall showed up, watched us for about 20 minutes and then left. I'm starving, my daughter is crying, wife is pissed, and the bird is sitting on a building, not more than 10 feet away form me, and I can't do a darn thing about any of it. I circle the building looking for a way to get on the roof, but these new modern buildings put the roof access INSIDE the building to thwart people like me who want to get on the roof and have no business there.
> 
> What to do? Hmm… Gotta get creative. The ledge where Minerva is sitting is only about 10 feet off the ground. If I had a 6' ladder, I could reach her. But I don't. OOOHHHhhh! I have an idea! I'll toss the baited lure up to her. If I land it two or three feet away, she won't be able to resist the free food, even though she's already got a full crop. You remember the day I caught her, right? If she binds to the lure like usual, I can use the string to gently pull the greedy bird off the roof and catch her and the lure on the way down. Not ideal, and certainly not how it is supposed to be done, but desperate times call for desperate measures. So I pull out the lure, bait it up and I look up to spot where I want to toss it and… Minerva flies off into the night before I even do anything. What? They aren't supposed to fly at night.
> 
> She flies to a lamp post across the street, just like the one in the picture above. I can see her silhouette, but since I'm looking straight into the light, I can't see much else. I'm right in the light now, so I do the dance with the rabbit leg drop, and the lure and all that. After about three minutes on the pole, she takes off again and flies around the back of the strip mall building.
> 
> Great. Perfect. Just what we needed. Thinking I've really lost her now, me and Ava begin walking around the building to get back to the van and pull out the telemetry device. Who knows where she's gone now? As we round the corner into the parking lot, there is Minerva sitting in a small landscaping tree. This is a new plaza, so the trees are all young and immature. Too thin to climb. I walk up to the tree and she's only about 2 feet farther up than my reach. I look for a trash can or something to stand on… Nothing. So frustrating. She looks a little worried, so I'm afraid she'll bolt again. The only thing I can think of to stand on is my van. So I back it right up to the curb and climb on top, trying desperately to not scare the bird into flight again. I walk as far as I can on the buckling roof of my van, and I'm at eye level with her now, but I just can't quite reach her. She's about 2 or there feet beyond me reach and she won't come to the food or lure. I climb back down and I'm going to back the van up the curb and onto the side walk. I'm expecting the police to show up any minute: "Hahaha… Hi Officer. Just doing a little falconry with my car on the side walk, in the dark, after the season has now officially ended, with my crying daughter…" Luckily, the popo had better things to do that night. Then I started thinking: "Man. I wish the popo _would_ show up. I'm out here after dark with my kid and I can't leave without the bird…".
> 
> Now I don't want to scare the bird, so I slowly back the rear tires right up to the curb and then gun it to get up onto the sidewalk. No such luck. The tires just start spinning and smoking, and making all sorts of racket. The bird is just 10 feet away form all this non-sense, but she stays put. So I pull forward a couple of feet and I make a run at it hoping the momentum will carry me up onto the curb. It does, and then I have to slam on the brakes so I don't back right into the little tree she's on. Once again I climb onto the roof of the van and slowly walk back to the bird in the tree. I just now she's going to take off any minute, but she doesn't. I reach right out and grab a jess, and then ease her onto my fist. She seems pretty relaxed about the whole thing and happy to be on the glove again. I'm so hooped up on adrenaline that my knees are shaking and I'm about to collapse. Thinking quickly, I attach the long leash to her jesses, so that if I fall off the roof she won't be able to fly away again. I successfully climb down, get her in her transport box, and nearly collapse from the excitement.
> 
> Our story has a happy ending. Everyone goes home safe with a great story to tell. Or maybe its an awful story, but its a story none the less. Me and the daughter head to In N Out for a 10 o'clock burger and that is how we ended the season.


Sorry, I have to laugh. I can just picture the whole scene. Not funny for your daughter and wife, but funny none the less. Minerva is certainly giving you a run for your money. At least you are being trained well by her. She probably thought to herself, it's the end of the season and there is just one more hunting tip/training that I need to get in.....I bet you learned a really good lesson that night.


----------



## CarolM

This has been totally facinating (and this is the second time I have read it, for some reason though I somehow or other missed the first 5 pages). And you have a gift with your ability to put it all down in writing. Don't forget to share with us the release please - you know for the final of the current series season "Minerva". It has really been an entertaining and very interesting read. Thank you.


----------



## Tom

I haven't gotten around to updating this thread…

My daughter and I drove out to the area where I caught Minerva on a Saturday morning about a month ago. Minerva's weight was way up and I fed her a thawed mouse with a dose of Ivermectin injected into it, and a quail. She was pretty fat and happy for the ride. As we drove out to the site, there were no other raptors for miles. Her territory is apparently still uninhabited.

When we arrived, it was cool with a light breeze from the west. I carefully cut the bracelets off:



After cutting everything off, I stepped over and faced her into the wind and raised her up on my glove giving her the option and cue to take off, as I have so many times before. She paused, looked at me, and then took off into the wind. She circled around for a bit and then decided to go land on a post in the middle of the field near her former territory. We walked through the field and little critters scurried about as we approached Minerva on her perch. Two jackrabbits jumped up too, but she showed no interest in her fattened and full state.

We stood with her for a while and she seemed pretty content. We took a few pics and said our good byes before walking away.






She seemed very relaxed and content. This was the last view I had of her before we walked away… or was it?

About a week later I had a job out that way and after I wrapped I drove over to this area again. For miles I saw no raptors, until, about a half mile from the release point, I saw one large red tail hawk sitting up on a telephone pole in Minerva's usual fashion. I passed by and then passed the release point and drove a few more miles. No other raptors anywhere. I flipped a U-turn and went back to the one I saw. The bird showed no reaction to passing cars, but as I rolled up with my window rolled down me and the bird made eye contact and she took off into the fading twilight before I could snap a pic. I can't be 100% sure, but I'm fairly certain that was her.

I'll be out that way again in October when its time to get a new bird and I'll see if I can find her again. Farewell Minerva. Thanks for all the lessons.


----------



## Jay Bagley

She really is a beautiful bird.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> I haven't gotten around to updating this thread…
> 
> My daughter and I drove out to the area where I caught Minerva on a Saturday morning about a month ago. Minerva's weight was way up and I fed her a thawed mouse with a dose of Ivermectin injected into it, and a quail. She was pretty fat and happy for the ride. As we drove out to the site, there were no other raptors for miles. Her territory is apparently still uninhabited.
> 
> When we arrived, it was cool with a light breeze from the west. I carefully cut the bracelets off:
> View attachment 239277
> 
> 
> After cutting everything off, I stepped over and faced her into the wind and raised her up on my glove giving her the option and cue to take off, as I have so many times before. She paused, looked at me, and then took off into the wind. She circled around for a bit and then decided to go land on a post in the middle of the field near her former territory. We walked through the field and little critters scurried about as we approached Minerva on her perch. Two jackrabbits jumped up too, but she showed no interest in her fattened and full state.
> 
> We stood with her for a while and she seemed pretty content. We took a few pics and said our good byes before walking away.
> View attachment 239278
> 
> 
> View attachment 239279
> 
> 
> She seemed very relaxed and content. This was the last view I had of her before we walked away… or was it?
> 
> About a week later I had a job out that way and after I wrapped I drove over to this area again. For miles I saw no raptors, until, about a half mile from the release point, I saw one large red tail hawk sitting up on a telephone pole in Minerva's usual fashion. I passed by and then passed the release point and drove a few more miles. No other raptors anywhere. I flipped a U-turn and went back to the one I saw. The bird showed no reaction to passing cars, but as I rolled up with my window rolled down me and the bird made eye contact and she took off into the fading twilight before I could snap a pic. I can't be 100% sure, but I'm fairly certain that was her.
> 
> I'll be out that way again in October when its time to get a new bird and I'll see if I can find her again. Farewell Minerva. Thanks for all the lessons.


Thank you for the update. I actually feel quite sad and happy for Minerva. She is quite stunning and will more than likely be the closest I get to a bird as beautiful as she is.....That is until October when you get your new bird. Really looking forward to reading your new chapters and the adventures/ lessons you will have with a new one.


----------



## mrnewberry

She made it through her first winter. Hopefully that is a big enough boost to help her make it through her second.


----------



## Tom

mrnewberry said:


> She made it through her first winter. Hopefully that is a big enough boost to help her make it through her second.


This one is a survivor. I've got no doubt she'll be fine.


----------



## Toddrickfl1

Not sure if these are Hawks or Falcons but they've been circling around my backyard all morning. The screeching you here is them. (My Camera is not the greatest)


----------



## Yvonne G

Probably buzzards. Hawks and falcons are solitary hunters, but buzzards fly in groups.


----------



## Toddrickfl1

Yvonne G said:


> Probably buzzards. Hawks and falcons are solitary hunters, but buzzards fly in groups.


Ya your probably right I didn't think of that we do have a lot of buzzards around here.


----------



## Tom

Toddrickfl1 said:


> Not sure if these are Hawks or Falcons but they've been circling around my backyard all morning. The screeching you here is them. (My Camera is not the greatest)



I don't recognize that screech, so I don't think they are red tails, but this is the time of year when mated adult pairs are raising their babies. The babies are now fledging and just learning to fly, so seeing a group of 3-5 hawks this time of year would be normal. In another couple of months, the parents will kick their babies out of their territory.

I can't make out what those are. You have those black vultures back there which are a little smaller than our turkey vultures here, and not as recognizable from a distance. I think the wing outline looks more hawkish in your video, but I can't be sure.


----------



## Maro2Bear

From those sounds, I’d say hawks. We have many of those in our MD area as well - same shreaks. The turkey vultures don’t make calls like that.


----------



## mrnewberry

Toddrickfl1 said:


> Not sure if these are Hawks or Falcons but they've been circling around my backyard all morning. The screeching you here is them. (My Camera is not the greatest)


 
I would guess red shouldered hawks.


----------



## Loni

wellington said:


> View attachment 163634
> 
> Back of one of them, right side of pic, sitting on my fence.
> Btw, I don't think they like squab (pigeon) The city brought the Falcons in to help with the pigeon over population. It hasn't worked, that was in the 80's they brought them in and the pigeon population has not seem to fallen at all.


If the population hasn't tripled, it probably is working...


----------



## wccmog10

Apparently there are some other falconers on this forum (@Tom and @mrnewberry)- which is awesome. I am a falconer also. Currently my wife (who is also a falconer) and I have a redtailed hawk and a M/F cast of harris hawks. The hawks in the video are- no questions asked- red shouldered hawks. That call is a dead give away. 

-Wade


----------



## Toddrickfl1

wccmog10 said:


> Apparently there are some other falconers on this forum (@Tom and @mrnewberry)- which is awesome. I am a falconer also. Currently my wife (who is also a falconer) and I have a redtailed hawk and a M/F cast of harris hawks. The hawks in the video are- no questions asked- red shouldered hawks. That call is a dead give away.
> 
> -Wade


They hung out flying around the area of my backyard for about a week. Haven't seen em since.


----------



## wccmog10

Tom said:


> My daughter names most of my animals anymore. She liked the movie and given the physical traits and habits of a hawk, she thought Toothless suited our new friend very well.
> 
> Who am I to argue?



Toothless is a great name. So great that our Harris hawks are named Toothless and Hiccup, and our red-tailed hawk is named Astrid . I really liked the movie- and the principles that hiccup uses (although hiccup is unknowingly using them) to train toothless are similar to those used in falconry. I also do education with birds of prey, in addition to our falconry birds we have a great horned owl, eastern screech owl, and Mississippi kite that are education only- and the "How to train your dragon" references always works well with kids when I am telling them about how to train a hawk.

-Wade

PS- sorry to hear you lost your first bird to asper- it happens sometimes. One thing you will learn about falconry is that the highs are really high, and the lows are really low. You have to want to be a falconer real bad- because there will come a time when it will try to rip your heart out. Loosing a bird- especially as early on as you did- is really hard to handle. I am enjoying the read @Tom, someday we will have to speak over the phone a bit- seems we are both into leopard tortoises and hawks


----------



## wccmog10

@Tom, I must say- for an apprentice and someone with very little experience (keep in mind I just read this thread from the beginning- when I "started" you were new to falconry- now you have some years under your belt)- you have done a very good job of portraying the sport, and come to some of the same conclusions that I have over the years. The biggest is realizing that falconry is a lifestyle choice. If you have read my few posts on here, by now you know we have 6 birds of prey at home (we also have 30ish herps). Our lives revolve around these guys all year long. If your are up for it- I do have a recommendation for your future seasons. A cast of Harris hawks has been amazing. My wife and I have had them for two seasons. When I started falconry back in 2008 I never thought I would become a Harris hawker. After two seasons with these birds I regret not doing it sooner. You (and everyone reading this thread) have come to witness the awesomeness that is watching a hawk hunt. So now imagine doing it with more than one bird at the same time. Watching these two birds hunt together has been some of the most fun I have had in falconry. Don't get me wrong- any bird you get you will have tons of fun, but this HH cast has been so cool. Ill have to find some photos and start a new thread.

-Wade



This is Hiccup, he is apparently very interested in what ever my wife is doing.



This is Toothless.


----------



## mrnewberry

wccmog10 said:


> @Tom, I must say- for an apprentice and someone with very little experience (keep in mind I just read this thread from the beginning- when I "started" you were new to falconry- now you have some years under your belt)- you have done a very good job of portraying the sport, and come to some of the same conclusions that I have over the years. The biggest is realizing that falconry is a lifestyle choice. If you have read my few posts on here, by now you know we have 6 birds of prey at home (we also have 30ish herps). Our lives revolve around these guys all year long. If your are up for it- I do have a recommendation for your future seasons. A cast of Harris hawks has been amazing. My wife and I have had them for two seasons. When I started falconry back in 2008 I never thought I would become a Harris hawker. After two seasons with these birds I regret not doing it sooner. You (and everyone reading this thread) have come to witness the awesomeness that is watching a hawk hunt. So now imagine doing it with more than one bird at the same time. Watching these two birds hunt together has been some of the most fun I have had in falconry. Don't get me wrong- any bird you get you will have tons of fun, but this HH cast has been so cool. Ill have to find some photos and start a new thread.
> 
> -Wade
> 
> View attachment 244558
> 
> This is Hiccup, he is apparently very interested in what ever my wife is doing.
> 
> View attachment 244559
> 
> This is Toothless.



Harris Hawks are so cool. I have done kestrels the past few years. But, one of these days the right situation may pop up and I don’t think it would be hard to tempt me into a Harris hawk. They do seem to be made for falconry.


----------



## wccmog10

mrnewberry said:


> Harris Hawks are so cool. I have done kestrels the past few years. But, one of these days the right situation may pop up and I don’t think it would be hard to tempt me into a Harris hawk. They do seem to be made for falconry.



Yes they do seem to be made for falconry. Hard to believe that falconry has been around for thousands of years, but people didn't start flying Harris hawks until the 70s. Now they are the most common/popular falconry bird. I have never been to Europe, but it seems like they are the most common falconry bird there as well, probably in part because there is no wild take (at least the UK does not have wild take). If you have not read Harris hawk revolution, by Tom and Jennifer Coulson, I recommend it. It has tons of Harris hawk information. I am pretty sure that you can buy a copy directly from them- http://www.coulsonharrishawks.com/the-book.php. I think you can also get copy from the big suppliers (Western Sporting, Mike's Falconry, or Northwoods).


----------



## wccmog10

JoesMum said:


> She is beautiful. I would love to do something like this.





Tom said:


> Falconry is huge in the UK. I've heard of an outfit in Ireland that does a sort of "Falconry Tour" too. They let the public get some instruction and then actually handle and hunt with the birds. I don't know how far of a drive that would be, but it might be a neat way to get introduced to the amazing world of falconry.
> 
> I don't think you'd have any trouble finding a sponsor in your area. You'll be the best friend of every farmer in your area.



Falconry is big in the UK, but I wanted to point out- in case @JoesMum is still interested- that falconry in the UK is very different. Here in the states we have the apprenticeship program that @Tom has been telling us about. Our apprenticeship program is part of the federal and state regulations- you have to do it- you have no choice. In my opinion the program is very effective, but it can hinder people at times- if there are no falconers living near them or if no falconer is willing to sponsor them. Sponsoring an apprentice is a very time consuming endeavor, and sometimes people just don't want to take one on. The UK does not have this type of required program. Which means that in order to be a "falconer" all you need to do is go and buy yourself a bird (there is no wild take in the UK). The regulations and red tape that we have in the US is not something that you have to worry about so much in the UK- at least this is how I understand it to be. This means that there are lots of "falconers" in the UK that never hunt there birds. While I am not against keeping animals in captivity- provided that you do it properly- keeping a bird of prey as a pet does not make you a falconer. Falconry is keeping that bird and using it to hunt- which is very important distinction. In my opinion the hardest part about falconry is finding hunting locations. Finding hunting spots is a constant battle. I would imagine it to be very difficult to find hunting locations in the UK as well, this is what would make your falconry difficult in the UK.

-Wade

PS can you tell I like falconry? I have responded to this post several times today already...


----------



## CarolM

wccmog10 said:


> @Tom, I must say- for an apprentice and someone with very little experience (keep in mind I just read this thread from the beginning- when I "started" you were new to falconry- now you have some years under your belt)- you have done a very good job of portraying the sport, and come to some of the same conclusions that I have over the years. The biggest is realizing that falconry is a lifestyle choice. If you have read my few posts on here, by now you know we have 6 birds of prey at home (we also have 30ish herps). Our lives revolve around these guys all year long. If your are up for it- I do have a recommendation for your future seasons. A cast of Harris hawks has been amazing. My wife and I have had them for two seasons. When I started falconry back in 2008 I never thought I would become a Harris hawker. After two seasons with these birds I regret not doing it sooner. You (and everyone reading this thread) have come to witness the awesomeness that is watching a hawk hunt. So now imagine doing it with more than one bird at the same time. Watching these two birds hunt together has been some of the most fun I have had in falconry. Don't get me wrong- any bird you get you will have tons of fun, but this HH cast has been so cool. Ill have to find some photos and start a new thread.
> 
> -Wade
> 
> View attachment 244558
> 
> This is Hiccup, he is apparently very interested in what ever my wife is doing.
> 
> View attachment 244559
> 
> This is Toothless.


They are both very beautiful birds.


----------



## Tom

wccmog10 said:


> @Tom, I must say- for an apprentice and someone with very little experience (keep in mind I just read this thread from the beginning- when I "started" you were new to falconry- now you have some years under your belt)- you have done a very good job of portraying the sport, and come to some of the same conclusions that I have over the years. The biggest is realizing that falconry is a lifestyle choice. If you have read my few posts on here, by now you know we have 6 birds of prey at home (we also have 30ish herps). Our lives revolve around these guys all year long. If your are up for it- I do have a recommendation for your future seasons. A cast of Harris hawks has been amazing. My wife and I have had them for two seasons. When I started falconry back in 2008 I never thought I would become a Harris hawker. After two seasons with these birds I regret not doing it sooner. You (and everyone reading this thread) have come to witness the awesomeness that is watching a hawk hunt. So now imagine doing it with more than one bird at the same time. Watching these two birds hunt together has been some of the most fun I have had in falconry. Don't get me wrong- any bird you get you will have tons of fun, but this HH cast has been so cool. Ill have to find some photos and start a new thread.



I'm new to "falconry", but I've been flying other types of birds for years. There was, and still is, a lot to learn, but lucky for me, I wasn't starting completely from scratch.

A cast of Harris's hawks is definitely in my future, but I want to learn more before I take on that 30+ year commitment. I don't want to make any of the common beginner mistakes and create problems with a CB bird that can't be released. I intend to rescue a red tail each season for the next couple of years, and I'll tag along with the guys hunting with Harris's and Goshawks. Bob A. lives near me and has offered to let me come along. I don't know how it could get any better than that! That is also where I'll buy my birds when the time comes. Since I'm doing it alone, I also have to figure out if I want to start one bird at a time, or if I should start them both together. I want them to be social and be able to gang hunt at meets or with friends who also have them, so I've got some details to figure out before I jump in.

Great posts Wade. Thanks for chiming in. I agree a phone conversation seems inevitable.


----------



## Tom

CHAPTER 3: Chicken

It used to be that you had to wait until October 1st to trap. Now we can trap earlier if we want to. It takes about three to four weeks to get a bird ready to hunt when starting from scratch with a passage red tail. Since hunting season for cottontails starts on October 1st, NOW is the time to catch a new bird and get it started.

With that in mind, my little girl and I started early this morning. At our third prospective spot we found a good candidate. We put our trap down under a dark chested youngster and then drove off in the distance to watch and wait. I had seen a brilliant white chested hawk stoop at prey near this area on Thursday, and that is the one I was looking for, but I didn't see him this morning. Our targeted bird came down and landed near the trap after about five minutes, but it didn't engage. After about a minute, it decided to fly off and go land on a distant pole. I pulled out the spotting scope to get a better look at him and see what he was doing over there. I figured we could wait a while and maybe he'd decide to come back. As I was setting up the scope at out targeted bird in the distance, I noticed movement in the foreground down near the trap which was about a quarter mile away. I tipped the scope down and started snapping pics. It was the white chested one from a few days ago swooping down to the trap! These two must be clutch mates. Two passage birds in the same area? He landed about 5 feet away from the trap and considered his options for a minute. Then, while we watched through the spotting scope, he waddled over like a chicken and hopped onto the trap.






After less than a minute, I could see he was hooked up and we shot over there as quickly as we could. I jumped out and grabbed him with no drama. Unhooked him from the trap and gave a quick cursory exam. All looked good. Typical feather mite damage and sheep keds, but all good over all. Good meat on the keel, empty crop, clean clear eyes, minor scuffs on the feet, all flight feathers in great shape, beak, mouth and tongue all in good shape… A KEEPER!

Here is that ever-more-familiar fire breathing look:



As I was taught, we hooded him and gently wrapped him up in a towel for the ride home. Ever wonder how birds breathe? And reptiles too? This shot just before hooding shows the opening to the trachea on the back of the tongue:


That hole is where the air goes in and out and everything behind it is throat for swallowing food.





We got home and attached the pre-made bracelets and stylish new black grommets that I picked up, inserted jesses, attached a leash, dusted on some mite powder, and then I proceeded to try to get him to simply stand on the fist for a minute. This is not always easy and it can take some time for them to be willing to learn it or even try it. Nope. Two hours after capture, everyone, meet "Chicken" contentedly sitting on a gloved hand:



I didn't think he'd go for it, but I offered some water in a syringe and he drank like a pro! Weight was 992 which definitely confirms I've got a little male. After a rough morning for this little guy, I retired him to his hawk box for some peace and quiet for a little while.



I'm very excited about this season. I've been talking to all the experienced falconers I can find, and I think I've picked up a few tips to improve upon what I did with Minerva previously. I'm trying out some new tips to make things even more positive for the new guy and his associations with me and our hunting dog. I will also get to experience the personality differences between a big giant female and a little male. And an early season bird verses a late season bird.

Oh yeah… The dog... I've decided to retire Sophie from hunting. She's 10 years old now and I don't want to push her past the point of what she can handle. Meet Charlie:


He's very young, but if he's into rabbits, it will give me a good excuse to spend a lot of time with him and get him all trained up.


As usual, questions and conversation welcome!


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> CHAPTER 3: Chicken
> 
> It used to be that you had to wait until October 1st to trap. Now we can trap earlier if we want to. It takes about three to four weeks to get a bird ready to hunt when starting from scratch with a passage red tail. Since hunting season for cottontails starts on October 1st, NOW is the time to catch a new bird and get it started.
> 
> With that in mind, my little girl and I started early this morning. At our third prospective spot we found a good candidate. We put our trap down under a dark chested youngster and then drove off in the distance to watch and wait. I had seen a brilliant white chested hawk stoop at prey near this area on Thursday, and that is the one I was looking for, but I didn't see him this morning. Our targeted bird came down and landed near the trap after about five minutes, but it didn't engage. After about a minute, it decided to fly off and go land on a distant pole. I pulled out the spotting scope to get a better look at him and see what he was doing over there. I figured we could wait a while and maybe he'd decide to come back. As I was setting up the scope at out targeted bird in the distance, I noticed movement in the foreground down near the trap which was about a quarter mile away. I tipped the scope down and started snapping pics. It was the white chested one from a few days ago swooping down to the trap! These two must be clutch mates. Two passage birds in the same area? He landed about 5 feet away from the trap and considered his options for a minute. Then, while we watched through the spotting scope, he waddled over like a chicken and hopped onto the trap.
> View attachment 250164
> 
> 
> View attachment 250165
> 
> 
> After less than a minute, I could see he was hooked up and we shot over there as quickly as we could. I jumped out and grabbed him with no drama. Unhooked him from the trap and gave a quick cursory exam. All looked good. Typical feather mite damage and sheep keds, but all good over all. Good meat on the keel, empty crop, clean clear eyes, minor scuffs on the feet, all flight feathers in great shape, beak, mouth and tongue all in good shape… A KEEPER!
> 
> Here is that ever-more-familiar fire breathing look:
> View attachment 250166
> 
> 
> As I was taught, we hooded him and gently wrapped him up in a towel for the ride home. Ever wonder how birds breathe? And reptiles too? This shot just before hooding shows the opening to the trachea on the back of the tongue:
> View attachment 250167
> 
> That hole is where the air goes in and out and everything behind it is throat for swallowing food.
> 
> 
> View attachment 250168
> 
> 
> We got home and attached the pre-made bracelets and stylish new black grommets that I picked up, inserted jesses, attached a leash, dusted on some mite powder, and then I proceeded to try to get him to simply stand on the fist for a minute. This is not always easy and it can take some time for them to be willing to learn it or even try it. Nope. Two hours after capture, everyone, meet "Chicken" contentedly sitting on a gloved hand:
> View attachment 250169
> 
> 
> I didn't think he'd go for it, but I offered some water in a syringe and he drank like a pro! Weight was 992 which definitely confirms I've got a little male. After a rough morning for this little guy, I retired him to his hawk box for some peace and quiet for a little while.
> View attachment 250170
> 
> 
> I'm very excited about this season. I've been talking to all the experienced falconers I can find, and I think I've picked up a few tips to improve upon what I did with Minerva previously. I'm trying out some new tips to make things even more positive for the new guy and his associations with me and our hunting dog. I will also get to experience the personality differences between a big giant female and a little male. And an early season bird verses a late season bird.
> 
> Oh yeah… The dog... I've decided to retire Sophie from hunting. She's 10 years old now and I don't want to push her past the point of what she can handle. Meet Charlie:
> View attachment 250171
> 
> He's very young, but if he's into rabbits, it will give me a good excuse to spend a lot of time with him and get him all trained up.
> 
> 
> As usual, questions and conversation welcome!



WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [emoji2][emoji1][emoji2][emoji1]
I loveLoveLOVE your falconry posts, Tom!!!!!!!! [emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji2]

I think his name is hilarious!!
Who named him: you or your daughter?[emoji2][emoji2][emoji2][emoji2][emoji173]️


----------



## Reptilony

Hmm...can someone explain me what's going on here? Tom catches birds and they help him for hunting??


----------



## Tom

Reptilony said:


> Hmm...can someone explain me what's going on here? Tom catches birds and they help him for hunting??


The best explanation is the first few pages of this thread. 

Falconry. Basically I'm rescuing young red tail hawks from a slow painful death and making them into SUPER birds for re-release.


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> I think his name is hilarious!!
> Who named him: you or your daughter?



Oh c'mon… Who do you think names all the animals? She's very good at it. I smiled as soon as she said it though.


----------



## Reptilony

Tom said:


> The best explanation is the first few pages of this thread.
> 
> Falconry. Basically I'm rescuing young red tail hawks from a slow painful death and making them into SUPER birds for re-release.


Ok I already read quite a bit but still don't get it. Why would they die from a painfull death? So you don't hunt with them at your side?


----------



## TriciaStringer

Can't wait to follow along.


----------



## Tom

Reptilony said:


> Ok I already read quite a bit but still don't get it. Why would they die from a painfull death? So you don't hunt with them at your side?


Short version is that about 5 out of 100 live to see their first birthday according to FWS studies. The 5 that survive barely make it and they are full of parasites and diseases. Life in the wild is hard. My last one had 3 types of ecto-parasites 2 types internal worms and coccidia. My avian vet said the coccidia would have probably killed her if I hadn't captured her.

When they get caught by a falconer we cure their diseases, get rid of all the parasites, and we give them way more hunting opportunities than a wild one could ever get. When they fail to catch game, the wild one goes hungry while the falconry bird still get the correct amount of nutritious food.

Red tails are slow flyers and they need gravity to help them accelerate up to speed to catch prey. The typical way to hunt with a red tail is to send them up to a perch and flush rabbit under them. As the falconer walks, the bird should follow along moving from perch to perch to be in a good position if game jumps up near the falconer. A more advanced hunting technique is to get the bird "waiting on". Essentially this means they soar above you in a big circle and they hunt from the sky instead of a perch. Their stooping speed when hunting from a soar rivals that of a falcon. Its fast.

So yes, we hunt, but no she's not really by my side.

After a hunting season or two, we release the bird back to where we caught it free of diseases, well hydrated, well fed, parasite free, hunting skills honed, and in excellent condition.


----------



## mrnewberry

Let the fun begin!


----------



## wellington

Nice pics, specially of the inside of mouth, interesting. 
Glad you got the one you wanted. Love the name. 
Can't wait for more of Chickens story. Lots of pics too.


----------



## KarenSoCal

Oh boy! We have Tex, and now we have Chicken to hear about! Exciting! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these threads!


----------



## KarenSoCal

I remember that you saw Minerva once after release...have you ever seen her since that time?


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> I remember that you saw Minerva once after release...have you ever seen her since that time?


I went out there a week ago, but it was windy, 100 degrees and mid day. No birds of any kind were visible. All hiding from the mid day sun.


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom said:


> I went out there a week ago, but it was windy, 100 degrees and mid day. No birds of any kind were visible. All hiding from the mid day sun.


I hope you see her again. That would be rewarding.


----------



## wccmog10

Way to go Tom! A new bird is always a ton of fun. It sounds like you caught this one your first morning out- that’s amazing. I’ve never managed to do that. I’m looking forward to hearing how training progresses and your season shapes up. Keep us all updated!


----------



## Tom

wccmog10 said:


> Way to go Tom! A new bird is always a ton of fun. It sounds like you caught this one your first morning out- that’s amazing. I’ve never managed to do that. I’m looking forward to hearing how training progresses and your season shapes up. Keep us all updated!


Not just first morning, first trap set. Certainly not the norm for me either! We were driving home, bird in hand, at 8am! That was a first for me.


----------



## wccmog10

Tom said:


> Since I'm doing it alone, I also have to figure out if I want to start one bird at a time, or if I should start them both together. I want them to be social and be able to gang hunt at meets or with friends who also have them, so I've got some details to figure out before I jump in.



If you want to hunt a cast- best thing to do is get 2 birds at once. The first year is the most important for socializing and learning to hunt in a team. Sometimes if they don’t get to hunt in a group the first year they never figure it out. If there are harris hawkers near you, then you could try and hunt your bird with theirs- and only get a single bird. If it were me- I would just jump in and get two right off the bat (when the time comes). You say you are alone, but I see your daughter there participating. So you will have an extra set of eyes. Which is good to have when you first start with more than one bird up in the air. It also sounds like you would be hunting rabbits almost exclusively- from what I have heard that is a bit easier with a cast of harris hawks because the size of the prey. Here in GA we hunt squirrels- so there isn’t as much square footage for the birds to share wine they are both on the kill at the same time. Which is a situation where fights *can* break out. but once the birds learn the game they usually get along pretty good. I’ve had it where the female has the squirrel and the male just stands next to her hoping he earned a treat also. And even if he doesn’t have his feet on the kill- as long as he helped- he still gets his treat. Long story short- once there is a routine in place, a single falconer can hunt several harris hawks at once, so don’t let it scare you. To me the hardest and most important part is the trade off. I don’t want the two birds to fight over the same small piece of meet. And if either one of them thinks the other has a piece of food- that’s when they could fight.


----------



## wccmog10

Tom said:


> Not just first morning, first trap set. Certainly not the norm for me either! We were driving home, bird in hand, at 8am! That was a first for me.


Well- it is nice to beat the heat. That is way cool.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> CHAPTER 3: Chicken
> 
> It used to be that you had to wait until October 1st to trap. Now we can trap earlier if we want to. It takes about three to four weeks to get a bird ready to hunt when starting from scratch with a passage red tail. Since hunting season for cottontails starts on October 1st, NOW is the time to catch a new bird and get it started.
> 
> With that in mind, my little girl and I started early this morning. At our third prospective spot we found a good candidate. We put our trap down under a dark chested youngster and then drove off in the distance to watch and wait. I had seen a brilliant white chested hawk stoop at prey near this area on Thursday, and that is the one I was looking for, but I didn't see him this morning. Our targeted bird came down and landed near the trap after about five minutes, but it didn't engage. After about a minute, it decided to fly off and go land on a distant pole. I pulled out the spotting scope to get a better look at him and see what he was doing over there. I figured we could wait a while and maybe he'd decide to come back. As I was setting up the scope at out targeted bird in the distance, I noticed movement in the foreground down near the trap which was about a quarter mile away. I tipped the scope down and started snapping pics. It was the white chested one from a few days ago swooping down to the trap! These two must be clutch mates. Two passage birds in the same area? He landed about 5 feet away from the trap and considered his options for a minute. Then, while we watched through the spotting scope, he waddled over like a chicken and hopped onto the trap.
> View attachment 250164
> 
> 
> View attachment 250165
> 
> 
> After less than a minute, I could see he was hooked up and we shot over there as quickly as we could. I jumped out and grabbed him with no drama. Unhooked him from the trap and gave a quick cursory exam. All looked good. Typical feather mite damage and sheep keds, but all good over all. Good meat on the keel, empty crop, clean clear eyes, minor scuffs on the feet, all flight feathers in great shape, beak, mouth and tongue all in good shape… A KEEPER!
> 
> Here is that ever-more-familiar fire breathing look:
> View attachment 250166
> 
> 
> As I was taught, we hooded him and gently wrapped him up in a towel for the ride home. Ever wonder how birds breathe? And reptiles too? This shot just before hooding shows the opening to the trachea on the back of the tongue:
> View attachment 250167
> 
> That hole is where the air goes in and out and everything behind it is throat for swallowing food.
> 
> 
> View attachment 250168
> 
> 
> We got home and attached the pre-made bracelets and stylish new black grommets that I picked up, inserted jesses, attached a leash, dusted on some mite powder, and then I proceeded to try to get him to simply stand on the fist for a minute. This is not always easy and it can take some time for them to be willing to learn it or even try it. Nope. Two hours after capture, everyone, meet "Chicken" contentedly sitting on a gloved hand:
> View attachment 250169
> 
> 
> I didn't think he'd go for it, but I offered some water in a syringe and he drank like a pro! Weight was 992 which definitely confirms I've got a little male. After a rough morning for this little guy, I retired him to his hawk box for some peace and quiet for a little while.
> View attachment 250170
> 
> 
> I'm very excited about this season. I've been talking to all the experienced falconers I can find, and I think I've picked up a few tips to improve upon what I did with Minerva previously. I'm trying out some new tips to make things even more positive for the new guy and his associations with me and our hunting dog. I will also get to experience the personality differences between a big giant female and a little male. And an early season bird verses a late season bird.
> 
> Oh yeah… The dog... I've decided to retire Sophie from hunting. She's 10 years old now and I don't want to push her past the point of what she can handle. Meet Charlie:
> View attachment 250171
> 
> He's very young, but if he's into rabbits, it will give me a good excuse to spend a lot of time with him and get him all trained up.
> 
> 
> As usual, questions and conversation welcome!


Congratulations. Can't wait for the updates. He is gorgeous by the way.


----------



## Tom

This story is over before it began. Found him dead Monday morning two days after capture. Awaiting necropsy results.

A master falconer friend suspects acute poisoning because of the timeframe. Suggesting the hawk ate a poisoned rat or gopher or something just before capture.

Heartbreaking, but it illustrates that fact that they aren't kidding when they say only 5 out of 100 make it to their first birthday. Sometimes we just can't save them, try as we might.

This illustrates another difficult element of falconry. Our birds die sometimes. Hunting out in the field is risky business. They can get electrocuted by landing on the wrong pole, hit by cars, break themselves on wires or fences while chasing game, grabbed by eagles or great horned owls, bitten or kicked by their prey, they can catch an assortment of fatal diseases, and they can get poisoned by eating the wrong thing. I went two years with Minerva and avoided all mishaps of this nature, but I've heard a number of horror stories.

I will find out exactly what the COD was on Chicken and learn whatever I can from it. He will be fondly remembered even tough he was only with me a short time.

Back to square one.


----------



## wccmog10

Sorry to hear that- but it does happen. Best thing is to do not let it discourage you and, like you said, go back to square one. More than likely it was nothing you did. I would be interested to know any necropsy results you get.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> This story is over before it began. Found him dead Monday morning two days after capture. Awaiting necropsy results.
> 
> A master falconer friend suspects acute poisoning because of the timeframe. Suggesting the hawk ate a poisoned rat or gopher or something just before capture.
> 
> Heartbreaking, but it illustrates that fact that they aren't kidding when they say only 5 out of 100 make it to their first birthday. Sometimes we just can't save them, try as we might.
> 
> This illustrates another difficult element of falconry. Our birds die sometimes. Hunting out in the field is risky business. They can get electrocuted by landing on the wrong pole, hit by cars, break themselves on wires or fences while chasing game, grabbed by eagles or great horned owls, bitten or kicked by their prey, they can catch an assortment of fatal diseases, and they can get poisoned by eating the wrong thing. I went two years with Minerva and avoided all mishaps of this nature, but I've heard a number of horror stories.
> 
> I will find out exactly what the COD was on Chicken and learn whatever I can from it. He will be fondly remembered even tough he was only with me a short time.
> 
> Back to square one.


Oh no. That is really sad. So sorry Tom.


----------



## KarenSoCal

Oh Tom, what a shock that must have been! [emoji22] I am heartbroken for you and your daughter, but know you will get another bird and have a wonderful time with him.


----------



## JoesMum

Tom said:


> Short version is that about 5 out of 100 live to see their first birthday according to FWS studies. The 5 that survive barely make it and they are full of parasites and diseases. Life in the wild is hard. My last one had 3 types of ecto-parasites 2 types internal worms and coccidia. My avian vet said the coccidia would have probably killed her if I hadn't captured her.
> 
> When they get caught by a falconer we cure their diseases, get rid of all the parasites, and we give them way more hunting opportunities than a wild one could ever get. When they fail to catch game, the wild one goes hungry while the falconry bird still get the correct amount of nutritious food.
> 
> Red tails are slow flyers and they need gravity to help them accelerate up to speed to catch prey. The typical way to hunt with a red tail is to send them up to a perch and flush rabbit under them. As the falconer walks, the bird should follow along moving from perch to perch to be in a good position if game jumps up near the falconer. A more advanced hunting technique is to get the bird "waiting on". Essentially this means they soar above you in a big circle and they hunt from the sky instead of a perch. Their stooping speed when hunting from a soar rivals that of a falcon. Its fast.
> 
> So yes, we hunt, but no she's not really by my side.
> 
> After a hunting season or two, we release the bird back to where we caught it free of diseases, well hydrated, well fed, parasite free, hunting skills honed, and in excellent condition.



Fascinating. 

Here in the UK, you would be prosecuted fir taking a bird from the wild. The law is very different here


----------



## JoesMum

Tom said:


> This story is over before it began. Found him dead Monday morning two days after capture. Awaiting necropsy results.
> 
> A master falconer friend suspects acute poisoning because of the timeframe. Suggesting the hawk ate a poisoned rat or gopher or something just before capture.
> 
> Heartbreaking, but it illustrates that fact that they aren't kidding when they say only 5 out of 100 make it to their first birthday. Sometimes we just can't save them, try as we might.
> 
> This illustrates another difficult element of falconry. Our birds die sometimes. Hunting out in the field is risky business. They can get electrocuted by landing on the wrong pole, hit by cars, break themselves on wires or fences while chasing game, grabbed by eagles or great horned owls, bitten or kicked by their prey, they can catch an assortment of fatal diseases, and they can get poisoned by eating the wrong thing. I went two years with Minerva and avoided all mishaps of this nature, but I've heard a number of horror stories.
> 
> I will find out exactly what the COD was on Chicken and learn whatever I can from it. He will be fondly remembered even tough he was only with me a short time.
> 
> Back to square one.



How devastating! That’s awful


----------



## Tom

JoesMum said:


> Fascinating.
> 
> Here in the UK, you would be prosecuted for taking a bird from the wild. The law is very different here


Same here, if you don't have the proper licensing. There are a ridiculous amount of hoops to jump through and government fees to pay, plus a 2 year supervised apprenticeship, _before_ they will license a person to do this.

Out of a population of roughly 40 million people in this state, there are only about 200 licensed falconers. Only about 2000 licensed falconers in the entire country of 350 million people.

I'm sure there is a similar licensing process in the UK, but I can't say I know the details.


----------



## wccmog10

JoesMum said:


> Fascinating.
> 
> Here in the UK, you would be prosecuted fir taking a bird from the wild. The law is very different here





Tom said:


> Same here, if you don't have the proper licensing. There are a ridiculous amount of hoops to jump through and government fees to pay, plus a 2 year supervised apprenticeship, _before_ they will license a person to do this.
> 
> Out of a population of roughly 40 million people in this state, there are only about 200 licensed falconers. Only about 2000 licensed falconers in the entire country of 350 million people.
> 
> I'm sure there is a similar licensing process in the UK, but I can't say I know the details.



The rules and regulations are very different in the UK (and the rest of Europe) than they are here in the US. In the US we have the apprenticeship program. There is no apprenticeship in Europe. My understanding is that there is no real permitting for falconry. But there is no wild take- so all birds used in falconry are captive bred. The stigmatism is that there are more “pet keepers” because of the lacisasical permitting- but I have no proof of this. “Pet keepers” being people who just have birds of prey as a pet and not hunting it. The key part of falconry is hunting, not just keeping a bird of prey at home. I don’t think it is a bad thing for people to have birds of prey as “pets” (provided they have good husbandry and the bird is captive bred or nonreleasable in some way)- but it is not falconry unless you actually hunt with your bird. Some people may not see the distinction, but in my opinion that is a very big part of the equation.


----------



## wccmog10

wccmog10 said:


> The rules and regulations are very different in the UK (and the rest of Europe) than they are here in the US. In the US we have the apprenticeship program. There is no apprenticeship in Europe. My understanding is that there is no real permitting for falconry. But there is no wild take- so all birds used in falconry are captive bred. The stigmatism is that there are more “pet keepers” because of the lacisasical permitting- but I have no proof of this. “Pet keepers” being people who just have birds of prey as a pet and not hunting it. The key part of falconry is hunting, not just keeping a bird of prey at home. I don’t think it is a bad thing for people to have birds of prey as “pets” (provided they have good husbandry and the bird is captive bred or nonreleasable in some way)- but it is not falconry unless you actually hunt with your bird. Some people may not see the distinction, but in my opinion that is a very big part of the equation.



You probably do need some sort of hunting liscense like we do here in the US. But I do not think that liscense is specific to falconry. It is also harder to find hunting land over there- there is very little public hunting land- and I think that is where the aristocracy history part of falconry stems from.


----------



## JoesMum

wccmog10 said:


> You probably do need some sort of hunting liscense like we do here in the US. But I do not think that liscense is specific to falconry. It is also harder to find hunting land over there- there is very little public hunting land- and I think that is where the aristocracy history part of falconry stems from.



There’s very little land full stop. Great Britain as an island has fewer acres per head of population than many (most?) countries in the world - I live on a very crowded island ... but I still love it


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> This story is over before it began. Found him dead Monday morning two days after capture. Awaiting necropsy results.
> 
> A master falconer friend suspects acute poisoning because of the timeframe. Suggesting the hawk ate a poisoned rat or gopher or something just before capture.
> 
> Heartbreaking, but it illustrates that fact that they aren't kidding when they say only 5 out of 100 make it to their first birthday. Sometimes we just can't save them, try as we might.
> 
> This illustrates another difficult element of falconry. Our birds die sometimes. Hunting out in the field is risky business. They can get electrocuted by landing on the wrong pole, hit by cars, break themselves on wires or fences while chasing game, grabbed by eagles or great horned owls, bitten or kicked by their prey, they can catch an assortment of fatal diseases, and they can get poisoned by eating the wrong thing. I went two years with Minerva and avoided all mishaps of this nature, but I've heard a number of horror stories.
> 
> I will find out exactly what the COD was on Chicken and learn whatever I can from it. He will be fondly remembered even tough he was only with me a short time.
> 
> Back to square one.


NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Oh, Tom- I'm so sorry.


----------



## Moozillion

Are you going to get another one this season?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Are you going to get another one this season?


Absolutely! Looking right now. Trying to find one in a non-farming area. Less risk of pesticidal poisoning or secondary rodent poisons. Most of them congregate around all the farming areas around here. They are harder to find out in the desert during this hot weather, but I'm looking.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Absolutely! Looking right now. Trying to find one in a non-farming area. Less risk of pesticidal poisoning or secondary rodent poisons. Most of them congregate around all the farming areas around here. They are harder to find out in the desert during this hot weather, but I'm looking.


GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!


----------



## Tom

People who've met me personally tend to understand my off sense of humor a little better, but for those who haven't, this is right up my alley. A friend sent this to me just now:


----------



## Toddrickfl1

Tom said:


> People who've met me personally tend to understand my off sense of humor a little better, but for those who haven't, this is right up my alley. A friend sent this to me just now:
> View attachment 251501


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom said:


> People who've met me personally tend to understand my off sense of humor a little better, but for those who haven't, this is right up my alley. A friend sent this to me just now:
> View attachment 251501


I haven't met you personally (yet), but I get the weird humor. I used to work in a hospital...


----------



## Tom

Finally talked to my vet and got the necropsy results. That dude has seen everything and he just knows so much. He said as soon as he opened him up he could see the COD. Massive internal bleeding. He believes its from ingesting a rodent that was full of Warfarin based rodenticide. He told me that even if I had magically known that this bird had eaten a poisoned rodent on the day I caught him, he could not have been saved. He was already too far along. If only I'd caught him a few days earlier...

The rate of attrition is so high, and for someone doing what I do, it is very apparent. Its heartbreaking seeing these beautiful animals die and not being able to do anything about it. At least the cycle of poisoning ended with this bird in my care. If it had died out in the wild, some other animal would have eaten it and been poisoned too, and then the animal that ate that animal would be poisoned and so on...

I'm looking out in the wilderness away from people now.


----------



## JoesMum

Tom said:


> Finally talked to my vet and got the necropsy results. That dude has seen everything and he just knows so much. He said as soon as he opened him up he could see the COD. Massive internal bleeding. He believes its from ingesting a rodent that was full of Warfarin based rodenticide. He told me that even if I had magically known that this bird had eaten a poisoned rodent on the day I caught him, he could not have been saved. He was already too far along. If only I'd caught him a few days earlier...
> 
> The rate of attrition is so high, and for someone doing what I do, it is very apparent. Its heartbreaking seeing these beautiful animals die and not being able to do anything about it. At least the cycle of poisoning ended with this bird in my care. If it had died out in the wild, some other animal would have eaten it and been poisoned too, and then the animal that ate that animal would be poisoned and so on...
> 
> I'm looking out in the wilderness away from people now.



So sad, but at least you have a definitive answer. 

Good luck with the search!


----------



## CarolM

Any further updates yet? Have you managed to find a suitable new bird?


----------



## Tom

CarolM said:


> Any further updates yet? Have you managed to find a suitable new bird?


I've been swamped with work. Haven't been able to go out trapping yet.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> I've been swamped with work. Haven't been able to go out trapping yet.


Aahh okay. I will wait patiently then....... okay, did I wait long enough? [emoji6]


----------



## Tom

Been waiting a little while to post this one, but all seems well. Got a new bird in November. I named her Tacoma. I caught her in a giant grape vine field out in Oildale, CA. There were a lot of other retails out there, both adults and passage birds, but Tacoma had a full crop and good weight, so she was holding her own in the crowd just fine. Here she is the evening of her first day with me:



Here she is on the morning of day 2 getting some time on the fist:



Here is night 3. First time with the hood off. You can see how terrified she looks:




Just a few days later, I captured her first jump to the fist, outdoors in broad daylight:



Here are some pics of day two of flight training:










The transition from terrified wild animal that is sure you are going to kill it at any moment, to tame, eager participant happens in a matter of days. I've done it a few times now, and it is truly mind-blowing every time. As I move around and do normal things with the bird on my hand, I'm continually surprised at how quickly they go from being terrified at every muscle twitch, to completely unafraid of anything.

Today was day seven of flight training. I didn't get any pics, but she's flying over 100' now, and flying away from the fist and up to good perches now. Tomorrow we will go off-creance and she will have the option to fly away into the sunset if she wishes. Something tells me she won't.

Here she is catching some rays on her weathering perch this morning.


----------



## Tom

They go from this:



To this:


In a matter of days.



The second pic is a hawk who is eagerly looking to fly to me for food. She doesn't feel threatened in any way and is actively looking me over for any food tid bits I might be offering. She willingly steps up on to the glove and is happy to ride around on the fist as we move around the ranch or house going about our business.


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom, I am so so happy to see you with Tacoma!

After the heartbreak earlier, I just know you are going to have a wonderful season (or more) with this gorgeous bird! Congratulations! She looks like a keeper! [emoji1659]


----------



## Tom

Here is a pic I took to show the damage caused by feather mites in these birds while they are flying around out in the wild. She was being eaten alive. Literally.

I wonder how much more damage would be done between now and April or May when the molt begins, had I not caught her and intervened?


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom said:


> Here is a pic I took to show the damage caused by feather mites in these birds while they are flying around out in the wild. She was being eaten alive. Literally.
> 
> I wonder how much more damage would be done between now and April or May when the molt begins, had I not caught her and intervened?
> View attachment 260702



I wonder if she would have enough plumage left to fly? How horrible! And no way to rid herself of this parasite!


----------



## wccmog10

Tom said:


> Here is a pic I took to show the damage caused by feather mites in these birds while they are flying around out in the wild. She was being eaten alive. Literally.
> 
> I wonder how much more damage would be done between now and April or May when the molt begins, had I not caught her and intervened?
> View attachment 260702



Great posts @Tom. The photos showing the mite damage and the “before and after” (afraid and ready for food) are really informative. She looks like she is coming along quite nicely. Looking forward to that first free flight and successful hunt!


----------



## wccmog10

KarenSoCal said:


> I wonder if she would have enough plumage left to fly? How horrible! And no way to rid herself of this parasite!



I’m sure that eventually the mites would attack more substantial feathers, but what I’ve always seen is the lighter colored areas of the contour (body) feathers that get eaten. If you look at the photo you can see where the darker areas of the feathers are still intact for the most part and the lighter areas are eaten away. The real noticeable difference will come when she starts to molt and has a few new feathers scattered in amongst the damaged feathers. When the two are next to each other you can really see the difference.


----------



## Cheryl Hills

Tom said:


> They go from this:
> View attachment 260700
> 
> 
> To this:
> View attachment 260701
> 
> In a matter of days.
> 
> 
> 
> The second pic is a hawk who is eagerly looking to fly to me for food. She doesn't feel threatened in any way and is actively looking me over for any food tid bits I might be offering. She willingly steps up on to the glove and is happy to ride around on the fist as we move around the ranch or house going about our business.


Beautiful bird. Is she a red tail or cooper?


----------



## wccmog10

Cheryl Hills said:


> Beautiful bird. Is she a red tail or cooper?



Juvenile red tailed hawk.


----------



## Sabrina8797

Now I'm even more glad/excited I found this forum! No accident on several accounts! I've been researching falconry for a couple of years. I'm so excited to follow your journey, and learn more! What an amazing dream come true for you! We have lots of Red-tailed hawks here in Illinois, i would never have guessed them to be in CA. Ha


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> I wonder if she would have enough plumage left to fly? How horrible! And no way to rid herself of this parasite!


I would imagine it would have to take a toll on the aerodynamics and flight capabilities as more damage is done.

This is just one of the things the wild ones have to contend with. I tell you, the more I learn and see, the more surprised I am that any of them mange to survive.


----------



## Tom

wccmog10 said:


> Great posts @Tom. The photos showing the mite damage and the “before and after” (afraid and ready for food) are really informative. She looks like she is coming along quite nicely. Looking forward to that first free flight and successful hunt!


Thanks Wade! I'll keep you posted for sure.

I took her to a friend's big horse arena for today's flying session, and she performed flawlessly. It was a little windy, but she figured it out. There are lights on 20 foot tall towers all around the arena. Took her a minute to figure out that I wanted her to fly away from me, but she got it and seemed to like being airborne in the wind again. She came back to me immediately every time I raised the garnished fist. No hesitation at all. I think tomorrow I'll take her to my training area with the taller telephone poles and go off creance. Weight is good now, and response is excellent. Every once in a while a rabbit will jump up at my trining area. She's into the lure, so I can't wait to see what she does with a real rabbit.

I'm bought the back pack stuff, but it seems no one I know has used them much out here. I'm going to go with my usual leg mounted transmitter until I can find some experienced help for my first back pack fitting and installation. I flew her with the leg mount today, and if she even noticed it, she showed zero reaction to it. My former sponsor suggested a tail mount. I may give that a try too...

Look at these light poles all around the horse arena. Like they were made for training new birds!


----------



## Tom

Cheryl Hills said:


> Beautiful bird. Is she a red tail or cooper?


Hi Cheryl! Like Wade said, she's a passage redtail. She hatched here in Southern CA in April of this year.


----------



## KarenSoCal

wccmog10 said:


> I’m sure that eventually the mites would attack more substantial feathers, but what I’ve always seen is the lighter colored areas of the contour (body) feathers that get eaten. If you look at the photo you can see where the darker areas of the feathers are still intact for the most part and the lighter areas are eaten away. The real noticeable difference will come when she starts to molt and has a few new feathers scattered in amongst the damaged feathers. When the two are next to each other you can really see the difference.


Interesting! I suppose the contour feathers are some of the softest, but that doesn't explain the color preference.


----------



## wccmog10

KarenSoCal said:


> Interesting! I suppose the contour feathers are some of the softest, but that doesn't explain the color preference.



I’ve been told the lighter colors are more fragile than the darker colors, so that’s why they disappear first. They also get damaged easier from other things. The softest feathers are the down feathers, they are up under the contour feathers. Think of the contour feathers as a rain jacket, and the down feathers as the warm liner you wear under the rain jacket (Hence we use down feathers in jackets for ourselves- because they trap warmth).


----------



## Tom

We did our first free-flying session today. It was a little windy, but she figured out what to do with no problems. We will be hunting in the next couple of days!


----------



## Cheryl Hills

Wow, she sure is beautiful. I love watching them fly.


----------



## Tom

Today's flight training went very well. She followed me very well, but was still attentive and checking out the bushes and stuff. She's figured out that I now want her to leave the glove and go perch somewhere high. From her high perch, she's hitting the lure fantastically too. It is a thing of beauty I tell ya'! Speaking of beauty, I took some pics of her in a low tree at the start of today's training/flight session. I think this is what they mean when they say picturesque:









She's ready to go hunting. Tomorrow.


----------



## Sabrina8797

Tom said:


> Today's flight training went very well. She followed me very well, but was still attentive and checking out the bushes and stuff. She's figured out that I now want her to leave the glove and go perch somewhere high. From her high perch, she's hitting the lure fantastically too. It is a thing of beauty I tell ya'! Speaking of beauty, I took some pics of her in a low tree at the start of today's training/flight session. I think this is what they mean when they say picturesque:
> View attachment 260842
> 
> 
> View attachment 260843
> 
> 
> View attachment 260844
> 
> 
> She's ready to go hunting. Tomorrow.


 She's beautiful! I can't wait to hear about tomorrow's hunt!


----------



## mrnewberry

Tom said:


> Today's flight training went very well. She followed me very well, but was still attentive and checking out the bushes and stuff. She's figured out that I now want her to leave the glove and go perch somewhere high. From her high perch, she's hitting the lure fantastically too. It is a thing of beauty I tell ya'! Speaking of beauty, I took some pics of her in a low tree at the start of today's training/flight session. I think this is what they mean when they say picturesque:
> View attachment 260842
> 
> 
> View attachment 260843
> 
> 
> View attachment 260844
> 
> 
> She's ready to go hunting. Tomorrow.



Glad to see things going well. I got a Hahn's macaw this fall. So, I decided to sit this season out.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> Today's flight training went very well. She followed me very well, but was still attentive and checking out the bushes and stuff. She's figured out that I now want her to leave the glove and go perch somewhere high. From her high perch, she's hitting the lure fantastically too. It is a thing of beauty I tell ya'! Speaking of beauty, I took some pics of her in a low tree at the start of today's training/flight session. I think this is what they mean when they say picturesque:
> View attachment 260842
> 
> 
> View attachment 260843
> 
> 
> View attachment 260844
> 
> 
> She's ready to go hunting. Tomorrow.


Tacoma is gorgeous and I am looking forward to reading all the up coming updates. Thanks Tom for sharing with us again.


----------



## JLM

Tom said:


> If it had died out in the wild, some other animal would have eaten it and been poisoned too, and then the animal that ate that animal would be poisoned and so on...


Why I try to tell everyone I know not to use rat poison. Too much collateral damage.

I’m catching up on this thread so I’m still pages behind. I’m happy/sad for Minerva and hope she is doing well. I was so excited to read about this new guy but then that quickly turned. I don’t know if my heart can take reading the rest.

Edit: ok I’m caught up...I look forward to reading more about Tacoma and wish you both well


----------



## Tom

JLM said:


> I don’t know if my heart can take reading the rest.


It certainly has some major ups and downs. I'm hoping to share the whole picture and not just the good stuff.

Thank you for the well wishes!


----------



## Tom

Its been a busy few days and I haven't had time to post much. A few days ago, we were out hunting in one of my usual fields and a large adult female flew over. It landed on the same pole that I used to put Minerva on. Worried about Tacoma, I went over to shoo the wild bird away. Normally, wild retails are very leery and you can't get anywhere near them. I walked right under the pole this bird was sitting one and made all sorts of ruckus. I clapped my hands, yelled and even whacked the light pole with a stick. The bird didn't even look at me. Just like Minerva...




This is very unusual. I took a step back and really looked at this bird. This bird was someone's falconry bird for sure. No wild bird is going to sit through all that. Not a chance. I've chased other wild birds away in the past, and you can't get within 50 yards of them. Minerva would have molted in the months after I released her, so the appearance could look a little different. I grabbed some meat and offered it up. The bird looked, but didn't want to come down. I didn't think it would, but I just thought I'd try it and see. The bird eventually flew across the street and landed in the same spot in the same tree that Minerva used to hunt from... It couldn't be, could it?



I put Tacoma away in her hawk box and then my daughter and I walked over to the field under this tree and I again offered the baited glove. No interest. I pulled out the lure and had Ava run with it like we used to do with Minerva. The bird looked and was almost ready to go, but it didn't.

Now I have no way to verify it, but this really could be Minerva. The behavior, mannerisms, and perching choices all scream Minerva, but I'll grant that any bird that was used for falconry might behave this way, and could coincidentally perch in the same spots. When I was looking for a new bird to trap, I drove out to Minerva's area and she wasn't there. The distance from Minerva's area to these hunting fields is about 16 miles. It is certainly possible that Minerva could cover that distance.

I really can't say for sure, but it would not surprise me to find out that this was Minerva hanging out with some familiar people.


----------



## TechnoCheese

Tom said:


> Its been a busy few days and I haven't had time to post much. A few days ago, we were out hunting in one of my usual fields and a large adult female flew over. It landed on the same pole that I used to put Minerva on. Worried about Tacoma, I went over to shoo the wild bird away. Normally, wild retails are very leery and you can't get anywhere near them. I walked right under the pole this bird was sitting one and made all sorts of ruckus. I clapped my hands, yelled and even whacked the light pole with a stick. The bird didn't even look at me. Just like Minerva...
> View attachment 261679
> 
> 
> 
> This is very unusual. I took a step back and really looked at this bird. This bird was someone's falconry bird for sure. No wild bird is going to sit through all that. Not a chance. I've chased other wild birds away in the past, and you can't get within 50 yards of them. Minerva would have molted in the months after I released her, so the appearance could look a little different. I grabbed some meat and offered it up. The bird looked, but didn't want to come down. I didn't think it would, but I just thought I'd try it and see. The bird eventually flew across the street and landed in the same spot in the same tree that Minerva used to hunt from... It couldn't be, could it?
> View attachment 261680
> 
> 
> I put Tacoma away in her hawk box and then my daughter and I walked over to the field under this tree and I again offered the baited glove. No interest. I pulled out the lure and had Ava run with it like we used to do with Minerva. The bird looked and was almost ready to go, but it didn't.
> 
> Now I have no way to verify it, but this really could be Minerva. The behavior, mannerisms, and perching choices all scream Minerva, but I'll grant that any bird that was used for falconry might behave this way, and could coincidentally perch in the same spots. When I was looking for a new bird to trap, I drove out to Minerva's area and she wasn't there. The distance from Minerva's area to these hunting fields is about 16 miles. It is certainly possible that Minerva could cover that distance.
> 
> I really can't say for sure, but it would not surprise me to find out that this was Minerva hanging out with some familiar people.



Wow, that’s super cool!


----------



## Tom

I forgot to do updates. So much time has gone by...

We got our first rabbit back on December 31st. My daughter was with me that day. She was very happy to be there for the new bird's first catch. We've caught three thus far in the hunting season, but rain and high winds have been keeping us out of the field for the last few days. We'll be out hunting again ASAP.



Two days after this picture, my bird taught me an important lesson... I went to get her and go out hunting again, and after food preparation, the first thing to do is weigh your bird. I fed her a little too much the day before, and the temperature that night was warmer than expected, and her weight was about 25-30 grams higher than I would have liked. I took her out to the hunting fields anyway, not wanting to miss out on a day that was available for hunting, and we didn't catch anything. She was a little lacking in the responsiveness department, but not bad. Rather than feed her in the field and reward her for a day of missing, I decided to drive her home and feed her the remainder of her food as a reward for exercise. They get a good work out by flying up to a tall pole at a steep angle, and its very important to keep them fit and strong. She flew up to her pole the first time, and was called back down for a quick reward.


She flew right up the second time, but hesitated a bit before coming down for her reward. I thought to myself, "Okay, one more time and that will be it." I sent her up, and then offered a reward on the glove, and she didn't seem to want to come down and get her free food reward. I waited a minute and tried again. No luck. Between the high weight to begin with, all the food in the hunting field, and now the two tid bits at home, She wasn't inclined to play my games anymore. Okay, well, we had family plans for the day, so time to pull out the big guns and get her back. I pulled out the baited lure, which _always_ works, and started running. She jumped, flew half way to it, and then peeled off and went the other way. She began circling, and she felt that familiar tingle of a good thermal that she hadn't felt for so long since I trapped her. Up, up and away she went into the late morning sky. She became a little speck in the blue distance and I could barely see her. She came down over near some mountains and I could see the local ravens were trying to drive her away. She had her transmitter on, so I wasn't going to "lose" her, but I couldn't get close enough to call her back. Eventually the resident pair of redtails caught sight of her and they were very angry to see that their territory had been so unceremoniously invaded.

All day long I'd track her, find her, try to call her to me, and watch her fly away again and again. She never strayed more than a mile from where we started. I was pretty sure I'd get her back toward dusk. They don't like to fly at night, so I'd be able to get close. Sure enough, the telemetry led me right to her again, and this time the lure was enough to get her back. Even though I was mad that she "ran away" I rewarded her tremendously on the lure. I tried to make something good come out of something bad. She ditched me and self hunted all day and came up empty. She caught nothing on her own and got harassed by the locals all day long. When she came back to her "hunting partner human", big food bonanza, no more harassment, and no more hunger.

The lesson, along with proper weight management seems to have worked. We soon caught two more rabbits, and lately she's been very responsive in the field. The winds will be dying down today, and we will be out hunting again tomorrow.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> I forgot to do updates. So much time has gone by...
> 
> We got our first rabbit back on December 31st. My daughter was with me that day. She was very happy to be there for the new bird's first catch. We've caught three thus far in the hunting season, but rain and high winds have been keeping us out of the field for the last few days. We'll be out hunting again ASAP.
> View attachment 263039
> 
> 
> Two days after this picture, my bird taught me an important lesson... I went to get her and go out hunting again, and after food preparation, the first thing to do is weigh your bird. I fed her a little too much the day before, and the temperature that night was warmer than expected, and her weight was about 25-30 grams higher than I would have liked. I took her out to the hunting fields anyway, not wanting to miss out on a day that was available for hunting, and we didn't catch anything. She was a little lacking in the responsiveness department, but not bad. Rather than feed her in the field and reward her for a day of missing, I decided to drive her home and feed her the remainder of her food as a reward for exercise. They get a good work out by flying up to a tall pole at a steep angle, and its very important to keep them fit and strong. She flew up to her pole the first time, and was called back down for a quick reward.
> View attachment 263041
> 
> She flew right up the second time, but hesitated a bit before coming down for her reward. I thought to myself, "Okay, one more time and that will be it." I sent her up, and then offered a reward on the glove, and she didn't seem to want to come down and get her free food reward. I waited a minute and tried again. No luck. Between the high weight to begin with, all the food in the hunting field, and now the two tid bits at home, She wasn't inclined to play my games anymore. Okay, well, we had family plans for the day, so time to pull out the big guns and get her back. I pulled out the baited lure, which _always_ works, and started running. She jumped, flew half way to it, and then peeled off and went the other way. She began circling, and she felt that familiar tingle of a good thermal that she hadn't felt for so long since I trapped her. Up, up and away she went into the late morning sky. She became a little speck in the blue distance and I could barely see her. She came down over near some mountains and I could see the local ravens were trying to drive her away. She had her transmitter on, so I wasn't going to "lose" her, but I couldn't get close enough to call her back. Eventually the resident pair of redtails caught sight of her and they were very angry to see that their territory had been so unceremoniously invaded.
> 
> All day long I'd track her, find her, try to call her to me, and watch her fly away again and again. She never strayed more than a mile from where we started. I was pretty sure I'd get her back toward dusk. They don't like to fly at night, so I'd be able to get close. Sure enough, the telemetry led me right to her again, and this time the lure was enough to get her back. Even though I was mad that she "ran away" I rewarded her tremendously on the lure. I tried to make something good come out of something bad. She ditched me and self hunted all day and came up empty. She caught nothing on her own and got harassed by the locals all day long. When she came back to her "hunting partner human", big food bonanza, no more harassment, and no more hunger.
> 
> The lesson, along with proper weight management seems to have worked. We soon caught two more rabbits, and lately she's been very responsive in the field. The winds will be dying down today, and we will be out hunting again tomorrow.
> View attachment 263043



I love reading your updates and at the same time I am learning valuable lessons. Please keep them coming.


----------



## wccmog10

Tom said:


> I forgot to do updates. So much time has gone by...
> 
> We got our first rabbit back on December 31st. My daughter was with me that day. She was very happy to be there for the new bird's first catch. We've caught three thus far in the hunting season, but rain and high winds have been keeping us out of the field for the last few days. We'll be out hunting again ASAP.
> View attachment 263039
> 
> 
> Two days after this picture, my bird taught me an important lesson... I went to get her and go out hunting again, and after food preparation, the first thing to do is weigh your bird. I fed her a little too much the day before, and the temperature that night was warmer than expected, and her weight was about 25-30 grams higher than I would have liked. I took her out to the hunting fields anyway, not wanting to miss out on a day that was available for hunting, and we didn't catch anything. She was a little lacking in the responsiveness department, but not bad. Rather than feed her in the field and reward her for a day of missing, I decided to drive her home and feed her the remainder of her food as a reward for exercise. They get a good work out by flying up to a tall pole at a steep angle, and its very important to keep them fit and strong. She flew up to her pole the first time, and was called back down for a quick reward.
> View attachment 263041
> 
> She flew right up the second time, but hesitated a bit before coming down for her reward. I thought to myself, "Okay, one more time and that will be it." I sent her up, and then offered a reward on the glove, and she didn't seem to want to come down and get her free food reward. I waited a minute and tried again. No luck. Between the high weight to begin with, all the food in the hunting field, and now the two tid bits at home, She wasn't inclined to play my games anymore. Okay, well, we had family plans for the day, so time to pull out the big guns and get her back. I pulled out the baited lure, which _always_ works, and started running. She jumped, flew half way to it, and then peeled off and went the other way. She began circling, and she felt that familiar tingle of a good thermal that she hadn't felt for so long since I trapped her. Up, up and away she went into the late morning sky. She became a little speck in the blue distance and I could barely see her. She came down over near some mountains and I could see the local ravens were trying to drive her away. She had her transmitter on, so I wasn't going to "lose" her, but I couldn't get close enough to call her back. Eventually the resident pair of redtails caught sight of her and they were very angry to see that their territory had been so unceremoniously invaded.
> 
> All day long I'd track her, find her, try to call her to me, and watch her fly away again and again. She never strayed more than a mile from where we started. I was pretty sure I'd get her back toward dusk. They don't like to fly at night, so I'd be able to get close. Sure enough, the telemetry led me right to her again, and this time the lure was enough to get her back. Even though I was mad that she "ran away" I rewarded her tremendously on the lure. I tried to make something good come out of something bad. She ditched me and self hunted all day and came up empty. She caught nothing on her own and got harassed by the locals all day long. When she came back to her "hunting partner human", big food bonanza, no more harassment, and no more hunger.
> 
> The lesson, along with proper weight management seems to have worked. We soon caught two more rabbits, and lately she's been very responsive in the field. The winds will be dying down today, and we will be out hunting again tomorrow.
> View attachment 263043




You are not the first falconer to learn that lesson, and you will not be the last either. I’m glad you got her back.


----------



## EllieMay

Real skills and real sport! I loved reading this. Congrats to you.


----------



## Tom

Another update: We went hunting this morning as promised, and I had the best day hunting with a hawk that I've ever had. We didn't catch anything today, but she had about 10 good slips, including one at a mature jack. These late season rabbits are still alive for a good reason. These are the fittest of the fit and the fastest of the fast.

The thing that set this day apart from all others is that me and the bird were a true team. We were working together. She was watching my every move in the field, waiting for her opportunity to strike, and she continually followed along, jumped ahead, or moved herself into optimal position depending on where I was kicking brush in the fields. She totally gets it! Watch the silly human and prey jumps up. At one point she decided to fly from the pole she was on behind me to another one that was ahead of me and in the direction I was going. I looked back and saw her coming and took the opportunity to try and reward her. I started running in the direction we were both heading with the hopes of stirring up a rabbit while she was on the wing and over me. IT WORKED! A rabbit jumped up at just the right moment and bolted right out in front of us. She immediately went for it, but it dove into some heavy cover in the nick of time and disappeared.

I've never had a bird do this. Minerva had her moments of greatness and I loved her, but Tacoma is genuinely using me as a hunting partner. I guess all those days of training and exercise during the inclement weather paid off. Or maybe it was the big reward for coming back to me at the end of her "excursion" day. I don't know what has done it, but "it" has been done and this bird is switched on and ready to work with her human. THIS is what falconry is all about, and after all these years, I've finally had a first taste of it. I want MORE!!! We're going out again tomorrow morning...

I was so busy enjoying each and every fantastic moment, that I didn't stop to take any pictures of today's activities. My apologies. Here is an older pic, just for fun:


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> Another update: We went hunting this morning as promised, and I had the best day hunting with a hawk that I've ever had. We didn't catch anything today, but she had about 10 good slips, including one at a mature jack. These late season rabbits are still alive for a good reason. These are the fittest of the fit and the fastest of the fast.
> 
> The thing that set this day apart from all others is that me and the bird were a true team. We were working together. She was watching my every move in the field, waiting for her opportunity to strike, and she continually followed along, jumped ahead, or moved herself into optimal position depending on where I was kicking brush in the fields. She totally gets it! Watch the silly human and prey jumps up. At one point she decided to fly from the pole she was on behind me to another one that was ahead of me and in the direction I was going. I looked back and saw her coming and took the opportunity to try and reward her. I started running in the direction we were both heading with the hopes of stirring up a rabbit while she was on the wing and over me. IT WORKED! A rabbit jumped up at just the right moment and bolted right out in front of us. She immediately went for it, but it dove into some heavy cover in the nick of time and disappeared.
> 
> I've never had a bird do this. Minerva had her moments of greatness and I loved her, but Tacoma is genuinely using me as a hunting partner. I guess all those days of training and exercise during the inclement weather paid off. Or maybe it was the big reward for coming back to me at the end of her "excursion" day. I don't know what has done it, but "it" has been done and this bird is switched on and ready to work with her human. THIS is what falconry is all about, and after all these years, I've finally had a first taste of it. I want MORE!!! We're going out again tomorrow morning...
> 
> I was so busy enjoying each and every fantastic moment, that I didn't stop to take any pictures of today's activities. My apologies. Here is an older pic, just for fun:
> View attachment 263149


This is one of my favorite pictures of her.


----------



## Toddrickfl1




----------



## CarolM

Toddrickfl1 said:


>


Sjoe, that is something else. As we would say here in South Africa - Hectic!!


----------



## Toddrickfl1

CarolM said:


> Sjoe, that is something else. As we would say here in South Africa - Hectic!!


I had my sound on my phone turned down didn't realize there was goofy commentary. Disregard that lol


----------



## Yvonne G

Toddrickfl1 said:


> I had my sound on my phone turned down didn't realize there was goofy commentary. Disregard that lol


I don't know why, but I don't like that. It's one thing to have a hawk catch a rabbit, it's normal food item, but a deer? Really?


----------



## Toddrickfl1

Yvonne G said:


> I don't know why, but I don't like that. It's one thing to have a hawk catch a rabbit, it's normal food item, but a deer? Really?


I don't really either. I'm not even a Hunter. I just thought it was pretty crazy when I seen it. Delete it if you want.


----------



## Moozillion

I’m SO GLAD to read about your adventures with your new bird, Tom!!!!![emoji2][emoji173]️


----------



## Moozillion

I was re-reading this whole thread, just because it's all so cool.

Tom, if that WAS Minerva, and she came to you, what would you have done then?

And wasn't Minerva a BIG girl who was a bully who BASHED into other hawks and stole their kill? Something of a WITCH...but substitute a B for the W ?
@Tom


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> I was re-reading this whole thread, just because it's all so cool.
> 
> Tom, if that WAS Minerva, and she came to you, what would you have done then?
> 
> And wasn't Minerva a BIG girl who was a bully who BASHED into other hawks and stole their kill? Something of a WITCH...but substitute a B for the W ?
> @Tom


If she had flown down to me or the lure, I would have fed her and let her fly away as she wished.

And yes, she was a huge mean bully. This bird was doing her best to drive my bird from the territory, which is exactly what Minerva did when that little male wild redtail was trying to hunt the rabbits that I was stirring up. Instead of hunting, Minerva just kept flying pole to pole displacing the little male. This bird was doing the exact same thing in the exact same way to Tacoma.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> If she had flown down to me or the lure, I would have fed her and let her fly away as she wished.
> 
> And yes, she was a huge mean bully. This bird was doing her best to drive my bird from the territory, which is exactly what Minerva did when that little male wild redtail was trying to hunt the rabbits that I was stirring up. Instead of hunting, Minerva just kept flying pole to pole displacing the little male. This bird was doing the exact same thing in the exact same way to Tacoma.


WOW!!!! I betcha it was HER!!!


----------



## Tom

I just re-read this whole thread. Fun stuff. So many memories stirred.

Tacoma finished out her season with no drama. We just went out and hunted and had a good time. She's molting now and dropping loads of feathers. I intend to get her hunting again in October and then release her back to the wild once I know she's in good shape. Here she is right at the end of hunting season before the molt:





And this pic is mid molt. The first distinctive red tail feathers are just showing up:


----------



## Chubbs the tegu

Beautiful!


----------



## Markw84

@Tom Do you have pictures of the new birds? Love to see them and hear more about them...


----------



## Tom

So far we've had Toothless, Minerva, Chicken, and Tacoma. All wild caught passage red tail hawks. Now its time for a new chapter:

Introducing Rick and Morty:


Markw84 said:


> @Tom Do you have pictures of the new birds? Love to see them and hear more about them...


Typing it up now...


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom said:


> So far we've had Toothless, Minerva, Chicken, and Tacoma. All wild caught passage red tail hawks. Now its time for a new chapter:
> 
> Introducing Rick and Morty:
> 
> Typing it up now...


I'm so glad to find you keeping on this thread! I've missed reading your posts while I've been sick.


----------



## Tom

So far we've had Toothless, Minerva, Chicken, and Tacoma. All wild caught passage red tail hawks. Now its time for a new chapter:

Introducing Rick and Morty:






These guys are Harris' Hawks. They are captive bred and about 4 months old. Instead of trapping a wild hawk that already knows how to hunt and survive on its own, I'll be training these guys from scratch. They are chamber raised by their parents so that they do not imprint on humans. I'm working very hard to not be seen as a food source, like their parents were, but rather as a member of the hunting party that provides opportunities for them to hunt and catch their own food. On paper, this doesn't sound like much of a distinction, but in the mind of a young hawk, its worlds of difference. Much time is spent trying to wed a passage wild caught red tail to the glove, lure and falconer. Its the opposite with these guys. I don't want them to love me or think I'm their daddy. I want them to think that if they follow me around meals will jump up and present themselves to them. I want to be seen as an opportunity-to-hunt-provider, not a tidbit dispenser.

If one could design a bird for the rabbit hawking type falconry and select all the perfect traits in perfect balance, I don't think you could do better, or even as well as these birds. They are super tame, not afraid of humans and typical human activity, they hunt in groups, cooperatively, in the wild, they are extremely driven to hunt most anything that moves, they are very fast and agile which makes it easy to hunt them off the fist, and they are super smart and trainable. Their versatility is extraordinary. They can hunt quail, pheasant or duck. They can hunt any type of rabbit in any environment. You can hunt them in groups. That is HUGE. Most falcons and hawks must be flown alone. These guys will work together to flush, push and strike at game all on their own, and then share the kill. You can see them doing this in the wild in AZ, NM, TX and Northern Mexico where they are from. And that reminds me of another great trait: They don't care if its hot. Most raptors start to lose some interest in hunting and working hard as the temperature rises out of the 70s. Not these guys. They will hunt when its 100 outside! People who live in areas with winter snow have to be careful and these guys don't tolerate freezing weather well, but that isn't an issue here for me. My issue is 80-90 degrees days in the middle of December and January during hunting season. Great tortoise weather, but not so good for hunting with hawks... unless you have Harris' Hawks!!!

More later.


----------



## katieandiggy

They are great birds. 
We went and watched some being flown, these were captive bred and they did look at the human as the food source. They kept many birds, i particularly liked the raven.
Once we got home my hubby wanted a Harris hawk but I dug my heels in. 
We have them here in the UK, they have actually cross bred with Buzzards over here. Obviously naturally they are not found here so it is assumed that they are escaped ‘pets’ but they have thrived in the wild.


----------



## Tom

So much to catch up on! Tacoma is back free and in the wild. She got some anti-parasite treatment for a month of residual protection, a good meal, and I set her loose right where I caught her last year. This is where I sat her after I cut her bracelets off and fed her her last free meal.



She sat here for a while and then flew up to one of the power poles that she grew up on. This is where I left her. She sat there with me for about a half hour on the low post before flying up to the taller pole. She seemed relaxed and content as she surveyed her old familiar territory.



Fish and Wildlife studies have demonstrated a 98% survival rate for redtails release after a year or two of falconry. Compare that to the 5% of wild birds who are hanging on by a string as they reach their first birthday. I don't see how the number could be so high, but that's what they tell us.


----------



## Tom

What about Rick and Morty? Anyone can see from these pages that I love falconry. I live falconry. I had so much fun with my redtails. I learned a tremendous amount, overcame problems and challenges, and had a lot of success, adventures and good times. There is so much more to learn and so much more that could be done with redtails. If that's is all I had to work with, I'd do it for decades and die a happy man.

But these Harris' hawks... HOLY COW! They take the fun and enjoyment to another level. They have all the best parts of the redtail hawks, but none of the drawbacks. I was limited in the fields I could hunt with the redtails because they needed perching around the edges of the fields. Trees, light poles, telephone poles, etc... The Harris' hawks ride around on a T-perch in the field with me, or hunt off the fist. They are a bit faster and more maneuverable than a redtail, so they can go from a dead stop on flat ground and still catch their quarry.




In the wild, the Harris' hawks also live and hunt communally, unlike any other raptor. 5 or 6 at a time can be seen hunting jack rabbits together in their wild desert habitats. They even rear and protect the young in groups sometimes. As a result, you can hunt with them in groups in captivity. Rick and Morty hunt together. As I started hunting with them, their behavior and knowledge increased daily. They seemed to learn and get better each day. They had a few minor squabbles at first about who was in charge, and I quickly convinced them both that I was the boss.

The first few days working with them were slow going. They had never been touched or messed with by humans. They started hopping to the fist after about 5 days, and I had them free flying outside on day 17 and we began hunting almost daily on day 18. They did a lot of chasing game at first, but didn't catch anything for a little while. Those wild rabbits seemed to be too smart and too fast for these inexperienced little baby birds. They made their first catch of wild game, in the wild, on day 33. I was elated. When one of the redtails caught something, they would eat a lot, and then I'd have to hold on to them and walk them back to the car on my glove so they didn't fly away and refuse to come back now that their stomach was full. These guys feast on a kill, and then, because of their social nature and eagerness to hunt, they just keep hunting and following along as you walk back to the car. They don't have any desire to fly off and leave the hunting party. Its AMAZING!!!



We had a dry spell for the next two weeks, and then they seemed to turn a corner and really figure it out. Sometimes they catch one all by themselves, and other times the two of them work together and catch game as a team. They are continually learning and getting better, and this has been a perfect year to start new birds. We had two good years of rain here, very unusual, and the rabbit population has exploded. The fields are all teeming with them. The best "training" for new birds is lots and lots of slips on game. They exercise their muscles and their brains all at the same time in relentless pursuit of game. It has been so much fun to watch. Most of the time they miss and the wiley rabbit escapes to live another day. The goal is to catch game, but sometimes the misses are more fun than the catches. Watching the rabbits dodge wave after wave of these birds trying their hardest to catch them is where the "sport" comes in to this sport. I'd say they miss 30-40 times for every catch. The birds get a great work out, and so do I marching around on rough terrain and chasing after them while they are in pursuit. The rabbits get a good lesson in being more cautious too.

And for those who know the show, I got the names backwards. Rick is more of a Morty and Morty is more of a Rick, but both are doing great and its been tremendously entertaining watching their personalities and individuality come out.



I already enjoyed falconry more than words can express. I enjoy it even more now.


----------



## jbuenavides

I miss going on a nature trip after seeing these photos of Falcons from your last trip.


----------



## Tom

jbuenavides said:


> I miss going on a nature trip after seeing these photos of Falcons from your last trip.


I make this trip almost every day.


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> What about Rick and Morty? Anyone can see from these pages that I love falconry. I live falconry. I had so much fun with my redtails. I learned a tremendous amount, overcame problems and challenges, and had a lot of success, adventures and good times. There is so much more to learn and so much more that could be done with redtails. If that's is all I had to work with, I'd do it for decades and die a happy man.
> 
> But these Harris' hawks... HOLY COW! They take the fun and enjoyment to another level. They have all the best parts of the redtail hawks, but none of the drawbacks. I was limited in the fields I could hunt with the redtails because they needed perching around the edges of the fields. Trees, light poles, telephone poles, etc... The Harris' hawks ride around on a T-perch in the field with me, or hunt off the fist. They are a bit faster and more maneuverable than a redtail, so they can go from a dead stop on flat ground and still catch their quarry.
> View attachment 282539
> 
> 
> 
> In the wild, the Harris' hawks also live and hunt communally, unlike any other raptor. 5 or 6 at a time can be seen hunting jack rabbits together in their wild desert habitats. They even rear and protect the young in groups sometimes. As a result, you can hunt with them in groups in captivity. Rick and Morty hunt together. As I started hunting with them, their behavior and knowledge increased daily. They seemed to learn and get better each day. They had a few minor squabbles at first about who was in charge, and I quickly convinced them both that I was the boss.
> 
> The first few days working with them were slow going. They had never been touched or messed with by humans. They started hopping to the fist after about 5 days, and I had them free flying outside on day 17 and we began hunting almost daily on day 18. They did a lot of chasing game at first, but didn't catch anything for a little while. Those wild rabbits seemed to be too smart and too fast for these inexperienced little baby birds. They made their first catch of wild game, in the wild, on day 33. I was elated. When one of the redtails caught something, they would eat a lot, and then I'd have to hold on to them and walk them back to the car on my glove so they didn't fly away and refuse to come back now that their stomach was full. These guys feast on a kill, and then, because of their social nature and eagerness to hunt, they just keep hunting and following along as you walk back to the car. They don't have any desire to fly off and leave the hunting party. Its AMAZING!!!
> View attachment 282540
> 
> 
> We had a dry spell for the next two weeks, and then they seemed to turn a corner and really figure it out. Sometimes they catch one all by themselves, and other times the two of them work together and catch game as a team. They are continually learning and getting better, and this has been a perfect year to start new birds. We had two good years of rain here, very unusual, and the rabbit population has exploded. The fields are all teeming with them. The best "training" for new birds is lots and lots of slips on game. They exercise their muscles and their brains all at the same time in relentless pursuit of game. It has been so much fun to watch. Most of the time they miss and the wiley rabbit escapes to live another day. The goal is to catch game, but sometimes the misses are more fun than the catches. Watching the rabbits dodge wave after wave of these birds trying their hardest to catch them is where the "sport" comes in to this sport. I'd say they miss 30-40 times for every catch. The birds get a great work out, and so do I marching around on rough terrain and chasing after them while they are in pursuit. The rabbits get a good lesson in being more cautious too.
> 
> And for those who know the show, I got the names backwards. Rick is more of a Morty and Morty is more of a Rick, but both are doing great and its been tremendously entertaining watching their personalities and individuality come out.
> View attachment 282541
> 
> 
> I already enjoyed falconry more than words can express. I enjoy it even more now.


You most certainly make it fun for the rest of us as well. I have to live vicariously through your exploits with them and am enjoying it tremendously.


----------



## Moozillion

OH, TOM!!! Such fun, SUCH FUN to read your posts!!!!!!! 

(I sat here at my computer, reading this and grinning my head off, so now my coffee is cold and it's YOUR fault!  )


----------



## Ray--Opo

What a great thread. I am glad I came across this. Thanks Tom for sharing this.


----------



## Tom

I was taking pics of this:



Then he did this and I captured it just by luck:


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> I was taking pics of this:
> View attachment 283110
> 
> 
> Then he did this and I captured it just by luck:
> View attachment 283111


Wow, Perfect shot. He is such a beautiful bird!


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> I was taking pics of this:
> View attachment 283110
> 
> 
> Then he did this and I captured it just by luck:
> View attachment 283111


Tom this bird was scoping out Opo yesterday. What type of hawk is this?


----------



## wccmog10

It’s hard to be 100% sure from the photo, but it looks like a juvenile redshouldered hawk. Generally redtails won’t perch on the wire like that. Their feet are to big for it to work comfortably. Red shoulders have much smaller feet and perch on wires frequently.


----------



## Tom

Ray--Opo said:


> Tom this bird was scoping out Opo yesterday. What type of hawk is this?


I really can't tell from your picture. I could eliminate some possibilities, but I can't be sure. Plus, there are different raptors all over the country and I'm not familiar with the East Coast ones. @wccmog10 might recognize your bird.


----------



## Ray--Opo

wccmog10 said:


> It’s hard to be 100% sure from the photo, but it looks like a juvenile redshouldered hawk. Generally redtails won’t perch on the wire like that. Their feet are to big for it to work comfortably. Red shoulders have much smaller feet and perch on wires frequently.


He was perched on a branch in a tree and I didn't notice him. When Opo walked out and was in the yard. The bird flew off the branch and landed on the wire closer to Opo. When I came out of the screened porch he flew off.


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> I really can't tell from your picture. I could eliminate some possibilities, but I can't be sure. Plus, there are different raptors all over the country and I'm not familiar with the East Coast ones. @wccmog10 might recognize your bird.


I know we have peregrines here. Wasn't sure if this one was. I will look at a pic of a red shoulder and see if I can compare with what I saw.


----------



## wccmog10

Make sure to look at juvenile redshoulder photos. Adults have a red breast and “shoulder” coloration. (the red colored shoulder is actually the birds wrist area, but when they have their wings tucked up for perching it looks like their shoulders)

Peregrines are in Florida during certain times of year for migration, but they typically wouldn’t be there this time of year. There is a possibility of some city peregrines down there that I don’t know about, but the bird in the photo looks like a hawk to me- not a falcon. 

Either way- hawks in the yard are always cool!


----------



## Tom

Its been a while since I've updated this thread. Everything has been going extremely well. The birds are maturing and honing their skills. They are in fantastic shape athletically and my more experienced falconry friends have complimented me on how strong they are flying. We catch something almost every time we go hunting which is usually 6-7 days a week. I can't remember if I mentioned it previously, but they even caught a quail, which is quite a feat! Many people try to exclusively hunt quail with Harris hawks, and it ain't easy. These birds have been a constant source of fun, joy and happiness. I'm almost always driving home from the field with a big stupid grin on my face. Some people go to the gym every day before work. I grab my hawks and go for a hike for 3-5 miles in rough terrain with intermittent running and sprints thrown in. I leave the field sweating even when temps are in the 30s and 40s. We've now hunted in rain, wind and even snow! This is LIVING!

These birds weigh about 600 grams. The cottontails we hunt weigh about 800-1000 grams. The jack rabbits weigh around 3000 grams. We see lots of jacks, but the birds are understandably tentative about grabbing hold of an angry bucking bronco that large. Additionally, the cottontails pretty much go limp once grabbed. They don't fight much. The jacks fight like hell. They kick at the birds, flail around wildly, or run full speed at hard objects and dive under them in an attempt to knock the birds off of them. Its a challenge any way you look at it. This being the case, jacks are a much sought after prize among falconers. Hard to catch because they are so fast, agile, large, and smart. Hard to hold on to if your bird does manage to bind. Their fur is quite slippery and pulls out easily, making it hard for predators to hold onto them, in the rare case where they get close enough to grab them. My birds have managed to catch two prior today. They've grabbed an additional two, but failed to hang on. Several times I find a clump of fur where the birds made contact and a wiley jack has escaped their grasp. Well after weeks of trying, and dozens of jacks escaping, we finally caught our third one today. The birds ate like kings and went home with full crops. This one jack will feed both of my boys for about two weeks in the off season while the remaining jacks breed and repopulate the area. This field has an overabundance of jacks and a paucity of natural predators. If the jack numbers aren't significantly reduced before spring when their parasites return, a disease epidemic is likely to wipe out all of them. Veteran falconers have seen this time and time again in favorite fields. Rabbit populations tend to have a cyclical nature. A good field one year can be empty the next, and overflowing again 3 or 4 year after that. I've seen it myself. If things go well, I hope my birds will perform the role that the wild predators can't in this area, and keep the population as a whole healthy, by eliminating some of the weaker, slower jacks. Understanding, learning about, and seeing this predator/prey relationship first hand, is one of the most fascinating and compelling reasons why I engage in this "Sport of Kings".

I didn't get any pictures, but the boys also got to do an educational falconry show at my daughter's school recently. The kids are studying Medieval times, which is when falconry really became widespread and known throughout the world, but especially in that part of Europe. The teacher asked me to come in and give the kids a lesson, and I was happy to do it. They got to see the birds up close, pass around a pellet that was cast up that morning, see all the equipment we falconers use, and then they got to see the birds fly and a simulated hunt on a lure. I explained how a person's "station" in the social hierarchy determined which birds they were allowed to posses and hunt with. Lowly subjects were only permitted a kestrel, while yeomen were granted license to hunt with goshawks, Dukes and Earls received peregrines, and only the king himself was allowed to hunt with the mighty gyr falcon. The kids seemed to enjoy it. The teacher thanked me and I got a great thank you card signed by all the kids.

Good job boys! Dig in. You earned it:


----------



## Tom

We went out hunting this morning. I'm not planning on hunting on Christmas Day (Gotta keep the wife happy...), so I was hoping they'd catch another jack today so I could feed them up and give them full bellies going into the cold night and rain tomorrow. Well... wish granted. They had taken a perch on a telephone wire and as I walked over to pick them up and resume hunting, I flushed a jack. It ran away from me and right under the boys. I couldn't tell who tagged it first, but both of them bound to it one after the other. I got there in seconds to assist, and then the meal commenced for these hard working little hawks.





Here is what we look like out in the field. The "T" perch gives them the ability to see a long way off and also a little boost of gravity when they take off after prey. My wife teases me, but this hunting method puts game in the bag, so I don't care about being teased.




Jack rabbits have huge hearts and lungs, and they carry a lot of blood. This is how they are able to run so fast for so long. Well, it can get a little messy on a kill, so we do a little clean up before traveling home.




If these birds could be any better, or any more fun than this, I can't imagine how. When I decided to get Harris Hawks, I really wasn't sure how it would go. So many unknowns, and I just had no experience with them to draw from. Reality has turned out to be better than my wildest fantasies of how it might have gone. I LOVE these birds.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.


----------



## CarolM

A very Merry Christmas Tom and to the family as well.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> We went out hunting this morning. I'm not planning on hunting on Christmas Day (Gotta keep the wife happy...), so I was hoping they'd catch another jack today so I could feed them up and give them full bellies going into the cold night and rain tomorrow. Well... wish granted. They had taken a perch on a telephone wire and as I walked over to pick them up and resume hunting, I flushed a jack. It ran away from me and right under the boys. I couldn't tell who tagged it first, but both of them bound to it one after the other. I got there in seconds to assist, and then the meal commenced for these hard working little hawks.
> 
> View attachment 284151
> 
> 
> 
> Here is what we look like out in the field. The "T" perch gives them the ability to see a long way off and also a little boost of gravity when they take off after prey. My wife teases me, but this hunting method puts game in the bag, so I don't care about being teased.
> View attachment 284152
> 
> 
> 
> Jack rabbits have huge hearts and lungs, and they carry a lot of blood. This is how they are able to run so fast for so long. Well, it can get a little messy on a kill, so we do a little clean up before traveling home.
> View attachment 284153
> 
> 
> 
> If these birds could be any better, or any more fun than this, I can't imagine how. When I decided to get Harris Hawks, I really wasn't sure how it would go. So many unknowns, and I just had no experience with them to draw from. Reality has turned out to be better than my wildest fantasies of how it might have gone. I LOVE these birds.
> 
> Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.


SUCH FUN TO READ YOUR POSTS!!!!!


----------



## Tom

SNOW DAY!!! 

There was some patchy snow on the ground a couple of weeks ago, but today is there first official day of hunting in actual snow. This is the same field from the above post where I'm carrying the boys on their T-perch.



They acted like it was any other day and didn't seem to notice or care about the snow in any way. 



Here is the result after about 8 minutes of "hunting".



Rick has apparently decided that he is the master of all jack rabbits. If he sees one, he catches it now. And he hangs on tight too. The above jack was the first one we saw today. I didn't even see it. He dove in to a big bush and latched on. I have to dive in to the same bush to help. We all got muddy and soaked. Their feathers were so wet and matted that they could hardly fly after. I had to carry them back to the car.

Its too cold outside to put them in their enclosures when they are in this condition, so they got to hang out in the house with us to dry off for a few hours:


----------



## kanalomele

Ok now.. you may have reached Rockstar status for me @Tom. As a teen I used to go out hunting with a friend that was an experienced falconer. Loved every minute of it.


----------



## Tom

kanalomele said:


> Ok now.. you may have reached Rockstar status for me @Tom. As a teen I used to go out hunting with a friend that was an experienced falconer. Loved every minute of it.


Haha... What was my status before?

The social nature of this hawk species allows me to take friends and family into the field with me with no issues. There is no change in their behavior with new people in the field. They are just tolerant and accepting of anything and everything. It has been great fun for me to share this amazing "sport" and to be able to have other people experience and see the magic of what we are doing out there in the fields. I've taken people of all ages and backgrounds out into the field, and so far I think all of them loved every minute of it too.


----------



## Calaveras

It is cool to find another Falconer on this forum. I am a master falconer and have kept Harris hawks, but never in a cast like that. I am a one hawk guy; no dogs either.


----------



## Tom

Calaveras said:


> It is cool to find another Falconer on this forum. I am a master falconer and have kept Harris hawks, but never in a cast like that. I am a one hawk guy; no dogs either.


Big jacks in Sac. My friends go up there from time to time. I haven't been yet because my birds were not yet taking jacks, but they are now:



This is their 7th one for the season. Caught up in Bakersfield. This is by far the largest we caught. It was over 7 pounds.


What are you flying now? How is your season going? Going to the meet?


----------



## Calaveras

I have a busy


Tom said:


> Big jacks in Sac. My friends go up there from time to time. I haven't been yet because my birds were not yet taking jacks, but they are now:
> View attachment 284422
> 
> 
> This is their 7th one for the season. Caught up in Bakersfield. This is by far the largest we caught. It was over 7 pounds.
> 
> 
> What are you flying now? How is your season going? Going to the meet?


 I have a new apprentice so have been Waiting until the beginning of the year to trap a bird with him. I will probably get a red tail when we go trapping so we can do it together. I have had a Harris for a few years now. It can make you lazy and take catching Jackrabbits for granted.  They are so good at it.


----------



## Tom

Calaveras said:


> I have a busy
> 
> I have a new apprentice so have been Waiting until the beginning of the year to trap a bird with him. I will probably get a red tail when we go trapping so we can do it together. I have had a Harris for a few years now. It can make you lazy and take catching Jackrabbits for granted.  They are so good at it.


My little boys have been reluctant to go for the jacks. Its taken time, but they are gaining confidence. I enjoyed my redtails, but I'm having a heck of a lot more fun with my boys now.


----------



## Calaveras

The reluctance to tackle the jackrabbits is the reason I went with a female. They seem more willing to take them on. It depends on the bird(s).
I have a few fields with cottontails, but not as many.


----------



## Moozillion

Hey, Tom- with all the animals you've worked with over the years, did you ever work with ravens? As intelligent as I hear they are, I don't know if that would make them easier to train or harder! @Tom


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Hey, Tom- with all the animals you've worked with over the years, did you ever work with ravens? As intelligent as I hear they are, I don't know if that would make them easier to train or harder! @Tom


Many times. Just did a week with them in Chicago last fall. I wanted to meet up with Barb while I was there, but it didn't work out.

Some of the people I work with think they are the smartest animals on the planet. I don't. I think orangutans are by far the smartest animal. Ravens are highly trainable, but also usually aggressive too.


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Hey, Tom- with all the animals you've worked with over the years, did you ever work with ravens? As intelligent as I hear they are, I don't know if that would make them easier to train or harder! @Tom


Here is the commercial:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...irst-ever-direct-mail-by-raven-300927038.html


----------



## Tom

Sad news about Rick and Morty's dad... He was found dead in the mew. They live in a neighborhood and apparently a neighbor was using poison to control the local rat population. One of the poisoned rats got within reach of papa bird and he caught it and ate it. This is so sad. I don't know why people don't understand this concept. When you poison a prey animal, it is going to be eaten by a predator. A predator that would have gone on to kill hundreds or thousands of this pest species, had it not been poisoned. Who knows how many of the wild predators in the area were killed. In a few months time, there is going to be a population explosion of rodents in the area because all of the natural wild predators are dead. Poison makes your rat problem worse!

Here is Dad on the left sitting next to Mom:



I can't tell if this is Mom or Dad, but this is Rick and Morty with their two brothers being tended to by a parent before I got them:




Rest in peace Dad...


----------



## wellington

Awww that is sad. There are so many other ways to rid varmits then a poison that can't be controlled. Specially in areas with so much wildlife. So sorry.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Here is the commercial:
> https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...irst-ever-direct-mail-by-raven-300927038.html


That was cool!!
Was that a bunch of ravens, or several different scenes with 1 raven?
Do the ravens belong to you?


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Sad news about Rick and Morty's dad... He was found dead in the mew. They live in a neighborhood and apparently a neighbor was using poison to control the local rat population. One of the poisoned rats got within reach of papa bird and he caught it and ate it. This is so sad. I don't know why people don't understand this concept. When you poison a prey animal, it is going to be eaten by a predator. A predator that would have gone on to kill hundreds or thousands of this pest species, had it not been poisoned. Who knows how many of the wild predators in the area were killed. In a few months time, there is going to be a population explosion of rodents in the area because all of the natural wild predators are dead. Poison makes your rat problem worse!
> 
> Here is Dad on the left sitting next to Mom:
> View attachment 285007
> 
> 
> I can't tell if this is Mom or Dad, but this is Rick and Morty with their two brothers being tended to by a parent before I got them:
> View attachment 285008
> 
> 
> 
> Rest in peace Dad...


So sorry to hear about Rick and Morty's dad...


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> That was cool!!
> Was that a bunch of ravens, or several different scenes with 1 raven?
> Do the ravens belong to you?


We used 3 different birds. They belong to friends of mine.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> We used 3 different birds. They belong to friends of mine.


You have such a cool job!!!


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> You have such a cool job!!!


When I was a kid and people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I would say: "I want to do as little work possible for as much money as possible." I sure found the right job. I'm not sure this even classifies as "work".


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> When I was a kid and people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I would say: "I want to do as little work possible for as much money as possible." I sure found the right job. I'm not sure this even classifies as "work".


HAHAHA!!!


----------



## JLM

Wicked commercial! Very cool job you have...and hobby! So sorry to hear about the poisoning! I am so adamant about no poison! I have a rat that I could not catch in my tortoise enclosure with 8 different traps. I resorted to glue if I was going to do an in humane one I was at least not going to poison the neighborhood! Didn’t catch him with that either. He was a smart one!


----------



## Tom

JLM said:


> Wicked commercial! Very cool job you have...and hobby! So sorry to hear about the poisoning! I am so adamant about no poison! I have a rat that I could not catch in my tortoise enclosure with 8 different traps. I resorted to glue if I was going to do an in humane one I was at least not going to poison the neighborhood! Didn’t catch him with that either. He was a smart one!


Rat trapping is an art and a skill. Not so easy as some people think. If it was easy, there wouldn't be so many of them running around!  I applaud your efforts to avoid poisons. I wish more people saw it that way.


----------



## Tom

We are due for an update. The season and my boys just keep getting better and better. I just can't believe how good these hawks are. As the season progresses, the hunting gets more and more difficult. The rabbits get fewer and farther between, and they get much harder to catch. The slowest, least fit, and least wiley of them get picked off early in the season. The only ones left are the smartest, fastest and most fit of the bunch. Well nobody told my birds that. They don't seem to understand this concept. I know of a bunch of fields still teeming with rabbits, and I've observed that the rabbits run sooner, faster, and show utmost caution, but my hawks are still outsmarting and outrunning them. Their rate of catches per attempts continues to go up and up and up.

I started out the season with the intention of just taking one rabbit per hunting day. Just enough to reward them in the field for a catch, and save some in the freezer for the 6 month long molting season. I didn't want to "sanitize" any of the hunting fields and take so many that the populations wouldn't be able to rebuild normally during spring and summer. We typically go out into a field, the boys try and miss a few times, and finally catch one. I'd feed them a good amount, and then head back to the car with a smile on my face, and a good meal in their bellies. From time to time on the walk back to the car, another rabbit or two would jump up, and they'd catch a second one on the same day. That's fine. I'd give them a food reward and then continue back to the car. In the last month or so, they've started pulling these doubles almost every time we go out. Since they've been catching jacks with more regularity, we seem to also be catching more cottontails.

I'm not much into ball sports, so on Super Bowl Sunday, I decided to have my own Super Bowl of Tom's Falconry. I brought a friend up and we toured three of the most over-populated rabbit fields in the area. I wanted to see how many they could catch in a day, if we didn't stop at just one or two. Here was the result:


As you can see, my birds won the Super Bowl. I had to reward them on each catch and man, they were pretty fat and full at the end of this day.

The day after the above pic, it was too windy to hunt, and also, they were still way too full of food. The day after that, I had to work all day. I took them out on the third day and they caught a cotton tail, and then TWO jacks. Its hard work for them catching a jack, and they've never caught two in one day before. They got another day off after cropping up on the two jacks, and then we went out only to have them catch two more big jacks! That was yesterday.

Early in the season, I was constantly hunting these birds at around 600 grams. If they were much over that, they didn't catch anything. With my passage redtails, weight management was critical. Those birds hunted at around 1200 grams and 1000 grams, respectively. If their weight was more than 10-15 grams off, they would hunt poorly, be inattentive, refuse to recall, go self-hunting, and generally be a pain in the arse. I've been letting the weight creep up on Rick and Morty. So many times they catch two rabbits and go home with way more food than I'd normally feed them, and this has gradually brought their weigh up higher and higher. I've been frequently them heavy the next day after big meals. Its been pretty normal to fly them at 620-630 lately and their performance in the field can only be described as excellent. Well they caught two jacks yesterday, and got fed very well for their efforts. A friend and I have been planning a hunt for a week or so, but when I weighed them this morning they were 648 and 655. I considered not hunting, but they've been so good lately at higher weights, I decided to just go for it. After 5 minutes of hunting, this was my reward for flying them too heavy:


It was a beautiful flight. I was up on the rim of a canyon with the birds, and as they flew out and down after this rabbit, I had a bird's eye view of the chase and catch. It was amazing to see from that perspective. Even though they were already heavy, I had to reward them for a job well done. Then they followed up by catching two more cottontails on the way back to the car. I fed them and fed them again. They darn near caught two more after that, but just missed. Here's the lot of them from earlier this morning:



Its supposed to rain tomorrow evening, and I have to work Monday, so I'm planning on taking them hunting tomorrow morning. Weight doesn't seem to be much of a factor in their performance anymore, so we're going for it.


----------



## wellington

Tom said:


> We are due for an update. The season and my boys just keep getting better and better. I just can't believe how good these hawks are. As the season progresses, the hunting gets more and more difficult. The rabbits get fewer and farther between, and they get much harder to catch. The slowest, least fit, and least wiley of them get picked off early in the season. The only ones left are the smartest, fastest and most fit of the bunch. Well nobody told my birds that. They don't seem to understand this concept. I know of a bunch of fields still teeming with rabbits, and I've observed that the rabbits run sooner, faster, and show utmost caution, but my hawks are still outsmarting and outrunning them. Their rate of catches per attempts continues to go up and up and up.
> 
> I started out the season with the intention of just taking one rabbit per hunting day. Just enough to reward them in the field for a catch, and save some in the freezer for the 6 month long molting season. I didn't want to "sanitize" any of the hunting fields and take so many that the populations wouldn't be able to rebuild normally during spring and summer. We typically go out into a field, the boys try and miss a few times, and finally catch one. I'd feed them a good amount, and then head back to the car with a smile on my face, and a good meal in their bellies. From time to time on the walk back to the car, another rabbit or two would jump up, and they'd catch a second one on the same day. That's fine. I'd give them a food reward and then continue back to the car. In the last month or so, they've started pulling these doubles almost every time we go out. Since they've been catching jacks with more regularity, we seem to also be catching more cottontails.
> 
> I'm not much into ball sports, so on Super Bowl Sunday, I decided to have my own Super Bowl of Tom's Falconry. I brought a friend up and we toured three of the most over-populated rabbit fields in the area. I wanted to see how many they could catch in a day, if we didn't stop at just one or two. Here was the result:
> View attachment 286010
> 
> As you can see, my birds won the Super Bowl. I had to reward them on each catch and man, they were pretty fat and full at the end of this day.
> 
> The day after the above pic, it was too windy to hunt, and also, they were still way too full of food. The day after that, I had to work all day. I took them out on the third day and they caught a cotton tail, and then TWO jacks. Its hard work for them catching a jack, and they've never caught two in one day before. They got another day off after cropping up on the two jacks, and then we went out only to have them catch two more big jacks! That was yesterday.
> 
> Early in the season, I was constantly hunting these birds at around 600 grams. If they were much over that, they didn't catch anything. With my passage redtails, weight management was critical. Those birds hunted at around 1200 grams and 1000 grams, respectively. If their weight was more than 10-15 grams off, they would hunt poorly, be inattentive, refuse to recall, go self-hunting, and generally be a pain in the arse. I've been letting the weight creep up on Rick and Morty. So many times they catch two rabbits and go home with way more food than I'd normally feed them, and this has gradually brought their weigh up higher and higher. I've been frequently them heavy the next day after big meals. Its been pretty normal to fly them at 620-630 lately and their performance in the field can only be described as excellent. Well they caught two jacks yesterday, and got fed very well for their efforts. A friend and I have been planning a hunt for a week or so, but when I weighed them this morning they were 648 and 655. I considered not hunting, but they've been so good lately at higher weights, I decided to just go for it. After 5 minutes of hunting, this was my reward for flying them too heavy:
> View attachment 286011
> 
> It was a beautiful flight. I was up on the rim of a canyon with the birds, and as they flew out and down after this rabbit, I had a bird's eye view of the chase and catch. It was amazing to see from that perspective. Even though they were already heavy, I had to reward them for a job well done. Then they followed up by catching two more cottontails on the way back to the car. I fed them and fed them again. They darn near caught two more after that, but just missed. Here's the lot of them from earlier this morning:
> View attachment 286012
> 
> 
> Its supposed to rain tomorrow evening, and I have to work Monday, so I'm planning on taking them hunting tomorrow morning. Weight doesn't seem to be much of a factor in their performance anymore, so we're going for it.


Happy for you and your birds but I'm not one for killing animals or seeing it and I love bunnies. At least it's not just for sport, that you actually do something with the lives you took.


----------



## KarenSoCal

As always, Tom, excellent storytelling!


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Happy for you and your birds but I'm not one for killing animals or seeing it and I love bunnies. At least it's not just for sport, that you actually do something with the lives you took.


You are not alone. I take it seriously. I mean I take your thoughts on the matter, the sport, and also what I'm doing or not doing seriously.

I don't know if you've read the whole thread, but remember that I'm hunting in fields that have a tremendous imbalance and unsustainable populations of rabbits because the natural predators fear to tread in these areas. With out me and others like me doing what we do, the numbers would quickly reach epidemic proportions and the entire lot of them would die off. Something has to control the population, or a disease epidemic will wipe them all out.

And yes, my birds do have to eat, so one way or another, some animal has to die to feed them, and to feed any other predator too. This is true for any animal, or person, that eats any meat. These rabbits will feed my birds all year long. Any extra will be given to friends who also have birds to feed, and we'll repeat the cycle year after year.

My wife's feelings on the matter are similar to yours, I think. She grasps the concepts of predation and population control cerebrally, but emotionally she's just not comfortable with the rabbits dying. I made my peace with it a long time ago. I treat the prey humanely and with respect. There is a certain reverence and solemn quiet at a kill. We celebrate the accomplishment of a catch, but we revere the kill and appreciate the sustenance given by the prey. I realize its not for everyone. Thank you for reading my post and sharing your thoughts.


----------



## Blackdog1714

Tom said:


> You are not alone. I take it seriously. I mean I take your thoughts on the matter, the sport, and also what I'm doing or not doing seriously.
> 
> I don't know if you've read the whole thread, but remember that I'm hunting in fields that have a tremendous imbalance and unsustainable populations of rabbits because the natural predators fear to tread in these areas. With out me and others like me doing what we do, the numbers would quickly reach epidemic proportions and the entire lot of them would die off. Something has to control the population, or a disease epidemic will wipe them all out.
> 
> And yes, my birds do have to eat, so one way or another, some animal has to die to feed them, and to feed any other predator too. This is true for any animal, or person, that eats any meat. These rabbits will feed my birds all year long. Any extra will be given to friends who also have birds to feed, and we'll repeat the cycle year after year.
> 
> My wife's feelings on the matter are similar to yours, I think. She grasps the concepts of predation and population control cerebrally, but emotionally she's just not comfortable with the rabbits dying. I made my peace with it a long time ago. I treat the prey humanely and with respect. There is a certain reverence and solemn quiet at a kill. We celebrate the accomplishment of a catch, but we revere the kill and appreciate the sustenance given by the prey. I realize its not for everyone. Thank you for reading my post and sharing your thoughts.


I am not a hunter, but truly appreciate that it is now man’s responsibility to control the animals. Not taking any is almost as bad as taking too many! Carry on sir!


----------



## Yvonne G

There are many, many more fishermen killing fish than there are falconers. . . just sayin'


----------



## Tom

I frequently explain that falconry is an adventure. You never know what is going to happen. Each day you turn the birds loose, it might be the last time you see them alive, or, amazing things might happen right in front of your eyes. Many tragic things can befall these awesome birds. They die in more ways than I can list. Life in a cage might, arguably, be a little safer, but that is really no life at all for a raptor. They need to FLY and they need to HUNT. Anything less is an injustice. Hunting is risky. Life is risky. What follows is our adventure on Sunday, the day I talked about at the end of my last post.

It was too windy in my usual areas, so I drove all the way up to Bakersfield. Its a little over an hour from my house. I got the birds out and started walking the field. All was good and they were having some good flights with near misses. Rick was on the perch and Morty took off in the direction behind me and to the left. I watched him dive to the earth and disappear from view. This is pretty normal. They aren't very tall and even low brush hides them pretty well. If they connect, you hear the rabbit screaming and you know to run over and help them. If they don't connect, they usually pop back up and return to me within a few seconds to rejoin the hunt. Sometimes, when a rabbit makes it to its hole, they will poke their head down the hole and see if they can find it. After 10-20 seconds, they wise up and start looking for me. So there I stood waiting... and waiting... and waiting... After about a minute, I know something is wrong and I start walking to where I last saw Morty with some urgency in my step. No screaming, and also no return to me. This isn't normal. Its always one or the other.

As I walk in that direction, I can start to see that there is a big depression in the ground. A big "bowl" if you will:



As I get closer, I can see its some sort of drainage area:



I couldn't even see that there was anything but level ground from a distance. As I get closer, I'm scanning the whole area for any sign of Morty. Nothing.



Not a sound, and no visual. I'm 100% certain of where he went down because I was looking right at him. That's when I saw it. The big culvert pipe.


"Oh sh*t!" "No f'in way........" The foul language started flowing from my otherwise angelic mouth...
I pulled out my handy dandy flashlight that I always carry in the field with me but have never needed in 6 years of falconry, and sure enough, there was Mort eating his rabbit. And not near the entrance where I could reach him, but a good 20 feet in. The pipe was about 14"-16" and I couldn't have squeezed in there when I was a little kid, but plenty of room for a hawk and a rabbit.



Since he was in there having a meal all to himself, there was no calling him out. He ignored the lure, a treat in my glove, me begging... etc... There was only one thing to do. Wait. Eventually he'd fill up and then, hopefully, go toward the light. Surprisingly, it only took him about 20 minutes and then he happily came hopping out and looked at me like, "Hey. What's up?" He nonchalantly hopped up on my glove and enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the car with the fullest crop he's ever had. That was enough "adventure" for one day, so we drove home after that.

I had no idea that pipe was even there. Couldn't see anything from the rest of the field. Luckily, there wasn't anything else down there and the day ended without tragedy. I suppose you could say it was a successful day of hunting. We _did _catch a rabbit, and that _was _the goal for the day...


----------



## Maro2Bear

Very interesting & informative. Thanks for including all the details on flight weights, full crops, etc. It’s a rather humane way to keep the rabbit population from exploding. We have fields full of ground hogs that ruin crops & white tail deer that ruin crops & gardens.

Keep the pix & Stories coming our way.

Regarding the poisoned bird - a real shame. We had instances here in Maryland with farmers placing poison down to kill foxes....but, in the end, it’s the Bald Eagles that feel the pain.









More bald eagles found dead on Maryland's Eastern Shore as authorities struggle to solve 'systemic' poisonings


Maryland natural resources police are investigating the deaths of seven bald eagles and a great horned owl in a pair of incidents on the Eastern Shore that officials believe can be traced to the intentional poisoning of foxes, raccoons and other animals.




www.baltimoresun.com


----------



## CarolM

Tom said:


> I frequently explain that falconry is an adventure. You never know what is going to happen. Each day you turn the birds loose, it might be the last time you see them alive, or, amazing things might happen right in front of your eyes. Many tragic things can befall these awesome birds. They die in more ways than I can list. Life in a cage might, arguably, be a little safer, but that is really no life at all for a raptor. They need to FLY and they need to HUNT. Anything less is an injustice. Hunting is risky. Life is risky. What follows is our adventure on Sunday, the day I talked about at the end of my last post.
> 
> It was too windy in my usual areas, so I drove all the way up to Bakersfield. Its a little over an hour from my house. I got the birds out and started walking the field. All was good and they were having some good flights with near misses. Rick was on the perch and Morty took off in the direction behind me and to the left. I watched him dive to the earth and disappear from view. This is pretty normal. They aren't very tall and even low brush hides them pretty well. If they connect, you hear the rabbit screaming and you know to run over and help them. If they don't connect, they usually pop back up and return to me within a few seconds to rejoin the hunt. Sometimes, when a rabbit makes it to its hole, they will poke their head down the hole and see if they can find it. After 10-20 seconds, they wise up and start looking for me. So there I stood waiting... and waiting... and waiting... After about a minute, I know something is wrong and I start walking to where I last saw Morty with some urgency in my step. No screaming, and also no return to me. This isn't normal. Its always one or the other.
> 
> As I walk in that direction, I can start to see that there is a big depression in the ground. A big "bowl" if you will:
> View attachment 286141
> 
> 
> As I get closer, I can see its some sort of drainage area:
> View attachment 286142
> 
> 
> I couldn't even see that there was anything but level ground from a distance. As I get closer, I'm scanning the whole area for any sign of Morty. Nothing.
> View attachment 286143
> 
> 
> Not a sound, and no visual. I'm 100% certain of where he went down because I was looking right at him. That's when I saw it. The big culvert pipe.
> View attachment 286144
> 
> "Oh sh*t!" "No f'in way........" The foul language started flowing from my otherwise angelic mouth...
> I pulled out my handy dandy flashlight that I always carry in the field with me but have never needed in 6 years of falconry, and sure enough, there was Mort eating his rabbit. And not near the entrance where I could reach him, but a good 20 feet in. The pipe was about 14"-16" and I couldn't have squeezed in there when I was a little kid, but plenty of room for a hawk and a rabbit.
> View attachment 286145
> 
> 
> Since he was in there having a meal all to himself, there was no calling him out. He ignored the lure, a treat in my glove, me begging... etc... There was only one thing to do. Wait. Eventually he'd fill up and then, hopefully, go toward the light. Surprisingly, it only took him about 20 minutes and then he happily came hopping out and looked at me like, "Hey. What's up?" He nonchalantly hopped up on my glove and enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the car with the fullest crop he's ever had. That was enough "adventure" for one day, so we drove home after that.
> 
> I had no idea that pipe was even there. Couldn't see anything from the rest of the field. Luckily, there wasn't anything else down there and the day ended without tragedy. I suppose you could say it was a successful day of hunting. We _did _catch a rabbit, and that _was _the goal for the day...


Clever clever Morty. It is amazing just how clever they are and that we don't give them enough credit. The fact that he worked out that there was no way you were going to be able to get to him and therefore not have to share his meal, is just so intelligent. I love reading your stories and this one has just reminded me that there are creatures out there that are just as intelligent if not more so than we are out there.


----------



## Tom

Here is Rick's "Where's Waldo" impression:



And here is the look and the lean when a small furry animal is in grave danger:


----------



## Quadro

Tom said:


> Its taken a long time to jump through all the government hoops and other obstacles, but I am finally realizing my dream of becoming a licensed Falconer. I'm only just beginning my journey, after 20 years of dabbling, but here I go...
> 
> I will post lots of pics and keep this thread ongoing, and I invite all discussion about keeping wild animals, hunting, and of course the awesomeness of raptors in general. I find that many people (myself included) are ignorant of what is really going on, and how beneficial to the species falconry is. For example, the Peregrine Falcon was saved from extinction by falconers and falconry, in spite of the dismal failure on the part of government programs to save it. Falconry is VERY different than pet keeping, and it has great benefit for the birds involved who hatch wild and are eventually returned to the wild healthier and better skilled at hunting.
> 
> I am now a licensed Apprentice Falconer. I will spend a minimum of two full years as an apprentice working closely under the direct supervision of my sponsor who is a Master Falconer and has been for 10 years. After 2 years, if all goes well, and my sponsor is willing to sign off on my abilities, I will become a General Falconer and be allowed to "fly solo" so to speak.
> 
> Enough with the boring words: Here is "Toothless" at our first formal meeting.
> View attachment 163624
> 
> I almost named him "Phoenix" after I saw this picture. Its kind of a big deal to not stare them in the face at close range at first, so I did not know he was looking at me like that. I'm sure if he could have shot fire from his mouth at me, he would have. My sponsor is not 100% sure if this one is male or female. You can usually tell by the weight. This is either a big boy or a small girl as the weight is right in the middle. We will get some behavioral clues as time passes, but we are leaning male at this point. Toothless is a "passage" (meaning this years baby, or worded another way, he hatched this last spring) red-tailed hawk. Buteo jamaicensis.
> 
> 
> Here he is on the drive home:
> View attachment 163626
> 
> The hood blocks all the visual stimulation and keeps them a lot calmer and safer during this stressful time. Understand that this 9 month old bird was flying wild minutes before this picture and has never had any previous human contact.
> 
> Here he is on his weathering perch on day one, while I prepared the scale for his first weighing and got his mew (hawk house) all ready for him.
> View attachment 163628
> 
> 
> 
> Here we are on day 2 when the old finally came off. This is what I was greeted with.
> View attachment 163629
> 
> 
> 
> We are now on day 5. He began taking food from me on day 2 and I "man" him (handle him on my glove) for several hours a day as part of the desensitization process. I weigh him at least once a day and I am even more fascinated that I imagined I would be. My sponsor assures me he will be free flying and hunting with me in a month or so.
> 
> Lots more pics to come. Please ask any questions you might have about falconry or raptors in general. I'm no expert yet, but I know a few things, and I know lots of guys that can answer any questions I don't know the answers to.


This is awesome!!! Congratulations!! I just went out with some friends several weekends ago one being a falconer they were flying a Harris Hawk next they are getting a kestrel I believe.


----------



## Tom

Goals. Mine have shifted this year as the months have passed. Initially, I just wanted to successfully train these two birds to do the falconry basics: Hunt, return to me, follow along, ride the perch, etc... That all came pretty quickly and easily. Like many young inexperienced birds, they weren't very skilled or successful at first, so my goal shifted to helping them to succeed more of the time when they tried to catch their prey. That didn't take too long either. Next I shifted to the goals I've had for most of this season: Enjoy the heck out of these birds and what they can do, and hunt them as many days as possible, so they could feed themselves instead of me feeding birds in a cage. Midway through the season, I also had a goal to get them to take jack rabbits, and that happened in time too. One more and we'll have 20 for the season.

The other day a buddy of mine asked me what my tally for the season was so far. I keep detailed notes on their weights and performance, but I hadn't been counting the catches. I didn't really care what the tally was. I cared how well my birds were performing and how much fun I was having spending time with them in the field and learning. Well, I counted. It was in the 80s. This has given me a new goal. I've been thinking about, and trying to decide, when I should stop hunting for the season. Legally we can hunt cottontails until March 31st, but by then there are babies and pregnant momma bunnies running around. We don't want to hunt or kill either of those, so we all stop hunting prior to that. Some of my fields have a noticeably reduced number of rabbits and I've stopped hunting there entirely. Other fields have a terrible over abundance, and I'm still trying to reduce those numbers before spring is upon us. My new goal is 100. I'm at 93 right now, so a few more days of hunting should get me to triple digits. Keep in mind that these were taken all over Southern CA in dozens of different fields. I've made sure to spread the love, and not hunt too much in any one place. I don't see any other falconers hitting most of my preferred fields, so once I'm done, the rabbit populations can breed and re-populate there until fall.


----------



## Tom

Quadro said:


> This is awesome!!! Congratulations!! I just went out with some friends several weekends ago one being a falconer they were flying a Harris Hawk next they are getting a kestrel I believe.


I want a kestrel too. They are wonderful little birds. I'm going to hunt grasshoppers and introduced English house sparrows with it.


----------



## Tortoise MasterMan

This seems like a very long process, but with a very worthwhile reward.


----------



## Quadro

Tom said:


> I want a kestrel too. They are wonderful little birds. I'm going to hunt grasshoppers and introduced English house sparrows with it.


Yeah I think they were trying to get theirs on starlings lol they are going to a falconers convention somewhere in SC this weekend which I bet would be cool to see ?


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> I frequently explain that falconry is an adventure. You never know what is going to happen. Each day you turn the birds loose, it might be the last time you see them alive, or, amazing things might happen right in front of your eyes. Many tragic things can befall these awesome birds. They die in more ways than I can list. Life in a cage might, arguably, be a little safer, but that is really no life at all for a raptor. They need to FLY and they need to HUNT. Anything less is an injustice. Hunting is risky. Life is risky. What follows is our adventure on Sunday, the day I talked about at the end of my last post.
> 
> It was too windy in my usual areas, so I drove all the way up to Bakersfield. Its a little over an hour from my house. I got the birds out and started walking the field. All was good and they were having some good flights with near misses. Rick was on the perch and Morty took off in the direction behind me and to the left. I watched him dive to the earth and disappear from view. This is pretty normal. They aren't very tall and even low brush hides them pretty well. If they connect, you hear the rabbit screaming and you know to run over and help them. If they don't connect, they usually pop back up and return to me within a few seconds to rejoin the hunt. Sometimes, when a rabbit makes it to its hole, they will poke their head down the hole and see if they can find it. After 10-20 seconds, they wise up and start looking for me. So there I stood waiting... and waiting... and waiting... After about a minute, I know something is wrong and I start walking to where I last saw Morty with some urgency in my step. No screaming, and also no return to me. This isn't normal. Its always one or the other.
> 
> As I walk in that direction, I can start to see that there is a big depression in the ground. A big "bowl" if you will:
> View attachment 286141
> 
> 
> As I get closer, I can see its some sort of drainage area:
> View attachment 286142
> 
> 
> I couldn't even see that there was anything but level ground from a distance. As I get closer, I'm scanning the whole area for any sign of Morty. Nothing.
> View attachment 286143
> 
> 
> Not a sound, and no visual. I'm 100% certain of where he went down because I was looking right at him. That's when I saw it. The big culvert pipe.
> View attachment 286144
> 
> "Oh sh*t!" "No f'in way........" The foul language started flowing from my otherwise angelic mouth...
> I pulled out my handy dandy flashlight that I always carry in the field with me but have never needed in 6 years of falconry, and sure enough, there was Mort eating his rabbit. And not near the entrance where I could reach him, but a good 20 feet in. The pipe was about 14"-16" and I couldn't have squeezed in there when I was a little kid, but plenty of room for a hawk and a rabbit.
> View attachment 286145
> 
> 
> Since he was in there having a meal all to himself, there was no calling him out. He ignored the lure, a treat in my glove, me begging... etc... There was only one thing to do. Wait. Eventually he'd fill up and then, hopefully, go toward the light. Surprisingly, it only took him about 20 minutes and then he happily came hopping out and looked at me like, "Hey. What's up?" He nonchalantly hopped up on my glove and enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the car with the fullest crop he's ever had. That was enough "adventure" for one day, so we drove home after that.
> 
> I had no idea that pipe was even there. Couldn't see anything from the rest of the field. Luckily, there wasn't anything else down there and the day ended without tragedy. I suppose you could say it was a successful day of hunting. We _did _catch a rabbit, and that _was _the goal for the day...


OH, my GOSH!!!! That's just kind of freaky!!!
So, the rabbit ALMOST made it into the culvert, but Morty was in full dive and the force of his dive carried both him and the rabbit down into the culvert? Is that how that happened???


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> OH, my GOSH!!!! That's just kind of freaky!!!
> So, the rabbit ALMOST made it into the culvert, but Morty was in full dive and the force of his dive carried both him and the rabbit down into the culvert? Is that how that happened???


I didn't see it. I just saw the dive from a distance and then he disappeared below ground level. It was either what you proposed, or he followed it down there and grabbed it underground. Since this episode, Mr. Morty has become a regular spelunker. He now explores every "cave" and underground passage he can get to in the hopes of catching a tasty meal.

We DID manage to catch Jack #20 a couple of days ago. And above ground too!


----------



## Tom

We made it to *100* rabbits as of this morning. Goal attained! ???

One of the things we learn as apprentice falconers is to write down notes on everything. I've been taking notes and tracking their weights and other details all season long. Just for my own edification, and also to have them recorded somewhere other than my paper note pad, I'll relate some of those statistics here.


Cottontail season here in CA starts on October 1st and ends March 31st.
Its open season on jackrabbits all year.
Most of us hunt from October to mid Feb. The reason we quit early is to give the birds a break and let them molt, and also to let the rabbits start their springtime breeding season with less pressure from additional predators. We want the rabbit populations to recover and grow for the next year. We also don't want our birds to catch pregnant momma rabbits or babies. That is not sporting, and its is heavily frowned upon in the falconry community. The challenge is to hunt fit, healthy, adult rabbits in their prime. I stopped going to most of my fields mid January, and I've only been hitting the few fields that are still grossly over populated. My hope has been to knock down the population in these few over crowded fields to a more sustainable level. Not sure I did enough as there are still tons of rabbits running around in a few of them. Time will tell. Also, the birds need a chance to molt with less risk of breaking new and incoming feathers.
I obtained the birds on 8/8/2019, and began the long process of training them immediately.
Their first jump to my fist from a close distance happened on 8/13. This is a HUGE step in the training process.
Their first day hunting in the field was 8/26.
Their first day hunting together as a team was 8/29. There was some minor squabbling that stopped within minutes. As soon as rabbits started running, they stopped thinking about each other. In just these first few days, they figured out what we were doing and why we were in those fields.
I began free-lofting them on 8/30. This means they were allowed to fly free in their mews, instead of being tethered to a bow perch. This is a debatable subject among falconers.
They made their very first catch of a wild rabbit all on their own on 9/11.
We had a dry spell until 9/25 when they caught two in one day.
Vaccinated for West Nile Virus on 9/26.
In their first month of hunting and learning how this whole thing works, they caught a total of three rabbits.
They caught their first jackrabbit on 10/2.
In their second month of hunting, they caught a total of 13 rabbits.
In their third month of hunting, they caught 16 rabbits.
In their fourth month, 16.
Fifth month, only 10 rabbits, because I injured my leg and couldn't hunt for about two weeks.
Sixth month, 36 cute and fuzzy bunnies.
Today is the first day of month 7, and we caught 3.
If 8/26 was their first day of hunting, we've hunted 109 out of 186 days to date. The days we didn't hunt were due to weather, work, or my injuries.
On an average day, I walk 3.1 miles in search of prey for them to hunt, for a total of 337.9 miles for the season so far.
In addition to the rabbits, we've had a few incidental catches that were not intended. Each bird caught two ground squirrels. This is to be strongly discouraged, as ground squirrels are extremely tough, vicious and dangerous animals. One good bite and your bird is crippled for life. Luckily, they learned to not go after these little monsters after two instances of being stripped of their catch with no reward. Morty had a day when he decided lizards were food to be hunted. He actually caught one which I promptly took from him with no reward. He stopped trying for lizards after that. The two of them ambushed a very surprised quail on one occasion. Good thing I paid for the upland game stamp this year! We went hunting one evening a couple of months ago, and they both decided to grab a dirty oily rag that was sitting still on the ground. It was weird and I have no explanation for that one. I had to take it from them and hide it in the bushes. Early in the season they found a doll head (no body...) and it took them a few minutes to let that go and realize it wasn't edible. Luckily, we didn't see any snakes of any species in the field this year.

All in all, its been a fantastic hunting season. Better than I even imagined it could be. We've had all sorts of amazing adventures and a few mis-adventures too. Both birds turned into amazing, well-trained, efficient hunters. Both threw themselves into their new life with full force. Morty has taken a beating to his cere and eyebrows, and he's damaged a few leg scales too. The off season will allow him time to heal up. Morty has somehow avoided damaging himself for the most part. A few minor scrapes and bruises, but nothing major or noticeable. Het let Rick do all the "heavy lifting" with the jacks, and he'd come in with the assist when things had calmed a bit after the initial grab.

We'll finish out the week, and then call an end to the 2019/2020 hunting season.


----------



## KarenSoCal

So you will keep Rick and Morty and hunt with them next season? Or do they get released and you catch new ones? How is that decided?


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> So you will keep Rick and Morty and hunt with them next season? Or do they get released and you catch new ones? How is that decided?


Rick and Morty are captive bred. I got them from a breeder and they were chamber raised by their parents until about 4 months old. They wear little bird bands, and they can never be released to the wild. I'll keep them as long as they live, or I would have to transfer them to another licensed falconer if I couldn't keep them for some reason.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> I didn't see it. I just saw the dive from a distance and then he disappeared below ground level. It was either what you proposed, or he followed it down there and grabbed it underground. Since this episode, Mr. Morty has become a regular spelunker. He now explores every "cave" and underground passage he can get to in the hopes of catching a tasty meal.
> 
> We DID manage to catch Jack #20 a couple of days ago. And above ground too!
> View attachment 286992


That is just ASTONISHING!!!!  
I NEVER DREAMED that a hunting bird would go UNDERGROUND for any reason!!!!


----------



## Randy Micheals

Incredible!


----------



## bouaboua

WOW! ~ Learn something here everyday.


----------



## Ranman

@Tom i just found this thread yesterday and read the whole thing. It was so informing on how falconers operate. I had know ideal what any of that meant. For those of us here that are bird lovers it is fascinating how the birds and you and all other falconers work together. i find your post from start to finish so interesting. Me being a bird lover and raising toucans and parrots in the past I find that this is something i might like to try someday, I look forward to your continued post of the future on how this journey takes you. Thanks again for sharing this with us.


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> That is just ASTONISHING!!!!
> I NEVER DREAMED that a hunting bird would go UNDERGROUND for any reason!!!!


Its part of how they work together in the wild. Some birds in the hunting group will take a perch over the target area, or fly in a circle over head, and one or two others hop down to the ground and walk into the brush to flush the prey out into the open so the other can get a shot at it. Flushers and strikers. If the striker misses, the flusher will take a high perch and the striker will become the flusher.

Rick will sometimes crawl into a big bush and if he can see the rabbit, but can't quite reach it, he'll call me over to him to help him catch or flush it. Its pretty amazing to see it in person.


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom said:


> Rick will sometimes crawl into a big bush and if he can see the rabbit, but can't quite reach it, he'll call me over to him to help him catch or flush it. Its pretty amazing to see it in person.



Wow! I am surprised Rick will call for assistance from his human. I have seen studies of dogs and wolves. Each animal is given a problem to work out for the prize. The dogs identified the problem, realized they needed help, and would bark, whimper, or cry while looking at the owner, clearly saying "I'm in trouble here...HELP me!!"

But not one of the wolves asked for assistance. Instead they would try to figure it out, or tear it apart, and when that failed, they'd lose interest and seek a good place to curl up and nap.

How does Rick call for you? I assume with vocalizations and looking at you?

Does he ever call for Morty? Or is Morty so high on a pole he wouldn't hear him?

I find this fascinating!


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> How does Rick call for you? I assume with vocalizations and looking at you?
> 
> Does he ever call for Morty? Or is Morty so high on a pole he wouldn't hear him?
> 
> I find this fascinating!



This species is quite vocal. They make all sorts of little murmurs and small peeps that you have to be very close to hear. Babies also have a begging call they use with their parents. As adults their vocalizations change and get much deeper. They also have a "scree" alarm call to alert each other and complain about "predators". Early on they would do this anytime a new dog came around in the back yard where there mews are. Now, they've seen so many dogs, they aren't alarmed by them.

I suppose that Rick could be calling Morty to alert him to the presence of prey close by, but Morty is usually in the same bush with him, and the calling stops upon my arrival. Over all these months, both of them have learned that I am the flusher of rabbits. They watch me and stay close, waiting for the next one to jump up.

I'm fascinated too. Its amazing to watch them work in the field. I've taken many people along to see it this year and all of them have been astounded watching my "Wolves of the Sky" do their thing.


----------



## Moozillion

So, Tom- If you hear the rabbit they've caught screaming, does that mean they don't always successfully kill the rabbits they catch? Or do you just hear the rabbit scream as they kill it; and you get over to them to sort out what they've caught and determine how much you let them eat?


----------



## Ray--Opo

Wow this thread is so interesting. I would rather hunt rabbits with falcon's then beagles. I have had some good beagles in my day and some that I wanted to leave in the fields.


----------



## Tom

Ray--Opo said:


> Wow this thread is so interesting. I would rather hunt rabbits with falcon's then beagles. I have had some good beagles in my day and some that I wanted to leave in the fields.


The best way is to use BOTH a good dog and a hawk.


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> So, Tom- If you hear the rabbit they've caught screaming, does that mean they don't always successfully kill the rabbits they catch? Or do you just hear the rabbit scream as they kill it; and you get over to them to sort out what they've caught and determine how much you let them eat?


They don't usually kill the rabbits. They just grab it and hold on until I get there. One of the things we learn as apprentices is how to safely, quickly, and humanely dispatch the prey.


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> The best way is to use BOTH a good dog and a hawk.


Oh yes! That would be the ultimate. I would just get frustrated when I would get a beagle that I couldn't break from getting a scent on a deer.


----------



## Maggie3fan

@Tom...what kind of bird is this...He dive bombs my feeder stations and catches and eats the Towhee's and others...
Towhees are the abt the size of Robins...thx


----------



## Tom

maggie18fan said:


> @Tom...what kind of bird is this...He dive bombs my feeder stations and catches and eats the Towhee's and others...
> Towhees are the abt the size of Robins...thx


I can't tell from the pics. Judging from the behavior you describe, I'd guess it to be a small accipiter of one sort or another.


----------



## Maggie3fan

I 'thought' it was some species of hawk, but research says they don't eat other birds, but peregrine falcons do, I was hoping you might recognize the silhouette...I'm not good enough to recognize birds of prey in my freakin yard...


----------



## Calaveras

Tom said:


> I can't tell from the pics. Judging from the behavior you describe, I'd guess it to be a small accipiter of one sort or another.


Yep,
It is either a small male coopers hawk or more likely it is a Sharpshin hawk. They are deadly to small birds. They can't compete with house cats so you do not see as many in urban areas.

For the record, all raptors eat other birds including raptors. I had a red-tail that loved to fight with great-horned owls and chase burrowing owls to the point I had to stop hunting in any area where there were ground squirrel burrows because they might have one hiding there. I had a Harris's hawk that was nearly killed by a red-tail hawk.


----------



## Maggie3fan

Calaveras said:


> Yep,
> It is either a small male coopers hawk or more likely it is a Sharpshin hawk. They are deadly to small birds. They can't compete with house cats so you do not see as many in urban areas.
> 
> For the record, all raptors eat other birds including raptors. I had a red-tail that loved to fight with great-horned owls and chase burrowing owls to the point I had to stop hunting in any area where there were ground squirrel burrows because they might have one hiding there. I had a Harris's hawk that was nearly killed by a red-tail hawk.


 that's just really interesting...I knew that owls ate other birds but I didn't think that bird eating bird was a common thing...I'm kinda new at birds...


----------



## Tom

maggie18fan said:


> that's just really interesting...I knew that owls ate other birds but I didn't think that bird eating bird was a common thing...I'm kinda new at birds...


It does depend on the species, but all raptors are pretty opportunistic. Peregrin falcons, merlins, and the sharp shins that Calaveras mentioned are bird catching specialists. Not that they wouldn't take a lizard or small snake if the opportunity presented itself. Harris hawks and redtails are considered generalists, and will eat just about anything they can catch to include mammals, reptiles, and birds. In addition to rabbits, my boys caught a lizard, four ground squirrels, and a quail this year. We weren't trying for any of those, and in fact, I tried to discourage them from the lizards and squirrels. Quail are fine, but tougher to catch unless that is what you are really trying for.


----------



## Viola B

I just found this Thread. Tom, what a wonderful adventure you have had! It thrills me to read all these posts. Thank you for sharing your on going adventure. I love raptors, they are so beautiful!! 
You have a gift for writing. Writing is not my cup of tea. I appreciate your talent. I can feel your great love for these birds, all of them. 
When we lived in the mother lode of California we had a visit from a young red tail hawk. I had many hanging baskets of flowers outside with drippers on each one. One warm day a young red tail hawk come and landed under the handing baskets while the water was dripping down. It had a good shower getting it's feathers good and wet, coming back again and again. It was young and not too good at flying, yet. It tired to fly up onto our roof when very wet, but missed and was hanging onto the screen of our window. Needless to say, the screen was shredded! It stayed in the area for sometime. It was a joy to watch.


----------



## wellington

Just seen the inventors of the sling shot and Wham-o company were Faulkner's and invented the sling shot to fling food into the air too feed their birds. 
Have you done that?


----------



## Maggie3fan

It's a Coopers Hawk diving my feeders...you were right on that Tom...now...how do I make him go away...


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Just seen the inventors of the sling shot and Wham-o company were Faulkner's and invented the sling shot to fling food into the air too feed their birds.
> Have you done that?


I never have. I've never heard of that. Falconers back east use sling shots and marbles to keep the squirrels moving for their birds up in the tree tops. I've seen one falconer that uses it in rapid succession with pinpoint accuracy!


----------



## Tom

maggie18fan said:


> It's a Coopers Hawk diving my feeders...you were right on that Tom...now...how do I make him go away...


Hmmm... If there is prey, there will be predators. Its a federal crime to mess with wild raptors too... You might try placing some of those plastic owls around. Predators don't like larger predators.


----------



## Tom

We've finished our first hunting season together. Here is the final tally:
83 cottontails
25 jacks
5 ground squirrels
1 lizard
1 quail

It was an amazing first season for these boys. So many close calls, so many near misses, triumphs, victories, defeats, so much learning both for me and for them, and full time non-stop adventure. They will be a year old next month, and they'll be fat and happy by then. We're moving on to the next chapter of their lives that will establish an annual pattern. Hunt daily and hard for the entire hunting season, and then take the hot summer months off to molt, recover, heal and relax. We left A LOT of rabbits in those fields. It seems like we caught so many when its all tallied up, but those numbers are from dozens of hunting fields, totaling hundreds of acres, spread out all over Southern CA, and we missed at least 20-30 for every one that we caught. I hope the rabbits also have a good off season with an abundance of food and shelter. We'll look for them again next season!

I was trying to take a photo of Rick sitting on a dirt berm, and Morty photo bombed us:


----------



## Viola B

Don't you just love to watch those beautiful birds fly. Their wings are beautiful to watch glide through the air, catching the wind, going this way and that.


----------



## wellington

Tom, you will keep these two forever now and no releasing after the season?
If so, why didnt you keep the others?


----------



## Tom

Viola B said:


> Don't you just love to watch those beautiful birds fly. Their wings are beautiful to watch glide through the air, catching the wind, going this way and that.


Their maneuverability is truly amazing. They can change direction instantaneously in mid air, and the acceleration when they dive is scary. It is a privilege and a thrill to watch them fly and hunt.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Tom, you will keep these two forever now and no releasing after the season?
> If so, why didnt you keep the others?


The other birds were all wild caught passage red tail hawks. They were raised by their parents in the wild and learned to fend for themselves for months before I trapped them for falconry. This being the case, they already know their area, and have all the necessary survival skills to make it out there. They wouldn't have survived to the fall trapping season if they were unfit or unlucky in any way. "Passage" meaning they hatch in the same spring of the year we trap them. Meaning Minerva hatched spring of 2016, and I trapped her in Fall of 2016. After their first year, they molt into the adult plumage with the red tail and tan breast, and these are called "haggard" birds in falconry terms. We only trap passage birds, never hags. The only time someone would be doing falconry with a haggard redtail would be if they had trapped it as a passage and kept it for more than one hunting season, like I did with Minerva.

This experience of doing an apprenticeship and being licensed to catch and train wild juvenile raptors is pretty unique to America, and we are so much the better for it. Its not allowed in most other countries. It benefits both the individual bird AND the species over the long term in more ways than can be counted. We are allowed to keep them if we want to, but most people prefer the experience of rescuing and working with new birds on a regular basis. Most of the wild redtails that are trapped for falconry would have died if left alone out in the wild, so it truly is a rescue situation. According to my avian vet, Minerva would have died from the coccidia that she was carrying had I not trapped her and brought into captivity. She also had three types of ecto parasites and two types of endo parasites. My first bird, Toothless, DID die from the Aspergillosis that he had contracted from living wild. There was nothing we could do to save him. The little male, "Chicken", that I trapped before Tacoma died from eating a poisoned rodent. If I had just trapped him a day or two earlier, he'd still be alive, living wild again, and free of parasites and disease.

By contrast, Rick and Morty are captive bred birds. Their parents were raised and trained by a master falconer that lives two hours to the south of me. He hunted with mom and dad every year and then put them up for the molt and breeding. Rick and Morty and their two brothers hatched in spring of 2019, and were "chamber raised" by their parents in a large flight cage for the first four months before I drove down to pick them up. They had never hunted or learned the ways of the wild, and so they can never be released to the wild. I taught them everything that their parents and the elements of the wild would have taught them. I will keep them forever, or if something changes, I must transfer them to another licensed falconer. I don't plan on them dying and I don't plan on transferring them. Hopefully, we will have many happy years of hunting together.


----------



## wellington

Tom said:


> The other birds were all wild caught passage red tail hawks. They were raised by their parents in the wild and learned to fend for themselves for months before I trapped them for falconry. This being the case, they already know their area, and have all the necessary survival skills to make it out there. They wouldn't have survived to the fall trapping season if they were unfit or unlucky in any way. "Passage" meaning they hatch in the same spring of the year we trap them. Meaning Minerva hatched spring of 2016, and I trapped her in Fall of 2016. After their first year, they molt into the adult plumage with the red tail and tan breast, and these are called "haggard" birds in falconry terms. We only trap passage birds, never hags. The only time someone would be doing falconry with a haggard redtail would be if they had trapped it as a passage and kept it for more than one hunting season, like I did with Minerva.
> 
> This experience of doing an apprenticeship and being licensed to catch and train wild juvenile raptors is pretty unique to America, and we are so much the better for it. Its not allowed in most other countries. It benefits both the individual bird AND the species over the long term in more ways than can be counted. We are allowed to keep them if we want to, but most people prefer the experience of rescuing and working with new birds on a regular basis. Most of the wild redtails that are trapped for falconry would have died if left alone out in the wild, so it truly is a rescue situation. According to my avian vet, Minerva would have died from the coccidia that she was carrying had I not trapped her and brought into captivity. She also had three types of ecto parasites and two types of endo parasites. My first bird, Toothless, DID die from the Aspergillosis that he had contracted from living wild. There was nothing we could do to save him. The little male, "Chicken", that I trapped before Tacoma died from eating a poisoned rodent. If I had just trapped him a day or two earlier, he'd still be alive, living wild again, and free of parasites and disease.
> 
> By contrast, Rick and Morty are captive bred birds. Their parents were raised and trained by a master falconer that lives two hours to the south of me. He hunted with mom and dad every year and then put them up for the molt and breeding. Rick and Morty and their two brothers hatched in spring of 2019, and were "chamber raised" by their parents in a large flight cage for the first four months before I drove down to pick them up. They had never hunted or learned the ways of the wild, and so they can never be released to the wild. I taught them everything that their parents and the elements of the wild would have taught them. I will keep them forever, or if something changes, I must transfer them to another licensed falconer. I don't plan on them dying and I don't plan on transferring them. Hopefully, we will have many happy years of hunting together.


Interesting.
Will you still trap or is that now to dangerous too bring the wild within close care of your hand raised and obvious healthier ones? 
Would never have thought that so many wilds would be so unhealthy and live such shorter lives. Very sad.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Interesting.
> Will you still trap or is that now to dangerous too bring the wild within close care of your hand raised and obvious healthier ones?
> Would never have thought that so many wilds would be so unhealthy and live such shorter lives. Very sad.


95 out of 100 don't make it to their first birthday. Of the ones the do make it, most of them are hanging on by a thread. It is sad, and its one of the reasons I am okay with reasonable, sustainable numbers of some reptile species being taken from the wild for the pet trade. Life in the wild has been romanticized of late, but in reality it is a very very hard road for any animal.

It takes a TREMENDOUS amount of time to train, care for, and hunt with these birds. I have no plans to trap any new birds for the foreseeable future because I don't have any more time to devote to another bird. However, I'm really debating getting a kestrel this spring because I can hunt it easily every day without going anywhere. I have game for it on my ranch, at my house, and just about every where I travel each day. I wouldn't have to make any special trips to hunting fields with a little kestrel, although I could also hunt it in the same fields that I hunt Rick and Morty in.


----------



## wellington

Had to look up the Kestrel, never heard of them. Very pretty and small. Will be quite a difference from your bigger ones. 
Do you think it's safe to assume that all birds, song birds, the ones many see at their bird feeders are as unhealthy and short lived as the Raptors or is it due more to what the Raptors diet is that makes them filled with parasite and disease? If diet of the Raptors seems to be the bigger cause, then is it likely their food sources also perishing at very young age or that the birds are just more susceptible? 
When I was a kind in Michigan, we never seen hawks, falcons, eagles, egrets, etc. even many song birds. The DDT they sprayed for mosquitoes killed them. It's been many years since they stopped using the DDT but its taken years for the wildlife to return and flourish. It's been about 20 or so years now that we have been able to see more and more of them. It's a norm now to see them every day but still so exciting. 
It is very sad they are so short lived.


----------



## Maggie3fan

Tom said:


> The other birds were all wild caught passage red tail hawks. They were raised by their parents in the wild and learned to fend for themselves for months before I trapped them for falconry. This being the case, they already know their area, and have all the necessary survival skills to make it out there. They wouldn't have survived to the fall trapping season if they were unfit or unlucky in any way. "Passage" meaning they hatch in the same spring of the year we trap them. Meaning Minerva hatched spring of 2016, and I trapped her in Fall of 2016. After their first year, they molt into the adult plumage with the red tail and tan breast, and these are called "haggard" birds in falconry terms. We only trap passage birds, never hags. The only time someone would be doing falconry with a haggard redtail would be if they had trapped it as a passage and kept it for more than one hunting season, like I did with Minerva.
> 
> This experience of doing an apprenticeship and being licensed to catch and train wild juvenile raptors is pretty unique to America, and we are so much the better for it. Its not allowed in most other countries. It benefits both the individual bird AND the species over the long term in more ways than can be counted. We are allowed to keep them if we want to, but most people prefer the experience of rescuing and working with new birds on a regular basis. Most of the wild redtails that are trapped for falconry would have died if left alone out in the wild, so it truly is a rescue situation. According to my avian vet, Minerva would have died from the coccidia that she was carrying had I not trapped her and brought into captivity. She also had three types of ecto parasites and two types of endo parasites. My first bird, Toothless, DID die from the Aspergillosis that he had contracted from living wild. There was nothing we could do to save him. The little male, "Chicken", that I trapped before Tacoma died from eating a poisoned rodent. If I had just trapped him a day or two earlier, he'd still be alive, living wild again, and free of parasites and disease.
> 
> By contrast, Rick and Morty are captive bred birds. Their parents were raised and trained by a master falconer that lives two hours to the south of me. He hunted with mom and dad every year and then put them up for the molt and breeding. Rick and Morty and their two brothers hatched in spring of 2019, and were "chamber raised" by their parents in a large flight cage for the first four months before I drove down to pick them up. They had never hunted or learned the ways of the wild, and so they can never be released to the wild. I taught them everything that their parents and the elements of the wild would have taught them. I will keep them forever, or if something changes, I must transfer them to another licensed falconer. I don't plan on them dying and I don't plan on transferring them. Hopefully, we will have many happy years of hunting together.



Tom...I am really enjoying reading about your road with the birds...It is damned interesting to me and others. I actually am learning from you about raptors and I seriously hope you will keep updating this thread for us...


----------



## Sue Ann

Tom said:


> Its taken a long time to jump through all the government hoops and other obstacles, but I am finally realizing my dream of becoming a licensed Falconer. I'm only just beginning my journey, after 20 years of dabbling, but here I go...
> 
> I will post lots of pics and keep this thread ongoing, and I invite all discussion about keeping wild animals, hunting, and of course the awesomeness of raptors in general. I find that many people (myself included) are ignorant of what is really going on, and how beneficial to the species falconry is. For example, the Peregrine Falcon was saved from extinction by falconers and falconry, in spite of the dismal failure on the part of government programs to save it. Falconry is VERY different than pet keeping, and it has great benefit for the birds involved who hatch wild and are eventually returned to the wild healthier and better skilled at hunting.
> 
> I am now a licensed Apprentice Falconer. I will spend a minimum of two full years as an apprentice working closely under the direct supervision of my sponsor who is a Master Falconer and has been for 10 years. After 2 years, if all goes well, and my sponsor is willing to sign off on my abilities, I will become a General Falconer and be allowed to "fly solo" so to speak.
> 
> Enough with the boring words: Here is "Toothless" at our first formal meeting.
> View attachment 163624
> 
> I almost named him "Phoenix" after I saw this picture. Its kind of a big deal to not stare them in the face at close range at first, so I did not know he was looking at me like that. I'm sure if he could have shot fire from his mouth at me, he would have. My sponsor is not 100% sure if this one is male or female. You can usually tell by the weight. This is either a big boy or a small girl as the weight is right in the middle. We will get some behavioral clues as time passes, but we are leaning male at this point. Toothless is a "passage" (meaning this years baby, or worded another way, he hatched this last spring) red-tailed hawk. Buteo jamaicensis.
> 
> 
> Here he is on the drive home:
> View attachment 163626
> 
> The hood blocks all the visual stimulation and keeps them a lot calmer and safer during this stressful time. Understand that this 9 month old bird was flying wild minutes before this picture and has never had any previous human contact.
> 
> Here he is on his weathering perch on day one, while I prepared the scale for his first weighing and got his mew (hawk house) all ready for him.
> View attachment 163628
> 
> 
> 
> Here we are on day 2 when the old finally came off. This is what I was greeted with.
> View attachment 163629
> 
> 
> 
> We are now on day 5. He began taking food from me on day 2 and I "man" him (handle him on my glove) for several hours a day as part of the desensitization process. I weigh him at least once a day and I am even more fascinated that I imagined I would be. My sponsor assures me he will be free flying and hunting with me in a month or so.
> 
> Lots more pics to come. Please ask any questions you might have about falconry or raptors in general. I'm no expert yet, but I know a few things, and I know lots of guys that can answer any questions I don't know the answers to.


Are they always head covered and kept in dark? When they are in their falcon environment?


----------



## Tom

Sue Ann said:


> Are they always head covered and kept in dark? When they are in their falcon environment?


This is an excellent question Sue Ann. The answer is kind of long and convoluted...

Each species is different. Each individual within a species is different. Each falconer is different. Each situation is different. With all of these variables, and more, in play, I'm sure can can imagine that the answer will vary a lot. Then throw in the usual differences of opinions of traditionalist vs. newcomers, behaviorists vs. pragmatists, innovators vs. rule followers, etc... I'll spell out some of the different scenarios.

Rick and Morty have never seen or worn a hood. No need for it in this case. I think most people flying Harris hawks don't hood them. This species is really unique in the falconry world due to their tameness, intelligence and social nature. I have heard of people hooding them some of the time, and that is fine, but I think most don't.

Some birds get a little overly jumpy once you reach the field, but before its time to hunt. Falcons for example: Usually the falconer walks around with the hooded bird while the dog hunts for hidden game. When the dog goes on point, the falconer unhoods the falcon and lets him ring up into the sky. When the falcon is in the right position and height, depending on the wind, conditions, prey, etc..., the falconer gives the dog the command to flush the game. At this point the falcon goes into that sky ripping stoop and tries to connect with the fleeing game bird. If successful, the falcon then flies down, binds to the dead or dying bird, kills it, and then begins to pluck and eat it. When the falconer is ready, the falcon is traded off for some more food, and re-hooded for the walk back to the car.

Hoods are typically used when transporting the bird to and from the hunting areas. Hoods are not typically used when the birds are at home and not hunting. Exceptions abound. Whenever a new wild bird is trapped for falconry, like my redtails, we use the hoods a lot at first to keep the bird from freaking out and hurting itself. Once they acclimatize a bit and get used to their new routines, hoods are used less, or not at all as in my case. I made do without hooding my redtails, but there were a few times in the field that I wish I had continued the hood training and had one to use. I've seen other falconers that do sometimes hood their birds some of the time, and it makes sense and seems to improve things for the birds. Other birds and situations, just don't need a hood.

The shorter answer to your two questions is: No. None of them are "always" hooded, and with rare exception, they are not hooded in their "falcon environments" (Called mews) at home.


----------



## Tom

Sue Ann said:


> Are they always head covered and kept in dark? When they are in their falcon environment?


I ran out of time earlier, but there is a little more to add. In addition the the usual specially made leather hoods that birds wear on their heads, there is another method of "hooding" that I and many other falconers use for our hawks and eagles. Its called "the giant hood". The concept of hooding is to calm the bird and take away all the visual cues that excite or scare the bird. Rather than use a traditional hood to reduce these visual cues, I use a large darkened box to accomplish the same thing. These "giant hood" boxes are specially sized and custom built for the birds that will ride in them. They do the same thing as a leather hood, but also contain the bird and keep it safe during transport to and from the field. Here is my double box made by my good friend @wccmog10 who is also a member here on the forum. He designs and builds these boxes, and they are more perfect in every way than I could even imagine.





Literally from day one, these boxes have been an integral part of my training and bird management routine. Every day I load the birds into them, bring the boxes indoors to weigh the birds, and then put the boxes in the car to drive to the hunting fields. When we are done hunting, the birds follow me back to the car and happily allow me to put them in their boxes for the ride home. It became routine to them within a few days of bringing them home. After a couple of months of this daily routine, Morty actually started jumping into the box on his own. I would walk over to the mew, set the box on the ground and use both hands to operate the door latch and open the door of the mew. Morty would eagerly hop down to the ground and beg me to open the door to his giant hood. When I complied with his wishes, he would run into the box, duck under the perch, run to the back of the box, turn around and hop up on the perch. I said "good boy" and shut the door. I never feed them in their giant hoods, because I don't want any weird food associations with the box, or their mews. They eat out in the world, hopefully on a freshly caught rabbit carcass, so this behavior was amazing and also very endearing to me. He's continued with this behavior without a direct reward ever since that first time he did it. Now I just set the box down, open the box door, open his mew door, and he runs into the box. His reward is that when the giant hood door opens again, we are at the field and he gets to fly around in the wind and hunt. Rick was quite a ways behind his brother, but after a while, he started willingly jumping into the box on his own too. After my experience with Morty, I started holding the box up to Rick with the door open. He now jumps in all on his own, by his own choice. Rick, however, jumps to his perch in the box, and then turns around, unlike Morty's style of running under the perch and turning around on the floor of the box.

These last two posts should illustrate that there are many ways to do falconry, and every falconer has to figure out what works best for their own birds and hunting situation. It is a constant puzzle with many pieces always on the move. Minor adjustments and alterations are made constantly to the daily routine, training methods, food delivery styles, equipment used, and every other aspect of our lives and the birds lives. We are always striving for improvement and perfection. Improvement is easy to attain and happens on a regular basis. Perfection is an unattainable goal that we reach for, but never quite grasp. I think my giant hoods are perfect, but my training methods are still getting there.


----------



## Sue Ann

Tom said:


> This is an excellent question Sue Ann. The answer is kind of long and convoluted...
> 
> Each species is different. Each individual within a species is different. Each falconer is different. Each situation is different. With all of these variables, and more, in play, I'm sure can can imagine that the answer will vary a lot. Then throw in the usual differences of opinions of traditionalist vs. newcomers, behaviorists vs. pragmatists, innovators vs. rule followers, etc... I'll spell out some of the different scenarios.
> 
> Rick and Morty have never seen or worn a hood. No need for it in this case. I think most people flying Harris hawks don't hood them. This species is really unique in the falconry world due to their tameness, intelligence and social nature. I have heard of people hooding them some of the time, and that is fine, but I think most don't.
> 
> Some birds get a little overly jumpy once you reach the field, but before its time to hunt. Falcons for example: Usually the falconer walks around with the hooded bird while the dog hunts for hidden game. When the dog goes on point, the falconer unhoods the falcon and lets him ring up into the sky. When the falcon is in the right position and height, depending on the wind, conditions, prey, etc..., the falconer gives the dog the command to flush the game. At this point the falcon goes into that sky ripping stoop and tries to connect with the fleeing game bird. If successful, the falcon then flies down, binds to the dead or dying bird, kills it, and then begins to pluck and eat it. When the falconer is ready, the falcon is traded off for some more food, and re-hooded for the walk back to the car.
> 
> Hoods are typically used when transporting the bird to and from the hunting areas. Hoods are not typically used when the birds are at home and not hunting. Exceptions abound. Whenever a new wild bird is trapped for falconry, like my redtails, we use the hoods a lot at first to keep the bird from freaking out and hurting itself. Once they acclimatize a bit and get used to their new routines, hoods are used less, or not at all as in my case. I made do without hooding my redtails, but there were a few times in the field that I wish I had continued the hood training and had one to use. I've seen other falconers that do sometimes hood their birds some of the time, and it makes sense and seems to improve things for the birds. Other birds and situations, just don't need a hood.
> 
> The shorter answer to your two questions is: No. None of them are "always" hooded, and with rare exception, they are not hooded in their "falcon environments" (Called mews) at home.


Thanks I was having a disagreement with friends that falconry was cruel and birds were kept hooded at all times.


----------



## Tom

Sue Ann said:


> Thanks I was having a disagreement with friends that falconry was cruel and birds were kept hooded at all times.


I can tell you first hand that there are a lot of misconceptions about falconry and what is or isn't done. I had a lot of those misconceptions until I learned more about it. In addition to sharing this experience, the point of this thread is also to explain the facts and dispel some of these misconceptions. I'm glad you asked your question, and welcome any others.


----------



## Moozillion

@Tom, Since Morty has added spelunking to his hunting portfolio, you may end up with moles or voles or snakes or...(GASP!) A desert tortoise!!!


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> @Tom, Since Morty has added spelunking to his hunting portfolio, you may end up with moles or voles or snakes or...(GASP!) A desert tortoise!!!


No DTs where I hunt, but yeah, I hope this doesn't become a bigger problem with other stuff. I'll have to be careful where I take them next year. They don't show any interest in tortoises, or lots of other animals too. They seem to know what their food is. I fly them around my tortoises at the ranch all the time, and they don't even look at the tortoises of any size.


----------



## Moozillion

It's funny- I don't think of hawks as "long legged birds" but that picture of Morty in his giant hood certainly makes his long legs obvious! And for good reason, once you think about how they hunt. This is such a cool thread!


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> It's funny- I don't think of hawks as "long legged birds" but that picture of Morty in his giant hood certainly makes his long legs obvious! And for good reason, once you think about how they hunt. This is such a cool thread!


Their reach is amazing. Many people learn this the hard way when they get too close to the mews with food in their hand.


----------



## Tom

The boys are enjoying their molting season so far. I'm still able to handle them and let them fly around. These birds are just so different than anything else. With a redtail, and all other falconry birds that I know of, we use their hunger to control them. They are hungry, we have an easy meal, so they fly back to us. "Normal" falconry birds do enjoy the hunt, and they know cooperating with us brings them more of that joy, but still, their hunger serves as an invisible leash of sorts.

When Minerva or Tacoma began their molt and regular large meals drove their weights way up, they quickly reverted back to an almost wild state. They didn't want me around, certainly didn't want to come to me, and other than passing them free food, they would rather I leave them alone. Not Rick and Morty. They just want to hang out. If Tacoma or Minerva were to get outside their mew untethered during the molt, I would never see them again. No hunger = no reason to fly back to the noisy hairless ape. I let Rick and Morty out to fly around and "catch" their meals, and they walk or fly back over to me when they are done.

To put this in perspective: Rick and Morty weighed 661and 698 grams respectively when I picked them up. This would be their "free fed" weight. The breeder fed them and their parents as much as they wanted daily. I didn't have to drop their weight much to get them trained and hunting. I had them down around 620-630. This is not much of a drop in weight for hunting season compared to most birds that are trained to fly free. I was curious to see how much weight they'd put on since I began feeding them up. 785 is what they each weighed on an empty stomach yesterday just before feeding time. I don't know how they fly anymore with all that weight. 

I feed them a wide variety of whole food items, and yesterday was quail day. Quail is a very nutritious food for them. I use human grade frozen quail bought by the case. I remove the head and legs and save those in the freezer for later use, and throw the wings in the trash since there really isn't any meat there. This leaves them about 110-150 grams of food depending on the size of the quail. I feed them around 40 grams of quail a day to maintain their weight during the hunting season on the rare occasion they don't catch something. If they were too heavy, I might only feed them 25-30 grams. Too light and I might give them 50-55 grams to add a little weight. So yesterday I take my 785 gram birds out on the ranch, walk down toward the bottom, and toss their thawed quail for them to catch and eat. 785+150= 935 grams of fat heavy bird. I would NEVER have done this with a redtail. I sit with Rick and Morty while they eat. I'm 20-25 feet away and they don't seem to care. They don't even mantle. When they finish eating, they pop out of feeding mode and look around to see what's happening in the world around them. Then they both do that little chicken walk over to me and look up as if to ask if I've got any more for them. Of course I do, and they hop right up to the fist for a ride back to their mews. I set them down and walked aways away from them to call them for a little flight. They both jumped up to get airborne, and man, they had to work to carry all that weight back over to me.

The social aspect of these birds is just unbelievable. Its truly unique and almost magical when seen first hand. I love these birds and tell them so. Sometimes I just go over and sit with them.

I was browsing around YouTube today, and this video popped in to my feed. I'm always looking for falconry videos so it wasn't a surprise. These are not my birds, but they behave similarly, and me and this falconer (The guy in red that you don't see until halfway through the video...) seem to hunt with a similar style and in similar terrain. I thought this might show you guys what a typical hunting day is like. I've had three or four people in the field with me, and just like these birds, mine didn't care about the crowd either. I haven't ever used a mink, and they don't either, but this kind of demonstrates first hand why you really don't need a dog or any other help when hunting with a team of Harris' hawks.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Had to look up the Kestrel, never heard of them. Very pretty and small. Will be quite a difference from your bigger ones.



Yes. Very different, but the same in many ways too. I'll be hunting different game with a much smaller bird, but the hunting style, location, and training techniques are all pretty similar and familiar to me. I can even hunt them in the same fields that we hunt rabbits in. While Rick and Morty ignore all the little English house sparrows fluttering about, the kestrel would go for them.



wellington said:


> Do you think it's safe to assume that all birds, song birds, the ones many see at their bird feeders are as unhealthy and short lived as the Raptors or is it due more to what the Raptors diet is that makes them filled with parasite and disease? If diet of the Raptors seems to be the bigger cause, then is it likely their food sources also perishing at very young age or that the birds are just more susceptible?



I don't think I would make that assumption. I'm sure studies on mortality rates have been done on smaller species, but I've never seen any. In the case of raptors that prey on mammals, many of the diseases and parasites don't transfer over to non-mammal species. Tapeworms for example. A canine leaves droppings with tapeworm segments, and the rabbits ingest them one way or another. The tapeworms go wild in the rabbit's body and make little cysts all over. I've seen these when I butcher them. Then when another canine eats that rabbit, the cycle is completed. When a bird eats that rabbit, they cannot get infected with tapeworms. The tapeworms are too host specific. Other diseases are transferable, like coccidia. Raptors that primarily prey on other birds would seem to have more of an issue with this, but there is clearly some mechanism at work that saves them, or they'd all be extinct. It is in this way that wild raptors keep disease down among the population of their prey species. If a wild rabbit shows ANY sign of sickness or weakness, it will be picked off immediately and consumed. The digestive tract of the hawks and vultures literally digests the mammalian pathogens, thus removing the disease from that population.

That DDT thing back in the day should serve as a constant reminder that humans need to pay attention to what we are doing to the world. This is one reason why it pains me to hear bogus stories and fake science when it comes to "global warming" and other politically motivated crap. Because of lies and politically motivated deceit, REAL problems are too easily overlooked or dismissed. We ARE damaging the world in uncountable ways, and together we can slow or stop it, but not when half the world is crying "wolf" over fake made up stuff. On a local scale, I try to explain to everyone I know why not to use toxic pesticides and poisons, in favor of more effective means that carry fewer side effects. For example, I use the "black box" from Victor to eliminate my gopher problem instead of poisons that would eliminate the predators of those gophers and go all the way up the food chain. These trapped, poison free, gophers also make a great meal for a hawk or a snake after a month or two of freezing. I know of people that spray toxic chemicals all around their homes to keep the ants down. Problem is that those insecticides kill EVERY insect, not just the ones they don't like and this causes horrendous ripples in the food chain and wildlife all around them. Its also not effective because the ants travel underground, away from the poison at the surface, and get into their house anyway. What works best, speaking from personal experience, is to use those little trays of borax based ant baits. They carry it back to the queen and babies and it kills the entire colony down in the ground where you can reach them any other way, and the environmental impact and risk to other species is minimal. I know you know this stuff, but maybe somebody somewhere will read this and decide to not use that pesticide or rodenticide anymore. You see how many new tortoise keepers come here and say they can't put their tortoise in their own yard, or feed their tortoise anything from their yard because they spray it with toxic chemicals all the time. Its sad. Those chemicals are toxic to them too!


----------



## Moozillion

Hey, Tom- I noticed that once they killed that rabbit, the bird was leaning over it with spread wings. Is it trying to keep the kill from the falconer? Basically saying, "Bug off! I killed this one- It's MINE!"


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Hey, Tom- I noticed that once they killed that rabbit, the bird was leaning over it with spread wings. Is it trying to keep the kill from the falconer? Basically saying, "Bug off! I killed this one- It's MINE!"


Yes. That is called mantling. Raptors are very visually oriented and they are also trying to hide it from other birds of prey and other predators. There is definitely and element of possessiveness. They don't really want to share with each other or with me. They did this even when they were each one one end of a large jack rabbit. I don't mind it. Its all manageable.

There is definitely and etiquette amongst them when on prey. If the freshly grabbed prey is struggling, the second bird will pile in ASAP to help subdue it. This is good. I want them to war together as a team. This is especially important on the big jacks for these little birds. If one bird makes a catch while the other one is off somewhere else, the second bird will eventually fly back over to me and the one that made the catch, but politely stand off to the side and wait, since it was not part of the action. This happened several times this season. On our very last day of the season, they both took off after a jack, but Morty saw a cottontail in the distance and changed course for that, while Rick flew down the jack. Rick caught the jack all by himself and Morty's cottontail made it safely to cover a hundred yards away. Since it was the last day of the season I really wanted to end on a jack and let them both crop up nice and full. A big reward for the end of a great season. After assisting Rick with his fantastic catch and opening up the shoulder for him to get at the good stuff, it took a couple of minutes before Morty finally flew back over to see what we were all doing. I had open up the hind end for Morty to jump in and feast, and the whole back half of the jack was sitting there exposed while Rick was eating on the front half, but Morty stood off to the side and didn't come in to eat. I was very surprised. I had to go in and call him over to come on in and eat. Once he was invited he hopped right in and joined the feast, but what good manners he showed. The social interactions of these birds is a constant source of fascination and amazement to me.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Yes. That is called mantling. Raptors are very visually oriented and they are also trying to hide it from other birds of prey and other predators. There is definitely and element of possessiveness. They don't really want to share with each other or with me. They did this even when they were each one one end of a large jack rabbit. I don't mind it. Its all manageable.
> 
> There is definitely and etiquette amongst them when on prey. If the freshly grabbed prey is struggling, the second bird will pile in ASAP to help subdue it. This is good. I want them to war together as a team. This is especially important on the big jacks for these little birds. If one bird makes a catch while the other one is off somewhere else, the second bird will eventually fly back over to me and the one that made the catch, but politely stand off to the side and wait, since it was not part of the action. This happened several times this season. On our very last day of the season, they both took off after a jack, but Morty saw a cottontail in the distance and changed course for that, while Rick flew down the jack. Rick caught the jack all by himself and Morty's cottontail made it safely to cover a hundred yards away. Since it was the last day of the season I really wanted to end on a jack and let them both crop up nice and full. A big reward for the end of a great season. After assisting Rick with his fantastic catch and opening up the shoulder for him to get at the good stuff, it took a couple of minutes before Morty finally flew back over to see what we were all doing. I had open up the hind end for Morty to jump in and feast, and the whole back half of the jack was sitting there exposed while Rick was eating on the front half, but Morty stood off to the side and didn't come in to eat. I was very surprised. I had to go in and call him over to come on in and eat. Once he was invited he hopped right in and joined the feast, but what good manners he showed. The social interactions of these birds is a constant source of fascination and amazement to me.


They are SO amazing! ?


----------



## NorCal tortoise guy

Tom hope it’s ok I add a couple picture of a wild hawk I took this morning 

I always keep my eye open for wild life and today I got a treat



I could not tell from my vantage point at the time but I investigated after and it is a duck she has there.

I “Drove” by (In an electric golf cart) no more then 25 feet form her. See don’t seem to care I was there. I did not try to get closer because I didn’t want to bother her. 

Found it very cool so I wanted to share


----------



## Tom

NorCal tortoise guy said:


> Tom hope it’s ok I add a couple picture of a wild hawk I took this morning
> 
> I always keep my eye open for wild life and today I got a treat
> View attachment 289092
> View attachment 289093
> 
> I could not tell from my vantage point at the time but I investigated after and it is a duck she has there.
> 
> I “Drove” by (In an electric golf cart) no more then 25 feet form her. See don’t seem to care I was there. I did not try to get closer because I didn’t want to bother her.
> 
> Found it very cool so I wanted to share


That is super cool. You don't see wild raptors doing their thing very often. Pretty neat that you were able to get so close.


----------



## Tom

We are a couple of months into the molt now. The breeder recommended that I keep them together in the same cage for the molt. They squabbled a little bit the first couple of days, but now they eat and sleep side-by-side. Everyone (Other falconers...) agrees that they bond and hunt better together if they share an enclosure during the molt.


----------



## Moozillion

Their behavior is so fascinating and so complex. 
This is one of my all time favorite threads.
I am so glad you share your experience and your learning with us.
I can't wait to see what this year brings!
Are you doing anything differently with them than if we weren't in a coronavirus lockdown?
Since what you do with them is pretty solitary, do you think the restrictions will impact your hunting activities much?


----------



## KarenSoCal

I love this thread too! I never saw Minerva or any of the redtails in that big flight cage. Is it because these are Harris hawks? Do these ever have to live in that little cage the redtails were in? I forget what you called it...a mew?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Their behavior is so fascinating and so complex.
> This is one of my all time favorite threads.
> I am so glad you share your experience and your learning with us.
> I can't wait to see what this year brings!
> Are you doing anything differently with them than if we weren't in a coronavirus lockdown?
> Since what you do with them is pretty solitary, do you think the restrictions will impact your hunting activities much?


Thanks so much. I enjoy these birds and working with them so much, and I want to share that joy with anyone else who is interested. Its not practical for most people to get a falconry license and spend all the time and effort to pursue this sport/activity, but I've found that many people are interested and curious about what it is. I've even found a few people who didn't like it because they misunderstood what it is and what is really happening, and they now see it differently. Other people already thought is sounded fun and interesting, but like it even more ow that they understand more about it.

My goal here is not to encourage people to get into falconry. That has to come from within, and it can't be encouraged or created. That drive is innate, and people either have it or they don't. My goal here is to give a first hand representation of what falconry is, and isn't, and show it in the positive light that it deserves. Hunting and falconry is certainly not ever going to be everyone's cup o' tea, but I love sharing it with people who are interested, and I'd also love it if people who are not in to it at least have a better understanding of what it really is. It is truly an ancient art form, and unless someone knows and spends time with a practitioner of this art, it would be tough to understand what its all about, and easy to from misconceptions. Enough philosophy...

Our hunting season ended before "they" decided to shut down the world, so it hasn't had any effect on the birds. Since hunting consists of me walking around all alone out in the middle of a big empty filed, it wouldn't have had any impact anyway.

I am of the opinion that this whole covid situation, at the very least, has been a huge over reaction, and a terrible and scary example of government mismanagement, over reach and ineptitude. I can't stop them from doing what they are doing, but on a personal level, this whole thing has had minimal impact on my day to day life, with the notable exception that I no longer have a job. I still do whatever I want to do, with some sense and consideration thrown in, but I can't make them unlock the world and let me go back to work. The only effect this will have on me if it continues long term is to give me more time to fly my birds since I never have to go to work.  If I lose my house I'll at least know of lots of good rabbit fields where I can set up a tent and have plenty of food to catch.


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> I love this thread too! I never saw Minerva or any of the redtails in that big flight cage. Is it because these are Harris hawks? Do these ever have to live in that little cage the redtails were in? I forget what you called it...a mew?


These "cages" are more suitable for Harris Hawks because of their extremely social nature. It is best for them to be able to see everything going on around them, and be mentally stimulated by it all. Redtails, and most other birds of prey, are the opposite. All the visual stimulation is very stressful and unnerving to them. We use a traditional mew for those other species, because it limits their visual field and greatly reduces their stress level. They don't like to feel exposed. Also, most other raptors, due the visual cues all around them would fly into the see-through cage walls and hurt themselves or damage their feathers. We make and use traditional mews to keep the birds safe and comfortable. Harris hawks need just the opposite to be kept safe and comfortable. They want to see the world going on around them and be part of it. These "mews" I'm using for the Harris hawks, are the same size as the previous mew that I used for Minerva and Tacoma.


----------



## Calaveras

here is a picture of my mews. I am using a rope perch for the summer. It gives and swings when she lands on it which I believe she prefers.
She is well on her way to a good molt. The 80 degree days in California really get the feathers dropping.
The pink stuff is bird poop. I spray it with an enzyme based cleanser called poop-off to make it easier to clean. It turns pink.


----------



## wccmog10

I have to say, from one falconer to another- you do an excellent job describing falconry for everyone. It takes time and effort to put these posts together, and you do it very well. I feel falconry is well represented and I appreciate what you are doing.


----------



## Tom

wccmog10 said:


> I have to say, from one falconer to another- you do an excellent job describing falconry for everyone. It takes time and effort to put these posts together, and you do it very well. I feel falconry is well represented and I appreciate what you are doing.


Awe shucks.... Thanks man.

Now get your butts out here with your birds this winter and go hunting with me!!! You're going to have to spend some time teaching your birds to look down. You know, at the ground.


----------



## Cathie G

Tom said:


> Thanks so much. I enjoy these birds and working with them so much, and I want to share that joy with anyone else who is interested. Its not practical for most people to get a falconry license and spend all the time and effort to pursue this sport/activity, but I've found that many people are interested and curious about what it is. I've even found a few people who didn't like it because they misunderstood what it is and what is really happening, and they now see it differently. Other people already thought is sounded fun and interesting, but like it even more ow that they understand more about it.
> 
> My goal here is not to encourage people to get into falconry. That has to come from within, and it can't be encouraged or created. That drive is innate, and people either have it or they don't. My goal here is to give a first hand representation of what falconry is, and isn't, and show it in the positive light that it deserves. Hunting and falconry is certainly not ever going to be everyone's cup o' tea, but I love sharing it with people who are interested, and I'd also love it if people who are not in to it at least have a better understanding of what it really is. It is truly an ancient art form, and unless someone knows and spends time with a practitioner of this art, it would be tough to understand what its all about, and easy to from misconceptions. Enough philosophy...
> 
> Our hunting season ended before "they" decided to shut down the world, so it hasn't had any effect on the birds. Since hunting consists of me walking around all alone out in the middle of a big empty filed, it wouldn't have had any impact anyway.
> 
> I am of the opinion that this whole covid situation, at the very least, has been a huge over reaction, and a terrible and scary example of government mismanagement, over reach and ineptitude. I can't stop them from doing what they are doing, but on a personal level, this whole thing has had minimal impact on my day to day life, with the notable exception that I no longer have a job. I still do whatever I want to do, with some sense and consideration thrown in, but I can't make them unlock the world and let me go back to work. The only effect this will have on me if it continues long term is to give me more time to fly my birds since I never have to go to work.  If I lose my house I'll at least know of lots of good rabbit fields where I can set up a tent and have plenty of food to catch.


?


----------



## Sue Ann

Moozillion said:


> @Tom, Since Morty has added spelunking to his hunting portfolio, you may end up with moles or voles or snakes or...(GASP!) A desert tortoise!!!


No torts for lunch !


----------



## Sue Ann

Calaveras said:


> View attachment 293913
> 
> here is a picture of my mews. I am using a rope perch for the summer. It gives and swings when she lands on it which I believe she prefers.
> She is well on her way to a good molt. The 80 degree days in California really get the feathers dropping.
> The pink stuff is bird poop. I spray it with an enzyme based cleanser called poop-off to make it easier to clean. It turns pink.


Thanks for the explanation, I thought blood and it was a little unnerving, Lol.


----------



## Moozillion

(...checks this thread periodically....tapping foot patiently...re-checks thread...sighs and scowls at calendar...)

HINT HINT HINT, TOM!!! ?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> (...checks this thread periodically....tapping foot patiently...re-checks thread...sighs and scowls at calendar...)
> 
> HINT HINT HINT, TOM!!! ?


Its molting season. They are fat and happy and waiting for fall.


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> (...checks this thread periodically....tapping foot patiently...re-checks thread...sighs and scowls at calendar...)
> 
> HINT HINT HINT, TOM!!! ?


I decided to move them back to the ranch. They weren't fond of all the dogs running around the back yard and they really didn't like the gardeners. Also, while everyone recommends keeping them together. I saw some bullying. Morty was chasing and intimidating Rick on a regular basis. More experienced falconers have told me to just let them sort out their pecking order, and they seem to be fine, but I worry about chronic stress. Not seeing any signs of that, but watching closely.

At the ranch, there are two enclosures joined by a central corridor. I tied the doors open and the birds have the option of sitting together in the same mew, or they can separate themselves and each sit in there own enclosure alone. I saw them separate once, but every other time, I see them sitting together. They even eat sitting within a few feet of each other. Its pretty neat.


----------



## Moozillion

(...drops in to check up on the thread...peeks around corners...listens quietly...sighs...tiptoes out again...)


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> (...drops in to check up on the thread...peeks around corners...listens quietly...sighs...tiptoes out again...)


Hi. Nothing much to report. They are steadily dropping feathers, eating lots of good food like little piggies, sleeping side by side, and generally doing great while waiting for the cool weather and hunting season to return.

They are still at the ranch and have the run of the two cages and central corridor. 8x20' total, and they make use of all of it, usually sitting near each other in the same side.

Morty has really been dropping contour feathers and is looking much more like an adult. Rick still has the speckled look of a juvenile. I haven't taken any new pictures for a while, but I will soon. Just for you!


----------



## Rogue097

I just found this thread, this is so awesome. In college I worked at our zoo for a short time in the Avian dept. It gave me a whole new level of respect and intrigue for birds as well as conservation efforts. Thanks for sharing on here!


----------



## Sue Ann

Tom said:


> I decided to move them back to the ranch. They weren't fond of all the dogs running around the back yard and they really didn't like the gardeners. Also, while everyone recommends keeping them together. I saw some bullying. Morty was chasing and intimidating Rick on a regular basis. More experienced falconers have told me to just let them sort out their pecking order, and they seem to be fine, but I worry about chronic stress. Not seeing any signs of that, but watching closely.
> 
> At the ranch, there are two enclosures joined by a central corridor. I tied the doors open and the birds have the option of sitting together in the same mew, or they can separate themselves and each sit in there own enclosure alone. I saw them separate once, but every other time, I see them sitting together. They even eat sitting within a few feet of each other. Its pretty neat.
> View attachment 298290


Very interesting


----------



## Tom

I got a pic at twilight last night, and its a little blurry. That's Mortimer in the foreground and you can see how dark he is looking. Rick is in the background and you can still see a little bit of his juvenile speckling.

You can also clearly see in this pic how this species got one of their other common names: Bay wing.


----------



## Yvonne G

@Tom - is that your vulture in the tortoise Geico commercial?


----------



## Tom

Yvonne G said:


> @Tom - is that your vulture in the tortoise Geico commercial?


No. I didn't do that one, but now I want to look it up and see whose it was!

Okay, I just looked it up. That is Steve-O my buddy's white backed vulture. I think that was my job, and now I vaguely remember booking that one and sending him to do it. It was a one trainer job and its his bird, so I couldn't put myself on it.


----------



## janevicki

WOW TOM to be a Falconer is so AWESOME!?
Congratulations on your new endeavor!?


----------



## janevicki

Tom said:


> No. I didn't do that one, but now I want to look it up and see whose it was!
> 
> Okay, I just looked it up. That is Steve-O my buddy's white backed vulture. I think that was my job, and now I vaguely remember booking that one and sending him to do it. It was a one trainer job and its his bird, so I couldn't put myself on it.











GEICO RV Insurance TV Spot, 'Moving House Thing'


An adult tortoise explains motor homes as new technology to his son, to which his son replies that they've carried their homes with them forever. The difference, the father says, is that humans have GEICO to protect them, and right on cue, a circling vulture endangers them.




www.ispot.tv


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> No. I didn't do that one, but now I want to look it up and see whose it was!
> 
> Okay, I just looked it up. That is Steve-O my buddy's white backed vulture. I think that was my job, and now I vaguely remember booking that one and sending him to do it. It was a one trainer job and its his bird, so I couldn't put myself on it.


Tom, you are involved in the coolest things! And it cracks me up how casually you talk about it- like "Ho-Hum: just another day at the office!"


----------



## turtlesteve

I finally read through all this. Sounds awesome. I feel like that guy in the State Farm commercial (I coulda got a falcon!). 

I did not know about the conservation aspect of falconry, so happy to learn something new. 

The time commitment to something like this is hard for me to imagine - hat’s off to you.


----------



## Sue Ann

Tom said:


> I got a pic at twilight last night, and its a little blurry. That's Mortimer in the foreground and you can see how dark he is looking. Rick is in the background and you can still see a little bit of his juvenile speckling.
> 
> You can also clearly see in this pic how this species got one of their other common names: Bay wing.
> View attachment 301264


Wicked beaks


----------



## Tom

Sue Ann said:


> Wicked beaks


Its not the beak you have to worry about. Take a look at those feet!


----------



## Tom

@Moozillion I took some more pics for you today.







In this series of pics you can see so much of their personality. I was standing there for a few seconds and got all these different looks. They make these little low murmurs while I'm standing there. They talk to me.

Hunting season is less than two months away, and I've been thinking about it non-stop. I'll start to get them back in shape for hunting in another couple of weeks. Kind of like a pro athlete coming back to spring training after the off season. Except its fall training for these guys.


----------



## Moozillion

OMG! What AMAZING animals! 
Their faces are far more expressive than I realized.
AND THOSE TALONS!!! ? Straight out of anyone’s nightmares!

Looking at these 2, my mind wanders on two different tracks:
I can really appreciate how native peoples regarded these (and other animals) as powerful totems, and would want to identify with them, ie in names and rituals. These guys seem more at home in the world than I often feel.

The other thought was: DESCENDED FROM DINOSAURS!?!?!! Oh, HELL YEAH!!!! ?

Thanks so much for these pics and for this thread.

P.S. I think it is BEYOND COOL that they “talk” to you and accept you the way they have.


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> AND THOSE TALONS!!! ? Straight out of anyone’s nightmares!
> 
> P.S. I think it is BEYOND COOL that they “talk” to you and accept you the way they have.


What is super cool is that most of the time I handle them with no glove. They sit on my bare hand much like a parrot as long as there is no food involved. I don't think I have pics of that... I'll check.

Another cool trick that I think all hawks do is catch food when you toss it to them or anywhere near them. They will hop if necessary and they never miss. They snatch the flying food out of the air so fast that your eye can't process it, and the precision is unbelievable.

P.S. Do you remember Bobo the owl from "Clash of the Titans"? Its like that when they talk to me only much quieter. I'll try to record it.


----------



## Tom

I have a friend who is into amateur video production. He put a go pro on my perch, used his own hand held rig, and also flew his drone while we hunted this field. We got some neat stuff, but plan on doing a better job this coming season. You can see a few strikes in the video, and you can see how fast the rabbits move too. In the very beginning of the video, you can see Morty stepping off my bare hand. The file was huge, so I hope this works:
View attachment video-1581117183.mp4


----------



## Pastel Tortie

This is a fascinating thread. I have zero hands-on experience with birds, but I've always been curious. 

The closest I've gotten to falconry in real life was watching a demonstration at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds when I lived in the UK. (It was a brief bus ride away, and I had a year membership... and I spent SO much time at that place.) It always seems like there's never time for all the details you had no idea you really wanted to know. Thanks for sharing. 

I enjoy your stories and explanations. There tends to be an undercurrent of "why" in your explanations, and that's probably why they make so much sense. (That, and you're a really good read.)


----------



## Pastel Tortie

Just how smart are Rick and Mortimer? And what did they think of the drone?


----------



## Golden Greek Tortoise 567

Tom said:


> I have a friend who is into amateur video production. He put a go pro on my perch, used his own hand held rig, and also flew his drone while we hunted this field. We got some neat stuff, but plan on doing a better job this coming season. You can see a few strikes in the video, and you can see how fast the rabbits move too. In the very beginning of the video, you can see Morty stepping off my bare hand. The file was huge, so I hope this works:
> View attachment 302530


It‘s a wonderful video, really enjoyed watching it.


----------



## Tom

Pastel Tortie said:


> Just how smart are Rick and Mortimer? And what did they think of the drone?


Hmm.... I don't know how to answer that question. I don't know that they are smarter than other types of raptors, but their brains just work differently because of their very unique social nature.

My birds are totally desensitized to the drone. I have the same type and fly it around on a regular basis. Sometimes I hover it a few feet in front of their cage. They just look at it and go about their business. Hawk business, that is. When we are out in the field, they ignore it completely.


----------



## Moozillion

WOW!!! They are FAST!
that is a thrilling video! ?


----------



## NorCal tortoise guy

Took this picture at work the other day it was eating a catch but I could not get very close was wondering if you could identify her? She was soo big. I wandered if she was a golden Eagle. She was so much bigger the Red tailed hawk‘s l usually see


----------



## KarenSoCal

NorCal tortoise guy said:


> Took this picture at work the other day it was eating a catch but I could not get very close was wondering if you could identify her? She was soo big. I wandered if she was a golden Eagle. She was so much bigger the Red tailed hawk‘s l usually see
> View attachment 304808


I think it looks a bit like a vulture.


----------



## NorCal tortoise guy

KarenSoCal said:


> I think it looks a bit like a vulture.


I can see see how you would think that ( bad picture) but I don’t think so because the vultures showed up after this bird left and were considerably smaller. Also she was by the road and as my truck got near she flew off to this spot carrying her catch. I have never seen a vulture carry its food.


----------



## KarenSoCal

NorCal tortoise guy said:


> I can see see how you would think that ( bad picture) but I don’t think so because the vultures showed up after this bird left and were considerably smaller. Also she was by the road and as my truck got near she flew off to this spot carrying her catch. I have never seen a vulture carry its food.


I hope someone can ID it. I'm really curious now.


----------



## Yvonne G

KarenSoCal said:


> I think it looks a bit like a vulture.


I was thinking the same thing, or buzzard, but they usually travel in groups???


----------



## Tom

NorCal tortoise guy said:


> I can see see how you would think that ( bad picture) but I don’t think so because the vultures showed up after this bird left and were considerably smaller. Also she was by the road and as my truck got near she flew off to this spot carrying her catch. I have never seen a vulture carry its food.


I really can't tell from the picture, but by process of elimination, if it was hawk-like, bigger than a turkey vulture, and dark in color, it would have to be a golden eagle. Nothing else fits the bill.


----------



## NorCal tortoise guy

Tom said:


> I really can't tell from the picture, but by process of elimination, if it was hawk-like, bigger than a turkey vulture, and dark in color, it would have to be a golden eagle. Nothing else fits the bill.


Maybe next time I can get a better picture I’m thinking golden eagle then. My coworker tells me there is a pair of them that nests near by but I wasn’t sure I believed until I saw this bird. I wish I had had the camera ready when she flew away from the road. Her size was so astonishing to me. We have an over abundance of rabbits around so I guess it might make a nice place to eagles to be.


----------



## Tom

NorCal tortoise guy said:


> Maybe next time I can get a better picture I’m thinking golden eagle then. My coworker tells me there is a pair of them that nests near by but I wasn’t sure I believed until I saw this bird. I wish I had had the camera ready when she flew away from the road. Her size was so astonishing to me. We have an over abundance of rabbits around so I guess it might make a nice place to eagles to be.


Keep your eyes out and you might get to see, and hear, a stoop. Eagles soar thousands of feet up. So high that you can't even see them. When they stoop they are every bit as fast as a falcon, but the noise it makes is astonishing. Like they are ripping the sky. If you ever hear it, you'll never forget it.


----------



## Tom

We are moving from the molt season back into hunting season. During the molt, they are free fed, fat, and happy. At the end of the molting season, we have to drop their weight back down, start exercising them, resume training, and get them ready to hunt. I have several areas near my ranch that are wide open and have safe, suitable perching areas for them up high.

Their first few flights are on creance (fancy falconry name for a long light leash...), and once response seems good, we let them free fly. Once they are free flying, they just need exercise and time in the air to get back in shape. This is also how we get their daily food ration into them. Each day we weigh them, and adjust the amount of food accordingly to slowly drop the weight back down to their "fightin' weight".

For the first day or two, I fly them separately so that I can precisely manage food, and work with each of them one on one with no distractions or interaction issues. This let's me see exactly where their heads are. Once they are free flying and field response is where I want it, we start hunting again. This process is usually about 4 weeks if you count all the weight management time. Well, true to form, my boys are moving ahead of schedule even though their weight is still high. They are literally diving in to their travel boxes, eager to go to work.

On Morty's first day free flying, I had him flying from telephone pole to glove to perch and back again, randomly. There have been an unusually high amount of rabbits running around all summer, presumably due to two years of great rain, and unbeknownst to me, there was a rabbit hiding out in my flying area, where there are usually none. Fat slow Morty decided to show me just how fit, fast, and ready to go hunting he is:



This pic also shows the handsome new adult coloration. You can see how they got one of their other common names: Bay wing.


----------



## Chubbs the tegu

Tom said:


> We are moving from the molt season back into hunting season. During the molt, they are free fed, fat, and happy. At the end of the molting season, we have to drop their weight back down, start exercising them, resume training, and get them ready to hunt. I have several areas near my ranch that are wide open and have safe, suitable perching areas for them up high.
> 
> Their first few flights are on creance (fancy falconry name for a long light leash...), and once response seems good, we let them free fly. Once they are free flying, they just need exercise and time in the air to get back in shape. This is also how we get their daily food ration into them. Each day we weigh them, and adjust the amount of food accordingly to slowly drop the weight back down to their "fightin' weight".
> 
> For the first day or two, I fly them separately so that I can precisely manage food, and work with each of them one on one with no distractions or interaction issues. This let's me see exactly where their heads are. Once they are free flying and field response is where I want it, we start hunting again. This process is usually about 4 weeks if you count all the weight management time. Well, true to form, my boys are moving ahead of schedule even though their weight is still high. They are literally diving in to their travel boxes, eager to go to work.
> 
> On Morty's first day free flying, I had him flying from telephone pole to glove to perch and back again, randomly. There have been an unusually high amount of rabbits running around all summer, presumably due to two years of great rain, and unbeknownst to me, there was a rabbit hiding out in my flying area, where there are usually none. Fat slow Morty decided to show me just how fit, fast, and ready to go hunting he is:
> View attachment 306153
> 
> 
> This pic also shows the handsome new adult coloration. You can see how they got one of their other common names: Bay wing.


Sorry bunny.. thats what happens when u mess with Toms garden


----------



## Tom

Okay. I'm starting to see a pattern here. Took them out today to fly them together, and instead of participating in my special pre-season falconry training drills, they did this:



I don't know how we are supposed to go hunting together if they won't practice their pre-season hunt training drills...  

I need to get some videos to post. These birds are awesome!


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom said:


> I don't know how we are supposed to go hunting together if they won't practice their pre-season hunt training drills...



Well, it's pretty obvious to me, though I know nothing of falconry, that they don't need pre-season hunt training drills.

They remember exactly how to hunt. I suspect they are worried about *you*, since to them it seems you have forgotten and need pre-season hunt training drills to sharpen you up. ? 

Be careful, lest you lose their hard-earned respect! ?


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> Well, it's pretty obvious to me, though I know nothing of falconry, that they don't need pre-season hunt training drills.
> 
> They remember exactly how to hunt. I suspect they are worried about *you*, since to them it seems you have forgotten and need pre-season hunt training drills to sharpen you up. ?
> 
> Be careful, lest you lose their hard-earned respect! ?


In all seriousness. I am pleasantly surprised by how quickly they've picked up right where we left off. This whole species is simply amazing, and my boys in particular, amaze me every day. I've read books, magazines and articles about Harris hawks for years, so I suppose I should not be surprised, but its truly awe-inspiring when you see it and experience it first hand. They are still birds, and all the principals of animal training still apply, but due to their highly social nature, they are very forgiving of mistakes, very pliable and amenable to the methods of different falconers, and they just make life fun and easy.


----------



## Blackdog1714

Tom said:


> In all seriousness. I am pleasantly surprised by how quickly they've picked up right where we left off. This whole species is simply amazing, and my boys in particular, amaze me every day. I've read books, magazines and articles about Harris hawks for years, so I suppose I should not be surprised, but its truly awe-inspiring when you see it and experience it first hand. They are still birds, and all the principals of animal training still apply, but due to their highly social nature, they are very forgiving of mistakes, very pliable and amenable to the methods of different falconers, and they just make life fun and easy.


Oh yeah like I am gonna ignore the fact that you practically radiant confince like the sun does light. Your boys read this and have no need for worry just work! Simply awesome sir!


----------



## Moozillion

Hey, Tom- Have then fires affected your area, or where you and the boys typically hunt? ?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Hey, Tom- Have then fires affected your area, or where you and the boys typically hunt? ?


I didn't see your question until just now. There was one day where the smoke was bad, so I brought them, and all the other birds, inside for the day. The rest of the days, favorable winds kept the smoke away from us.


----------



## Tom

Last season I had a tough time getting them to take the big jackrabbits at first. Cottontails are super fast and challenging to catch, but not hard to hold on to if they can get close. Jacks are giant in comparison, and are the pinnacle of falconry prey. These birds weigh about 620-650 grams each when we are in shape and hunting. Adult jackrabbits weigh 2700 to 3200 grams. Their reluctance is understandable and I'm glad they aren't stupid and suicidal. Still, I knew they could do it, because that's what Harris' hawks do. They just had to be brave and learn the right techniques through experience and practice. Last year for about the first half of the season, Rick showed little interest in chasing jacks, and often would not even leave the perch when one bolted. Morty, on the other hand would chase them every time, but then just follow over them and not take a grab at them. He'd just let them go. All of a sudden, one day, seemingly out of nowhere, Rick bolted off the T- perch and dove onto the hind end of a jack that was about 50 feet away. Maybe it was the proximity that emboldened him enough to go for it? I don't know. It seemed no different than any other slip to me. (Slip is a falconry term referring to your bird chasing fleeing prey.) Well when Rick bolted, Morty instinctively followed. Morty went high as he usually does over a jack and was quite aways behind Rick who was literally hot on the tali of the jack. Inexplicably, and to my shock and amazement, Rick went for it, made contact and bound to the prey. Morty was in the beginning stage of peeling off and letting the "big bunny" go when he saw his brother out of the corner of his eye getting the ride of his young life! In mid air, Morty turned, stooped, and connected to the front half of the jack, stopping it in its tracks, and the three of them took a tumble. It was as if Morty thought to himself, "Well if brother is going to grab onto it, then I'll grab on to it too!" The jack complained, but was now unable to fight or run. It was over quickly. The boys ate big that day. Large reward for large effort. Just like that, they had learned how to work as a team and tackle large jacks. They didn't go for every single one after that day, but we ended up taking 25 jacks for their first season. In every case, Rick would take the initiative, grab the *** end, and Morty would pile in and take the head once his brother had done all the "heavy lifting" so to speak.

I always thought it would be Morty that first took the initiative because of Rick's total lack of interest in engaging or chasing giant prey, while Morty was very interested and gave chase almost every time, even though he was reluctant to make contact.

Which brings us to this new year. Their second season of hunting. The molt season is over and hunting has resumed. For whatever reason, Morty's weight dropped faster than Rick's, so he's a little more motivated. Rick's field performance is still excellent, but Morty has decided to be the jack exterminator this year. He flies after them like he used to last year, but now you can see some seriousness in his wingbeats when he's after one. Instead of floating like a butterfly over a running jack, he now looks more like a guided missile zeroing in on its moving target. Morty has now grabbed five of them, and Rick is the one coming in for the assist this year. When Rick finally gets down to weight and gets more serious, the two of them will be trying to outfly each other to get to the Jack first, and the future of each of those jacks that catch their attention is a lot less certain... 








And also for this year, my daughter has decided falconry is worth getting up early for again. I love having her along, and she always enjoys herself too.



And a parting shot:


----------



## Blackdog1714

Tom said:


> Last season I had a tough time getting them to take the big jackrabbits at first. Cottontails are super fast and challenging to catch, but not hard to hold on to if they can get close. Jacks are giant in comparison, and are the pinnacle of falconry prey. These birds weigh about 620-650 grams each when we are in shape and hunting. Adult jackrabbits weigh 2700 to 3200 grams. Their reluctance is understandable and I'm glad they aren't stupid and suicidal. Still, I knew they could do it, because that's what Harris' hawks do. They just had to be brave and learn the right techniques through experience and practice. Last year for about the first half of the season, Rick showed little interest in chasing jacks, and often would not even leave the perch when one bolted. Morty, on the other hand would chase them every time, but then just follow over them and not take a grab at them. He'd just let them go. All of a sudden, one day, seemingly out of nowhere, Rick bolted off the T- perch and dove onto the hind end of a jack that was about 50 feet away. Maybe it was the proximity that emboldened him enough to go for it? I don't know. It seemed no different than any other slip to me. (Slip is a falconry term referring to your bird chasing fleeing prey.) Well when Rick bolted, Morty instinctively followed. Morty went high as he usually does over a jack and was quite aways behind Rick who was literally hot on the tali of the jack. Inexplicably, and to my shock and amazement, Rick went for it, made contact and bound to the prey. Morty was in the beginning stage of peeling off and letting the "big bunny" go when he saw his brother out of the corner of his eye getting the ride of his young life! In mid air, Morty turned, stooped, and connected to the front half of the jack, stopping it in its tracks, and the three of them took a tumble. It was as if Morty thought to himself, "Well if brother is going to grab onto it, then I'll grab on to it too!" The jack complained, but was now unable to fight or run. It was over quickly. The boys ate big that day. Large reward for large effort. Just like that, they had learned how to work as a team and tackle large jacks. They didn't go for every single one after that day, but we ended up taking 25 jacks for their first season. In every case, Rick would take the initiative, grab the *** end, and Morty would pile in and take the head once his brother had done all the "heavy lifting" so to speak.
> 
> I always thought it would be Morty that first took the initiative because of Rick's total lack of interest in engaging or chasing giant prey, while Morty was very interested and gave chase almost every time, even though he was reluctant to make contact.
> 
> Which brings us to this new year. Their second season of hunting. The molt season is over and hunting has resumed. For whatever reason, Morty's weight dropped faster than Rick's, so he's a little more motivated. Rick's field performance is still excellent, but Morty has decided to be the jack exterminator this year. He flies after them like he used to last year, but now you can see some seriousness in his wingbeats when he's after one. Instead of floating like a butterfly over a running jack, he now looks more like a guided missile zeroing in on its moving target. Morty has now grabbed five of them, and Rick is the one coming in for the assist this year. When Rick finally gets down to weight and gets more serious, the two of them will be trying to outfly each other to get to the Jack first, and the future of each of those jacks that catch their attention is a lot less certain...
> 
> View attachment 309528
> 
> View attachment 309529
> 
> View attachment 309530
> 
> 
> And also for this year, my daughter has decided falconry is worth getting up early for again. I love having her along, and she always enjoys herself too.
> View attachment 309531
> 
> 
> And a parting shot:
> View attachment 309532


Looking back the carp i got up early for was not even close on the COOL SCALE! Like Superdad man come on!


----------



## Tom

Blackdog1714 said:


> Looking back the carp i got up early for was not even close on the COOL SCALE! Like Superdad man come on!


If you ever come to Cali during hunting season, I'm taking you out for a nature walk with the birds.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Last season I had a tough time getting them to take the big jackrabbits at first. Cottontails are super fast and challenging to catch, but not hard to hold on to if they can get close. Jacks are giant in comparison, and are the pinnacle of falconry prey. These birds weigh about 620-650 grams each when we are in shape and hunting. Adult jackrabbits weigh 2700 to 3200 grams. Their reluctance is understandable and I'm glad they aren't stupid and suicidal. Still, I knew they could do it, because that's what Harris' hawks do. They just had to be brave and learn the right techniques through experience and practice. Last year for about the first half of the season, Rick showed little interest in chasing jacks, and often would not even leave the perch when one bolted. Morty, on the other hand would chase them every time, but then just follow over them and not take a grab at them. He'd just let them go. All of a sudden, one day, seemingly out of nowhere, Rick bolted off the T- perch and dove onto the hind end of a jack that was about 50 feet away. Maybe it was the proximity that emboldened him enough to go for it? I don't know. It seemed no different than any other slip to me. (Slip is a falconry term referring to your bird chasing fleeing prey.) Well when Rick bolted, Morty instinctively followed. Morty went high as he usually does over a jack and was quite aways behind Rick who was literally hot on the tali of the jack. Inexplicably, and to my shock and amazement, Rick went for it, made contact and bound to the prey. Morty was in the beginning stage of peeling off and letting the "big bunny" go when he saw his brother out of the corner of his eye getting the ride of his young life! In mid air, Morty turned, stooped, and connected to the front half of the jack, stopping it in its tracks, and the three of them took a tumble. It was as if Morty thought to himself, "Well if brother is going to grab onto it, then I'll grab on to it too!" The jack complained, but was now unable to fight or run. It was over quickly. The boys ate big that day. Large reward for large effort. Just like that, they had learned how to work as a team and tackle large jacks. They didn't go for every single one after that day, but we ended up taking 25 jacks for their first season. In every case, Rick would take the initiative, grab the *** end, and Morty would pile in and take the head once his brother had done all the "heavy lifting" so to speak.
> 
> I always thought it would be Morty that first took the initiative because of Rick's total lack of interest in engaging or chasing giant prey, while Morty was very interested and gave chase almost every time, even though he was reluctant to make contact.
> 
> Which brings us to this new year. Their second season of hunting. The molt season is over and hunting has resumed. For whatever reason, Morty's weight dropped faster than Rick's, so he's a little more motivated. Rick's field performance is still excellent, but Morty has decided to be the jack exterminator this year. He flies after them like he used to last year, but now you can see some seriousness in his wingbeats when he's after one. Instead of floating like a butterfly over a running jack, he now looks more like a guided missile zeroing in on its moving target. Morty has now grabbed five of them, and Rick is the one coming in for the assist this year. When Rick finally gets down to weight and gets more serious, the two of them will be trying to outfly each other to get to the Jack first, and the future of each of those jacks that catch their attention is a lot less certain...
> 
> View attachment 309528
> 
> View attachment 309529
> 
> View attachment 309530
> 
> 
> And also for this year, my daughter has decided falconry is worth getting up early for again. I love having her along, and she always enjoys herself too.
> View attachment 309531
> 
> 
> And a parting shot:
> View attachment 309532


I love these posts!!!


----------



## Blackdog1714

Tom said:


> If you ever come to Cali during hunting season, I'm taking you out for a nature walk with the birds.


Count on it!


----------



## Tom

I took a little video of how they get into their travel boxes. The boxes are called hawk boxes, or giant hoods. Instead of putting a falconry hood on the birds like what you see on a falcon, hawks typically transport in these boxes that essentially serve as a "giant hood". The dimensions and design are the best way to keep them safe and comfortable when driving to the hunting fields.

They started doing this on their own about halfway through the year last year, and they've picked right back up where we left off for this year. I didn't teach them to do this. I didn't reward them or encourage this. This is clearly them thinking ahead and wanting to go hunting. They learned this all on their own. Get in the box, go for a ride, and when the door opens again, we hunt!
View attachment Rick Box.MOV


----------



## Tom

That first one was Rick. Morty had to come say hi to Dad before getting in the box. 
View attachment Morty Box.MOV


----------



## Moozillion

WOW! They are both so excited!! Or else they're complaining about how slow the chauffeur is!!? It is SO COOL that they figured out what it was all about on their own!!!


----------



## wellington

Tom said:


> That first one was Rick. Morty had to come say hi to Dad before getting in the box.
> View attachment 309716


Darn, this video won't play for me. The first video, OMG, too darn cool. Wasted no time getting in. Just amazing.


----------



## Viola B

Tom said:


> I took a little video of how they get into their travel boxes. The boxes are called hawk boxes, or giant hoods. Instead of putting a falconry hood on the birds like what you see on a falcon, hawks typically transport in these boxes that essentially serve as a "giant hood". The dimensions and design are the best way to keep them safe and comfortable when driving to the hunting fields.
> 
> They started doing this on their own about halfway through the year last year, and they've picked right back up where we left off for this year. I didn't teach them to do this. I didn't reward them or encourage this. This is clearly them thinking ahead and wanting to go hunting. They learned this all on their own. Get in the box, go for a ride, and when the door opens again, we hunt!
> View attachment 309715


That is amazing!


----------



## TeamZissou

Awesome, thanks for the story and photos. I've always been into birds as well myself. Found a bald eagle with a broken wing in the woods on my 13th birthday. Sat with it for 6 hours until the DNR came to take it away.

How do you have time for the dog training, falconry, and all the tortoise stuff? It's always been my impression that falconry is the most time consuming hobby that requires almost total dedication.


----------



## Tom

TeamZissou said:


> Awesome, thanks for the story and photos. I've always been into birds as well myself. Found a bald eagle with a broken wing in the woods on my 13th birthday. Sat with it for 6 hours until the DNR came to take it away.
> 
> How do you have time for the dog training, falconry, and all the tortoise stuff? It's always been my impression that falconry is the most time consuming hobby that requires almost total dedication.


Most people have a job with regular hours, and then they have to fit hobbies and fun time into the non-working hours. My job is my hobby. My career all day every day is working with, caring for, and training animals. My tortoises take more time than my hawks most days. My schedule is highly variable and erratic. Most days, I make my own hours, so its easy to get up early, go hunt with the birds, and be driving home in morning traffic to go start the rest of my day. The dogs usually come with me to the hunting fields. The tortoises are in no hurry to eat with our cool mornings. Some days I bring the birds to work with me and hunt them on the way home.

I have more of a lifestyle that gets me paid than a "job".

Falconry is very time consuming and does require tremendous dedication. I've been dedicated to caring for animals as a profession since the mid 80s, and as a hobby before that. Its nothing new for me. Having said that, there is a reason why I only have two hawks that hunt together, and not a Goshawk, Kestrel, Aplomado falcon, more Harris Hawks, and a golden eagle. Some day, when I have more time, I'd like to hunt all of the above. I'll be able to retire in a few more years, and then I can get more falconry time in.


----------



## Violanna

Love seeing your pics and videos! Birds fascinate me! Parrots in particular were the first reason I wanted to specialize in exotic animal veterinary care! Now I’m curious if I’ll ever see some falcons as I live in a great area for it!


----------



## Tom

I had to take a bit of a break for work, but we are back in action and the hunting season is going great this year. They took their 10th jack for the season today:



A couple of noteworthy details:
1. They seem to have figured out how to catch jacks, and the tally seems to confirm that they prefer it. Cottontails are a fast short sprint. The cottontails bolt at full speed and run to their holes. They usually make it. They are lighting fast, and the birds have just a couple of seconds to catch up and latch on. When they do, the cottontails are fairly easy for them to hold on to and they don't put up too much fight. Jacks, by contrast, do not hide. They run, dodge, jump, and fight. I think jacks are easier to catch, and they certainly make for some longer flights, but the jacks are tough to hold on to. They are able to shake the hawks off, scrape them off in a bush, or just flat out kick them off. The boys had hold of one earlier, before the unfortunate one in the above pic, and it managed to escape their talons just before I caught up to them this morning. They've captured enough of them now that they seem to be figuring out how to manage this difficult game better and better. They seem to be figuring out how the jacks are going to try to ditch them, and are now outsmarting the smart jacks.

2. Weight. Falconry is all about weight management of your birds. Too heavy and they are slow, out of shape, and unmotivated. They also don't respond well to the falconer's prompts. Too light and they can lack the strength and speed to catch prey. They also might not be able to withstand the rigors of multiple chases on a long, cold day of hunting in rough country. Like any athlete that trains and works hard for their "sport", there is an ideal working weight range. You don't see any 300 pound sprinters, and you also don't see any wafer thin guys winning the 100 yard dash. Every falconer finds the ideal weight range for their bird, and we adjust according to many factors like season, current weather, field performance on game, field response to the falconer, success rate on game, and more. We usually establish a "free feeding" weight during the molt. This is the birds weight when they've had as much as they want to eat and are fat and happy. We slowly drop that weight by reducing food intake and increasing exercise. It takes weeks or months to get them safely to where you want them. Last year, as instructed by the breeder, I dropped them down to around 600 grams to get them hunting and responding well to me in the field. After about a month of chasing but not catching, I decided to drop them another 5-10 grams. BINGO! They started catching every day. Just that little bit made all the difference in the world. Slowly, all last season, I let them get heavier and heavier as they built muscle and skill. Their best weight range was about 630-640 grams and I held them there most of last season. Some days, after a big food reward from a previous day's hunt, I'd bring them out and hunt them at 660-680. This brought mixed results. Some days they were great when too heavy, and other days I got mediocre performance out of them. This year has been different. After my time off due to work, both boys were way too heavy and fat. 800+ grams. As I slowly began the long process of bringing them down in weight, They both began responding very well. They seemed very eager and responded to my prompts immediately and with vigor. They were also happy to hop into their travel boxes every time I opened the door and let them. Though their weights were seemingly not even in the ballpark of where they should be, so I decided to take them out to the field near my ranch for some flight training. No better way to get them into shape than lots of flying. At an absurdly high weight of 720 grams Morty caught a cottontail in the practice field when we were supposed to be flying for exercise, not hunting.

The next day I took them out to a hunting field with Rick at 763 grams and Morty at 712 and they caught two cottontails. I was happy and headed home after one, and they caught the second one on the way back to the car. I was incredulous. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Two days later at 763 and 699, they caught a large jack. If my 1200 gram redtail was even 10-20 grams over weight, she'd refuse to come to me when called, and leave the field we were in to go hunt by herself elsewhere. These little 600 gram hunters, are attentive, responsive, and driven as ever while 100-170 grams over weight. I can't believe what I'm seeing this year. I thought maybe my scale was malfunctioning, so I weighed them on my other scale. Nope. It was right on.

Their fitness, endurance, and speed is as good as its ever been, so I'm leaving their weight higher this year. No reason to drop it if they are performing perfectly. Rick has always been a great follower. I've got him between 720 and 730. Morty has always had a stubborn and more independent nature, so I watch his weight even more carefully and plan accordingly. I've got him down to 670-690, and he's doing better than ever. Looks like they will be carrying some extra weight this year. I see no need to drop them any more. Performance couldn't be better. I'm not sure how this is even possible, and it defies all logic of how things are supposed to work, but I'm not going to argue with success like what I am seeing.


----------



## KarenSoCal

Congrats, Tom, on your continued good results with your birds! If I'm remembering correctly, this is your 3rd season with Rick and Morty? How long is their hunting life? When they get old, do they retire and live out their days with you?


----------



## Calaveras

Raptors do not retire when they get old. They get smarter and make it look easy with less effort.
A raptor in the wild will not have younger birds bring it food as it ages. It hunts and catches food until the day is dies.
In a captive bred situation a blind bird or one that breaks a Talon could be set up as a breeder or wildlife education to live out it’s remaining years.


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> Congrats, Tom, on your continued good results with your birds! If I'm remembering correctly, this is your 3rd season with Rick and Morty? How long is their hunting life? When they get old, do they retire and live out their days with you?


This is their second season. I've heard of people hunting this species into their 20s. They will have a home with me until they die. Hopefully that won't be for many many years.


----------



## Salspi

Incredibly cool. You are Gandalf. You need a magic staff. Pretty bad *** tom!


----------



## Tom

Salspi said:


> Incredibly cool. You are Gandalf. You need a magic staff. Pretty bad *** tom!


I have one!


----------



## Tom

"*YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!"* rabbit.


----------



## Sue Ann

Tom said:


> Its taken a long time to jump through all the government hoops and other obstacles, but I am finally realizing my dream of becoming a licensed Falconer. I'm only just beginning my journey, after 20 years of dabbling, but here I go...
> 
> I will post lots of pics and keep this thread ongoing, and I invite all discussion about keeping wild animals, hunting, and of course the awesomeness of raptors in general. I find that many people (myself included) are ignorant of what is really going on, and how beneficial to the species falconry is. For example, the Peregrine Falcon was saved from extinction by falconers and falconry, in spite of the dismal failure on the part of government programs to save it. Falconry is VERY different than pet keeping, and it has great benefit for the birds involved who hatch wild and are eventually returned to the wild healthier and better skilled at hunting.
> 
> I am now a licensed Apprentice Falconer. I will spend a minimum of two full years as an apprentice working closely under the direct supervision of my sponsor who is a Master Falconer and has been for 10 years. After 2 years, if all goes well, and my sponsor is willing to sign off on my abilities, I will become a General Falconer and be allowed to "fly solo" so to speak.
> 
> Enough with the boring words: Here is "Toothless" at our first formal meeting.
> View attachment 163624
> 
> I almost named him "Phoenix" after I saw this picture. Its kind of a big deal to not stare them in the face at close range at first, so I did not know he was looking at me like that. I'm sure if he could have shot fire from his mouth at me, he would have. My sponsor is not 100% sure if this one is male or female. You can usually tell by the weight. This is either a big boy or a small girl as the weight is right in the middle. We will get some behavioral clues as time passes, but we are leaning male at this point. Toothless is a "passage" (meaning this years baby, or worded another way, he hatched this last spring) red-tailed hawk. Buteo jamaicensis.
> 
> 
> Here he is on the drive home:
> View attachment 163626
> 
> The hood blocks all the visual stimulation and keeps them a lot calmer and safer during this stressful time. Understand that this 9 month old bird was flying wild minutes before this picture and has never had any previous human contact.
> 
> Here he is on his weathering perch on day one, while I prepared the scale for his first weighing and got his mew (hawk house) all ready for him.
> View attachment 163628
> 
> 
> 
> Here we are on day 2 when the old finally came off. This is what I was greeted with.
> View attachment 163629
> 
> 
> 
> We are now on day 5. He began taking food from me on day 2 and I "man" him (handle him on my glove) for several hours a day as part of the desensitization process. I weigh him at least once a day and I am even more fascinated that I imagined I would be. My sponsor assures me he will be free flying and hunting with me in a month or so.
> 
> Lots more pics to come. Please ask any questions you might have about falconry or raptors in general. I'm no expert yet, but I know a few things, and I know lots of guys that can answer any questions I don't know the answers to.


This is an amazing journey!


----------



## Salspi

Tom said:


> "*YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!"* rabbit.


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> I had to take a bit of a break for work, but we are back in action and the hunting season is going great this year. They took their 10th jack for the season today:
> View attachment 312913
> 
> 
> A couple of noteworthy details:
> 1. They seem to have figured out how to catch jacks, and the tally seems to confirm that they prefer it. Cottontails are a fast short sprint. The cottontails bolt at full speed and run to their holes. They usually make it. They are lighting fast, and the birds have just a couple of seconds to catch up and latch on. When they do, the cottontails are fairly easy for them to hold on to and they don't put up too much fight. Jacks, by contrast, do not hide. They run, dodge, jump, and fight. I think jacks are easier to catch, and they certainly make for some longer flights, but the jacks are tough to hold on to. They are able to shake the hawks off, scrape them off in a bush, or just flat out kick them off. The boys had hold of one earlier, before the unfortunate one in the above pic, and it managed to escape their talons just before I caught up to them this morning. They've captured enough of them now that they seem to be figuring out how to manage this difficult game better and better. They seem to be figuring out how the jacks are going to try to ditch them, and are now outsmarting the smart jacks.
> 
> 2. Weight. Falconry is all about weight management of your birds. Too heavy and they are slow, out of shape, and unmotivated. They also don't respond well to the falconer's prompts. Too light and they can lack the strength and speed to catch prey. They also might not be able to withstand the rigors of multiple chases on a long, cold day of hunting in rough country. Like any athlete that trains and works hard for their "sport", there is an ideal working weight range. You don't see any 300 pound sprinters, and you also don't see any wafer thin guys winning the 100 yard dash. Every falconer finds the ideal weight range for their bird, and we adjust according to many factors like season, current weather, field performance on game, field response to the falconer, success rate on game, and more. We usually establish a "free feeding" weight during the molt. This is the birds weight when they've had as much as they want to eat and are fat and happy. We slowly drop that weight by reducing food intake and increasing exercise. It takes weeks or months to get them safely to where you want them. Last year, as instructed by the breeder, I dropped them down to around 600 grams to get them hunting and responding well to me in the field. After about a month of chasing but not catching, I decided to drop them another 5-10 grams. BINGO! They started catching every day. Just that little bit made all the difference in the world. Slowly, all last season, I let them get heavier and heavier as they built muscle and skill. Their best weight range was about 630-640 grams and I held them there most of last season. Some days, after a big food reward from a previous day's hunt, I'd bring them out and hunt them at 660-680. This brought mixed results. Some days they were great when too heavy, and other days I got mediocre performance out of them. This year has been different. After my time off due to work, both boys were way too heavy and fat. 800+ grams. As I slowly began the long process of bringing them down in weight, They both began responding very well. They seemed very eager and responded to my prompts immediately and with vigor. They were also happy to hop into their travel boxes every time I opened the door and let them. Though their weights were seemingly not even in the ballpark of where they should be, so I decided to take them out to the field near my ranch for some flight training. No better way to get them into shape than lots of flying. At an absurdly high weight of 720 grams Morty caught a cottontail in the practice field when we were supposed to be flying for exercise, not hunting.
> 
> The next day I took them out to a hunting field with Rick at 763 grams and Morty at 712 and they caught two cottontails. I was happy and headed home after one, and they caught the second one on the way back to the car. I was incredulous. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Two days later at 763 and 699, they caught a large jack. If my 1200 gram redtail was even 10-20 grams over weight, she'd refuse to come to me when called, and leave the field we were in to go hunt by herself elsewhere. These little 600 gram hunters, are attentive, responsive, and driven as ever while 100-170 grams over weight. I can't believe what I'm seeing this year. I thought maybe my scale was malfunctioning, so I weighed them on my other scale. Nope. It was right on.
> 
> Their fitness, endurance, and speed is as good as its ever been, so I'm leaving their weight higher this year. No reason to drop it if they are performing perfectly. Rick has always been a great follower. I've got him between 720 and 730. Morty has always had a stubborn and more independent nature, so I watch his weight even more carefully and plan accordingly. I've got him down to 670-690, and he's doing better than ever. Looks like they will be carrying some extra weight this year. I see no need to drop them any more. Performance couldn't be better. I'm not sure how this is even possible, and it defies all logic of how things are supposed to work, but I'm not going to argue with success like what I am seeing.


That is so interesting.


----------



## Tom

I think I've probably said it before, but falconry is full of tremendous highs and terrible lows, as we've seen in these pages many times.

The boys are fine, but the rabbits are not. There is a terrible, highly contagious viral disease called "rabbit hemorrhagic disease" (RHD) that has been working its way through rabbit population here in the southwest. This thing puts covid to shame. It kills almost every rabbit that comes into contact with it. It is spread from field to field by bird or mammal feces, and by contact. More info here: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/RHDV.htm

It was supposed to sweep across the land and kill everything, but it wasn't. Hunting has been amazing this year in all of my fields, but not anymore. It found its way to my best spots. It took longer than expected, but my hopes that it wouldn't make it out my way were not fulfilled. I've collected and sent in two carcasses from areas where it hadn't been found and its been confirmed now. I turned in the first case from Kern County. Sad distinction...

There is no cure and nothing can be done about it. It will have to run its course. I've been very careful to not spread it. I'm using anti-viral spray on my shoes, car floor mats, and bird perches. I have different shoes for infected vs. non-infected fields. I double bag and remove all found carcasses to prevent more spread by scavengers. This thing is just awful. My birds keep finding dead rabbits and its no fun getting them off these carcasses. They don't understand why they can't eat it, and why I'm stealing their "catch" with no reward.

It will be years before the rabbit population recovers. I might have to start looking for other game to hunt. Harris' hawks are generalists, so this might work. I can go for ducks or quail. Possibly pheasant if I want to drive a bit.

Here is what we found in just one field. The one that had not yet been scavenged is one of the ones I turned in to DFW for exam.


Ravens had been eating the dead bodies.

I was hoping I wouldn't have to make this post. So sad about this. Even though we hunt them with a passion, I love my little lagomorph adversaries. Sad sad days ahead.


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> I think I've probably said it before, but falconry is full of tremendous highs and terrible lows, as we've seen in these pages many times.
> 
> The boys are fine, but the rabbits are not. There is a terrible, highly contagious viral disease called "rabbit hemorrhagic disease" (RHD) that has been working its way through rabbit population here in the southwest. This thing puts covid to shame. It kills almost every rabbit that comes into contact with it. It is spread from field to field by bird or mammal feces, and by contact. More info here: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/RHDV.htm
> 
> It was supposed to sweep across the land and kill everything, but it wasn't. Hunting has been amazing this year in all of my fields, but not anymore. It found its way to my best spots. It took longer than expected, but my hopes that it wouldn't make it out my way were not fulfilled. I've collected and sent in two carcasses from areas where it hadn't been found and its been confirmed now. I turned in the first case from Kern County. Sad distinction...
> 
> There is no cure and nothing can be done about it. It will have to run its course. I've been very careful to not spread it. I'm using anti-viral spray on my shoes, car floor mats, and bird perches. I have different shoes for infected vs. non-infected fields. I double bag and remove all found carcasses to prevent more spread by scavengers. This thing is just awful. My birds keep finding dead rabbits and its no fun getting them off these carcasses. They don't understand why they can't eat it, and why I'm stealing their "catch" with no reward.
> 
> It will be years before the rabbit population recovers. I might have to start looking for other game to hunt. Harris' hawks are generalists, so this might work. I can go for ducks or quail. Possibly pheasant if I want to drive a bit.
> 
> Here is what we found in just one field. The one that had not yet been scavenged is one of the ones I turned in to DFW for exam.
> View attachment 313377
> 
> Ravens had been eating the dead bodies.
> 
> I was hoping I wouldn't have to make this post. So sad about this. Even though we hunt them with a passion, I love my little lagomorph adversaries. Sad sad days ahead.


Sorry to hear about this disease. I remember we didn't hunt rabbits in Michigan until we had a hard frost because of some disease the rabbits might have. Is that the same disease your talking about?


----------



## Tom

Ray--Opo said:


> Sorry to hear about this disease. I remember we didn't hunt rabbits in Michigan until we had a hard frost because of some disease the rabbits might have. Is that the same disease your talking about?


No. Totally different. Summer rabbits carry more fleas, ticks, bot flys, and stuff like that, but the disease you are probably thinking of is tularemia. It contagious and potentially dangerous to humans and can be ID'd by obvious lesions on the liver. I've not seen a case of it here, but it exists. I don't know what the frost would have to do with that though, so maybe you are thinking of yet another lagomorph disease?


----------



## Pastel Tortie

Tom said:


> I think I've probably said it before, but falconry is full of tremendous highs and terrible lows, as we've seen in these pages many times.
> 
> The boys are fine, but the rabbits are not. There is a terrible, highly contagious viral disease called "rabbit hemorrhagic disease" (RHD) that has been working its way through rabbit population here in the southwest. This thing puts covid to shame. It kills almost every rabbit that comes into contact with it. It is spread from field to field by bird or mammal feces, and by contact. More info here: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/RHDV.htm
> 
> It was supposed to sweep across the land and kill everything, but it wasn't. Hunting has been amazing this year in all of my fields, but not anymore. It found its way to my best spots. It took longer than expected, but my hopes that it wouldn't make it out my way were not fulfilled. I've collected and sent in two carcasses from areas where it hadn't been found and its been confirmed now. I turned in the first case from Kern County. Sad distinction...
> 
> There is no cure and nothing can be done about it. It will have to run its course. I've been very careful to not spread it. I'm using anti-viral spray on my shoes, car floor mats, and bird perches. I have different shoes for infected vs. non-infected fields. I double bag and remove all found carcasses to prevent more spread by scavengers. This thing is just awful. My birds keep finding dead rabbits and its no fun getting them off these carcasses. They don't understand why they can't eat it, and why I'm stealing their "catch" with no reward.
> 
> It will be years before the rabbit population recovers. I might have to start looking for other game to hunt. Harris' hawks are generalists, so this might work. I can go for ducks or quail. Possibly pheasant if I want to drive a bit.
> 
> Here is what we found in just one field. The one that had not yet been scavenged is one of the ones I turned in to DFW for exam.
> View attachment 313377
> 
> Ravens had been eating the dead bodies.
> 
> I was hoping I wouldn't have to make this post. So sad about this. Even though we hunt them with a passion, I love my little lagomorph adversaries. Sad sad days ahead.


I always appreciate the detail you go into, on the bad stuff as well as the good. I'm so sorry you had to make this post. 

The measures you take, and the adjustments you're having to make to try to prevent additional spread of this terrible lagomorph disease, serve as a good lesson and reminder for the rest of us. It's easy to be complacent. Much more difficult to walk the walk. Thanks for taking us on this journey with you, wherever it leads.


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> No. Totally different. Summer rabbits carry more fleas, ticks, bot flys, and stuff like that, but the disease you are probably thinking of is tularemia. It contagious and potentially dangerous to humans and can be ID'd by obvious lesions on the liver. I've not seen a case of it here, but it exists. I don't know what the frost would have to do with that though, so maybe you are thinking of yet another lagomorph disease?


It was when I was a young teenager listening to old timers. Never really got a explication.


----------



## Tom

We've continued hunting and have had great success. I've seen around 18 dead rabbits in the field now, presumably from the RHD, but that is over a span of weeks and two dozen fields in many different areas. I've seen 100s of healthy and very fast rabbits in those same fields during that same time, and caught a few. Thankfully, the RHD doesn't seem to be wiping out and killing everything. The head count for the season stands at 32 cotton tails and 14 jacks with a couple of months left to hunt. We usually stop in early March as soon as we start seeing pregnant momma bunnies or little babies in the field. Don't want to catch either of those.

Many people have asked me how much hawk food a single rabbit yields. This morning we caught one cottontail and one jack. Instead of my usual butchering job, I decided to get out the scale and make daily baggies. Each baggie contains a full day's ration for two male Harris' hawks. I held back two baggies in the fridge for tomorrow and the next day, but here is what two rabbits look like when portioned out:


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> We've continued hunting and have had great success. I've seen around 18 dead rabbits in the field now, presumably from the RHD, but that is over a span of weeks and two dozen fields in many different areas. I've seen 100s of healthy and very fast rabbits in those same fields during that same time, and caught a few. Thankfully, the RHD doesn't seem to be wiping out and killing everything. The head count for the season stands at 32 cotton tails and 14 jacks with a couple of months left to hunt. We usually stop in early March as soon as we start seeing pregnant momma bunnies or little babies in the field. Don't want to catch either of those.
> 
> Many people have asked me how much hawk food a single rabbit yields. This morning we caught one cottontail and one jack. Instead of my usual butchering job, I decided to get out the scale and make daily baggies. Each baggie contains a full day's ration for two male Harris' hawks. I held back two baggies in the fridge for tomorrow and the next day, but here is what two rabbits look like when portioned out:
> View attachment 314389


Tom do you ever eat the rabbits yourself?


----------



## Tom

Ray--Opo said:


> Tom do you ever eat the rabbits yourself?


I haven't yet. I'm told the jack rabbits taste terrible, but the cottontails tase good. I've been wanting to try it and probably will soon. Those back legs seem like they would be tasty. Very soft light colored meat there. I'm not much of a cook, and my wife isn't into the rabbit thing, so I'll have to figure it out on my own. I figure some butter, garlic, salt and pepper, ought to do it. I'll probably fry them up in an iron skillet.


----------



## TeamZissou

Does this disease affect both cottontails and jacks?


----------



## Tom

TeamZissou said:


> Does this disease affect both cottontails and jacks?


Yes. Both. Initially, I read that it was both, but I was only seeing dead jacks in the fields. In the last couple of weeks, I've found a few cottontails as well. Its a terrible shame. The population was healthy and doing very well after 3 good years of rain in a row. Between this disease and the lack of rain this year, there will be a terrible population crash.

I'm trying to take fewer this year, and also spread the love around a lot by hitting different fields all the time so I don't thin out a population too much in any one place. I'm actually hoping that my hunting might help reduce the spread of this disease by removing infected individuals from the population. It is VERY difficult for my hawks to catch wild rabbits that are healthy and in their own element. They miss 20-30 times for every catch. Sometimes we walk miles and for hours and don't catch anything. I would think that an infected rabbit would be a little slower and a little "off its game" as the disease progressed, which would allow my hawks to have an easier time catching one. That caught rabbit would then be removed from the population and not spreading the disease. I'm not sure what effect, if any, this is having, but I'm hopeful.


----------



## Quixx66

That’s so cool! Congratulations! ?


----------



## Mrs.Jennifer

I LOVE cooking rabbit. Actually in French cooking it is “lapin.” I have recipes if you are interested...


----------



## Quixx66

Mrs.Jennifer said:


> I LOVE cooking rabbit. Actually in French cooking it is “lapin.” I have recipes if you are interested...


I ended up eating rabbit my trip to France when I was a teenager. Still not sure how my group liked it or not.


----------



## wellington

Could have done without the head??


----------



## Yvonne G

Tom said:


> I haven't yet. I'm told the jack rabbits taste terrible, but the cottontails tase good. I've been wanting to try it and probably will soon. Those back legs seem like they would be tasty. Very soft light colored meat there. I'm not much of a cook, and my wife isn't into the rabbit thing, so I'll have to figure it out on my own. I figure some butter, garlic, salt and pepper, ought to do it. I'll probably fry them up in an iron skillet.


Well, heck. . . last night I saw Little Joe and Hoss sitting around a camp fire with a jack run through front to back with a stick, placed over the fire and they said it was the best tasting thing they'd eaten all day!


----------



## Chubbs the tegu

Ive tried rabbit once at a cowrkers bbq..it tasted like greasy chicken ( yeah everything tastes like chicken) lol


----------



## Tom

Yvonne G said:


> Well, heck. . . last night I saw Little Joe and Hoss sitting around a camp fire with a jack run through front to back with a stick, placed over the fire and they said it was the best tasting thing they'd eaten all day!


Yeah... Its that qualifying statement the gets me... What else had they eaten that day???


----------



## KarenSoCal

I've eaten rabbit one time, and it will never happen again!

It's the very definition of 'gamey'.
Awful!


----------



## Tom

There are two Harris Hawks in this tree:


----------



## Tom

Here is a typical hunting field. It stretches far to the left and right of the pic. Its easy to walk miles in a day.



They love to take a perch on anything tall that sticks out of the ground.




I finally managed to get a picture of our hunting buddy. This is an exceptionally tame and mild mannered passage female red tailed hawk. She's much bigger than my boys, but she lets them sit right next to her on branches, and lets me get surprisingly close to her. The three of them are frequently airborne with each other. On this day, she let me get about 15 feet from her and never flew away. She was watching me and Rick approach. Rick was on the T-perch and she was looking at him and shifting her gaze back and forth between me and Rick while cocking her head. She goes after the rabbits that we stir up and clearly understands that people walking in the brush brings opportunities for food. She would have made an AMAZING falconry bird for an apprentice. She has hunted with us a half dozen times this year. I don't know what would happen if she caught one and my boys piled in to "help" her as they do with each other, but I proceeded with great caution and vigilance. She never tried to pile in when the boys caught one in her presence. Probably because of my presence. Its been amazing to share her company during this hunting season. She's one of the 5% that survive. Looks like her tolerance and understanding of humans has helped her to thrive and make it through her first winter.


----------



## Tom

You might have to study the pic for a minute, but this is frequently how I find them on a jack. We walk through these large fields and the rabbits all know we are there. They take cover and hide. If I happen tp walk close enough to one, they frequently bolt. The cottontails bolt for the nearest underground burrow entrance. Its a super fast sprint and the birds literally have two or three seconds to catch up and latch on, or that rabbit is gone. They miss most of the time. Cottontails are hard to catch, but easy to hold on to. Jacks bolt and run to the next county. They don't hide. They will use bushes and trees to try to ditch the hawks and will frequently out maneuver the pursuing birds, but in the end, they run and run and run. Jacks are easier to catch, since they never go underground, but they are very hard to hold onto.

My birds weigh a little more than a pound. The jacks weigh 6-7 pounds. These rabbits bite, kick, jump, flounder, and will dive at full speed into thick branches in an attempt to dislodge the hawks. All rabbits know to run uphill and also into the wind to make things harder for a pursuing bird. Most attempts end in a miss, but not all. This is what I run up to when I catch up to where I saw the birds do their high speed strike into the distant bushes:


What usually happens (anything can happen...) is the first bird gets hold of the back end and then they extend their wings and tail in an effort to put the brakes on and stop the fleeing jack rabbit. When one bird is chasing something, the other one can see it clearly from a distance and immediately races to catch up. Harris Hawk teamwork/competition. Since the first bird is on the back end, the only available real estate area is now the front end. The second bird slams into the jack's head and this brings everything to a stop. Usually, the jack dives head first into the nearest bush when they feel the hawk behind them. The second bird somehow knows to come around and hit from the front. When I arrive on the scene after my attempt at sprinting, the above pic is what I see. I immediately reach in and get hold of the jack, usually by the back legs, so it can't kick my birds any more or escape. Then I have to carefully but quickly extricate the struggling mass of jack rabbit and hawks from the brush without hurting the birds who frequently are wrapped around a giant branch with a leg on each side. You can't just yank them because the bird's legs will break before the larger branches do. It can be a challenge at times, and I have to think and act fast to prevent injury to my birds, and also to quickly dispatch the rabbit to end its suffering as quickly as possible.

Once I get everybody out of the bushes and the rabbit is dead, then its time to feed the birds a big reward. I toss pre-measured chunks of food off to each side for the boys, and they leave me with the rabbit. I quickly put the rabbit in my hunting vest and then prepare to catch whichever bird finishes eating first on my baited glove. Then we walk a few feet away and wait for brother to finish eating. When both birds are done eating, we move on. Usually back to the car. Occasionally, they will catch a second rabbit on the way back to the car, and we repeat the process all over again.

I finally get the birds back in their travel boxes, remove their transmitters, and head home where I put them back in their mews for some rest and relaxation for the rest of the day, while I butcher the day's kill and freeze it for later meals.

It may not be for everybody, I'll admit, but I sure enjoy my adventures with these amazing predators.


----------



## TeamZissou

This was a few years ago at this point, but I didn't think of it again until recently. 

One day, I was running through the neighborhood and came upon a guy sitting on a bench with a falcon on his hand. My first thought was WTF, I've never seen anyone just hanging out on a bench holding a falcon! A first glance it looked like Peregrine, but when I took a closer look and didn't recognize it. After stopping to chat with him, he said that it was a cross between a Gyrfalcon and a Saker, which I had never heard of. Turns out Sakers are from Africa/Eurasia. He apparently just lived somewhere in the neighborhood and was taking his bird out for some fresh air. He'd been doing falconry since he was about 13, and by my estimate was probably in his 60's, which makes sense as the falcon he had seemed to be for an advanced falconer. 

He said that the bird was pretty fierce; she would fight with Ravens in the air! I couldn't believe that. It must be something to see, given that Ravens can be huge.

I also didn't know that people would cross breed birds like that. I just think about how devastating it is to see tortoises like the sulcata-radiated hybrid that was posted in an older thread. Is common in falconry to produce such hybrids? Is it viewed differently?

The disappointing thing is that I haven't seen him around in a while. He must have moved.


----------



## Tom

TeamZissou said:


> This was a few years ago at this point, but I didn't think of it again until recently.
> 
> One day, I was running through the neighborhood and came upon a guy sitting on a bench with a falcon on his hand. My first thought was WTF, I've never seen anyone just hanging out on a bench holding a falcon! A first glance it looked like Peregrine, but when I took a closer look and didn't recognize it. After stopping to chat with him, he said that it was a cross between a Gyrfalcon and a Saker, which I had never heard of. Turns out Sakers are from Africa/Eurasia. He apparently just lived somewhere in the neighborhood and was taking his bird out for some fresh air. He'd been doing falconry since he was about 13, and by my estimate was probably in his 60's, which makes sense as the falcon he had seemed to be for an advanced falconer.
> 
> He said that the bird was pretty fierce; she would fight with Ravens in the air! I couldn't believe that. It must be something to see, given that Ravens can be huge.
> 
> I also didn't know that people would cross breed birds like that. I just think about how devastating it is to see tortoises like the sulcata-radiated hybrid that was posted in an older thread. Is common in falconry to produce such hybrids? Is it viewed differently?
> 
> The disappointing thing is that I haven't seen him around in a while. He must have moved.


There aren't all that many falconers in the whole country, so its pretty neat that you got to chat with one. There are only about 2200 licensed practicing falconers in the whole country. Around 230 in CA.

Sounds like he was "manning" his bird. Its a process where you hold your bird on your glove and just spend lots and lots of time sitting, walking and hanging out with them. It desensitizes them to the falconer and the world around them.

Much to my dismay, hybridization is very common in falconry. I don't like it at all, but its standard practice for some things nowadays. People are required to run two telemetry devices when flying or hunting with any hybrid. A safeguard against losing one and having it contaminate the local gene pool. I can understand the goal in some cases, but not my cup of tea. This is usually only done with certain falcons and not hawks or eagles, thankfully.


----------



## wccmog10

TeamZissou said:


> This was a few years ago at this point, but I didn't think of it again until recently.
> 
> One day, I was running through the neighborhood and came upon a guy sitting on a bench with a falcon on his hand. My first thought was WTF, I've never seen anyone just hanging out on a bench holding a falcon! A first glance it looked like Peregrine, but when I took a closer look and didn't recognize it. After stopping to chat with him, he said that it was a cross between a Gyrfalcon and a Saker, which I had never heard of. Turns out Sakers are from Africa/Eurasia. He apparently just lived somewhere in the neighborhood and was taking his bird out for some fresh air. He'd been doing falconry since he was about 13, and by my estimate was probably in his 60's, which makes sense as the falcon he had seemed to be for an advanced falconer.
> 
> He said that the bird was pretty fierce; she would fight with Ravens in the air! I couldn't believe that. It must be something to see, given that Ravens can be huge.
> 
> I also didn't know that people would cross breed birds like that. I just think about how devastating it is to see tortoises like the sulcata-radiated hybrid that was posted in an older thread. Is common in falconry to produce such hybrids? Is it viewed differently?
> 
> The disappointing thing is that I haven't seen him around in a while. He must have moved.


On the forum here we really do not like hybridzation, but in falconry it is usually done with a purpose. Different falcons have different hunting styles. Some are known for waiting on over head and stooping on their prey (peregrine falcon), some are known as tail chasers (prairie falcon). So if you make a prairie/peregrine hybrid you get a bird that will wait on over head, but also pursue the prey in a tail chase after the initial stoop. Then there are other characteristics that come into play as well, such as size and heat tolerance. The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon, which people like, larger birds can take larger quarry. But gyrfalcons live in the tundra/attic north and do not handle the heat well. So you mix that with something like a saker than lives in the desert and now you have a larger falcon that can handle the heat better. Temperament is another big factor when choosing two different species (or subspecies in some cases) to hybridize.


----------



## Tom

wccmog10 said:


> On the forum here we really do not like hybridzation, but in falconry it is usually done with a purpose. Different falcons have different hunting styles. Some are known for waiting on over head and stooping on their prey (peregrine falcon), some are known as tail chasers (prairie falcon). So if you make a prairie/peregrine hybrid you get a bird that will wait on over head, but also pursue the prey in a tail chase after the initial stoop. Then there are other characteristics that come into play as well, such as size and heat tolerance. The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon, which people like, larger birds can take larger quarry. But gyrfalcons live in the tundra/attic north and do not handle the heat well. So you mix that with something like a saker than lives in the desert and now you have a larger falcon that can handle the heat better. Temperament is another big factor when choosing two different species (or subspecies in some cases) to hybridize.


Excellent explanation and insight. And I still don't like hybridization of any animal.


----------



## Mrs.Jennifer

Tom said:


> Excellent explanation and insight. And I still don't like hybridization of any animal.


Just out of curiosity, is there ever a good reason to hybridize an animal? Domestic cows?


----------



## Tom

Mrs.Jennifer said:


> Just out of curiosity, is there ever a good reason to hybridize an animal? Domestic cows?


The answer to your question is totally subjective and highly debatable. Who or what defines a "good" reason? Does any perceived good, outweigh the potential bad of the consequences? I think this debate will rage on forever. Excellent points can be made on both sides. Personally, I've never seen a case of a hybrid that was necessary, or a problem solved by hybridization that couldn't have been solved some other way, or multiple other ways.

The performance and health benefits seen in hybrid falcons is undeniable. But that doesn't make it a "good" thing in my mind, and it doesn't mean that falconry couldn't be done without these hybrids. In pet fish, parrots, and reptiles, this hybridization is done strictly for "entertainment" value. Its new and novel and some people will buy that. I find this abhorrent. At least in the falcons, there is a defensible reason to do it, and an obvious health and performance benefit is gained by the practice. I still don't like it, or want to participate in it myself, but I can see why other falconers do.

Just like our tortoises, I think people should select falconry birds that are more closely suited to their environments. I don't keep forest tortoises that require mild temps and high humidity in my climate of extreme temps and low humidity. Simply put, its too hot and dry for Manouria or red foots where I am. Likewise, I don't think someone in Tucson should get a gyrfalcon from the arctic tundra, and I don't think that someone in Northern Alaska should get a Harris' hawk or Aplomado falcon to fly.

These things are just my opinions, and I don't think I will ever run out of people to argue with them.


----------



## Moozillion

This thread is always fascinating!


----------



## Cathie G

Tom said:


> I haven't yet. I'm told the jack rabbits taste terrible, but the cottontails tase good. I've been wanting to try it and probably will soon. Those back legs seem like they would be tasty. Very soft light colored meat there. I'm not much of a cook, and my wife isn't into the rabbit thing, so I'll have to figure it out on my own. I figure some butter, garlic, salt and pepper, ought to do it. I'll probably fry them up in an iron skillet.


I don't eat rabbit but I have cooked and ate it in the past. I found a recipe with pineapple and stuff, much like sweet and sour chicken. It was good but it needs cooked a long time and several steps.


----------



## Moozillion

I know I asked this on the Cats and Dogs section, but I'll ask again, here; What happens with Rick and Morty when you're out of town so long doing TV and movie shoots?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> I know I asked this on the Cats and Dogs section, but I'll ask again, here; What happens with Rick and Morty when you're out of town so long doing TV and movie shoots?


We have 3 full time professional animal caretakers, plus my wife and daughter, plus another falconer that I work with, all looking after them and feeding them daily.


----------



## TriciaStringer

Tom said:


> I haven't yet. I'm told the jack rabbits taste terrible, but the cottontails tase good. I've been wanting to try it and probably will soon. Those back legs seem like they would be tasty. Very soft light colored meat there. I'm not much of a cook, and my wife isn't into the rabbit thing, so I'll have to figure it out on my own. I figure some butter, garlic, salt and pepper, ought to do it. I'll probably fry them up in an iron skillet.


Rabbit is very tasty. Eric wants to start raising them as a meat source for us. Their poop will also be used as an excellent fertilizer for the garden. We have bought rabbit at the local butcher shop and made stew. It was delicious. The kids didn't know what it was until afterward. They said it was still yummy even after finding out it was rabbit.


----------



## Tom

The hunting season is almost upon us. There has been a new addition. For anyone who watches the show "Rick And Morty", the boys have a new big sister that will bully them and keep them in line. Care to guess her name??? She is a beast! She's not messin' around.

A friend had her as part of an abatement program, and she wasn't content just scaring the other birdies away. She wanted to hunt them. She needs to hunt, and hunt she will. A lot. He decided to give er to me. It will be an adventure for sure.


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> The hunting season is almost upon us. There has been a new addition. For anyone who watches the show "Rick And Morty", the boys have a new big sister that will bully them and keep them in line. Care to guess her name??? She is a beast! She's not messin' around.
> 
> A friend had her as part of an abatement program, and she wasn't content just scaring the other birdies away. She wanted to hunt them. She needs to hunt, and hunt she will. A lot. He decided to give er to me. It will be an adventure for sure.
> 
> View attachment 333003
> 
> View attachment 333004


Beautiful, what type is it?


----------



## KarenSoCal

Will you actually hunt with 3 birds at once? That huge perch you carry in the field only has 2 perches, doesn't it? And 3 would be kind of heavy.

BTW, rabbit is AWFUL!! I've only had it one time and never again. Yuck!
@TriciaStringer sorry, but I had to warn him!


----------



## mrnewberry

Tom said:


> The hunting season is almost upon us. There has been a new addition. For anyone who watches the show "Rick And Morty", the boys have a new big sister that will bully them and keep them in line. Care to guess her name??? She is a beast! She's not messin' around.
> 
> A friend had her as part of an abatement program, and she wasn't content just scaring the other birdies away. She wanted to hunt them. She needs to hunt, and hunt she will. A lot. He decided to give er to me. It will be an adventure for sure.
> 
> View attachment 333003
> 
> View attachment 333004


Such cool birds!


----------



## Tom

Ray--Opo said:


> Beautiful, what type is it?


She is also a Harris's Hawk. Same species as the boys.


----------



## Tom

mrnewberry said:


> Such cool birds!


How are your birds? You getting ready for the season?


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> Will you actually hunt with 3 birds at once? That huge perch you carry in the field only has 2 perches, doesn't it? And 3 would be kind of heavy.
> 
> BTW, rabbit is AWFUL!! I've only had it one time and never again. Yuck!
> @TriciaStringer sorry, but I had to warn him!


3 birds up at once is the plan. She has been flying with two boys her whole life and they are around the same age, so it _should _work, in theory. I've got them living side-by-side now and no issues or funny looks what so ever. She actually seems protective of the boys. I'll make the perch up top just a little longer. It will be rare for all three to be on it at once, but they don't weigh much and it balances well. She weighs around 900 grams when hunting and the boys weigh around 650 each. I can manage that.

Step 1: Because of where she lived and what she was used for, she's never really hunted. I don't know if she's ever seen a rabbit. Part of how I ended up with her is her very high hunting drive. My challenge, and I don't think it will be any challenge at all, is to get her on to rabbits. I'm pretty sure she will hit the first one she sees with years of pent up fury, and it will feel so natural and fulfilling to her.

Step 2: Once I get her hunting well alone, which includes following along, returning when called, trying like hell to catch every rabbit she sees, and learning how the whole trade off thing works, then I will introduce one of the boys to her. I think the boys will serve as "make hawks". Essentially, they learn by watching other more experienced hawks. This works with such social animals. The great unknown is how she will react to the boys while on a kill and how they will react to her. The females are very dominant and much larger, so I'll proceed with caution and see how it goes. Once she's good with one boy, I'll hunt her with the other. Assuming all goes well, I'll begin hunting the three of them together.

Step 3: Managing two birds on a kill by yourself is relatively easy. Toss food to one over there, toss food for the other the other way, stash the kill, put a tid bit on the glove, pick up whoever finishes eating first, and walk away from the other one while it finishes its meal. Managing three is going to be a challenge. I've got several ideas and a good plan that has been approved by several master falconers with much more experience than me, but it will be very fluid with changes and decision made by the second. I have my ideas about how I think it will go and how I think it should go, but I'm pretty sure the birds will teach _me _how to do it. The first time I put her up with one of the boys, I'll have a someone with me that knows the ropes. Same idea when I put all three up for the first few times. An extra set of hands will help solve any unforeseen problems quickly.


----------



## mrnewberry

Tom said:


> How are your birds? You getting ready for the season?


I got a parrot a couple of years ago that I think would object to another bird. But, I really have gotten a lot busier with tortoises and kids etc. and worry about a lack of time. I have kept up with my permit though. So, one of these days I may jump back in.


----------



## Toddrickfl1

Tom said:


> The hunting season is almost upon us. There has been a new addition. For anyone who watches the show "Rick And Morty", the boys have a new big sister that will bully them and keep them in line. Care to guess her name??? She is a beast! She's not messin' around.
> 
> A friend had her as part of an abatement program, and she wasn't content just scaring the other birdies away. She wanted to hunt them. She needs to hunt, and hunt she will. A lot. He decided to give er to me. It will be an adventure for sure.
> 
> View attachment 333003
> 
> View attachment 333004


Tom, what's an abatement program?


----------



## Tom

Toddrickfl1 said:


> Tom, what's an abatement program?


I'll try to keep it short, but its a long answer to do thoroughly.

As we humans expand our territories and make places for ourselves to live, work and play, other species sometimes capitalize on the situations that we create. Sometimes these animals become pests, over-breed without the normal natural controls that would be there if humans and their settlements weren't there, and often these pests do terrible damage, and or create unsanitary conditions. Some examples: 1. Who can forget Bill Murray in Caddy Shack? "Oh Mr. Gopher..." Gophers, ground squirrels and rabbits can wreak havoc on a golf course. 2. I grow grape vines to feed the leaves to my torts. My family likes to eat the grapes, but the local birds and rodents take a toll. Imagine that toll for a 1000 acre vineyard. 3. Everyone throws trash away. That trash goes to a landfill, aka "the dump". Seagulls and other birds come in by the 1000's root around the rotting waste, and spread pathogens everywhere they go. Having a protocol for "pest management" is a government requirement for anyone operating a landfill.

In each of these scenarios, the pests need to be dealt with and their damage brought to a halt. Throughout history we've used poisons, traps, netting, guns, scarecrows, and all manner of methods to fight the war against the animals who damage our stuff. We talk about keeping predatory pests away from our tortoises here constantly. One handy tool that has recently been discovered and put to good use is falconry. Pest animals don't want to be where their predators are flying about. Rather than try to kill a 1000 seagulls at the dump, and then have to kill 1000 more that move in after those first ones are gone, it turns out all you have to do is pay a guy to fly his raptors around the area a few times a week. The seagulls leave the area of their own free will, and hopefully seek out more natural areas to do their seagull business. Another human makes a living, raptors get exercise and mental fulfillment, pest animals go back to living free and in the wild where they belong, and nothing has to die and no toxic chemicals or poisons get spread around the earth. Its a win win win win win win win situation for all parties involved. There are limitless ways to make this work.

Here are some examples off the top of my head of falconry birds being used for "abatement":
Getting seagulls and other pest birds out of the dump.
Protecting fruit harvests in berry fields and vineyards all over the world.
Keeping pigeons and seagulls away from outdoor eating areas at Cafés and restaurants.
Keeping pest numbers down at golf courses and parks.
Keeping ducks, geese, and other birds off the tarmac and away from runways and other areas where planes and helicopters are taking off.
Here in SoCal we have feral parrots. They come to the film sets and make a lot of noise. This makes it difficult to film scenes for movies, TV and commercial and record dialogue. Pop a Harris Hawk up into a nearby tree and all the parrots go elsewhere. No muss no fuss.

I'm sure there are many more uses for trained raptors, but all of these are relatively inexpensive compared to the alternatives, environmentally sound, non-toxic, easy, sensible, and the "optics" are good for the public. I wish that last one wasn't a factor, but it is nowadays. Can't have a person walking around town with a shotgun blasting seagulls out of the sky, but nobody minds seeing a guy or gal walking around with a hawk following them around town for food treats. The myriad problems with poisons, and the difficulties of trapping are obvious, but what is the down side to a well trained birdy flying around at random times a few days a week? Most people love it.


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> I'll try to keep it short, but its a long answer to do thoroughly.
> 
> As we humans expand our territories and make places for ourselves to live, work and play, other species sometimes capitalize on the situations that we create. Sometimes these animals become pests, over-breed without the normal natural controls that would be there if humans and their settlements weren't there, and often these pests do terrible damage, and or create unsanitary conditions. Some examples: 1. Who can forget Bill Murray in Caddy Shack? "Oh Mr. Gopher..." Gophers, ground squirrels and rabbits can wreak havoc on a golf course. 2. I grow grape vines to feed the leaves to my torts. My family likes to eat the grapes, but the local birds and rodents take a toll. Imagine that toll for a 1000 acre vineyard. 3. Everyone throws trash away. That trash goes to a landfill, aka "the dump". Seagulls and other birds come in by the 1000's root around the rotting waste, and spread pathogens everywhere they go. Having a protocol for "pest management" is a government requirement for anyone operating a landfill.
> 
> In each of these scenarios, the pests need to be dealt with and their damage brought to a halt. Throughout history we've used poisons, traps, netting, guns, scarecrows, and all manner of methods to fight the war against the animals who damage our stuff. We talk about keeping predatory pests away from our tortoises here constantly. One handy tool that has recently been discovered and put to good use is falconry. Pest animals don't want to be where their predators are flying about. Rather than try to kill a 1000 seagulls at the dump, and then have to kill 1000 more that move in after those first ones are gone, it turns out all you have to do is pay a guy to fly his raptors around the area a few times a week. The seagulls leave the area of their own free will, and hopefully seek out more natural areas to do their seagull business. Another human makes a living, raptors get exercise and mental fulfillment, pest animals go back to living free and in the wild where they belong, and nothing has to die and no toxic chemicals or poisons get spread around the earth. Its a win win win win win win win situation for all parties involved. There are limitless ways to make this work.
> 
> Here are some examples off the top of my head of falconry birds being used for "abatement":
> Getting seagulls and other pest birds out of the dump.
> Protecting fruit harvests in berry fields and vineyards all over the world.
> Keeping pigeons and seagulls away from outdoor eating areas at Cafés and restaurants.
> Keeping pest numbers down at golf courses and parks.
> Keeping ducks, geese, and other birds off the tarmac and away from runways and other areas where planes and helicopters are taking off.
> Here in SoCal we have feral parrots. They come to the film sets and make a lot of noise. This makes it difficult to film scenes for movies, TV and commercial and record dialogue. Pop a Harris Hawk up into a nearby tree and all the parrots go elsewhere. No muss no fuss.
> 
> I'm sure there are many more uses for trained raptors, but all of these are relatively inexpensive compared to the alternatives, environmentally sound, non-toxic, easy, sensible, and the "optics" are good for the public. I wish that last one wasn't a factor, but it is nowadays. Can't have a person walking around town with a shotgun blasting seagulls out of the sky, but nobody minds seeing a guy or gal walking around with a hawk following them around town for food treats. The myriad problems with poisons, and the difficulties of trapping are obvious, but what is the down side to a well trained birdy flying around at random times a few days a week? Most people love it.


Very interesting, at the landscape dept at Lowe's. They have a recording of a certain bird playing all the time. I guess it keeps other birds from coming in and nesting.


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom said:


> My challenge, and I don't think it will be any challenge at all, is to get her on to rabbits. I'm pretty sure she will hit the first one she sees with years of pent up fury, and it will feel so natural and fulfilling to her.


That touches on something else that came to mind...what happens if she/they spot a puppy or small cat in the field? Or any other animal?

How do you train them to only go after rabbits? Or DO you train them to only go after rabbits? ???️??

Or better, could they help to eliminate some of the nasties who invade our yards and houses? ??️?


----------



## Isaiah C.

I just read this whole thread in the span of an hour while eating dinner. Thank you for sharing this! It really has been an amazing read. 

I was raised around much more domestic birds (my grandmother owned a pet store but she mostly specialized in all manner of parrots. I learned to whistle at three years old copying her cockatiel, which is the opposite of how it usually goes. Mix that with having once seen a cockatoo compeltely rip a corner off a very sturdy wooden desk in a fit of annoyance because my grandmother was gone, and you end up with a someone who has a healthy amount of both admiration and respect for what birds can do.

Falcons are especially cool. I developed an interest in falconry as a kid studying medieval history and wasted way too many hours watching videos of it on YouTube, but getting older and busier with college made me realize that it would (and still will be) a long time before I have the time and money to sink into the "sport". Maybe one day!

Until that day comes, though, I'll follow this thread and enjoy the ride and the lessons.


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> That touches on something else that came to mind...what happens if she/they spot a puppy or small cat in the field? Or any other animal?
> 
> How do you train them to only go after rabbits? Or DO you train them to only go after rabbits? ???️??
> 
> Or better, could they help to eliminate some of the nasties who invade our yards and houses? ??️?


Anything is possible, but they tend to be very picky about their prey. Every bird is different, and some are plain nutty, but mine have all been selective. Each redtail of mine caught one ground squirrel. Each time I made the difficult choice to rob them of their prize and give them no reward for grabbing the "wrong" thing, and none of them ever did it again despite seeing ground squirrels in the field almost daily. Rick and Morty each grabbed one in their first year, but only one. They each grabbed one at the start of their second year too, but then no reward so no more. Now, they just ignore them. The positive reinforcement (food) only comes when they catch the right things. They once caught a quail and got big reward for that, but usually don't even try for those anymore. Quail are too fast and not worth their effort when rabbits are so plentiful. When I first started hunting them in their first year, there was one warm day where Morty kept going after lizards. Lots of effort, no reward, and so that behavior stopped quickly. Last season Rick flew into a backyard and grabbed somebody's chicken through a gap in the pen. That wasn't fun, but the chicken got away with minor damage luckily. Never happened again after that day despite returning to that area many times. One time a lady came out her front door with a tiny off-leash chihuahua puppy right across the street from where my bird was perched on a light pole hunting. Tacoma looked at it, I nearly had a heart attack, and then she looked away. I literally began running to flush a rabbit, and luckily that held Tacoma's attention and worked to distract her from the possible morsel across the street.

They've seen cats in the field and stay clear of them. Too big and too dangerous, so they seem to think. Dogs scare them, so they leave them alone. Even smaller dogs. Every time they decide to go for prey there seems to be a cost/benefit thought process in their heads and they usually make good decisions. I keep them well fed and on the heavy side, so they are not hunting out of extreme hunger or desperation. This also allows them the luxury of making good choices about what to chase or grab. They even let jack rabbits go some of the time, much to my dismay. They see something that makes them not want to strike and bind at the last minute sometimes, and other times they go for it. After witnessing both scenarios dozens of times, I cannot see whatever it is they are seeing. I'm hoping the new female isn't as timid with the jacks. Its maddening for me to watch them slowly trot away while my birds sit and watch them go.

One of the amazing things about falconry is that there are so many different raptor species to work with, so many different prey species to hunt, and so many different ways to hunt. I hunt rabbits with Harris hawks. There is a legendary falconer in AZ that hunts quail on horseback with a visual and a male Harris hawk. I have friends in GA that hunt tree squirrels with Harris hawks and redtails. Friends here in CA hunt ducks and rabbits with Goshawks, and ducks with falcons too. Others here have Golden Eagles and hunt for jack rabbits. Others hunt English house sparrows (a terrible introduced pest) with kestrels or merlins.

Some birds, like mine are hunted loose. I allow them to choose their own perches, or use the T perch I carry for them, and they follow along because they want to. Eagles and goshawks are typically flown from the fist. You walk around in the brush with your bird on your hand and launch it when game jumps up. Redtail typical follow along taking perches wherever they can. Eagles, Harris hawks, most falcons and redtails can also be hunted "waiting on" from the sky above. Flacons fly up to the heavens to do their legendary 200 mph stoops, but hawks and eagles can also be trained to ride the thermals up and wait for game to be flushed by the falconer under them. There is really no limit to what can be done, and there is something for almost everyone.


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom said:


> There is really no limit to what can be done, and there is something for almost everyone.


This is just beyond fascinating! Thank you for the detailed anecdotes and explanations. I could sit and read this all night long. 

To me, it's especially interesting to read of their intelligence. Birds are so much brighter than humans give them credit for. A while back at a CTTC meeting we were shown an episode of "Nature" that centered on crows. My mouth hung open in astonishment at what they are capable of doing. They make tools to use to solve problems...something that was thought to be reserved for higher level intellect.
They look at a treat that is inaccessable , size it up, and think about how to solve the problem, and then do complex processes involving 3-5 steps to get the treat. And this is the first time they have ever confronted this particular series of obstacles!
And best of all...crows can recognize one individual human, that it doesn't like, in a huge busy crowd of people. And when that crow's fledglings are still in the nest, the parent can describe that bad human to the babies, so even though the baby has never seen that human before, he will recognize and avoid the human if he is seen.


----------



## kaeline

Tom said:


> For anyone who watches the show "Rick And Morty", the boys have a new big sister that will bully them and keep them in line. Care to guess her name???


Summer?


----------



## AgataP

@Tom i am not sure if you have seen this Red Bull documentary but I enjoyed it. Here is a link to it. 
Mongolian eagle hunter


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> This is just beyond fascinating! Thank you for the detailed anecdotes and explanations. I could sit and read this all night long.
> 
> To me, it's especially interesting to read of their intelligence. Birds are so much brighter than humans give them credit for. A while back at a CTTC meeting we were shown an episode of "Nature" that centered on crows. My mouth hung open in astonishment at what they are capable of doing. They make tools to use to solve problems...something that was thought to be reserved for higher level intellect.
> They look at a treat that is inaccessable , size it up, and think about how to solve the problem, and then do complex processes involving 3-5 steps to get the treat. And this is the first time they have ever confronted this particular series of obstacles!
> And best of all...crows can recognize one individual human, that it doesn't like, in a huge busy crowd of people. And when that crow's fledglings are still in the nest, the parent can describe that bad human to the babies, so even though the baby has never seen that human before, he will recognize and avoid the human if he is seen.


One of the trainers I work with is of the opinion that ravens are the smartest animal on the planet. Smarter than dogs, dolphins, elephants, etc... I think apes are smarter, but not by much. Orangutans are human-like in their intelligence. Its eerie.


----------



## Tom

kaeline said:


> Summer?


Yep. You got it. And it totally fits.


----------



## TriciaStringer

KarenSoCal said:


> Will you actually hunt with 3 birds at once? That huge perch you carry in the field only has 2 perches, doesn't it? And 3 would be kind of heavy.
> 
> BTW, rabbit is AWFUL!! I've only had it one time and never again. Yuck!
> @TriciaStringer sorry, but I had to warn him!


Anything cooked in Louisiana is better. Ha!


----------



## Jan A

KarenSoCal said:


> This is just beyond fascinating! Thank you for the detailed anecdotes and explanations. I could sit and read this all night long.
> 
> To me, it's especially interesting to read of their intelligence. Birds are so much brighter than humans give them credit for. A while back at a CTTC meeting we were shown an episode of "Nature" that centered on crows. My mouth hung open in astonishment at what they are capable of doing. They make tools to use to solve problems...something that was thought to be reserved for higher level intellect.
> They look at a treat that is inaccessable , size it up, and think about how to solve the problem, and then do complex processes involving 3-5 steps to get the treat. And this is the first time they have ever confronted this particular series of obstacles!
> And best of all...crows can recognize one individual human, that it doesn't like, in a huge busy crowd of people. And when that crow's fledglings are still in the nest, the parent can describe that bad human to the babies, so even though the baby has never seen that human before, he will recognize and avoid the human if he is seen.



.


----------



## Tom

Season 3 for the boys is off to a flying start. HA! Flying start...

Cottontail season opens on October 1st. We went to one of our usual areas and between the drought and the die offs from the RHD disease last year, there were hardly any rabbits to be seen. I decided to leave the area and look elsewhere and, of course, they caught one on the way back to the car. These little boys don't do much damage on their initial grab, so I decided to trade them off for a pre-measured meaty reward and let this rabbit go free. Hopefully she/he will live through winter and do some breeding in spring. I won't be hunting that area again this year. Because I was trying to minimize the damage from the talons, I didn't take any pics of this one.

On day two we went north to a totally different area, and up there the rabbits were literally everywhere you looked. The boys put in some spectacular chases, and Rick finally nabbed this giant one all by himself while Morty was off chasing a different one:



Today was day three, and we headed to another field that is usually jumping with lagomorphs. Looks like some transients have moved in to the field over the summer, left a lot of trash, and burned a substantial portion of this field, but still plenty of cover, food and both cottontails and jacks. The boys teamed up as usual and took down this fast mover while on the run:


It looks like one bird in the pic, but Rick has his head down behind his brother.

My new girl is coming along nicely, but her weight is still a bit too high.


----------



## Tortobsessed

This is so cool! I just heard about someone doing this a few days ago. I added this to my bucket list for someday. It sounds like such an amazing experience. I didn't know it was something anybody could do (with a lot of hard work).


----------



## Tom

Tortobsessed said:


> This is so cool! I just heard about someone doing this a few days ago. I added this to my bucket list for someday. It sounds like such an amazing experience. I didn't know it was something anybody could do (with a lot of hard work).


Its not for everyone. It literally takes over your whole life. Its either your thing in life or it isn't. Most falconers don't encourage other people to try it or do it. If someone is truly into it they will seek it out and make it happen on their own without encouragement. If they only have a casual interest, its best to just admire it from afar and watch YT videos about it. I invite people to come along all the time. Few ever do, and no one has ever wanted to do it on their own. Everyone whose been out hunting with me agrees that it is totally amazing. Almost unbelievable. They go home and tell the stories of what they saw, but they never want want to become a practitioner of the art for one reason or another. That's okay with me. More rabbits for me to find!

I suffer terribly from SAD. I get awful depression in winter and as a child I found it difficult to even enjoy the beautiful summer days knowing that winter would return. It was a terrible annual cycle. Falconry happens in winter. It has become my gym, my therapy, my church, and my return to nature all in one. Because of falconry, I now look forward to and enjoy the winter months. It has literally changed my whole life. When I am walking in the field with my birds following along, all the problems of the world melt away. We are there for one purpose. To catch food for them to eat. We work together as a team to make that happen and that is all any of us think about while we are out there. I get a tremendous work out in the cold morning air walking, jogging and running over miles of rough terrain, and finish with what I think must be a "runner's high". There is no lagging behind. We've got to find and catch a rabbit. The birds demand it! They call to me when they've got eyes on one but need my help to flush it. I can't imagine life without it, but I can also understand why anyone would not want to make such a commitment.


----------



## Jan A

Thank you for sharing your adventure. I knew nothing about falconry before reading your thread. Your birds are so gorgeous. What a trip!!


----------



## Tom

Jan A said:


> Thank you for sharing your adventure. I knew nothing about falconry before reading your thread. Your birds are so gorgeous. What a trip!!


Thank you. Here is the catch of the day. I finally got a picture showing two distinct birds instead of one confusing mass of brown and black feathers spread over a dead rabbit.


----------



## Tortobsessed

Tom said:


> Its not for everyone. It literally takes over your whole life. Its either your thing in life or it isn't. Most falconers don't encourage other people to try it or do it. If someone is truly into it they will seek it out and make it happen on their own without encouragement. If they only have a casual interest, its best to just admire it from afar and watch YT videos about it. I invite people to come along all the time. Few ever do, and no one has ever wanted to do it on their own. Everyone whose been out hunting with me agrees that it is totally amazing. Almost unbelievable. They go home and tell the stories of what they saw, but they never want want to become a practitioner of the art for one reason or another. That's okay with me. More rabbits for me to find!
> 
> I suffer terribly from SAD. I get awful depression in winter and as a child I found it difficult to even enjoy the beautiful summer days knowing that winter would return. It was a terrible annual cycle. Falconry happens in winter. It has become my gym, my therapy, my church, and my return to nature all in one. Because of falconry, I now look forward to and enjoy the winter months. It has literally changed my whole life. When I am walking in the field with my birds following along, all the problems of the world melt away. We are there for one purpose. To catch food for them to eat. We work together as a team to make that happen and that is all any of us think about while we are out there. I get a tremendous work out in the cold morning air walking, jogging and running over miles of rough terrain, and finish with what I think must be a "runner's high". There is no lagging behind. We've got to find and catch a rabbit. The birds demand it! They call to me when they've got eyes on one but need my help to flush it. I can't imagine life without it, but I can also understand why anyone would not want to make such a commitment.


This makes perfect sense. Someday I really do think I want to do it. However it won't likely be soon due to their housing (I can't build in my backyard) and daily maintenance (I would like to take vacations or long weekends somewhere and these aren't an animal someone else can take care of). About how much time do you spend with them per day? I'd think it would be around 3 hours in addition to hunting days. I love that you are able to be part of one of the most amazing natural processes. Do you have multiple birds or are you with someone else?


----------



## Mrs.Jennifer

Tom said:


> Thank you. Here is the catch of the day. I finally got a picture showing two distinct birds instead of one confusing mass of brown and black feathers spread over a dead rabbit.
> 
> View attachment 334114


They are stunning…


----------



## Tom

Tortobsessed said:


> This makes perfect sense. Someday I really do think I want to do it. However it won't likely be soon due to their housing (I can't build in my backyard) and daily maintenance (I would like to take vacations or long weekends somewhere and these aren't an animal someone else can take care of). About how much time do you spend with them per day? I'd think it would be around 3 hours in addition to hunting days. I love that you are able to be part of one of the most amazing natural processes. Do you have multiple birds or are you with someone else?


Every day is a long weekend and a vacation when I'm out hunting with my birds. I take "vacations" with falconry buddies to far off places several times a year, with our birds of course.

In the off season, you literally toss them some food daily, and clean and refill the water tubs as necessary. I hose off the mess once or twice a week, and that's about it. Just a few minutes per day, if that.

When getting them ready for hunting season and flying them on a creance (long leash), I spend about 10 minutes per bird if you count food prep and clean up. Also at the start of each hunting season, as a one time thing, I put new bracelets on each bird and that takes about an hour total.

During hunting season I try to hunt every day. Job, family, and life sometimes interferes with that goal, so I actually end up hunting 5-6 days a week with them most of the time. Sometimes we will get a stretch of 12-15 days in a row, and some weeks I'm only able to get them out 3-4 times. It varies a lot, and the birds don't seem to mind. When they are in the hunting season and at weight, I never feed them in the mews. I box them up in their travel boxes, walk down the ranch set some food out, and then come back and turn them loose. They will ride the fist or the T-perch with me until they "discover" their food, and then they fly over and eat it while I walk back up to the mew and wait for them to finish eating. When they are done, they look around until they find me, fly back to me, and I put them away. Then I do the other one. Takes about 15-20 minutes a day total.

Hunting days take the most time. Drive time to most of my usual fields is anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour each way. Then its anywhere from 1 minute to 3 or 4 hours of me marching around in the bushes trying to get rabbits to jump up and run for them. Today was a fairly normal day. Woke up about 10 minutes to 6, did my chores and ate breakfast, weighed the birds, loaded them up and hit the road by about 7 am. Arrived at the field about 7:40, grabbed the T perch, attached jesses and telemetry transmitters, put on my special hunting shoes, hat, and falconry vest, and started our hunt about 7:48. Walked a whole field and didn't catch anything, so we crossed a street (carefully) and hunted a big new field on the other side. At 8:34 am, they caught the jack rabbit seen in the picture. He evaded them several times and we had to pursue this one the length of the 20-30 acre field. It was very exciting and I thought we'd lost him in heavy cover several times. I traded the boys off, stashed the prize, and then we walked back to the car. when they were done eating. On the way back to the car, a cottontail jumped up right in front of us and they chased him on a long straight run straight away from me, but he just barely made it to his hole in time. Gotta be super fast to catch cottontails. Cottontails are very difficult to catch but easy to hold on to. Jacks are easier to catch, but very tough to hold on to. We made it back to the car, took all of our equipment off, put the boys in their hawk boxes, and started the 40 minute drive home at about 9am. I got back to the ranch, put the birds back in their mews, organized my falconry stuff for the next day, and butchered the rabbit. Takes about 5 minutes to butcher a cottontail and 10 minutes for a jack. I cut them into meal size pieces for the hawks and stack the gallon size baggies in the chest freezer. I then started my day in a great mood still riding high on my endorphin and adrenaline rush. It would really be much easier to just drink some coffee, but I don't like coffee, and my way seems much more fun. A short hunting day at a close field might only be an hour or two. A distant field where they don't catch one for a while might take 4-5 hours.

I have two male Harris hawks. They are chamber raised brothers. I got them in August of 2019 at about 4 months old. They fly and hunt together and this is our third hunting season working as a team. I've now acquired a third Harris hawk. Female, one year older than the boys, and she previously flew with two other male Harris hawks. Its taking a long time to get her weight down where it needs to be, so I haven't been able to hunt with her yet, but the plan is to get the three of them all working together with me. If I succeed, it will be epic. You can see pics of her farther back in the tread, and there is a video of the boys hunting in their first year a few pages back too.


----------



## Tortobsessed

Tom said:


> Every day is a long weekend and a vacation when I'm out hunting with my birds. I take "vacations" with falconry buddies to far off places several times a year, with our birds of course.
> 
> In the off season, you literally toss them some food daily, and clean and refill the water tubs as necessary. I hose off the mess once or twice a week, and that's about it. Just a few minutes per day, if that.
> 
> When getting them ready for hunting season and flying them on a creance (long leash), I spend about 10 minutes per bird if you count food prep and clean up. Also at the start of each hunting season, as a one time thing, I put new bracelets on each bird and that takes about an hour total.
> 
> During hunting season I try to hunt every day. Job, family, and life sometimes interferes with that goal, so I actually end up hunting 5-6 days a week with them most of the time. Sometimes we will get a stretch of 12-15 days in a row, and some weeks I'm only able to get them out 3-4 times. It varies a lot, and the birds don't seem to mind. When they are in the hunting season and at weight, I never feed them in the mews. I box them up in their travel boxes, walk down the ranch set some food out, and then come back and turn them loose. They will ride the fist or the T-perch with me until they "discover" their food, and then they fly over and eat it while I walk back up to the mew and wait for them to finish eating. When they are done, they look around until they find me, fly back to me, and I put them away. Then I do the other one. Takes about 15-20 minutes a day total.
> 
> Hunting days take the most time. Drive time to most of my usual fields is anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour each way. Then its anywhere from 1 minute to 3 or 4 hours of me marching around in the bushes trying to get rabbits to jump up and run for them. Today was a fairly normal day. Woke up about 10 minutes to 6, did my chores and ate breakfast, weighed the birds, loaded them up and hit the road by about 7 am. Arrived at the field about 7:40, grabbed the T perch, attached jesses and telemetry transmitters, put on my special hunting shoes, hat, and falconry vest, and started our hunt about 7:48. Walked a whole field and didn't catch anything, so we crossed a street (carefully) and hunted a big new field on the other side. At 8:34 am, they caught the jack rabbit seen in the picture. He evaded them several times and we had to pursue this one the length of the 20-30 acre field. It was very exciting and I thought we'd lost him in heavy cover several times. I traded the boys off, stashed the prize, and then we walked back to the car. when they were done eating. On the way back to the car, a cottontail jumped up right in front of us and they chased him on a long straight run straight away from me, but he just barely made it to his hole in time. Gotta be super fast to catch cottontails. Cottontails are very difficult to catch but easy to hold on to. Jacks are easier to catch, but very tough to hold on to. We made it back to the car, took all of our equipment off, put the boys in their hawk boxes, and started the 40 minute drive home at about 9am. I got back to the ranch, put the birds back in their mews, organized my falconry stuff for the next day, and butchered the rabbit. Takes about 5 minutes to butcher a cottontail and 10 minutes for a jack. I cut them into meal size pieces for the hawks and stack the gallon size baggies in the chest freezer. I then started my day in a great mood still riding high on my endorphin and adrenaline rush. It would really be much easier to just drink some coffee, but I don't like coffee, and my way seems much more fun. A short hunting day at a close field might only be an hour or two. A distant field where they don't catch one for a while might take 4-5 hours.
> 
> I have two male Harris hawks. They are chamber raised brothers. I got them in August of 2019 at about 4 months old. They fly and hunt together and this is our third hunting season working as a team. I've now acquired a third Harris hawk. Female, one year older than the boys, and she previously flew with two other male Harris hawks. Its taking a long time to get her weight down where it needs to be, so I haven't been able to hunt with her yet, but the plan is to get the three of them all working together with me. If I succeed, it will be epic. You can see pics of her farther back in the tread, and there is a video of the boys hunting in their first year a few pages back too.


That's absolutely amazing! It doesn't sound like that could ever get old or boring.


----------



## Tom

Tortobsessed said:


> That's absolutely amazing! It doesn't sound like that could ever get old or boring.


It sure hasn't yet!


----------



## Tortobsessed

I've joined a forum and bookmarked tons of websites so I'll have plenty of reading to do to decide if I want to try this someday.


----------



## Tom

Know what this is?



That is three Harris' Hawks airborne and coming to their trainer all at the same time. It could also be called beautiful, awesome, fantastic. poetry in motion, amazing, wonderful, terrific, excellent, etc...


----------



## Jan A

Tom said:


> Know what this is?
> View attachment 334705
> 
> 
> That is three Harris' Hawks airborne and coming to their trainer all at the same time. It could also be called beautiful, awesome, fantastic. poetry in motion, amazing, wonderful, terrific, excellent, etc...


How'd she do with the boys? How'd you manage to get that picture? That is just spectacular!! You do have a special talent!! Congrats!!


----------



## Tom

Jan A said:


> How'd she do with the boys? How'd you manage to get that picture? That is just spectacular!! You do have a special talent!! Congrats!!


She's doing great with the boys. No aggression or problems from any of them at all. She's not sure yet why she should ride around on that T perch and spends a fair amount of time on the ground, but she does keep up with the group and follow along nicely. I can get her up on the perch for a tid bit, but she jumps off if one of the boys joins her up there. I thought they would be afraid of her, but she seems a little intimidated by them. She chases rabbits if one jumps up at the right time, but she hasn't caught one on her own yet. She assisted the boys on a jack today. When I arrived on the scene, all three birds were on the jack, but she let go before I could get my phone out and get a pic. No problems on the kill and everybody behaves with unexpected, but fantastic, civility.


----------



## Cathie G

Tom said:


> Know what this is?
> View attachment 334705
> 
> 
> That is three Harris' Hawks airborne and coming to their trainer all at the same time. It could also be called beautiful, awesome, fantastic. poetry in motion, amazing, wonderful, terrific, excellent, etc...


Yes every word you called it. You are the fourth part of their flock.?


----------



## Tom

Cathie G said:


> Yes every word you called it. You are the fourth part of their flock.?


Summer gets along really well with the boys. She's still not sure where she stands with me yet. She grabbed each of my hands with each of her talons for no good reason today as we were leaving to truck to begin hunting, and I was stuck that way for a good minute. She was clamped down and it hurt a lot. I finally reached over with one hand and pulled her hallux out of my finger and threw her off of me. The boys then decided to discipline her since I did. It was interesting watching the interaction. I broke it up immediately, but it was fascinating to see those little boys march right up to that big girl and give her the what for. Equally fascinating was her acceptance of their discipline. She could literally have killed them for that kind of insolence, but sat there and took it instead. It showed me how careful I need to be with that sort of thing. I walked away and left her sitting on the ground, seemingly sulking, and the boys quickly joined me and began hunting. She sat for a good while, and then decided to come join us and behave herself. She was very well behaved the rest of the day and even assisted the boys with a jackrabbit catch.

A couple of jacks jumped up, but evaded capture in this Yucca forest:



They managed to get feet on one in this patch of scrub brush directly after though:



I was too busy managing three birds to stop and get a pic of them with their rabbit. What a challenge that is. I have to think very fast and act even faster.


----------



## jcase

Tom said:


> Summer gets along really well with the boys. She's still not sure where she stands with me yet. She grabbed each of my hands with each of her talons for no good reason today as we were leaving to truck to begin hunting, and I was stuck that way for a good minute. She was clamped down and it hurt a lot. I finally reached over with one hand and pulled her hallux out of my finger and threw her off of me. The boys then decided to discipline her since I did. It was interesting watching the interaction. I broke it up immediately, but it was fascinating to see those little boys march right up to that big girl and give her the what for. Equally fascinating was her acceptance of their discipline. She could literally have killed them for that kind of insolence, but sat there and took it instead. It showed me how careful I need to be with that sort of thing. I walked away and left her sitting on the ground, seemingly sulking, and the boys quickly joined me and began hunting. She sat for a good while, and then decided to come join us and behave herself. She was very well behaved the rest of the day and even assisted the boys with a jackrabbit catch.
> 
> A couple of jacks jumped up, but evaded capture in this Yucca forest:
> View attachment 334762
> 
> 
> They managed to get feet on one in this patch of scrub brush directly after though:
> View attachment 334763
> 
> 
> I was too busy managing three birds to stop and get a pic of them with their rabbit. What a challenge that is. I have to think very fast and act even faster.


Super interesting thread, thank you for sharing


----------



## Yvonne G

Tom said:


> Summer gets along really well with the boys. She's still not sure where she stands with me yet. She grabbed each of my hands with each of her talons for no good reason today as we were leaving to truck to begin hunting, and I was stuck that way for a good minute. She was clamped down and it hurt a lot. I finally reached over with one hand and pulled her hallux out of my finger and threw her off of me. The boys then decided to discipline her since I did. It was interesting watching the interaction. I broke it up immediately, but it was fascinating to see those little boys march right up to that big girl and give her the what for. Equally fascinating was her acceptance of their discipline. She could literally have killed them for that kind of insolence, but sat there and took it instead. It showed me how careful I need to be with that sort of thing. I walked away and left her sitting on the ground, seemingly sulking, and the boys quickly joined me and began hunting. She sat for a good while, and then decided to come join us and behave herself. She was very well behaved the rest of the day and even assisted the boys with a jackrabbit catch.
> 
> A couple of jacks jumped up, but evaded capture in this Yucca forest:
> View attachment 334762
> 
> 
> They managed to get feet on one in this patch of scrub brush directly after though:
> View attachment 334763
> 
> 
> I was too busy managing three birds to stop and get a pic of them with their rabbit. What a challenge that is. I have to think very fast and act even faster.


Just goes to show how much more intelligent animals are than we've given them credit for.


----------



## Cathie G

Tom said:


> Summer gets along really well with the boys. She's still not sure where she stands with me yet. She grabbed each of my hands with each of her talons for no good reason today as we were leaving to truck to begin hunting, and I was stuck that way for a good minute. She was clamped down and it hurt a lot. I finally reached over with one hand and pulled her hallux out of my finger and threw her off of me. The boys then decided to discipline her since I did. It was interesting watching the interaction. I broke it up immediately, but it was fascinating to see those little boys march right up to that big girl and give her the what for. Equally fascinating was her acceptance of their discipline. She could literally have killed them for that kind of insolence, but sat there and took it instead. It showed me how careful I need to be with that sort of thing. I walked away and left her sitting on the ground, seemingly sulking, and the boys quickly joined me and began hunting. She sat for a good while, and then decided to come join us and behave herself. She was very well behaved the rest of the day and even assisted the boys with a jackrabbit catch.
> 
> A couple of jacks jumped up, but evaded capture in this Yucca forest:
> View attachment 334762
> 
> 
> They managed to get feet on one in this patch of scrub brush directly after though:
> View attachment 334763
> 
> 
> I was too busy managing three birds to stop and get a pic of them with their rabbit. What a challenge that is. I have to think very fast and act even faster.


That's really interesting that she grabbed you like that. She's probably still just a little bit afraid of her surroundings. I'm not saying that because I know how to even come close to doing what you're doing. I did a few owls in a wildlife sanctuary. Only one used it's talons on me. What's really interesting about that is... that was the only owl that I didn't cover it's eyes while carrying it. I'm blessed I still have the tendons in my wrist cause the bird had them. I had to calm myself down and pull the talons out. Maybe you are considered top dog in the pecking order ?


----------



## Tom

Cathie G said:


> That's really interesting that she grabbed you like that. She's probably still just a little bit afraid of her surroundings. I'm not saying that because I know how to even come close to doing what you're doing. I did a few owls in a wildlife sanctuary. Only one used it's talons on me. What's really interesting about that is... that was the only owl that I didn't cover it's eyes while carrying it. I'm blessed I still have the tendons in my wrist cause the bird had them. I had to calm myself down and pull the talons out. Maybe you are considered top dog in the pecking order ?


This wasn't fear. She has shown territoriality in her mew before. This was a trait of hers before I got her. I don't handle or mess with her in her mew. I just put bait her into her travel box with food, shut the door behind her, and get her out of there. When they are afraid, they bolt. Her posture and body language were all about intimidation and dominance.

This type of aggression is commonly seen with imprint birds. She was chamber raised and pulled at 18 weeks, so it should not be that, BUT... There is a book on Harris Hawks written by Tom and Jennifer Coulson. This is commonly regarded as the "Bible" of the Harris Hawk world. They are to falconry what Bill Z is to tortoises with their decades of experience with 100s of HHs. I read in their book that some HHs are so naturally tame and unafraid of humans, that they can imprint on their hawk parents, as we want them to, but then dual imprint on their human caretakers even when everything is done correctly with them. My gut instinct tells me that there is some of this going on with her. A universal solution for most problems with falconry birds is more hunting. Get them out in the world doing what they do and problems tend to evaporate as the miles pass under their wings. This girl did very little actual hunting, and I suspect these issues will disappear as we get out in the field more and she starts using her natural talents and skills to do what hawks do. In the mean time, she is teaching me some valuable falconry lessons that will save my bacon should I ever decide to rehab a golden eagle for falconry. Tom quote from my paint balling days: Pain is a good teacher.

There is a general rule with dogs that I've seen consistently over the decades with only a few exceptions. Dogs that are aggressive toward people tend to be non aggressive with other dogs. Dogs that are dog aggressive, tend to be good with people. I'm seeing that with this girl too. No hint of aggression toward the boys in any circumstance. Me? I've got to keep hand hands away from her feet.


----------



## Cathie G

Tom said:


> This wasn't fear. She has shown territoriality in her mew before. This was a trait of hers before I got her. I don't handle or mess with her in her mew. I just put bait her into her travel box with food, shut the door behind her, and get her out of there. When they are afraid, they bolt. Her posture and body language were all about intimidation and dominance.
> 
> This type of aggression is commonly seen with imprint birds. She was chamber raised and pulled at 18 weeks, so it should not be that, BUT... There is a book on Harris Hawks written by Tom and Jennifer Coulson. This is commonly regarded as the "Bible" of the Harris Hawk world. They are to falconry what Bill Z is to tortoises with their decades of experience with 100s of HHs. I read in their book that some HHs are so naturally tame and unafraid of humans, that they can imprint on their hawk parents, as we want them to, but then dual imprint on their human caretakers even when everything is done correctly with them. My gut instinct tells me that there is some of this going on with her. A universal solution for most problems with falconry birds is more hunting. Get them out in the world doing what they do and problems tend to evaporate as the miles pass under their wings. This girl did very little actual hunting, and I suspect these issues will disappear as we get out in the field more and she starts using her natural talents and skills to do what hawks do. In the mean time, she is teaching me some valuable falconry lessons that will save my bacon should I ever decide to rehab a golden eagle for falconry. Tom quote from my paint balling days: Pain is a good teacher.
> 
> There is a general rule with dogs that I've seen consistently over the decades with only a few exceptions. Dogs that are aggressive toward people tend to be non aggressive with other dogs. Dogs that are dog aggressive, tend to be good with people. I'm seeing that with this girl too. No hint of aggression toward the boys in any circumstance. Me? I've got to keep hand hands away from her feet.


Yep that kind of pain is a very good teacher. It's a good thing you got her last then. She's low on the pecking order.? Good luck when you try an eagle. I know it's just absolutely amazing when they return to you after hunting. They could leave but they chose to come home.?


----------



## Tortobsessed

Out of curiosity, what would be the best way to remove a hawks talons in case of an emergency? For example, if a hawk is close to breaking bones or is attacking a captive animal (like a dog). In one of the practice tests I did it said to grab it by its neck and pull, it seems like there would be a better option but if this isn't too harmful to the bird maybe it would be okay. For something not as urgent a piece of meat or pulling the back talon off and pushing the rest of the talons up would work but those might not be as quick or effective if it were an emergency.


----------



## Tom

Tortobsessed said:


> Out of curiosity, what would be the best way to remove a hawks talons in case of an emergency? For example, if a hawk is close to breaking bones or is attacking a captive animal (like a dog). In one of the practice tests I did it said to grab it by its neck and pull, it seems like there would be a better option but if this isn't too harmful to the bird maybe it would be okay. For something not as urgent a piece of meat or pulling the back talon off and pushing the rest of the talons up would work but those might not be as quick or effective if it were an emergency.


There are a million variables in this and it really depends on the situation. I put that disclaimer in because if you do whatever I mention here, it might be the wrong thing to do for a given situation and might make things worse. You can grab the bird by the head. This works, but expect those feet to release what aver they have and come straight up to grab the hand on their head. No problem if you have a falconry glove on, but a bit dicey if not.

In my case yesterday, there was no need to panic. There was no need to rush and I had time to think it through. Method number two is to simply grab the back of the hallux and pull it out of whatever it is stuck in. This works, but again, expect the feet of fury to be flying and grabbing at whatever else they can get hold of. I was able to quickly flip the script and get hold of her feet before tossing her away from me. I will use this method when they grab each other on a kill. It minimizes damage and the birds don't see it as punishment the way they do a head grab.


----------



## Moozillion

TriciaStringer said:


> Anything cooked in Louisiana is better. Ha!


YeaYouRite! Greetings from Covington!


----------



## Moozillion

WOW, Tom...just...WOW!!!


----------



## Tom

My friend who made the video came out to the field with me again with his new camera to get some shots. His camera is equipped with a "bird's eye view" feature where it literally focuses in on the eyeball of a bird in flight. He showed it to me and here are the results. All Rick and Summer:











Rick and Morty are better than ever. Game is scarce this year due to drought and the horrible rabbit disease that swept through the SouthWest last year. I'm having to find and try new fields and I'm not able to hunt most of my old fields. I don't know if there is a sense of urgency since we see so few rabbits now, but if they see one, they catch it. They've caught mostly jacks this year and they are not kidding around. I've been able to do some catch and release, which has been an interesting new concept. The boys don't care at all. They get their reward either way.

Summer is coming along. Getting better, but the lack of game isn't helping. I lost her yesterday. She decided to go dumpster diving somewhere out of my sight and I couldn't find her. She got picked up by animal control somehow and I got her back this morning. That was a close call. My telemetry failed for some reason, so I am addressing that. I may go ahead and purchase the new GPS system that is available. This system makes it much harder to lose them.


----------



## Jan A

Tom said:


> My friend who made the video came out to the field with me again with his new camera to get some shots. His camera is equipped with a "bird's eye view" feature where it literally focuses in on the eyeball of a bird in flight. He showed it to me and here are the results. All Rick and Summer:
> View attachment 335319
> 
> View attachment 335320
> 
> View attachment 335321
> 
> View attachment 335322
> 
> View attachment 335323
> 
> 
> Rick and Morty are better than ever. Game is scarce this year due to drought and the horrible rabbit disease that swept through the SouthWest last year. I'm having to find and try new fields and I'm not able to hunt most of my old fields. I don't know if there is a sense of urgency since we see so few rabbits now, but if they see one, they catch it. They've caught mostly jacks this year and they are not kidding around. I've been able to do some catch and release, which has been an interesting new concept. The boys don't care at all. They get their reward either way.
> 
> Summer is coming along. Getting better, but the lack of game isn't helping. I lost her yesterday. She decided to go dumpster diving somewhere out of my sight and I couldn't find her. She got picked up by animal control somehow and I got her back this morning. That was a close call. My telemetry failed for some reason, so I am addressing that. I may go ahead and purchase the new GPS system that is available. This system makes it much harder to lose them.


Excellent photos!! I can see how you get hooked on the sport. Being outdoors, visual acuity you need, physicality of the "hunt," thought processes to anticipate your birds actions....just WOW!!


----------



## Tom

Jan A said:


> Excellent photos!! I can see how you get hooked on the sport. Being outdoors, visual acuity you need, physicality of the "hunt," thought processes to anticipate your birds actions....just WOW!!


Every day is an adventure. I have no idea what will happen or what we will encounter. You make a plan to start out with, but the plan usually changes within the first minute or two when the first rabbit jumps up.

Its my gym, therapist, church and more all-in-one.


----------



## Ranman

Tom said:


> My friend who made the video came out to the field with me again with his new camera to get some shots. His camera is equipped with a "bird's eye view" feature where it literally focuses in on the eyeball of a bird in flight. He showed it to me and here are the results. All Rick and Summer:
> View attachment 335319
> 
> View attachment 335320
> 
> View attachment 335321
> 
> View attachment 335322
> 
> View attachment 335323
> 
> 
> Rick and Morty are better than ever. Game is scarce this year due to drought and the horrible rabbit disease that swept through the SouthWest last year. I'm having to find and try new fields and I'm not able to hunt most of my old fields. I don't know if there is a sense of urgency since we see so few rabbits now, but if they see one, they catch it. They've caught mostly jacks this year and they are not kidding around. I've been able to do some catch and release, which has been an interesting new concept. The boys don't care at all. They get their reward either way.
> 
> Summer is coming along. Getting better, but the lack of game isn't helping. I lost her yesterday. She decided to go dumpster diving somewhere out of my sight and I couldn't find her. She got picked up by animal control somehow and I got her back this morning. That was a close call. My telemetry failed for some reason, so I am addressing that. I may go ahead and purchase the new GPS system that is available. This system makes it much harder to lose them.


Tom those are some beautiful pictures. i would say his camera does the job. Those are some beautiful birds and I can see how relaxing and peaceful it would be to be out there. Thanks for keeping us updated.


----------



## Tom

Ranman said:


> Tom those are some beautiful pictures. i would say his camera does the job. Those are some beautiful birds and I can see how relaxing and peaceful it would be to be out there. Thanks for keeping us updated.


Relaxing and peaceful... Interesting choice of words for what we are doing out there, and I pondered them for a moment. Each day starts out with a fair amount of uncertainty, anxiety, and of course, excitement. After the catch, when the work is done, the whole world just seems right. It is definitely quiet, peaceful and relaxing in those moments. I get a good workout and I'm high on adrenaline and endorphins, like a "runner's high", and I just stand there enjoying the scenery for the couple of minutes it takes the birds to eat their hard earned reward. When we start the hunt, they are flying all over the place like mad men on a mission. After a catch and a good meal, they are pretty content to just take a leisurely ride on their T perch back to the car. I just can't see how they could be any better. Starts my day out right every day and I drive home from the fields in morning traffic with a big smile on my face. It must look ridiculous to the people around me who are going about their daily grind headed to work at a "real" job.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> My friend who made the video came out to the field with me again with his new camera to get some shots. His camera is equipped with a "bird's eye view" feature where it literally focuses in on the eyeball of a bird in flight. He showed it to me and here are the results. All Rick and Summer:
> View attachment 335319
> 
> View attachment 335320
> 
> View attachment 335321
> 
> View attachment 335322
> 
> View attachment 335323
> 
> 
> Rick and Morty are better than ever. Game is scarce this year due to drought and the horrible rabbit disease that swept through the SouthWest last year. I'm having to find and try new fields and I'm not able to hunt most of my old fields. I don't know if there is a sense of urgency since we see so few rabbits now, but if they see one, they catch it. They've caught mostly jacks this year and they are not kidding around. I've been able to do some catch and release, which has been an interesting new concept. The boys don't care at all. They get their reward either way.
> 
> Summer is coming along. Getting better, but the lack of game isn't helping. I lost her yesterday. She decided to go dumpster diving somewhere out of my sight and I couldn't find her. She got picked up by animal control somehow and I got her back this morning. That was a close call. My telemetry failed for some reason, so I am addressing that. I may go ahead and purchase the new GPS system that is available. This system makes it much harder to lose them.


These photos are AMAZING!!!!! 
Such gorgeous birds!!! And, boy, do they look like they mean BUSINESS!!!


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Summer gets along really well with the boys. She's still not sure where she stands with me yet. She grabbed each of my hands with each of her talons for no good reason today as we were leaving to truck to begin hunting, and I was stuck that way for a good minute. She was clamped down and it hurt a lot. I finally reached over with one hand and pulled her hallux out of my finger and threw her off of me. The boys then decided to discipline her since I did. It was interesting watching the interaction. I broke it up immediately, but it was fascinating to see those little boys march right up to that big girl and give her the what for. Equally fascinating was her acceptance of their discipline. She could literally have killed them for that kind of insolence, but sat there and took it instead. It showed me how careful I need to be with that sort of thing. I walked away and left her sitting on the ground, seemingly sulking, and the boys quickly joined me and began hunting. She sat for a good while, and then decided to come join us and behave herself. She was very well behaved the rest of the day and even assisted the boys with a jackrabbit catch.
> 
> A couple of jacks jumped up, but evaded capture in this Yucca forest:
> View attachment 334762
> 
> 
> They managed to get feet on one in this patch of scrub brush directly after though:
> View attachment 334763
> 
> 
> I was too busy managing three birds to stop and get a pic of them with their rabbit. What a challenge that is. I have to think very fast and act even faster.


Tom, when she grabbed your hands, her talons didn't go THROUGH the gloves, right?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Tom, when she grabbed your hands, her talons didn't go THROUGH the gloves, right?


I had no glove on. I was bare handed. Her talons did go right through my skin. It doesn't feel good, but its a risk you take.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> I had no glove on. I was bare handed. Her talons did go right through my skin. It doesn't feel good, but its a risk you take.


YOW!!!!
SO GLAD the boys stood up for you!!!!
It seems like several of your female hawks have been real witches (I wrote "witch" in my post, but in my mind I substituted a B for the W!


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> YOW!!!!
> SO GLAD the boys stood up for you!!!!
> It seems like several of your female hawks have been real witches (I wrote "witch" in my post, but in my mind I substituted a B for the W!


Its kind of like doing bite work with dogs... Its not a question of IF you'll get bit, its a question of WHEN you'll get bit.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Its kind of like doing bite work with dogs... Its not a question of IF you'll get bit, its a question of WHEN you'll get bit.


Did Seven or Sophie ever bite you?
How did you react?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Did Seven or Sophie ever bite you?
> How did you react?


Not without a bite sleeve or suit and only when they are supposed to. Other people's dogs though, now that's a whole 'nother story...


----------



## Tom

What an amazing journey this falconry thing is. So much to learn and experience... Here are some updates:

1. Summer is coming along slowly but surely. I've managed to get her some slips at rabbits while riding the T perch. She's starting to grasp why we are out there and what we are doing. She's beginning to see the advantage of hanging out with me and the boys, and she's actively participating in group chases and catches now. Best of all, she wants to catch every rabbit she sees. The natural instincts are strong and she's quickly learning the ways of the wiley rabbits. About half the time I take her out alone. This is primarily so I can work with her one on one and really get the rewards and timing perfect. A side benefit is that this allows the boys to really do their thing without having to wait around for the new girl to catch up and figure it out. On her last solo outing she went for a jack in the distance. It dodged her and took cover in some nearby bushes. She stayed after it and waited patiently for her opportunity. As we watched, the rabbit broke cover and tried to run across a large open area to make it to the safety of heavy cover. It did't make it. She was after it instantly. Her speed and determination was impressive. She overtook it just before it reached cover, and she held on to it until I got there to help her. It was glorious. Her very first jack on her own. She handled it well and did her job.


----------



## Tom

2. The boys are on it this year like never before. I'm amazed daily by their skills and abilities. Game is super scarce this year. I can't hunt in most of my old fields and am constantly searching for new ones. We had that horrible RHD run through the south western US last year, two years of hardly any rain, and the normal natural downturn in the rabbit population that was due anyway, and it is tough out there. I've been doing some catch and release. The birds get their exercise and mental fulfillment, and the rabbits get to live and hopefully breed.

3. There is a concept called "cottontail poisoning". Many fields have both jacks and cottontails. As soon as your hawk sees a cottontail, it tends to ignore the much larger and more formidable jacks in the same field. My boys did this constantly the first year, and less so in their second hunting season. Their minds become "poisoned" with the idea of the less scary cottontails. Cottontails weigh in at about 1000-1300 grams. Jacks tip the scales at 2300-2700 grams. My boys hunt at a weight of around 650 grams, and Summer is around 830. The saying is: Cottontails are difficult to catch, but easy to hold on to. Jacks are easy to catch, but difficult to hold on to. These statements are generally true, though I don't think there is anything easy about catching a jack rabbit. Cottontails run at an amazing speed and dive in to the safety of a burrow within seconds of bolting. The birds have only seconds to try to catch up to them and get a foot on them. They fail most of the time, even when working in pairs. Jacks don't go underground. They will use cover to dodge the birds or hide, but they are still there and you can keep flushing them if you saw where they went, which is easier said than done. Jacks regularly ditch both boys. I often don't even see which way they went in heavier cover. Having another set of eyes, Summer, has made it more difficult for the jacks to ditch us, and I've gotten to witness some fantastic rabbit footwork trying to dodge 3 birds. The rabbits still win most of the time, but the boys have been relentless this year. The scarcity of game, their experience level, and their maturity has made them less selective about their targets. In some fields, if they see one, they stay after it until they catch it. I've been doing a lot of sprinting this year. Last year they would give up if the rabbit dodged them a time or two since they knew there would be another one jumping up in short order. No such luxury this year.

4. Managing three birds on a kill is no small feat. I'm struggling to figure out a good way to do it. Today I called and talked to the man who is probably the world's foremost authority on all things Harris' Hawk. The man, and his wife, have been selectively breeding and hunting HHs for more than 3 decades. The knowledge and experience in that man's head is unparalleled in the world. I'm speaking of Tom Coulson. He and his lovely wife Jennifer literally wrote the book on Harris' Hawks:



In the book they frequently speak of and describe hawking with several birds at a time. I figure if anyone knows the secret to managing three on a kill at one time, this would be him. For me, it was like talking to a rock star. He was super friendly, helpful, and willing to share is time and knowledge with a total stranger who just called him out of the blue. We talked for quite a while. I explained my situation and methods, and he assured me I was doing a great job, and also shared a ton of insight during the course of the conversation. He told me that he'd tried to fly three birds by himself in the past and found it too difficult to be worthwhile. For him, it took too much of the fun out of it. There is just no easy way to get it done once they are on a rabbit together. He had some suggestions to try to make it easier for me, and I will try those out, but he was unable to find a good solution to the problems he encountered when he was doing it. I'm going to wrack my brain and see if I can find a novel solution to this problem. I'm sure it will be a lot of failures to reach a little success. Solving these types of animal problems is EXACTLY what I do for a living daily. I'm working on it...


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> 2. The boys are on it this year like never before. I'm amazed daily by their skills and abilities. Game is super scarce this year. I can't hunt in most of my old fields and am constantly searching for new ones. We had that horrible RHD run through the south western US last year, two years of hardly any rain, and the normal natural downturn in the rabbit population that was due anyway, and it is tough out there. I've been doing some catch and release. The birds get their exercise and mental fulfillment, and the rabbits get to live and hopefully breed.
> 
> 3. There is a concept called "cottontail poisoning". Many fields have both jacks and cottontails. As soon as your hawk sees a cottontail, it tends to ignore the much larger and more formidable jacks in the same field. My boys did this constantly the first year, and less so in their second hunting season. Their minds become "poisoned" with the idea of the less scary cottontails. Cottontails weigh in at about 1000-1300 grams. Jacks tip the scales at 2300-2700 grams. My boys hunt at a weight of around 650 grams, and Summer is around 830. The saying is: Cottontails are difficult to catch, but easy to hold on to. Jacks are easy to catch, but difficult to hold on to. These statements are generally true, though I don't think there is anything easy about catching a jack rabbit. Cottontails run at an amazing speed and dive in to the safety of a burrow within seconds of bolting. The birds have only seconds to try to catch up to them and get a foot on them. They fail most of the time, even when working in pairs. Jacks don't go underground. They will use cover to dodge the birds or hide, but they are still there and you can keep flushing them if you saw where they went, which is easier said than done. Jacks regularly ditch both boys. I often don't even see which way they went in heavier cover. Having another set of eyes, Summer, has made it more difficult for the jacks to ditch us, and I've gotten to witness some fantastic rabbit footwork trying to dodge 3 birds. The rabbits still win most of the time, but the boys have been relentless this year. The scarcity of game, their experience level, and their maturity has made them less selective about their targets. In some fields, if they see one, they stay after it until they catch it. I've been doing a lot of sprinting this year. Last year they would give up if the rabbit dodged them a time or two since they knew there would be another one jumping up in short order. No such luxury this year.
> 
> 4. Managing three birds on a kill is no small feat. I'm struggling to figure out a good way to do it. Today I called and talked to the man who is probably the world's foremost authority on all things Harris' Hawk. The man, and his wife, have been selectively breeding and hunting HHs for more than 3 decades. The knowledge and experience in that man's head is unparalleled in the world. I'm speaking of Tom Coulson. He and his lovely wife Jennifer literally wrote the book on Harris' Hawks:
> View attachment 335919
> 
> 
> In the book they frequently speak of and describe hawking with several birds at a time. I figure if anyone knows the secret to managing three on a kill at one time, this would be him. For me, it was like talking to a rock star. He was super friendly, helpful, and willing to share is time and knowledge with a total stranger who just called him out of the blue. We talked for quite a while. I explained my situation and methods, and he assured me I was doing a great job, and also shared a ton of insight during the course of the conversation. He told me that he'd tried to fly three birds by himself in the past and found it too difficult to be worthwhile. For him, it took too much of the fun out of it. There is just no easy way to get it done once they are on a rabbit together. He had some suggestions to try to make it easier for me, and I will try those out, but he was unable to find a good solution to the problems he encountered when he was doing it. I'm going to wrack my brain and see if I can find a novel solution to this problem. I'm sure it will be a lot of failures to reach a little success. Solving these types of animal problems is EXACTLY what I do for a living daily. I'm working on it...


So cool, Tom, so cool!!!


----------



## Tom

Sooooooo, about flying three birds...

Its not easy. Its a lot to manage. Trading them off on a kill is dicey and a bit of a challenge. When its just two birds, I toss food to the side for one bird and then toss food the other way for the other one. Then, whoever finishes eating first comes back to the glove where I hold him until brother is done eating. If I didn't do this, they would try to steal each others food and get into a fight. When brother is done eating, we simply walk back to the car or resume hunting. When I have three birds out, I need one hand to manipulate jesses and get food out and ready, the other hand has a bird on it, and then I still have two birds loose and eating. Its when bird number two finishes eating, but bird number three is still eating, that I have a problem. I'm not giving up, and things are going extremely well, but I do have to admit that it is difficult, problematic, and it takes some of the fun out of it.

For the time being, I think it will be safest and best for the birds if I don't try to fly all three of them together when I am alone. I'll fly Rick and Morty as usual, and Summer can hunt with just me. I'll fly them all together whenever I have another person with me that can handle a bird. This is the conclusion I've come to after thinking it over, talking to Tom, and repeated attempts to do it on my own.

Summer is advancing nicely and turning into a great hunter. She now knows what we are doing out there, and she's on the lookout for prey. She seems to be understanding my role more and more each time we go out, and she's learning how to use my activities to her advantage. She's also doing a fabulous job of working with the boys and following their lead. The three of them nailed a cottontail this morning and they all hit it within a second of each other. She actively scans for any sort of rabbit movement and then gives it her all when she spots one. You can see the result a few posts back, and she's beginning to rack up a head count. My friend who gave her to me is pretty happy about it. This is exactly what he wanted for her.

So yesterday, all three birds went after a cottontail and it ducked into heavy cover under a bush. When it failed to flush, I figured it went underground as they almost always do. I moved on and Rick and Summer joined me. Morty stayed behind, as he often does, hoping that Mr. Bun Bun would show himself again after I left. I glanced back just in time to see Morty dive into the middle of that big bush, just as a big jack jumped up right in front of us. Summer and Rick took off after it immediately and chased it across the entire field before finally catching it together. I ran as fast as I could to assist.
View attachment 336048


Once the jack rabbit was in the bag and Rick and Summer were eating their rewards, I stood up and looked for Morty. He's usually right there with us when a catch is made, and there was no sign of him. That could only mean one thing. He caught one on his own. Rick finished eating first, so I picked him up and walked him back to the car leaving Summer to finish her meal alone, and not even knowing for sure where Mort ended up. I retrieved my telemetry receiver and searched out Mortimer first. I knew where Summer was, so I wasn't worried about her. Found Mort here:
View attachment 336049


I traded him off of his bunny, and left him to eat while I went to pick up Summer. I walked Summer back to the car, figuring I'd come back for Morty. It is about a 1/4 mile walk to the car from where we were with some tall hills obscuring the view. As I approached the car, Morty "buzzed the tower" flying right past my head to let me know he was there. Saved me another half mile of walking. Good boy Mort.

All of that explanation was so I could say: See what I mean? It can get pretty complicated.


----------



## Jan A

Tom said:


> Sooooooo, about flying three birds...
> 
> Its not easy. Its a lot to manage. Trading them off on a kill is dicey and a bit of a challenge. When its just two birds, I toss food to the side for one bird and then toss food the other way for the other one. Then, whoever finishes eating first comes back to the glove where I hold him until brother is done eating. If I didn't do this, they would try to steal each others food and get into a fight. When brother is done eating, we simply walk back to the car or resume hunting. When I have three birds out, I need one hand to manipulate jesses and get food out and ready, the other hand has a bird on it, and then I still have two birds loose and eating. Its when bird number two finishes eating, but bird number three is still eating, that I have a problem. I'm not giving up, and things are going extremely well, but I do have to admit that it is difficult, problematic, and it takes some of the fun out of it.
> 
> For the time being, I think it will be safest and best for the birds if I don't try to fly all three of them together when I am alone. I'll fly Rick and Morty as usual, and Summer can hunt with just me. I'll fly them all together whenever I have another person with me that can handle a bird. This is the conclusion I've come to after thinking it over, talking to Tom, and repeated attempts to do it on my own.
> 
> Summer is advancing nicely and turning into a great hunter. She now knows what we are doing out there, and she's on the lookout for prey. She seems to be understanding my role more and more each time we go out, and she's learning how to use my activities to her advantage. She's also doing a fabulous job of working with the boys and following their lead. The three of them nailed a cottontail this morning and they all hit it within a second of each other. She actively scans for any sort of rabbit movement and then gives it her all when she spots one. You can see the result a few posts back, and she's beginning to rack up a head count. My friend who gave her to me is pretty happy about it. This is exactly what he wanted for her.
> 
> So yesterday, all three birds went after a cottontail and it ducked into heavy cover under a bush. When it failed to flush, I figured it went underground as they almost always do. I moved on and Rick and Summer joined me. Morty stayed behind, as he often does, hoping that Mr. Bun Bun would show himself again after I left. I glanced back just in time to see Morty dive into the middle of that big bush, just as a big jack jumped up right in front of us. Summer and Rick took off after it immediately and chased it across the entire field before finally catching it together. I ran as fast as I could to assist.
> View attachment 336048
> 
> 
> Once the jack rabbit was in the bag and Rick and Summer were eating their rewards, I stood up and looked for Morty. He's usually right there with us when a catch is made, and there was no sign of him. That could only mean one thing. He caught one on his own. Rick finished eating first, so I picked him up and walked him back to the car leaving Summer to finish her meal alone, and not even knowing for sure where Mort ended up. I retrieved my telemetry receiver and searched out Mortimer first. I knew where Summer was, so I wasn't worried about her. Found Mort here:
> View attachment 336049
> 
> 
> I traded him off of his bunny, and left him to eat while I went to pick up Summer. I walked Summer back to the car, figuring I'd come back for Morty. It is about a 1/4 mile walk to the car from where we were with some tall hills obscuring the view. As I approached the car, Morty "buzzed the tower" flying right past my head to let me know he was there. Saved me another half mile of walking. Good boy Mort.
> 
> All of that explanation was so I could say: See what I mean? It can get pretty complicated.


Gawd, what a lot of fast-action movie adventure packed into a very few hours. I luv this thread. Outside of fishing, I just have no experience w/anything like this. Thank you so much for sharing!!


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Sooooooo, about flying three birds...
> 
> Its not easy. Its a lot to manage. Trading them off on a kill is dicey and a bit of a challenge. When its just two birds, I toss food to the side for one bird and then toss food the other way for the other one. Then, whoever finishes eating first comes back to the glove where I hold him until brother is done eating. If I didn't do this, they would try to steal each others food and get into a fight. When brother is done eating, we simply walk back to the car or resume hunting. When I have three birds out, I need one hand to manipulate jesses and get food out and ready, the other hand has a bird on it, and then I still have two birds loose and eating. Its when bird number two finishes eating, but bird number three is still eating, that I have a problem. I'm not giving up, and things are going extremely well, but I do have to admit that it is difficult, problematic, and it takes some of the fun out of it.
> 
> For the time being, I think it will be safest and best for the birds if I don't try to fly all three of them together when I am alone. I'll fly Rick and Morty as usual, and Summer can hunt with just me. I'll fly them all together whenever I have another person with me that can handle a bird. This is the conclusion I've come to after thinking it over, talking to Tom, and repeated attempts to do it on my own.
> 
> Summer is advancing nicely and turning into a great hunter. She now knows what we are doing out there, and she's on the lookout for prey. She seems to be understanding my role more and more each time we go out, and she's learning how to use my activities to her advantage. She's also doing a fabulous job of working with the boys and following their lead. The three of them nailed a cottontail this morning and they all hit it within a second of each other. She actively scans for any sort of rabbit movement and then gives it her all when she spots one. You can see the result a few posts back, and she's beginning to rack up a head count. My friend who gave her to me is pretty happy about it. This is exactly what he wanted for her.
> 
> So yesterday, all three birds went after a cottontail and it ducked into heavy cover under a bush. When it failed to flush, I figured it went underground as they almost always do. I moved on and Rick and Summer joined me. Morty stayed behind, as he often does, hoping that Mr. Bun Bun would show himself again after I left. I glanced back just in time to see Morty dive into the middle of that big bush, just as a big jack jumped up right in front of us. Summer and Rick took off after it immediately and chased it across the entire field before finally catching it together. I ran as fast as I could to assist.
> View attachment 336048
> 
> 
> Once the jack rabbit was in the bag and Rick and Summer were eating their rewards, I stood up and looked for Morty. He's usually right there with us when a catch is made, and there was no sign of him. That could only mean one thing. He caught one on his own. Rick finished eating first, so I picked him up and walked him back to the car leaving Summer to finish her meal alone, and not even knowing for sure where Mort ended up. I retrieved my telemetry receiver and searched out Mortimer first. I knew where Summer was, so I wasn't worried about her. Found Mort here:
> View attachment 336049
> 
> 
> I traded him off of his bunny, and left him to eat while I went to pick up Summer. I walked Summer back to the car, figuring I'd come back for Morty. It is about a 1/4 mile walk to the car from where we were with some tall hills obscuring the view. As I approached the car, Morty "buzzed the tower" flying right past my head to let me know he was there. Saved me another half mile of walking. Good boy Mort.
> 
> All of that explanation was so I could say: See what I mean? It can get pretty complicated.


The attachments wouldn't open for me, but the narrative clearly illustrates how complicated flying 3 birds gets. YOW.


----------



## Moozillion

Yo! TOM!
Wassup with all your critters during the winter? (esp the hawks and Seven?)


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Yo! TOM!
> Wassup with all your critters during the winter? (esp the hawks and Seven?)


I keep meaning to do an update, but December is the busiest month in my business.

I've stopped flying Summer, and arrangements have been made for her to go to a new home with someone that will be able to utilize her skills and predilections. She got along great with the boys, but her upbringing and past is apparently a stronger pull on her than hunting with me and the boys. She was raised in a city environment where she flew around from building to building in an area where there were no rabbits. Every time I take her out in to one of my giant rabbit fields, she leaves and goes to an area with buildings instead. I've done all I can to encourage her to stay with me, and I've tried to fly her alone with lots of tid bits rewards and chances at rabbits, and also with the boys, hoping she'd want to stay with her group, but she repeatedly chose to go it alone in an area that looked more like her area where she grew up.

One consequence of this would be that sometimes the only buildings around were houses that lined the edges of the fields, or were visible from some distance away. Summer was originally flown at birds to keep seagulls and pigeons away, though she was never supposed to actually catch them. Part of the reason Summer came to me is because she really really wanted to catch them. Well houses have back yards, and back yards often have critters like small dogs, cats, and chickens. Summer taught herself to fly from roof top to roof top inspecting each back yard, looking for "prey". We had a very unpleasant day where I had to apologize profusely to a family for her killing two of their chickens right in front of them. Luckily, this family had watched me fly birds in the field across the street from their house for years, and this had never happened before, so they were as understanding and forgiving as they could be under the circumstances. I gave them some money for their loss, but that cannot replace their emotional attachment to their pet chickens, or compensate them for the trauma of witnessing that terrible scene. I felt as awful as I've ever felt that day. Also on that unfortunate day, I had all three of the birds up and we had a wonderful morning of hunting in the field. We were walking back to the car with a rabbit in the bag when summer went off on her chicken hunting foray, and the most unfortunate part is that the boys accompanied her. She taught my boys to go for backyard chickens. In one stroke, she just eliminated about half of the fields I used to hunt at because some of them have backyards with chickens near by. Fields that I've hunted for years, I can no longer go to. The boys ignored these chickens and only did what I'd taught them to do: hunt rabbits. None of the three hawks ever even so much as looked at my own chickens which live about 100 feet from their mews. They can see the chickens all day every day, and I fly them loose on the ranch several times a week where if they had any sort of desire to go for a chicken, they freely could, but none of them ever did, and neither did any of my previous redtail hawks. I did not see this coming. Most hawks are selective about what prey they go for. If they willy nilly grabbed anything that moved, they'd quickly be killed in one way or another, and we could never turn them loose within 10 miles of other people or pets. I did not see this coming at all.

It was just a question of time until Summer found a way to get herself or one of my boys killed because of her refusal to get with the program. We are just lucky that those people didn't have a dog, or that they didn't come out and stomp my birds or beat them to death with a stick. I would have completely understood if they had decided to defend their chickens from my marauding hawks. I could not allow that to happen again. The last time I flew Summer I went to an area with good rabbit numbers, and no houses for miles. I put her up with the boys, who she seems to love and get along with, and after a few slips at rabbits, she simply flew off into the distance. I immediately headed back to the car, put the boys away, and began tracking her with telemetry. I found her a few minutes later sitting on a street lamp post over a parking lot with nothing but businesses and asphalt as far as the eye could see. As I stood there looking up at her and looking around at the area, it hit me: The area where we were standing looked a lot like the area where she grew up. She wants to be a city hawk, not a field hawk. How many times would I get away with this before she got hit by a car, caused a car accident, grabbed some person who had a baggie in their hand, grabbed a dog or cat, or some other horrible fate? I decided right then and there, that I did not want to risk her life, or risk disaster any more. I also didn't want her to further corrupt my perfect angelic little boys any further. She immediately called down to me from the lamp post, happy to get a tid bit, and I calmly carried her back to the car, bringing an uneventful end to her time flying with me. She's been hanging out in her large free loft mew next the the boys waiting for the next chapter of her life to begin.

The story will have a happy ending for her. She is going to a very experienced master falconer that is fully aware of her personality quirks, and can utilize her preferences for his business. She will fly again, but it will be in safe areas that will appeal to her preferences. I'm hoping to learn more about her and what to do from my friend that is acquiring her. His knowledge and experience far exceeds mine, and he's been a mentor to me since the beginning of my falconry journey, so I'm excited to learn from his experience with Summer.


----------



## Ray--Opo

Tom said:


> I keep meaning to do an update, but December is the busiest month in my business.
> 
> I've stopped flying Summer, and arrangements have been made for her to go to a new home with someone that will be able to utilize her skills and predilections. She got along great with the boys, but her upbringing and past is apparently a stronger pull on her than hunting with me and the boys. She was raised in a city environment where she flew around from building to building in an area where there were no rabbits. Every time I take her out in to one of my giant rabbit fields, she leaves and goes to an area with buildings instead. I've done all I can to encourage her to stay with me, and I've tried to fly her alone with lots of tid bits rewards and chances at rabbits, and also with the boys, hoping she'd want to stay with her group, but she repeatedly chose to go it alone in an area that looked more like her area where she grew up.
> 
> One consequence of this would be that sometimes the only buildings around were houses that lined the edges of the fields, or were visible from some distance away. Summer was originally flown at birds to keep seagulls and pigeons away, though she was never supposed to actually catch them. Part of the reason Summer came to me is because she really really wanted to catch them. Well houses have back yards, and back yards often have critters like small dogs, cats, and chickens. Summer taught herself to fly from roof top to roof top inspecting each back yard, looking for "prey". We had a very unpleasant day where I had to apologize profusely to a family for her killing two of their chickens right in front of them. Luckily, this family had watched me fly birds in the field across the street from their house for years, and this had never happened before, so they were as understanding and forgiving as they could be under the circumstances. I gave them some money for their loss, but that cannot replace their emotional attachment to their pet chickens, or compensate them for the trauma of witnessing that terrible scene. I felt as awful as I've ever felt that day. Also on that unfortunate day, I had all three of the birds up and we had a wonderful morning of hunting in the field. We were walking back to the car with a rabbit in the bag when summer went off on her chicken hunting foray, and the most unfortunate part is that the boys accompanied her. She taught my boys to go for backyard chickens. In one stroke, she just eliminated about half of the fields I used to hunt at because some of them have backyards with chickens near by. Fields that I've hunted for years, I can no longer go to. The boys ignored these chickens and only did what I'd taught them to do: hunt rabbits. None of the three hawks ever even so much as looked at my own chickens which live about 100 feet from their mews. They can see the chickens all day every day, and I fly them loose on the ranch several times a week where if they had any sort of desire to go for a chicken, they freely could, but none of them ever did, and neither did any of my previous redtail hawks. I did not see this coming. Most hawks are selective about what prey they go for. If they willy nilly grabbed anything that moved, they'd quickly be killed in one way or another, and we could never turn them loose within 10 miles of other people or pets. I did not see this coming at all.
> 
> It was just a question of time until Summer found a way to get herself or one of my boys killed because of her refusal to get with the program. We are just lucky that those people didn't have a dog, or that they didn't come out and stomp my birds or beat them to death with a stick. I would have completely understood if they had decided to defend their chickens from my marauding hawks. I could not allow that to happen again. The last time I flew Summer I went to an area with good rabbit numbers, and no houses for miles. I put her up with the boys, who she seems to love and get along with, and after a few slips at rabbits, she simply flew off into the distance. I immediately headed back to the car, put the boys away, and began tracking her with telemetry. I found her a few minutes later sitting on a street lamp post over a parking lot with nothing but businesses and asphalt as far as the eye could see. As I stood there looking up at her and looking around at the area, it hit me: The area where we were standing looked a lot like the area where she grew up. She wants to be a city hawk, not a field hawk. How many times would I get away with this before she got hit by a car, caused a car accident, grabbed some person who had a baggie in their hand, grabbed a dog or cat, or some other horrible fate? I decided right then and there, that I did not want to risk her life, or risk disaster any more. I also didn't want her to further corrupt my perfect angelic little boys any further. She immediately called down to me from the lamp post, happy to get a tid bit, and I calmly carried her back to the car, bringing an uneventful end to her time flying with me. She's been hanging out in her large free loft mew next the the boys waiting for the next chapter of her life to begin.
> 
> The story will have a happy ending for her. She is going to a very experienced master falconer that is fully aware of her personality quirks, and can utilize her preferences for his business. She will fly again, but it will be in safe areas that will appeal to her preferences. I'm hoping to learn more about her and what to do from my friend that is acquiring her. His knowledge and experience far exceeds mine, and he's been a mentor to me since the beginning of my falconry journey, so I'm excited to learn from his experience with Summer.


Sounds like Summer would be happy on a ledge of a building, scoping out pigeons. Q


----------



## Tom

Ray--Opo said:


> Sounds like Summer would be happy on a ledge of a building, scoping out pigeons. Q


Yes, but pigeons are exceedingly difficult to catch, even for high flying falcons in a 200 MPH stoop. Pigeons are extremely fast, agile and strong fliers. A hawk would really have to catch one by surprise to get close enough to get a foot on it. Even falcons miss most of the time on pigeons.


----------



## wellington

I understand her loving the city life?.
Even though it was an awful event for you and the chicken owners, I'm glad it turned out as good as it did. 
It's too bad she couldn't adjust but I guess that does solve your 3 bird hunt problems.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> I keep meaning to do an update, but December is the busiest month in my business.
> 
> I've stopped flying Summer, and arrangements have been made for her to go to a new home with someone that will be able to utilize her skills and predilections. She got along great with the boys, but her upbringing and past is apparently a stronger pull on her than hunting with me and the boys. She was raised in a city environment where she flew around from building to building in an area where there were no rabbits. Every time I take her out in to one of my giant rabbit fields, she leaves and goes to an area with buildings instead. I've done all I can to encourage her to stay with me, and I've tried to fly her alone with lots of tid bits rewards and chances at rabbits, and also with the boys, hoping she'd want to stay with her group, but she repeatedly chose to go it alone in an area that looked more like her area where she grew up.
> 
> One consequence of this would be that sometimes the only buildings around were houses that lined the edges of the fields, or were visible from some distance away. Summer was originally flown at birds to keep seagulls and pigeons away, though she was never supposed to actually catch them. Part of the reason Summer came to me is because she really really wanted to catch them. Well houses have back yards, and back yards often have critters like small dogs, cats, and chickens. Summer taught herself to fly from roof top to roof top inspecting each back yard, looking for "prey". We had a very unpleasant day where I had to apologize profusely to a family for her killing two of their chickens right in front of them. Luckily, this family had watched me fly birds in the field across the street from their house for years, and this had never happened before, so they were as understanding and forgiving as they could be under the circumstances. I gave them some money for their loss, but that cannot replace their emotional attachment to their pet chickens, or compensate them for the trauma of witnessing that terrible scene. I felt as awful as I've ever felt that day. Also on that unfortunate day, I had all three of the birds up and we had a wonderful morning of hunting in the field. We were walking back to the car with a rabbit in the bag when summer went off on her chicken hunting foray, and the most unfortunate part is that the boys accompanied her. She taught my boys to go for backyard chickens. In one stroke, she just eliminated about half of the fields I used to hunt at because some of them have backyards with chickens near by. Fields that I've hunted for years, I can no longer go to. The boys ignored these chickens and only did what I'd taught them to do: hunt rabbits. None of the three hawks ever even so much as looked at my own chickens which live about 100 feet from their mews. They can see the chickens all day every day, and I fly them loose on the ranch several times a week where if they had any sort of desire to go for a chicken, they freely could, but none of them ever did, and neither did any of my previous redtail hawks. I did not see this coming. Most hawks are selective about what prey they go for. If they willy nilly grabbed anything that moved, they'd quickly be killed in one way or another, and we could never turn them loose within 10 miles of other people or pets. I did not see this coming at all.
> 
> It was just a question of time until Summer found a way to get herself or one of my boys killed because of her refusal to get with the program. We are just lucky that those people didn't have a dog, or that they didn't come out and stomp my birds or beat them to death with a stick. I would have completely understood if they had decided to defend their chickens from my marauding hawks. I could not allow that to happen again. The last time I flew Summer I went to an area with good rabbit numbers, and no houses for miles. I put her up with the boys, who she seems to love and get along with, and after a few slips at rabbits, she simply flew off into the distance. I immediately headed back to the car, put the boys away, and began tracking her with telemetry. I found her a few minutes later sitting on a street lamp post over a parking lot with nothing but businesses and asphalt as far as the eye could see. As I stood there looking up at her and looking around at the area, it hit me: The area where we were standing looked a lot like the area where she grew up. She wants to be a city hawk, not a field hawk. How many times would I get away with this before she got hit by a car, caused a car accident, grabbed some person who had a baggie in their hand, grabbed a dog or cat, or some other horrible fate? I decided right then and there, that I did not want to risk her life, or risk disaster any more. I also didn't want her to further corrupt my perfect angelic little boys any further. She immediately called down to me from the lamp post, happy to get a tid bit, and I calmly carried her back to the car, bringing an uneventful end to her time flying with me. She's been hanging out in her large free loft mew next the the boys waiting for the next chapter of her life to begin.
> 
> The story will have a happy ending for her. She is going to a very experienced master falconer that is fully aware of her personality quirks, and can utilize her preferences for his business. She will fly again, but it will be in safe areas that will appeal to her preferences. I'm hoping to learn more about her and what to do from my friend that is acquiring her. His knowledge and experience far exceeds mine, and he's been a mentor to me since the beginning of my falconry journey, so I'm excited to learn from his experience with Summer.


I'm speechless. An unexpected turn of events, for sure.


----------



## Big Ron

Tom said:


> Its taken a long time to jump through all the government hoops and other obstacles, but I am finally realizing my dream of becoming a licensed Falconer. I'm only just beginning my journey, after 20 years of dabbling, but here I go...
> 
> I will post lots of pics and keep this thread ongoing, and I invite all discussion about keeping wild animals, hunting, and of course the awesomeness of raptors in general. I find that many people (myself included) are ignorant of what is really going on, and how beneficial to the species falconry is. For example, the Peregrine Falcon was saved from extinction by falconers and falconry, in spite of the dismal failure on the part of government programs to save it. Falconry is VERY different than pet keeping, and it has great benefit for the birds involved who hatch wild and are eventually returned to the wild healthier and better skilled at hunting.
> 
> I am now a licensed Apprentice Falconer. I will spend a minimum of two full years as an apprentice working closely under the direct supervision of my sponsor who is a Master Falconer and has been for 10 years. After 2 years, if all goes well, and my sponsor is willing to sign off on my abilities, I will become a General Falconer and be allowed to "fly solo" so to speak.
> 
> Enough with the boring words: Here is "Toothless" at our first formal meeting.
> View attachment 163624
> 
> I almost named him "Phoenix" after I saw this picture. Its kind of a big deal to not stare them in the face at close range at first, so I did not know he was looking at me like that. I'm sure if he could have shot fire from his mouth at me, he would have. My sponsor is not 100% sure if this one is male or female. You can usually tell by the weight. This is either a big boy or a small girl as the weight is right in the middle. We will get some behavioral clues as time passes, but we are leaning male at this point. Toothless is a "passage" (meaning this years baby, or worded another way, he hatched this last spring) red-tailed hawk. Buteo jamaicensis.
> 
> 
> Here he is on the drive home:
> View attachment 163626
> 
> The hood blocks all the visual stimulation and keeps them a lot calmer and safer during this stressful time. Understand that this 9 month old bird was flying wild minutes before this picture and has never had any previous human contact.
> 
> Here he is on his weathering perch on day one, while I prepared the scale for his first weighing and got his mew (hawk house) all ready for him.
> View attachment 163628
> 
> 
> 
> Here we are on day 2 when the old finally came off. This is what I was greeted with.
> View attachment 163629
> 
> 
> 
> We are now on day 5. He began taking food from me on day 2 and I "man" him (handle him on my glove) for several hours a day as part of the desensitization process. I weigh him at least once a day and I am even more fascinated that I imagined I would be. My sponsor assures me he will be free flying and hunting with me in a month or so.
> 
> Lots more pics to come. Please ask any questions you might have about falconry or raptors in general. I'm no expert yet, but I know a few things, and I know lots of guys that can answer any questions I don't know the answers to.


That is totally incredible after you get more experienced in you craft maybe you ban rum birds from a airport i here it pays very well,will be watching this very close thanks for sharing him/her with us ?


----------



## Big Ron

Tom said:


> I'm not an expert, but that long tail suggests a Cooper's Hawk to me. There are actually lots of species of raptors across the country. I'm just now starting to learn to ID all the ones here in the South West.
> 
> Pigeons are incredibly strong and agile flyers. Few birds of prey are going to actually catch a healthy pigeon in a chase. The falcon flyers that I work with here are in awe of the pigeon's flying prowess. I'm not surprised that the Peregrines have had no effect on the local pigeon population. No falconer would be, but hey, the government knows best, right?


I do believe it's a Coopers,we have a pair of them in my neighborhood they live in a huge pine tree a couple yards over,and what i think is a pair of Red tails,and one of the biggest great horned owls i have ever seen he sits on my yard light pole at night of course and dives down to grab toads that are drawn to bugs under the high pressure sodium light?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> I'm speechless. An unexpected turn of events, for sure.


There is more. Rick and Morty just couldn't be better. Anything that wasn't perfect about them in their first two seasons is getting perfect in this, their third season. As I walk along and watch their decisions and behavior, I just can't imagine how they could do or be any better. They are exactly what I want them to be, and usually do exactly what I want them to do. Its almost like they are trained...

We had a bit of an issue a couple of days ago. While trudging through heavy brush at one of our fields, Morty flew over to a large bush and indicated he saw prey in there. Rick and I joined him and I could hear the brush rustling. With a sudden explosion of gray fur, a large long haired CAT burst out of the bush and took off running for its life. Now we have hunted this field dozens of times and there are no residences anywhere near this area. Its a vacant lot in front of large hotel and next to the back side of a shopping center. I've never seen a cat anywhere near here, but there it was running away at top speed. It burst out so quickly that both birds went for it. There was nothing I could do to stop what was happening. The cat ran up a hill onto a higher plateau that I could not see with both birds in hot pursuit. I was sprinting after them praying as I went. I crested the hill at a full run and quickly saw one bird sitting atop a bush. I heard no screaming and no rustling, so I was terrified that the other bird might have it by the head. As I ran by, I saw that it was Morty sitting atop the bush wanting no part of whatever was going on, and after a moment of frantic searching, I found Rick all disheveled, feathers mussed up, standing looking bewildered behind a bush. The cat was nowhere to be seen. I went to Rick to look him over and the smell of cat **** was all over him. He'd lost some feathers on his chest, but appeared unharmed other than that. After examining him, I turned him loose and we headed back to the car. I didn't know where the cat went and I'd had enough excitement for one day.

Now here is where it is good to know people who know more than you yourself know. I am fortunate to be friends with several very experienced master falconers who have been doing this for decades, and also a board certified avian vet. I recall hearing and reading that cats are to be avoided, and you do NOT want your bird to tangle with one, as death is likely for your bird. As I drove home from the field a bit shaken up, but relieved that Rick seemed to have escaped serious harm, I decided to text a few of the aforementioned experienced friends to tell them what happen and see if they had any insight for me. They did. Four out of four friends all told me the same two things:
1. You're lucky your bird is still alive.
2. Put him on Clavamox right away whether you see any damage or not.
I didn't need any convincing at all. When I got off at my freeway exit, I went left to my local vet friend's office instead of right, to go home. I called ahead and told the receptionist at my local dog and cat vets office what dose I needed and how many. My vet friend there didn't even question it and had it ready for me upon arrival. My bird vet, who is about an hour away, wanted to see him too, but wouldn't be home until the evening.

Rick smelled horribly of tom cat pee, so my wife and I gave him a good warm water rinse off and followed that up with a thorough examination in the sunshine. We parted the feather and looked him over top to bottom, side to side. We weren't finding anything, but then my wife notice a small blood spot on the light colored towel that we were holding him in. It took some searching, but we found a small wound under the feathers of his wing.



We sent pics to my avian vet friend, and he told us that it needed to be stitched up. We now had plans for after dinner! My friend is a brilliant surgeon. Watching him work is a joy. All he does is birds, reptiles and other exotics all day long, so he has all the right equipment and supplies ad knows exactly what to do and what to watch out for. We put the gas hood on Rick, did the stitches, and I held him while he woke up, all in the space of a few minutes.



By this point Rick had already had his first dose of Clavamox, so he was good to go. The vet advised that I could fly him again in a couple of days, and begin hunting again in 5-7 days. He used stitches that will dissolve and go away on their own, so that is the end of it. Rick seems totally fine and he doesn't understand why we aren't going hunting daily like usual.

I did not know how serious any injury from a cat could be to a hawk. The slightest bite or scratch and the bird could be dead within 24-48 hours. This has happened to many a falconer who was ignorant as I was. I am so thankful to have such knowledgable friends. They literally saved my bird's life. Rick seemed fine to me, and I really didn't think much of it other than hoping that he learned a good lesson about not messing with feral cats. I knew that cats could physically kill a hawk, but I did not realize that infection was so likely to kill them later. I'm lucky that I did not have to learn this lesson the hard way, and I'm overjoyed that Rick and I will hunt together again in a few days.


----------



## Cathie G

Tom said:


> There is more. Rick and Morty just couldn't be better. Anything that wasn't perfect about them in their first two seasons is getting perfect in this, their third season. As I walk along and watch their decisions and behavior, I just can't imagine how they could do or be any better. They are exactly what I want them to be, and usually do exactly what I want them to do. Its almost like they are trained...
> 
> We had a bit of an issue a couple of days ago. While trudging through heavy brush at one of our fields, Morty flew over to a large bush and indicated he saw prey in there. Rick and I joined him and I could hear the brush rustling. With a sudden explosion of gray fur, a large long haired CAT burst out of the bush and took off running for its life. Now we have hunted this field dozens of times and there are no residences anywhere near this area. Its a vacant lot in front of large hotel and next to the back side of a shopping center. I've never seen a cat anywhere near here, but there it was running away at top speed. It burst out so quickly that both birds went for it. There was nothing I could do to stop what was happening. The cat ran up a hill onto a higher plateau that I could not see with both birds in hot pursuit. I was sprinting after them praying as I went. I crested the hill at a full run and quickly saw one bird sitting atop a bush. I heard no screaming and no rustling, so I was terrified that the other bird might have it by the head. As I ran by, I saw that it was Morty sitting atop the bush wanting no part of whatever was going on, and after a moment of frantic searching, I found Rick all disheveled, feathers mussed up, standing looking bewildered behind a bush. The cat was nowhere to be seen. I went to Rick to look him over and the smell of cat **** was all over him. He'd lost some feathers on his chest, but appeared unharmed other than that. After examining him, I turned him loose and we headed back to the car. I didn't know where the cat went and I'd had enough excitement for one day.
> 
> Now here is where it is good to know people who know more than you yourself know. I am fortunate to be friends with several very experienced master falconers who have been doing this for decades, and also a board certified avian vet. I recall hearing and reading that cats are to be avoided, and you do NOT want your bird to tangle with one, as death is likely for your bird. As I drove home from the field a bit shaken up, but relieved that Rick seemed to have escaped serious harm, I decided to text a few of the aforementioned experienced friends to tell them what happen and see if they had any insight for me. They did. Four out of four friends all told me the same two things:
> 1. You're lucky your bird is still alive.
> 2. Put him on Clavamox right away whether you see any damage or not.
> I didn't need any convincing at all. When I got off at my freeway exit, I went left to my local vet friend's office instead of right, to go home. I called ahead and told the receptionist at my local dog and cat vets office what dose I needed and how many. My vet friend there didn't even question it and had it ready for me upon arrival. My bird vet, who is about an hour away, wanted to see him too, but wouldn't be home until the evening.
> 
> Rick smelled horribly of tom cat pee, so my wife and I gave him a good warm water rinse off and followed that up with a thorough examination in the sunshine. We parted the feather and looked him over top to bottom, side to side. We weren't finding anything, but then my wife notice a small blood spot on the light colored towel that we were holding him in. It took some searching, but we found a small wound under the feathers of his wing.
> View attachment 338774
> 
> 
> We sent pics to my avian vet friend, and he told us that it needed to be stitched up. We now had plans for after dinner! My friend is a brilliant surgeon. Watching him work is a joy. All he does is birds, reptiles and other exotics all day long, so he has all the right equipment and supplies ad knows exactly what to do and what to watch out for. We put the gas hood on Rick, did the stitches, and I held him while he woke up, all in the space of a few minutes.
> View attachment 338776
> 
> 
> By this point Rick had already had his first dose of Clavamox, so he was good to go. The vet advised that I could fly him again in a couple of days, and begin hunting again in 5-7 days. He used stitches that will dissolve and go away on their own, so that is the end of it. Rick seems totally fine and he doesn't understand why we aren't going hunting daily like usual.
> 
> I did not know how serious any injury from a cat could be to a hawk. The slightest bite or scratch and the bird could be dead within 24-48 hours. This has happened to many a falconer who was ignorant as I was. I am so thankful to have such knowledgable friends. They literally saved my bird's life. Rick seemed fine to me, and I really didn't think much of it other than hoping that he learned a good lesson about not messing with feral cats. I knew that cats could physically kill a hawk, but I did not realize that infection was so likely to kill them later. I'm lucky that I did not have to learn this lesson the hard way, and I'm overjoyed that Rick and I will hunt together again in a few days.


It's not just feral cats it's cats in general. I think it's from the bite that even people can become very sick from. It's called cat scratch fever in a human. I've known someone recently that went through it from their own pet cat.


----------



## Tom

Cathie G said:


> It's not just feral cats it's cats in general. I think it's from the bite that even people can become very sick from. It's called cat scratch fever in a human. I've known someone recently that went through it from their own pet cat.


The only thing worse than a cat bite is a human bite. I know people that have been hospitalized due to septicemia from cat bites. No fun. I just didn't know how bad it was for a bird of prey. The raptors seem to be immune to so many other things...


----------



## Cathie G

Tom said:


> The only thing worse than a cat bite is a human bite. I know people that have been hospitalized due to septicemia from cat bites. No fun. I just didn't know how bad it was for a bird of prey. The raptors seem to be immune to so many other things...


I think it's bad for all animals even if the bite or scratch isn't bad. Pregnant women should never clean litter boxes either. It could cause blindness in their child. I can't remember the name of the virus that they carry naturally. I'm glad your bird got quick medical care and wasn't killed.?


----------



## Moozillion

Cathie G said:


> I think it's bad for all animals even if the bite or scratch isn't bad. Pregnant women should never clean litter boxes either. It could cause blindness in their child. I can't remember the name of the virus that they carry naturally. I'm glad your bird got quick medical care and wasn't killed.?


Could you be thinking of toxoplasmosis, maybe? That's the ONLY thing I know of that people can unknowingly get from cats and cat litter, and it is a bad thing...


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> There is more. Rick and Morty just couldn't be better. Anything that wasn't perfect about them in their first two seasons is getting perfect in this, their third season. As I walk along and watch their decisions and behavior, I just can't imagine how they could do or be any better. They are exactly what I want them to be, and usually do exactly what I want them to do. Its almost like they are trained...
> 
> We had a bit of an issue a couple of days ago. While trudging through heavy brush at one of our fields, Morty flew over to a large bush and indicated he saw prey in there. Rick and I joined him and I could hear the brush rustling. With a sudden explosion of gray fur, a large long haired CAT burst out of the bush and took off running for its life. Now we have hunted this field dozens of times and there are no residences anywhere near this area. Its a vacant lot in front of large hotel and next to the back side of a shopping center. I've never seen a cat anywhere near here, but there it was running away at top speed. It burst out so quickly that both birds went for it. There was nothing I could do to stop what was happening. The cat ran up a hill onto a higher plateau that I could not see with both birds in hot pursuit. I was sprinting after them praying as I went. I crested the hill at a full run and quickly saw one bird sitting atop a bush. I heard no screaming and no rustling, so I was terrified that the other bird might have it by the head. As I ran by, I saw that it was Morty sitting atop the bush wanting no part of whatever was going on, and after a moment of frantic searching, I found Rick all disheveled, feathers mussed up, standing looking bewildered behind a bush. The cat was nowhere to be seen. I went to Rick to look him over and the smell of cat **** was all over him. He'd lost some feathers on his chest, but appeared unharmed other than that. After examining him, I turned him loose and we headed back to the car. I didn't know where the cat went and I'd had enough excitement for one day.
> 
> Now here is where it is good to know people who know more than you yourself know. I am fortunate to be friends with several very experienced master falconers who have been doing this for decades, and also a board certified avian vet. I recall hearing and reading that cats are to be avoided, and you do NOT want your bird to tangle with one, as death is likely for your bird. As I drove home from the field a bit shaken up, but relieved that Rick seemed to have escaped serious harm, I decided to text a few of the aforementioned experienced friends to tell them what happen and see if they had any insight for me. They did. Four out of four friends all told me the same two things:
> 1. You're lucky your bird is still alive.
> 2. Put him on Clavamox right away whether you see any damage or not.
> I didn't need any convincing at all. When I got off at my freeway exit, I went left to my local vet friend's office instead of right, to go home. I called ahead and told the receptionist at my local dog and cat vets office what dose I needed and how many. My vet friend there didn't even question it and had it ready for me upon arrival. My bird vet, who is about an hour away, wanted to see him too, but wouldn't be home until the evening.
> 
> Rick smelled horribly of tom cat pee, so my wife and I gave him a good warm water rinse off and followed that up with a thorough examination in the sunshine. We parted the feather and looked him over top to bottom, side to side. We weren't finding anything, but then my wife notice a small blood spot on the light colored towel that we were holding him in. It took some searching, but we found a small wound under the feathers of his wing.
> View attachment 338774
> 
> 
> We sent pics to my avian vet friend, and he told us that it needed to be stitched up. We now had plans for after dinner! My friend is a brilliant surgeon. Watching him work is a joy. All he does is birds, reptiles and other exotics all day long, so he has all the right equipment and supplies ad knows exactly what to do and what to watch out for. We put the gas hood on Rick, did the stitches, and I held him while he woke up, all in the space of a few minutes.
> View attachment 338776
> 
> 
> By this point Rick had already had his first dose of Clavamox, so he was good to go. The vet advised that I could fly him again in a couple of days, and begin hunting again in 5-7 days. He used stitches that will dissolve and go away on their own, so that is the end of it. Rick seems totally fine and he doesn't understand why we aren't going hunting daily like usual.
> 
> I did not know how serious any injury from a cat could be to a hawk. The slightest bite or scratch and the bird could be dead within 24-48 hours. This has happened to many a falconer who was ignorant as I was. I am so thankful to have such knowledgable friends. They literally saved my bird's life. Rick seemed fine to me, and I really didn't think much of it other than hoping that he learned a good lesson about not messing with feral cats. I knew that cats could physically kill a hawk, but I did not realize that infection was so likely to kill them later. I'm lucky that I did not have to learn this lesson the hard way, and I'm overjoyed that Rick and I will hunt together again in a few days.


HOLY MOLY!!!!!! Thank GOODNESS you were smart enough and caring enough to check in with your falconry pals!!!!!


----------



## Cathie G

Moozillion said:


> Could you be thinking of toxoplasmosis, maybe? That's the ONLY thing I know of that people can unknowingly get from cats and cat litter, and it is a bad thing...


Yes that's what it is. It's not a a virus. The subject here on TFO made me Google it to bring up 40 years of past knowledge. I just didn't get a chance to clarify it here. I do know our cat could probably never pass this to us. He's never been outside, exposed to raw meat, killing mice, etc. His parents neither. But I still don't trust getting a bite from a cat. As nice as he is he will still bite. After years with him I do know how to avoid it. If I want to stop petting or brushing him I just take off running ?


----------



## Tom

Summer is working out great with her new job. She's flying daily and having a good time. Her new owner says she's perfect for his needs.

Rick and Morty couldn't be better. Rick has made a full recovery from his cat adventure and is flying great now despite missing a couple of feathers. He will grow them back during the molt. We saw a bobcat in the field today. It busted out at very close range, much like a rabbit would. For a split second my heart stopped and I thought I was going to witness round two, but both birds decided NOT to pursue. Thank you Angels! It seems they learned their lesson about chasing any kind of cat. We left that field post haste.


----------



## Thomas tortoise

Tom said:


> Its taken a long time to jump through all the government hoops and other obstacles, but I am finally realizing my dream of becoming a licensed Falconer. I'm only just beginning my journey, after 20 years of dabbling, but here I go...
> 
> I will post lots of pics and keep this thread ongoing, and I invite all discussion about keeping wild animals, hunting, and of course the awesomeness of raptors in general. I find that many people (myself included) are ignorant of what is really going on, and how beneficial to the species falconry is. For example, the Peregrine Falcon was saved from extinction by falconers and falconry, in spite of the dismal failure on the part of government programs to save it. Falconry is VERY different than pet keeping, and it has great benefit for the birds involved who hatch wild and are eventually returned to the wild healthier and better skilled at hunting.
> 
> I am now a licensed Apprentice Falconer. I will spend a minimum of two full years as an apprentice working closely under the direct supervision of my sponsor who is a Master Falconer and has been for 10 years. After 2 years, if all goes well, and my sponsor is willing to sign off on my abilities, I will become a General Falconer and be allowed to "fly solo" so to speak.
> 
> Enough with the boring words: Here is "Toothless" at our first formal meeting.
> View attachment 163624
> 
> I almost named him "Phoenix" after I saw this picture. Its kind of a big deal to not stare them in the face at close range at first, so I did not know he was looking at me like that. I'm sure if he could have shot fire from his mouth at me, he would have. My sponsor is not 100% sure if this one is male or female. You can usually tell by the weight. This is either a big boy or a small girl as the weight is right in the middle. We will get some behavioral clues as time passes, but we are leaning male at this point. Toothless is a "passage" (meaning this years baby, or worded another way, he hatched this last spring) red-tailed hawk. Buteo jamaicensis.
> 
> 
> Here he is on the drive home:
> View attachment 163626
> 
> The hood blocks all the visual stimulation and keeps them a lot calmer and safer during this stressful time. Understand that this 9 month old bird was flying wild minutes before this picture and has never had any previous human contact.
> 
> Here he is on his weathering perch on day one, while I prepared the scale for his first weighing and got his mew (hawk house) all ready for him.
> View attachment 163628
> 
> 
> 
> Here we are on day 2 when the old finally came off. This is what I was greeted with.
> View attachment 163629
> 
> 
> 
> We are now on day 5. He began taking food from me on day 2 and I "man" him (handle him on my glove) for several hours a day as part of the desensitization process. I weigh him at least once a day and I am even more fascinated that I imagined I would be. My sponsor assures me he will be free flying and hunting with me in a month or so.
> 
> Lots more pics to come. Please ask any questions you might have about falconry or raptors in general. I'm no expert yet, but I know a few things, and I know lots of guys that can answer any questions I don't know the answers to.


Wow, yeah I would like to do that but I don't have the time and I heard they are very needy.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> Summer is working out great with her new job. She's flying daily and having a good time. Her new owner says she's perfect for his needs.
> 
> Rick and Morty couldn't be better. Rick has made a full recovery from his cat adventure and is flying great now despite missing a couple of feathers. He will grow them back during the molt. We saw a bobcat in the field today. It busted out at very close range, much like a rabbit would. For a split second my heart stopped and I thought I was going to witness round two, but both birds decided NOT to pursue. Thank you Angels! It seems they learned their lesson about chasing any kind of cat. We left that field post haste.


SO GLAD to hear Rick has made a full recovery!
And what a relief that they have learned to stay away from cats! 
And I'm happy for Summer- that she has a home that suits her habits so well.


----------



## Moozillion

Hey, Tom- what is Seven doing these days??


----------



## Markw84

Moozillion said:


> Hey, Tom- what is Seven doing these days??


He did get to come to TTPG this year with Tom. Brenda getting some love!


----------



## Moozillion

YO!!!! Tom!
Isn’t it about time for an update on Rick and Morty?


----------



## Quixx66

Congratulations, Tom! That’s fantastic.


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> YO!!!! Tom!
> Isn’t it about time for an update on Rick and Morty?


I put them up for the molt in early March. They are fat and happy enjoying the fruits of their labor until we start all over again in September. Morty came through the entire season without so much as a ruffled feather. Poor Rick beat himself all up and also had that tangle with the cat, so he's is making good use of the recovery time. He will be good as new after the summer relaxation. He's already dropped some of the broken feathers and started re-growing the new ones.


----------



## Moozillion

Tom said:


> I put them up for the molt in early March. They are fat and happy enjoying the fruits of their labor until we start all over again in September. Morty came through the entire season without so much as a ruffled feather. Poor Rick beat himself all up and also had that tangle with the cat, so he's is making good use of the recovery time. He will be good as new after the summer relaxation. He's already dropped some of the broken feathers and started re-growing the new ones.


Thanks for the update!


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> Thanks for the update!


You are welcome.

Another update: Today I scrubbed out their water tubs and fed them.


----------



## Tom

@Moozillion 
The new season is well under way. All is going great now, but as usual, I learn lots of lessons along the way.

Since this is the boys 4th year hunting together and with me, and with their excellent history together, I decided to take a couple of short cuts. Last year I started the season with both of them quite heavy, and all went swimmingly. I decided to go the same route this year, and Morty taught me a good lesson in why I should not have done that. When Harris hawks squabble with each other, we call it crabbing. In their very first year, I had just a little bit of crabbing. Not a big deal. I just swat the aggressor away and tell them to knock it off, and they do. Then, I quickly get them to focus their aggression back on the rabbits, instead of each other.

This year I decided to skip the "training" and weeks of weight management, and just went right out in the field to hunt after ensuring my recall was strong. Morty decided to be a great big jerk and wanted to fight with his brother instead of hunt. It was so bad that I ended up having to carry him like a football out of the field. He just wouldn't stop. This was a field with hardly any rabbits in it, so there was a lot of walking with no action, and plenty of time to think about squabbling with brother instead of flying after running rabbits. Thinking maybe it was just a bad day, I tried again two days later in a better field, and there was less crabbing, but still enough of it to give me pause and make me re-think my strategy.

I believe the "cause" of this issue was my failure to keep them together during the molt. In previous years, I'd get them fat and happy after hunting season, and then open up the cage doors, so they could hang out together and sleep side by side if they wanted at night, which they usually did. When they are at hunting weight they have to be housed separately for safety. Their cages are right next to each other, so they are "together" all day every day, but during the molt this year I kept them separated most of the time. That, it now seems, was a mistake.

My instinct was to go back to basics. Drop the weight down to where it should be while simultaneously exercising and training them individually. I did this for about two weeks. I also put the long perches back on their T-perch to give them more room when they were both riding on it, and I also put the vertical divider in the middle so they could not crowd each other on the T perch. When I got back out to the field and tried them together again, all went well. We had some minor instances a couple more times, but the crabbing is all gone now for the most part. Once Morty grabbed himself a jack rabbit and was going for a round of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, all of a sudden he was happy to have brother close by and helping to subdue the giant bucking beast. We've now been out almost daily for two weeks with no hint of any crabbing, so it seems the problem is solved. Whew... Lucky for me.

After about a week of my back to basics strategy, I decided to call "The Godfather" of Harris hawking. I think I mentioned him previously in this thread. His name is Tom Coulson. He and his wife Jennifer literally wrote the book on Harris hawks. This fantastic book is commonly referred to as "The Bible" for Harris hawkers, and it is the gospel without a doubt. Well it turns out that Tom is also a super nice guy, extremely helpful, and is happy to have some hawk talk with fellow falconers. Last year, I got his number from a friend who has bought birds from him and left a message requesting a call back for some advice. He called me back the same day last year and talked to me on the phone for a good while. The man has tremendous insight into how these birds work due to the incredible amount of experience he has with flying, hunting, training, breeding, and rearing them for several decades now. Well he called me back again this year, and we thoroughly reviewed my situation, agreed on the solution, and he let me know he is pretty sure of the aforementioned cause of the problem. I told him what I was doing to fix the problem, and he agreed that is what he thought the best course of action would be. This guy is the rock star of rock stars in the falconry world, and yet he takes the time to generously help beginners for no other reason than sharing a love of the birds and the sport. I simply cannot compliment him enough. Those of us that fly these birds are incredibly lucky that Tom and Jennifer are the way they are, and are so willing to help and share info. Not everyone is.

The problem has been solved, and we are back to the usual business of hunting for our food every day, and putting rabbits in the freezer for later feeding. Lessons learned, and they will spend every summer at each other's side from now on. Now my challenge is to find new fields and new pockets of rabbits for them to hunt.

Morty is certain there is a rabbit at the base of this fallen tree:


----------



## KarenSoCal

@Tom 
On my walks in the desert over the past 2 weeks, I haven't seen a single jackrabbit! 

I did see 4 coyotes together...maybe that's why there aren't any jackrabbits?


----------



## Ray--Opo

Sounds like there is definitely a commitment to be a falconer. Very interesting hobby.


----------



## Tom

KarenSoCal said:


> @Tom
> On my walks in the desert over the past 2 weeks, I haven't seen a single jackrabbit!
> 
> I did see 4 coyotes together...maybe that's why there aren't any jackrabbits?


It is going to take a while for things to balance back out.

1. The rabbits have a natural cycle of population ebb and flow. They reach high densities and then have die-offs and a few years of low population densities. We are currently at the low end now, just naturally and with no other factors.
2. We've had three years or low rainfall now. This takes a terrible toll.
3. RHD wiped out a huge percentage of the breeding population. This, when added to the other problems, has created a terrible dearth.
4. Meanwhile all the normal predators still have to eat and feed their babies, so it is tough out there.

In time some number of predators will starve and die off due to the lack of prey. This will allow prey populations to rebound. Favorable weather and rainfall will help. Fewer prey animals should also mean more territory and more food for those that remain to expand into. More of the prey species babies should survive and repopulate with the added resources and reduction of predators. The whole thing takes years to balance out.


----------



## Moozillion

WOWIE-ZOWIE!!!! Thanks SO MUCH for this update, Tom!!!
Man, the more we learn- through YOU, the more clear it becomes about just how complex these creatures are! 
They're really fascinating!!!
QUESTION: You mentioned that you have to house them separately, for their safety when they're at hunting weight. Why is this?? What is the danger about them being housed together when they're at hunting weight? (I assume hunting weight is LOW to inspire them to hunt so they can eat...)

It's fantastic that Tom Coulson is willing to share his knowledge and experience with you (and any serious falconers) so readily. It's so wonderful to have a "guru" of sorts in anything we love to do. And I feel I must point out that YOU are very like Tom Coulson in your attitude: you are very willing and available to share YOUR extensive knowledge of working with tortoises and ANY animals. Not many people would share the details of their decisions that went awry- But it helps all of us to know that we are human and our mistakes serve a purpose: educating us to better steps. 

(And, sorry, but I just had to giggle at the mental image of you carrying Morty under your arm like a football back to the truck! It reminds me of occasionally seeing resigned parents carrying screaming two-year olds back to the car because they won't behave!)

You totally ROCK!!!!


----------



## KarenSoCal

Tom said:


> The whole thing takes years to balance out.


Fascinating! I had no idea of this increase/decrease in populations. But since you've pointed it out, I think that had I thought about it, I may have figured it out. Nature is never static, there is always ebb and flow, changing circumstances, and encroachment by humans.

I must say, I also had a good laugh at Morty the football. That reminds me of when I was about 3. I was terrified of getting new shoes and began screaming immediately upon entry to the store. At the doorway, my dad picked me up and put me under his left arm, like a football, and took me to a chair, where he had to restrain me so I didn't make an escape. I may have been only 3, but I actually remember this incident.

And yes, I did get over my terror, so I can buy shoes without any drama.


----------



## Cathie G

KarenSoCal said:


> Fascinating! I had no idea of this increase/decrease in populations. But since you've pointed it out, I think that had I thought about it, I may have figured it out. Nature is never static, there is always ebb and flow, changing circumstances, and encroachment by humans.
> 
> I must say, I also had a good laugh at Morty the football. That reminds me of when I was about 3. I was terrified of getting new shoes and began screaming immediately upon entry to the store. At the doorway, my dad picked me up and put me under his left arm, like a football, and took me to a chair, where he had to restrain me so I didn't make an escape. I may have been only 3, but I actually remember this incident.
> 
> And yes, I did get over my terror, so I can buy shoes without any drama.


I love you. Too funny


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> QUESTION: You mentioned that you have to house them separately, for their safety when they're at hunting weight. Why is this?? What is the danger about them being housed together when they're at hunting weight? (I assume hunting weight is LOW to inspire them to hunt so they can eat...)


When they are hungry and keen to hunt, there is a possibility that they could prey on each other. This is more typical with a large female and a smaller male. During the molt when the weather is hotter and they are eating as much food as they want, there is generally less risk of them hurting each other.

Its kind of likes wolves or dogs. Yes, they are social and live in groups, but...


----------



## Newbabymama

Could you be any cooler Tom  Such a fun new endeavor!


----------



## Tom

Two weeks later and all is good. No more crabbing at all, and they are in top hunting form now. We had a terrific outing today after a cold night.

Let's talk about boots. I bought this first pair in the last century when I was working in Louisiana. I paid $25 for them and they were waterproof at the time of purchase. If memory serves, I got them at Academy sports. I didn't wear them much until I started falconry just a few years ago, and they turned out to be the perfect falconry boot for me. I wear them almost every day.


At this point they have around 3000 miles on them of walking, hiking and sprinting up and down hill and over rough terrain. They started looking a little rough about 3 years ago, so I went on-line and started looking for replacements.

I found these:


They are great. Comfortable, waterproof, but there is one problem: If the temperature is anywhere above freezing, they are wayyyy too hot. They are great in the snow. I don't wear them often, but I'm glad I have them when I need them.

Next I found this pair. These are comfortable and stay cool in hotter weather, but not waterproof. These will replace my main pair when the main pair finally fall apart and disintegrate. I carry these new ones with me every day because I expect the old ones to literally come apart any day now.



A good friend of mine was in the Marine Corp. He told me he was getting me "the last pair of boots I'd ever need." They are super tough and reasonably comfortable. They don't over heat my feet, but the heels rub a little on steep uphill climbs. Not sure how to remedy that. These even have the Marine Corp logo:






While I am a man of many hats, I'm also a man of many boots... 

I prefer not to load the birds and drive to the field in my boots. I usually put the boots on when I park. Likewise, after miles of hard trekking and running to help the birds, I like to get my feet out of the boots for the drive home. Sometimes I'll wear flip flops, but I'm usually parked in areas that are dirty, thorny, and sometimes muddy. Its also usually quite cold when I'm picking up the birds at first light. For these occasions, I sport these classy numbers with pride:


I think I've had the Crocs as long as I've had the first pair. They are comfortable and they keep my feet warm and dry. I don't care if they are not fashionable. They suit my needs perfectly.

Now you know what you'll find on my feet wile doing falconry in any weather.


----------



## Mrs.Jennifer

Tom said:


> Two weeks later and all is good. No more crabbing at all, and they are in top hunting form now. We had a terrific outing today after a cold night.
> 
> Let's talk about boots. I bought this first pair in the last century when I was working in Louisiana. I paid $25 for them and they were waterproof at the time of purchase. If memory serves, I got them at Academy sports. I didn't wear them much until I started falconry just a few years ago, and they turned out to be the perfect falconry boot for me. I wear them almost every day.
> View attachment 351532
> 
> At this point they have around 3000 miles on them of walking, hiking and sprinting up and down hill and over rough terrain. They started looking a little rough about 3 years ago, so I went on-line and started looking for replacements.
> 
> I found these:
> View attachment 351533
> 
> They are great. Comfortable, waterproof, but there is one problem: If the temperature is anywhere above freezing, they are wayyyy too hot. They are great in the snow. I don't wear them often, but I'm glad I have them when I need them.
> 
> Next I found this pair. These are comfortable and stay cool in hotter weather, but not waterproof. These will replace my main pair when the main pair finally fall apart and disintegrate. I carry these new ones with me every day because I expect the old ones to literally come apart any day now.
> View attachment 351538
> 
> 
> A good friend of mine was in the Marine Corp. He told me he was getting me "the last pair of boots I'd ever need." They are super tough and reasonably comfortable. They don't over heat my feet, but the heels rub a little on steep uphill climbs. Not sure how to remedy that. These even have the Marine Corp logo:
> View attachment 351539
> 
> 
> View attachment 351540
> 
> 
> While I am a man of many hats, I'm also a man of many boots...
> 
> I prefer not to load the birds and drive to the field in my boots. I usually put the boots on when I park. Likewise, after miles of hard trekking and running to help the birds, I like to get my feet out of the boots for the drive home. Sometimes I'll wear flip flops, but I'm usually parked in areas that are dirty, thorny, and sometimes muddy. Its also usually quite cold when I'm picking up the birds at first light. For these occasions, I sport these classy numbers with pride:
> View attachment 351541
> 
> I think I've had the Crocs as long as I've had the first pair. They are comfortable and they keep my feet warm and dry. I don't care if they are not fashionable. They suit my needs perfectly.
> 
> Now you know what you'll find on my feet wile doing falconry in any weather.


I’d recommend L.L. Bean boots, but they’re meant for harsh New England winters. I’m not sure how to help the “thin blooded” friends…


----------



## wellington

Tom said:


> Two weeks later and all is good. No more crabbing at all, and they are in top hunting form now. We had a terrific outing today after a cold night.
> 
> Let's talk about boots. I bought this first pair in the last century when I was working in Louisiana. I paid $25 for them and they were waterproof at the time of purchase. If memory serves, I got them at Academy sports. I didn't wear them much until I started falconry just a few years ago, and they turned out to be the perfect falconry boot for me. I wear them almost every day.
> View attachment 351532
> 
> At this point they have around 3000 miles on them of walking, hiking and sprinting up and down hill and over rough terrain. They started looking a little rough about 3 years ago, so I went on-line and started looking for replacements.
> 
> I found these:
> View attachment 351533
> 
> They are great. Comfortable, waterproof, but there is one problem: If the temperature is anywhere above freezing, they are wayyyy too hot. They are great in the snow. I don't wear them often, but I'm glad I have them when I need them.
> 
> Next I found this pair. These are comfortable and stay cool in hotter weather, but not waterproof. These will replace my main pair when the main pair finally fall apart and disintegrate. I carry these new ones with me every day because I expect the old ones to literally come apart any day now.
> View attachment 351538
> 
> 
> A good friend of mine was in the Marine Corp. He told me he was getting me "the last pair of boots I'd ever need." They are super tough and reasonably comfortable. They don't over heat my feet, but the heels rub a little on steep uphill climbs. Not sure how to remedy that. These even have the Marine Corp logo:
> View attachment 351539
> 
> 
> View attachment 351540
> 
> 
> While I am a man of many hats, I'm also a man of many boots...
> 
> I prefer not to load the birds and drive to the field in my boots. I usually put the boots on when I park. Likewise, after miles of hard trekking and running to help the birds, I like to get my feet out of the boots for the drive home. Sometimes I'll wear flip flops, but I'm usually parked in areas that are dirty, thorny, and sometimes muddy. Its also usually quite cold when I'm picking up the birds at first light. For these occasions, I sport these classy numbers with pride:
> View attachment 351541
> 
> I think I've had the Crocs as long as I've had the first pair. They are comfortable and they keep my feet warm and dry. I don't care if they are not fashionable. They suit my needs perfectly.
> 
> Now you know what you'll find on my feet wile doing falconry in any weather.


Seriously Tom, you are still using the first boots pictured? I use the word boots lightly lol. 
They need to be put too rest. They are screaming to be retired, burned actually.


----------



## Tom

wellington said:


> Seriously Tom, you are still using the first boots pictured? I use the word boots lightly lol.
> They need to be put too rest. They are screaming to be retired, burned actually.


HA! NEVER!!!! I seriously considered retiring them a couple of years ago, but they kept on working, serving their purpose, day after day, so then at some point it become a novelty. I thought to myself, how many more days can I wear them before they literally separate or fall apart? I never expected them to last this long, and I smile a little smile every time I put them on now. Those boots outlasted their useful life years ago, and now every additional day I get from them is like getting something extra for free. Those boots are older than some of the people working for me now!

I bring extra shoes and socks in my kit, fully expecting to have to walk out of a field with the sole flapping around loose any day now, but they just keep going, protecting my feet with comfort and familiarity. I mean it: I am going to keep wearing them every day until they literally fall apart while in use! I'll post pictures when it happens.


----------



## wellington

Tom said:


> HA! NEVER!!!! I seriously considered retiring them a couple of years ago, but they kept on working, serving their purpose, day after day, so then at some point it become a novelty. I thought to myself, how many more days can I wear them before they literally separate or fall apart? I never expected them to last this long, and I smile a little smile every time I put them on now. Those boots outlasted their useful life years ago, and now every additional day I get from them is like getting something extra for free. Those boots are older than some of the people working for me now!
> 
> I bring extra shoes and socks in my kit, fully expecting to have to walk out of a field with the sole flapping around loose any day now, but they just keep going, protecting my feet with comfort and familiarity. I mean it: I am going to keep wearing them every day until they literally fall apart while in use! I'll post pictures when it happens.


I do know that feeling of not letting go of something very comfortable. I have two pairs of the exact same jeans, they are so comfy. I have had them for years, 12 years or more. I have searched every place to buy a couple new pairs, none to be found. For 3 maybe even 4 years now I have had to replace the patches from same place on both pairs. I refuse to give them up until I can no longer patch them. Lol
Happy Falconry Trekking in your worn out boots.


----------



## jeff kushner

On the motorcycle forums we have "Gloves on the seat" pictures of the bikes where the rider has taken his gloves off, set them on the seat, then takes a picture of his/her bike. 

Here, we have "boots on the truck"


----------



## TammyJ

wellington said:


> Seriously Tom, you are still using the first boots pictured? I use the word boots lightly lol.
> They need to be put too rest. They are screaming to be retired, burned actually.


Meanie!


----------



## TammyJ

TammyJ said:


> Meanie!


Tammy. Some people have good reasons to advocate euthanasia.


----------



## Moozillion

So, Tom, have you been using the Marine Corps boots?


----------



## Tom

Moozillion said:


> So, Tom, have you been using the Marine Corps boots?


No. They were too uncomfortable when hiking steep uphills. I love them on flatter ground though.


----------

