Training Progresses
My . . . how time flies!
Every day has been busy working with both of my raptors, and fitting in the rest of my life around these activities.
Update on Rigel . . . sometimes now also called "Ellis" by me (for L.S. or Little Sh**). This little guy is just such a wonderful little bird, gutsy for his size. He was eating from the fist on the first night. By the next night he was returning to the fist after a bate, as well as to his bow perch. He has manned down so quickly that he sits peacefully in my livingroom while we move around him, and step over him. He just sits there and watches everything around him. He was jumping to the fist by day three, and by day four flying across the room. I have still not worked yet to determine his true flight weight, but when he gets to anything around 90 grams, or slightly below, he bates from his perch towards me. I have acquired a new scale from work ("new" being a relative term . . . as it is "new" to my ownership, but is actually an old piece of unused, unwanted equipment no longer in service.) This scale measures in hundreths of a gram, exactly what is needed to weigh a bird that tops the scale at 110 grams. (Four postage stamps and I could mail him somewhere . . . he's that light!) I need to make some adjustments to it so that I can allow a small raptor to stand on the plate, and will begin to very carefully monitor and drop my little kestrel's weight until I very precisely know at what weight I can hunt him. I am also going to have to find out if he knows that birds are prey. I know that he considers mice as being on the menu, and bugs too, but does he know birds? He's a full adult, experienced, and I'm guessing he does . . . but I will have to find out. Eventually, I will be trying to fly him at European House Finches, and European Starlings . . . those pest species that were brought to this country and settled right in and made it home. They are not protected, and may be hunted. No native species are hunted! Very soon I think I'm going to be out hunting this little raptor . . . once I understand how I'm to do it. I'm still learning many things.
Update on Pente. My goodness, how huge this big girl seems after having a tiny little kestrel on my fist. Last weekend I took her to Nelson Park, in my local town Camp Douglas, where there is wide open grassy and dirt areas. The first day I took her out she was terribly distracted at the new location, and everything going on around her. Also, a couple on motorcycles stopped to take a break from their morning road trip, and she was having none of that. So, after "kiting" around me 360 degrees on the end of her creance, trying to escape, I reeled her in, hooded her, and instead gave a quick Falconry 101 for the couple, who were very interested. The next day I returned to Nelson Park, and she responded much better, eventually flying the full creance to me. On subsequent days I worked her at home, doing "jump ups", using a ladder to make the jump-ups even higher. Slowly, her weight is coming down. I took her to Nelson Park again today, and she was at her lowest weight so far this year (2 lbs. 15.6 oz or 47.6 oz). But I can still see that she has a bit more weight to drop. There was a dog barking nearby, my husband had come along for the ride, and also many F16 fighter jets were taking off from the nearby military base. All these things contributed to distracting her. I did get her to work some for me, but not as quickly as will be necessary for her to be at flight weight. I will continue to do daily exercises, switching her off between washed meat and normal tidbits to continue to bring her weight down, yet also work her muscles to get her fit and ready to hunt. Hopefully soon I'll be able to take her out hunting. We've had several nights that have dropped below freezing, so that is helping to contribute to her burning her excess calories, as well as to knock back some of the brush. Soon, soon I'll take my big girl out and start the 2004/2005 hunting season.
Every day has been busy working with both of my raptors, and fitting in the rest of my life around these activities.
Update on Rigel . . . sometimes now also called "Ellis" by me (for L.S. or Little Sh**). This little guy is just such a wonderful little bird, gutsy for his size. He was eating from the fist on the first night. By the next night he was returning to the fist after a bate, as well as to his bow perch. He has manned down so quickly that he sits peacefully in my livingroom while we move around him, and step over him. He just sits there and watches everything around him. He was jumping to the fist by day three, and by day four flying across the room. I have still not worked yet to determine his true flight weight, but when he gets to anything around 90 grams, or slightly below, he bates from his perch towards me. I have acquired a new scale from work ("new" being a relative term . . . as it is "new" to my ownership, but is actually an old piece of unused, unwanted equipment no longer in service.) This scale measures in hundreths of a gram, exactly what is needed to weigh a bird that tops the scale at 110 grams. (Four postage stamps and I could mail him somewhere . . . he's that light!) I need to make some adjustments to it so that I can allow a small raptor to stand on the plate, and will begin to very carefully monitor and drop my little kestrel's weight until I very precisely know at what weight I can hunt him. I am also going to have to find out if he knows that birds are prey. I know that he considers mice as being on the menu, and bugs too, but does he know birds? He's a full adult, experienced, and I'm guessing he does . . . but I will have to find out. Eventually, I will be trying to fly him at European House Finches, and European Starlings . . . those pest species that were brought to this country and settled right in and made it home. They are not protected, and may be hunted. No native species are hunted! Very soon I think I'm going to be out hunting this little raptor . . . once I understand how I'm to do it. I'm still learning many things.
Update on Pente. My goodness, how huge this big girl seems after having a tiny little kestrel on my fist. Last weekend I took her to Nelson Park, in my local town Camp Douglas, where there is wide open grassy and dirt areas. The first day I took her out she was terribly distracted at the new location, and everything going on around her. Also, a couple on motorcycles stopped to take a break from their morning road trip, and she was having none of that. So, after "kiting" around me 360 degrees on the end of her creance, trying to escape, I reeled her in, hooded her, and instead gave a quick Falconry 101 for the couple, who were very interested. The next day I returned to Nelson Park, and she responded much better, eventually flying the full creance to me. On subsequent days I worked her at home, doing "jump ups", using a ladder to make the jump-ups even higher. Slowly, her weight is coming down. I took her to Nelson Park again today, and she was at her lowest weight so far this year (2 lbs. 15.6 oz or 47.6 oz). But I can still see that she has a bit more weight to drop. There was a dog barking nearby, my husband had come along for the ride, and also many F16 fighter jets were taking off from the nearby military base. All these things contributed to distracting her. I did get her to work some for me, but not as quickly as will be necessary for her to be at flight weight. I will continue to do daily exercises, switching her off between washed meat and normal tidbits to continue to bring her weight down, yet also work her muscles to get her fit and ready to hunt. Hopefully soon I'll be able to take her out hunting. We've had several nights that have dropped below freezing, so that is helping to contribute to her burning her excess calories, as well as to knock back some of the brush. Soon, soon I'll take my big girl out and start the 2004/2005 hunting season.
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