Here Comes Peter Cottontail!

Happy Easter Everyone!! Now if only SPRING would show up!!

This morning I needed to get outside into the clear air, to cleanse my lungs and my mind. I was actually surprised to find Nina at a good flying weight. I've been over-feeding her of late. During my vacation, and the last two times I tried to fly her, we were not successful. I flew her for my relatives in Hobbs, NM, and there were so many bunnies it was not funny, but the wind was so strong . . . Nina could hardly hold onto the tree she was in. That was kindof funny! Without that wind she would have nailed a NM cottontail, I'm pretty certain. I then flew here in Illinois with my friend Darla, in a cemetary of all places, at the very end of my vacation last Sunday, but there we only flushed one bunny, and she missed. I really didn't want to end the season with misses.

With her weight today, and her aggressive disposition when I met her in her mews, I decided I'd accomplish my mind-cleansing walk with the hawk. Liz came with me. We went to the field where I have caught a bunny on one occassion, and a squirrel on another. There is a very significant cattail bed, and with the warming over the last few days, I thought maybe some of that snow had melted down some. It had, though still a lot of it, and water in some places underneath. Either way, we worked the beds. I wasn't seeing any bunny sign at all. Nina was following fairly well, though not tight to me. I had also decided to not put telemetry on her. It is not that I want her to fly off with all her gear, but I'm risking that happening more this late in the season, and with her not being at a true hunt weight. Either way, just about the time we were about to give up and take her to another location, I saw a little movement out of the corner of my eye. Nina was on the wing double-quick, she flew over the cattails, did a wing-over, CRASH . . . and bunny #15 was caught. I went to her and pulled her out into the open, dispatched bunny, and then decided for this final one to not trade her off, but let her crop herself up. I did however separate the head and back side, and let her have the upper legs and chest. She gorged. We took pictures.

I'm going to now officially end my 2007/2008 hawking season. In about two weeks I'm going to coordinate to get her a permanent leg band, and then release her. Until that time, she will be getting many good, large and regular meals to build up her reserves. I hope the snow melts so I can release her with open ground cover.

I'm happy to have ended on a positive note. 15 bunnies. 5 squirrels. 20 head of game. Not great, but not too horrible either. This will be the last bunny I catch with a hawk for some unknown amount of time. At least a year. My school will demand all my attention over the next year. After that, it is all a question of where I find work, and where I move and settle.

Life can sometimes be confusing. Sometimes very disappointing. Many times, very lonely, and frustrating. Today I flew for the final time a wonderful hunting companion. I'm going to miss her! I also had the company of a great house-mate, who I appreciate more and more as time goes by. Afterwards we cleaned up and went out for an Easter lunch.

P.S. The bunny was male . . . . so good thing he'd already done his rounds before his meeting with my hawk!