A New (Very Small) Hunting Partner
I was unable to do any work with Pente on Tuesday, as I was very busy getting ready to go trapping on Wednesday. On subsequent days she weighed in at 3 lbs. 2.4 (50.4 oz) on Wednesday, and 3 lbs. 2.8 (50.8 oz) on Thursday. She is responding pretty good to the training, but I'm going to have to start going 'elsewhere' to work her, as she really needs nice long flights now to work on her stamina, and shave off the weight.
On Tuesday evening I went over to visit Dave to borrow a kestrel-sized hood. I have one ordered, but it has not yet arrived. I brought with me my newest bal-chatri (BC) (which for you non-falconry folks, is what we call the trap we use to catch raptors) for him to see. I think it does a Master-Level Falconer very good to take on apprentices, if nothing better than for the entertainment value they provide. I might not be an apprentice anymore, but there are still a great many things I must learn. My new trap is very nice, and I think I've put it together pretty good . . . but it will not trap a kestrel. It is WAY TOO BIG!! All my experience has been with a red-tail hawk. Kestrels are extremely tiny in comparison. Well, Dave came through and let me borrow his own trap, after having a good laugh, as well as three different sizes of hoods. There were more laughs to come!
Wednesday morning found me getting up a bit earlier than I normally do, but cutting my morning routine very short. My husband had been off the previous night, so was able to come trapping with me, however he did have to return to work that evening, so I couldn't go trapping all day long. We were out the door by 5:30, headed towards the La Crosse area, which is on the Mississippi River. Our goal was to find the farm fields south and east of the city and the river. These are good kestrel areas. By sunrise we were in the area. The first country road we turned to go down, there was a kestrel on the power line. It was 7:30 a.m. We drove past where the bird was and I reached out the window and dropped the BC, loaded with a mouse. We went up the road, turned around and waited. The kestrel gave no sign of having seen the trap. After waiting for quite a long time, and watching the bird groom and preen, I decided to risk flushing him to go reset the trap. I did so, walking down the road to find the trap, and the bird never moved. Returning to the car, we backed off again, and waited. After a few minutes, then this little raptor saw the mouse. He flew down and again and again footed the cage to catch the mouse inside, but kept missing the nooses. He would give up and fly up to the power line, only to return a few minutes later. He was very persistent. I say 'he', because I was now able to see him clearly with my binoculars, and I could tell he was male. At one point I thought he might have been caught, and we moved up with the car for me to jump out and catch him, but he then broke free and returned to the power line. But being the greedy little thing he is, he returned one last time . . . and this time it was a bad bet for him . . . as he was caught. It was 8:00 a.m. and I had my first kestrel in hand.
I really wanted to trap a passage female kestrel, but once I had this beautiful little male in my hands, I decided I would go ahead and give him a try. After all, he would be very nice for pictures! I jessed him up in the field and began our association that moment.
We left the area and drove over to visit our friend, Neta, who was quite near by. I showed off my little falcon, and she fed us breakfast. Hey . . . Nice Exchange!! I began his manning process sitting there at Neta's table, eating ham and eggs and hash browns, with a little feathery ball of hate beadily watching my every move.
Shortly we returned home, so Shawn could take a nap, and for me to take care of Pente, and work with my newest partner. By that evening he was eating for me, and returning to the fist after a bate.
I visited Dave again, this time to show him my newest hunting partner, and to seek advice on many questions I already had. He then got another laugh when he saw the bow perch I had made to use with the kestrel. It too was WAY TOO BIG!! He lent me his very tiny perch to use, and his lure, and his kestrel box, and his scale that measures down to 2 grams. He has been so very generous with all of his equipment. Over the next few weeks I must fabricate my own, based on his models, and return to him all that he has lent to me. Thanks Again Dave!!
I'll end this post for now, and pick up with the training of my newest bird in the next post.
I named my little kestrel "Rigel". This is based upon a character in the Science Fiction cable show "Farscape". Both are small, both are obnoxious, and both bite. I did get several good bites on that first day for my insolence of touching this beautiful little prince of the skies. But he is no red-tail. It was an annoyance only. Nothing to fear.
Trap weight was 110 oz. (Ooops . . . I mean 110 grams!)
cdb
On Tuesday evening I went over to visit Dave to borrow a kestrel-sized hood. I have one ordered, but it has not yet arrived. I brought with me my newest bal-chatri (BC) (which for you non-falconry folks, is what we call the trap we use to catch raptors) for him to see. I think it does a Master-Level Falconer very good to take on apprentices, if nothing better than for the entertainment value they provide. I might not be an apprentice anymore, but there are still a great many things I must learn. My new trap is very nice, and I think I've put it together pretty good . . . but it will not trap a kestrel. It is WAY TOO BIG!! All my experience has been with a red-tail hawk. Kestrels are extremely tiny in comparison. Well, Dave came through and let me borrow his own trap, after having a good laugh, as well as three different sizes of hoods. There were more laughs to come!
Wednesday morning found me getting up a bit earlier than I normally do, but cutting my morning routine very short. My husband had been off the previous night, so was able to come trapping with me, however he did have to return to work that evening, so I couldn't go trapping all day long. We were out the door by 5:30, headed towards the La Crosse area, which is on the Mississippi River. Our goal was to find the farm fields south and east of the city and the river. These are good kestrel areas. By sunrise we were in the area. The first country road we turned to go down, there was a kestrel on the power line. It was 7:30 a.m. We drove past where the bird was and I reached out the window and dropped the BC, loaded with a mouse. We went up the road, turned around and waited. The kestrel gave no sign of having seen the trap. After waiting for quite a long time, and watching the bird groom and preen, I decided to risk flushing him to go reset the trap. I did so, walking down the road to find the trap, and the bird never moved. Returning to the car, we backed off again, and waited. After a few minutes, then this little raptor saw the mouse. He flew down and again and again footed the cage to catch the mouse inside, but kept missing the nooses. He would give up and fly up to the power line, only to return a few minutes later. He was very persistent. I say 'he', because I was now able to see him clearly with my binoculars, and I could tell he was male. At one point I thought he might have been caught, and we moved up with the car for me to jump out and catch him, but he then broke free and returned to the power line. But being the greedy little thing he is, he returned one last time . . . and this time it was a bad bet for him . . . as he was caught. It was 8:00 a.m. and I had my first kestrel in hand.
I really wanted to trap a passage female kestrel, but once I had this beautiful little male in my hands, I decided I would go ahead and give him a try. After all, he would be very nice for pictures! I jessed him up in the field and began our association that moment.
We left the area and drove over to visit our friend, Neta, who was quite near by. I showed off my little falcon, and she fed us breakfast. Hey . . . Nice Exchange!! I began his manning process sitting there at Neta's table, eating ham and eggs and hash browns, with a little feathery ball of hate beadily watching my every move.
Shortly we returned home, so Shawn could take a nap, and for me to take care of Pente, and work with my newest partner. By that evening he was eating for me, and returning to the fist after a bate.
I visited Dave again, this time to show him my newest hunting partner, and to seek advice on many questions I already had. He then got another laugh when he saw the bow perch I had made to use with the kestrel. It too was WAY TOO BIG!! He lent me his very tiny perch to use, and his lure, and his kestrel box, and his scale that measures down to 2 grams. He has been so very generous with all of his equipment. Over the next few weeks I must fabricate my own, based on his models, and return to him all that he has lent to me. Thanks Again Dave!!
I'll end this post for now, and pick up with the training of my newest bird in the next post.
I named my little kestrel "Rigel". This is based upon a character in the Science Fiction cable show "Farscape". Both are small, both are obnoxious, and both bite. I did get several good bites on that first day for my insolence of touching this beautiful little prince of the skies. But he is no red-tail. It was an annoyance only. Nothing to fear.
Trap weight was 110 oz. (Ooops . . . I mean 110 grams!)
cdb
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