First Training Session

This afternoon I had the first official training session for the 2004/2005 hunting season. Not a very good session either . . . but I really didn't expect much today.

Lowest temperature the previous night: 31 degrees. It just reached freezing. The grass was frosty this morning.

Pente's weight: 3 lbs 5.6 oz (which is how my scale shows weight) . . . or as all the falconers like to do . . . 53.6 ounces. OK, so she's like a real butterball right now! It's all those rats she's been eating over the last week. I'm trying to clear out the "live pantry".

I set her up on her creance, and tried to get her to come to my fist for short flights. She was slow, she was distracted, she was not interested at all. She did come twice, otherwise she was just looking around. I gave her several opportunities to respond to my call, but she began to ignore me completely, and turned on her perch and was looking for someplace else to be. So, I decided she didn't even get her lure today. I put her away in her mews, and put all the equipment away. We'll try again tomorrow. A night with no food, and possibly a cool night at that, and maybe she'll pay just a bit more attention to me tomorrow. But again, I really don't expect too much until she drops quite a few more ounces. She really did get heavy on rat lately.


cdb