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!!
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!!
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