Third Squirrel

YEAH! HooRaaaay! The picture loading function is working again!

On Sunday I went out hawking, and as I have done quite a lot this past year, I took along some new "dogs". One was a young lady that I met last year, while still living at my home, who when she found out I was a falconer wanted to know more. I had her over for a visit and let her meet Nina, but that was in the summer, so I could not demonstrate any flying or hunting. Since that time she herself also moved to the Milwaukee area. She was visiting La Crosse this weekend, seeing some friends, so contacted me. I said "sure you can come along" when she asked if I would be going hunting. The other "dog" is a fella I've chatted with a little online. He too wanted to see the hawk. So I met up with everyone at Panera's over coffee and bagels. Then off to hunting.

I took them to the industrial field where I last took Dave and Bill. On my last visit the place was crawling with bunnies. Today, there was plenty of sign, but they are all tucked in safe under the mounds of snow. Nina was the lowest I've allowed her this year, which was good, for she did get challenged by the residents on more than one occassion. She ignored them all, and focused on the hunting. While in this field, I worked some extensive cattail beds over ice, but did not flush anything. I did break through not once, but several times, and utterly soaked my right leg. It became heavy with ice, and smelly pond water. Previously I've pulled a muscle in my leg, so that aggravated it. Overall, the field was a bust! I also notice what looked to me to be some new Do Not Trespass signs. This field is not looking very good to me anymore, even though it was one of the best locations I've found, when not covered in all the snow. I'm probably not going back this year, or ever for that matter now.

Upon deciding to change fields, the fella "dog" decided he'd walked enough, so he departed for home. Christy (that's the young lady's name) wanted to continue on. I then moved to a park that I visited when we had the ice crust. I had flushed some squirrels there, and that was what I was after now. We entered the field, and moved about some, and then I saw Nina dive down from a high perch into a tree crook, and from the nature of her dive, I thought she had nailed something in that same crotch . . . which would be bad if it was game that she could then eat up there out of my reach. However, upon further observation, I realized she was eating something long dead and frozen. I still don't know what it was, but there wasn't that much of it. She finished that and came down to my lure, which had only a small bit of rabbit garnish. That done, I set her off again, and continued moving through the trees. About five minutes later, we finally flushed a squirrel, and the chase was on. It was a good and exciting chase. The squirrel moved from tree to tree, and tried to come down several times, but Christy and I were quick to get underneath and scare it back up. It had run into an area where there were not a whole lot of large trees, and eventually Nina had a successful dive on it, and caught it and came down with her prize. So, make that three squirrels for the year!

I was happy that Christy got to see a real hunt. We worked up quite a sweat out there. The snow is deep in some places! I dispatched the squirrel, traded Nina off, put it into the bag, got her all situated, then came back to the cars. After a few quick pictures, I invited her back to my place for some hot chocolate and more bagels. She asked me lots of questions, and hopes to maybe earn her falconry license sometime in the next few years.

Good Luck!

She took the above picture! I like it!

Snow Monkey

It snowed on Monday . . . again! The official weather almanac indicates it was a total of 8 inches. So far this winter season it has piled up a total of about 40 inches. That explains all the mountains of snow everywhere! It was a deceptively clear crisp day. A lovely day to go hawking. The hawk was even very much at weight. I didn't have to be anywhere until work time, which on this particular day was an early 2:30 PM. I should have taken her out. I decided to pass today.

Despite the deceptively calm skies, it was a frigid -5 degrees. The roads were not particularly safe to travel either. The decision was sealed when the emergency broadcast system announced over the NPR morning programs a warning by the La Crosse Police Department confirming that motorist should be aware of what I already knew existed. OK, like I needed a reinforcement. I realize my days of flying with Nina are numbered, even though there are still a couple months yet to practice falconry. However, I don't have to risk my life either, or my car for that matter . . . especially when there is fresh bunny in the fridge, and the likelihood of me finding anything out to hunt today was relatively slim. I tied her out and just fed her this morning.

So, remove an activity in my morning that frequently can take up about 2 to 3 hours, sometimes more. What to do with myself? As I passed by to tie out the bird I could smell the distinct hot/moist/chemical smell of the hot-tub. Hmmmmmm . . . sounds like a plan! I decided to luxuriate in its soothingly hot waters for a little while. So I flipped the top over, and went and changed into my bathing suit. This being the daytime, I couldn't dunk myself in the fashion that my house-mate and I normally do in the dark of night. Well . . . I could have . . . but not going to!

There is the initial shock of the cold as you leave the house with only sandals and a housecoat. The idea here is to get into the water as quickly as possible. You then sink down until just your head is above water . . . and soak up the heat. Eventually you'll collect enough heat that remaining is uncomfortable, and you then make the quick dash inside, to shower, and dry off, and put other clothes on.

As I collected the warmth, the steam rose from the water surface to moisten my hair, which was pulled back, and subsequently frosted in the sub-zero air temperature. I watched the snow dusted pines in the back yard slowly begin to shake off the gathered flakes upon their boughs. Nina finished her meal, her bells having jingled with each tug, and jumped up onto her perch to feak her beak. I offered her some water this morning, and hoped she might take a drink before it froze up, to form yet another flat round ice cube to join all the others accumulating outside her mews. If the cold keeps up I'll be able to make a little igloo before spring. Anubis snuffed around the yard, digging his nose particularly around Nina's mews, as I know there is a bunny living under there. He had snow all over his face.

I closed my eyes, and allowed my ears to take in the surrounding environment. For awhile, the steady low growl of a nearby snow thrower could be heard, as someone cleared out their driveway, adding to the mounds that are quickly becoming hazards at the end of the yards, blocking the view of oncoming traffic while we pull out to drive somewhere. That task done, the small engine was silenced, and I could then hear the muted tinkle of windchimes from the neighbor's yards. Their melancholy tones are lost in the chilly air. A single brave city squirrel passed along the squirrel highway, a highwire at the back of the property. Nina ignored it as she has come to ignore all who pass along this path. On this day the tree rat did not come down to tease her as they have been seen to do before. Somehow, they know she is confined and restrained, and is rendered impotent in a way that removes her as a threat. My house-mate and I wish we could change their opinion on the matter. Eventually, the ever regular low thrum and rumble of a train goes by, about every 15 minutes, or so it seems. I'm actually now getting used to it so don't always notice. About this time I decided I'd better get a quick picture of the trees before the snow had all blown off, so exited quickly to go get my camera, and then return to the water as soon as possible. Upon my return, the water on the deck where I stepped out and into my sandals quickly freezes.

It's very cold!

I couldn't help thinking I was just like those Japanese Macaque who escape into the warm volcanic springs to escape the cold of winter. I have always wondered how they withstand getting out of the water at the end of the day to dry off their fur before the cold of night comes. I have a hot shower I can go to, and dry clothes afterwards.

When Fashion becomes Art

OK, finally I can bring this blog entry to a close! I've somewhat given up on Picasa, and the function that loads pictures here on Blogger. Maybe at some hopeful future date they will notice that their software is not working as it should, and fix it. I went and posted these pics up on Photobucket and then tagged a link to them. I do at least know how to do that!

Above here was my most favorite ki mo no, all in red. Red is the color of prosperity and good fortune. What you may not be able to tell from these pictures is that the cranes are SEWN into the design. They are not painted, but stitched. From the quality, I'm sure these modern examples were made on modern sewing machines, but it is still dramatic!

This gold one was my second most favorite.

You can click on the picture here above and all the other below this to get a close up view. You can see some of the stiching.

From Carolyn (The ...

Below is a close up. This was an example that was painted.
They have an exhibit at the main place here in LAX where they keep public books. I'm not calling it what it is called, for I'm going to make sure I don't put too many key words into this post. Other key words will be spaced out . . . OK!! In order to take the pictures I had to give my name and phone number. I don't want to get called, and have to take this posting down. They are beautiful objects!! As you can see, they are Japanese Ki monos. They have a collection of about 12 on display for only a week. I'm lucky that I noticed! They are part of a collection that you can see in a gallery in Wa ba sha, MN. Just go Google it, you can find it. I did! These are worn in traditional Japanese weddings, though according to the site that you can find when you go Google, most young people these days are opting for the western white dress. What a shame! If I could wear one of these, I'd not pass up the opportunity. But they start at $600 and go up to $1800. Traditional ones in Japan begin at a cool $10,000 and can go over $100,000. I think I'd like to take a road trip sometime and go see the whole collection. There is also an Eagle Center at that same town. Sounds like a good day trip. Now, I just need to find someone that would like to go with me!

Three's a Charm

Well, after several attempts over the last day, finally I've been able to load up the picture above. Gosh . . . I look like crap! Liz looks pretty good! I guess the bunny really looks bad! Nina says "urp"!

I met Liz out at Goose Island with a friend of hers to possibly fly the hawk. But after reading the regs on the board, I discovered there is no hunting allowed at Goose. So, we made a quick decision and flew Nina back behind Hillview. Her friend wanted to see the action, but he's recovering from surgery, so could not walk out into the field. This field is pretty small, and you can see the action fairly easy from the side of the road.

I put Nina up, and very shortly after that we were challenged by the resident. We even got full hawk screams. They perched in a tree together, and eyed each other up, but then the resident decided it didn't want a confrontation, so it took off. Liz and I continued to walk into the field. As I approached the same cattail bed, I heard Nina launch from where she was, fly over us, wing over, and crash. Squeal of bunny. That's #11 for the season, and the third one from this field.

It was a quick hunt, but her friend got to see the action.

We are forcast for snow tomorrow . . . possibly a lot of snow. Bill was planning to come fly with me here in La Crosse. We'll see if that happens based on the weather. I also started my microbiology class today. I'm going to be busy, but I think I'm going to have fun!

Fly Off

Today, surprising to me, Nina was very close to being at flying weight again. Some nights she burns through her calories faster than others. I had an errand to run this morning, but then I geared up and took her out to fly. I wanted to try that same small field where I caught the first squirrel, and the one where she crabbed. It's still a nice field and I'm sure I could kick up some bunnies. We were not out for more than 5 minutes and we attracted the locals . . . and lo and behold . . . that juvenile again. It came first, and a mature bird followed. I'm not aware that immature birds can establish themselves in a pairbond on their first year, but for whatever reason, this juvie is in this place, and quite ready to defend the turf. So, my first estimation of its situation was wrong! It is a successful, very brave hawk defending territory.

The two crabbed, again, but briefly. Then it flew off as I moved up and yelled at it. But then Nina started flying too. She started making wide flights over the area, and moving farther away from me. I headed quick to open areas, and pulled the lure. For awhile, she was just ignoring this. I watched her disappear out of sight, beyond the houses that are around this park. OK, no panicking! As I walked out of the park and into the neighborhood, I could see a hawk sitting in a tree at a very great distance. I pulled the lure again, and this time she came.

Relief!

I guess I'm just going to have to NOT hunt this field. It is pretty well defended by residents, and Nina is game to pick a fight. I don't need her taking off on me . . . not yet!

I packed everything up, and stopped at the ShopKo, to pick up a notebook. Spring classes start up again tomorrow. I have my first actual Respiratory Therapy class starting Monday. I'm on the way!

Call Down

Look Look!! Something new for the blog!

I'm now able to embed video. Here are a couple of short clips. This first one is a demo of how you call a hawk down at the end of a hunt to the lure. As you can see, she flies a great distance to come get the lure.

Transfer

After a successful hunt we trade off the bird onto something smaller, the lure, or conduct a series of what are called transfers. Through repetition we take away the game they just caught by giving them something they can start eating right away. If done proper, the bird will not come to resent your stealing what they just caught, as they are still receiving a reward. As my friend Bill says, "They can only count to One!" They don't seem to notice the size difference between what they just had, and what you just offered . . . they only know they can eat it right away, no fur to deal with and such. If they finish eating what was offered, and then nothing else is around for them to see, they think they ate the whole thing. If what you offer is small enough, you can take them back up and hunt some more.

Hawking the Hanson Farm

Today I accepted an invitation that has been extended since the beginning of the hawking season, to come and hunt the Hanson farm. I met Rich, to my left above, online, and he was very interested about falconry. Finally this weekend I arranged to come check out the game status on their family property. It was a good bet, as he's been telling me!

I "doubled" today, with a bunny and a squirrel combination. Like most farms, they have an area where they keep a lot of their equipment out in the yard when not in use. Over the summer burdock and weeds have grown up, and lots of grass. There was also a huge brush pile. I had quite a few "dogs" today, to include Liz, my room-mate, Rich, his brother, his sister, and his sister's husband. We fanned out into the yard and tapped the equipment and whacked the brush. It did not take long for the bunnies to start hopping. I myself saw a really pretty slip. A rabbit broke from cover and headed towards the huge pile. Nina was just a second behind it. I saw the stoop and the wing flare, as she landed just right behind it, literally catching the dust off the bunny's fast escape. The misses sometimes are more dramatic.

A few minutes later, someone else spooked the bunny above, which she caught. We had been out less than 10 minutes, and I had Bunny #10 in the bag. I did our usual routine, then got her back up, having just rewarded her only a small amount of food. There was still plenty more to hunt.

No one saw the above catch. We started to work along the edge of the field, where there were trees. I heard her come down, and was quite surprised to see she had a squirrel. I thought with how quick it was, she would have another bunny. Squirrels usually are much harder to catch. Rich was able to film the trade off for the squirrel, which was #2 for the year.

I decided because this had all happened so very quick, that we'd try for a triple. However once she got back up, we chased another squirrel right underneath her, and she didn't pay it too much attention. She then flew over the field to the far tree that you can see me call her back from in the video above. We were done! She'd had two quick catches, and had shown herself to be a competent game hawk to the Hanson family.

We were then invited inside for hot dish with the family. It was a very nice morning/early afternoon.

Thanks Rich! Your a pretty lucky hawking charm. Everytime you've come along, we've caught game. Oh, and you have a nice camera too!

A Good Day . . . and a New Hunting Location

Steve getting the opportunity to pet a hawk.

Mike thought she was interesting too!

Days like today reassure me when I'm feeling a bit down.

Today I looked out the window, and saw rain! The last month has been very cold, with the previous couple of weeks being very very cold. The snow has been piling up. Until now! These last few days it has warmed up into the 30s, and even into the low 40s. The snow is melting. The rain is helping some. But hawking in slushy snow is usually no fun.

I putzed around this morning, writing bills, doing laundry, and finally went and checked on Nina to see how she was doing, hoping maybe she was too heavy. She was at weight. Darn . . . and it's so wet outside. Well, I thought maybe the rain would wash away some of the deep hiding spots the bunnies have been tucked away into. Also, I wanted to follow up on a lead for a place to hunt.

I snooped around a few weeks ago the connecting streets to the small field where I took the squirrel, and the same one where Nina crabbed. I discovered it follows along the railroad tracks, and further east, there is a good place to park that gives access to the field. Today I went and tried it. And I am so glad that I did! The access point is a good one, and the field opens up into a marsh area which is absolutely ideal hawking territory.

I got Nina all ready, walked into the field, and released her. As we moved further in I saw a hawk flush from the trees. Nina immediately took off after it. I thought, "Here we go again!!" But after a few minutes, just when I was about to pull my lure, I heard her bells, and she was up a tree overlooking the marsh, as if to say to me, "OK, get busy flushing . . . I'm ready!!"

So I did!

There was rabbit sign EVERYWHERE!! This would be a great field without all the snow. But even with the snow, and some thick cattail whacking, I must have spooked a bunny, for I saw Nina take off, fly over the field, do a beautiful wing over, and crash into the marsh. A second later there was a bunny cry! She did it!

I'm really quite amazed how she's being doing so very well with these marsh catches. I should release her in the spring around here. She'll probably do just fine hunting them. I traded her off, and tucked Bunny #9 into the bag. We were out less than a half hour. Except for the fact that I had to get home and get cleaned up for work, I would have tried for doubles. Not today! On our trip back to the car I stopped, hooded Nina, and dressed out the bunny quickly.

At the car, as I was putting my gear away, we caught the attention of a couple of field operators for Dairyland Power. They stopped for a few minutes and asked me questions about the bird, so I gave them a very quick Falconry 101. One of the gentlemen, Steve, asked me if I knew about the falcon project with Dairyland. I admitted that I am aware that many of the power companies along the Mississippi have helped out the wild populations of falcons by graciously installing nest boxes on their smoke stacks. Both men were very interested in seeing Nina, and were willing to let me take their picture.

Here is a link to that project: Dairyland Falcons. There is also a web cam link at the top of that page.

It started off as a gloomy, wet day. But it was a good hunt, a successful hunt, I got to do a little positive PR for falconry, and I found a really good field with a lot more potential for hunting.

This and That

I've not too much to report of late on the hawking front. Since the crabbing incident, I've had Nina out three other times. The first time we had a very very short hawking session. It was a terribly cold day, but clear and bright. I did not have a whole lot of hopes of finding anything, but I did try the Veteran's Memorial Park on the other side of Onalaska. Upon getting Nina all situated, I had noticed a squirrel some distance. That would work. I launched her that direction, but now the tree rat was nowhere to be found. So I moved into the marshy area that borders the park. There was some bunny sign, and I hoped maybe I'd get lucky and kick something up. Well, it really didn't matter, for Nina had noticed a resident hawk, and decided to go after it. By the time I got over to where she had flown . . . she was nowhere to be found. A lure call didn't bring her either.

Great!

I've not lost a hawk (*yet*) to fly off. I got back to the car and got out the yagi. No signal! OK, more falconry lingo. For those of you who are not in the know . . . we put a transmitter onto our birds with the hope to track them down if they do just this . . . fly off. A receiver can be attached to an antenna which extends the range with which you can receive a signal. This antenna is called a yagi. My particular telemetry system supposedly can receive signal from 10 miles away. I have tested it, and it was good for probably at least 7. The downside is that it is line of sight. Nina must have taken off over the hill, for I was not getting a signal. So I packed my stuff up, and headed over to the other side of the park. At a good spot, I got out and tried the yagi again. WHEW!! A slight signal. Swing the lure . . . and here she came! Thank goodness for lure training! Needless to say, we were done for the day.

I have come to expect that whenever you fly your bird, you may lose your bird. This is all part of the risk of the sport. I have not yet had to go overnight with my bird out on her own. It will probably happen some day. The best falconers I know have had this happen. I just hope that if Nina decides to self release . . . she'll not take my $120 transmitter with her!! I will be giving her freedom in spring. I hope she waits for me to be ready to let her go. She had additional scratches on her feet. She crabbed again! She is definitely wanting to establish a territory.

I took her out again a couple days later, on Friday. On this outting, I mostly just wanted to drive, and to find someplace for a nice walk with my bird. Some days, some nights, I still get overwhelmed with emotions on where I am in my life. Walking sometimes helps. Sometimes. There is a kind of peace being out away from everything, everyone, with a wild (but trained) bird shadowing you overhead. It is a rare experience not available to most people. My hope is to someday find someone that would like to experience this with me. Until then . . . these walks are mostly on my own.

I'm really coming to not like the options I have for hawking around the La Crosse area. I have found a few spots, and one really good one, but it takes time to establish consistent areas to hunt. This time I drove north-west beyond Holmen, towards Trempealeau. For one reason or another, most of the places that I found as possibilities just were not suitable. I finally settled on a marsh edge that followed along a snow-mobile trail along the Mississippi. I had driven up to Perrot State Park, and might have flown her there, if I could, but I could not find the game warden to purchase my 2008 sticker. I can explore that option later. Again, where we flew, there was bunny sign, but I could not kick any up. At one time she found a squirrel to chase, and we did pursue that for awhile, but lost it when it ran into the corner of a barn alongside the tree line we were working. She was up on the lip of the eaves, with her head sticking into the hole where it had disappeared. I hollared at her to not go in after it . . . for if she got stuck, there was no way I could help her out. "Hollaring" is for my benefit! She doesn't understand much beyond the whistle and lure call. So I offered her a tidbit to get her to forget about the squirrel. As I came back away from the barn and crossed the road, calling the bird, then tossing her the other direction, a woman in a truck driving by stopped and yelled out the window that what I was doing was, "so coooool!"

Yeah . . . I agree!

I worked my way back to the car . . . and called it a day. I gave Nina just enough to hold her over until the next day.

On Saturday I went across the Black River to Pettibone Park. We didn't find anything in Pettibone Park!! On the way home I tried the Nature Center at the Hixon Forest. Again, bunny sign, but none to be found. She did chase a single squirrel, but there are homes nearby, with 'No Tresspassing' signs. Heck with all this!! I called her to the lure and took her home and just fed her.

I think . . . part of my decision process . . . once I have my training, that I need to select someplace that has the potential for lots of game for the species I enjoy flying, buteos. This would be the red-tail, and some day I want to try a Harris Hawk (parabuteo). I'd like to learn how to fly an accipiter (goshawk), but I'm going to need better options of places to hunt before I even consider that. I'd also really prefer to have another teacher who actively flies them before taking them on. I don't know if I'll ever want to actually fly a falcon. THAT bird I would be very nervous flying! The fastest creature on the planet can be very delicate . . . and purchasing one (the reliable option for acquiring one right now) can be very expensive.

It's no wonder those who do fly them . . . put two transmitters on them!!

Happy New Year!

So begins the 2008 year!

I'm seeing in the new year at work. Yippeeeeee!! New Years Day is one of my holidays that I have to work, and I was selected for the 3rd shift. It's been very very quiet, which is good!

I'm ending the calendar year so far with only 8 bunnies. My numbers are down from last year. I suspect too that if nothing changes, it is not going to improve much. We have a pretty deep blanket of snow, so hawking is a lot harder. I got together with Dave on Sunday and went to visit my favorite field in Lyndon Station. The snow was so deep we didn't flush anything. All the rabbits have moved to one end of that location where there is a massive brush pile . . . so no squeezing them outta there. We relocated and tried Mauston for a bit, and at least got a couple flushes, but no catches. The day was a bust!

Today I just fed Nina, and tied her out. I had other plans. I went to meet up with a new friend, Phil in Minnesota. He lives in a very nice rural location back into the winding bluffs and roads of South Central MN. We took a long walk, enjoying each others company, and talking. I saw a shrike today! You just don't see them very often! Hopefully it is an auspicious omen, of new and rare opportunities. I searched the Internet to include a picture of one . . . but I only saw the bird with my eyes today. No touching!

I have many high hopes for a successful 2008. On this last day of the year I used up the last of my old checks with my previous married name as I mailed out a final box of some of his papers. No more scratching that out whenever I write a check. If I ever do find someone else to commit to, I think I'll just keep my own name. It's so much easier! I cleaned my room, and gave myself fresh flowers. There is a bowl full of oranges, which are supposed to denote abundance in the new year. Spring classes will begin in about two weeks.

I continue to make new steps down the path of my life, seeking purpose and meaning through confidence in myself. It is a slow journey . . . but I am thoroughly about the business of it!