I had intended to make a video every three days, but he is changing so fast and I am getting so much differing video that the file would be too big or I would have to leave something out if I waited for three days.
I should mention that he is fully grown except for his feather growth. He will not get any bigger, just longer feathers. About 38 days is the heaviest that they will get. After that they trim down a bit, but not a lot. The feathers will be fully grown at 70 days, and by that time the blood will have been fully withdrawn, and he will be in his "new" suit that will have to last him for a year.
Now he is becoming more and more restless. He had not left his window ledge until today, his 41st day of life. He has been content, and sleeping a lot. Now he is getting ready for the flights that have to be coming soon. He went from being scared to be picked up, to feeling quite confident and actually jumping to me whether I want him or not. He apparently recognizes the glove as a place that I will let him jump to.
He is very confident that with us is very safe and where he wants to be. He is content enough that he falls asleep with no hesitation.
This period is a critical one for an eyass (baby) hawk or falcon. He does not want to be alone, and will come looking for one of us to be with. We can lock him outside, but he just paces back and forth in the window until we either go to him or let him in the house. They can be a pain in a lot of places, at this stage, as he wants to bite, not knowing that it might be a problem for us. He needs to be with us for his mental development, and it is very demanding, but all this will eventually pass, and the more time we can spend with him the better he will be for it.
It was very windy and quite cold outside, so I tried to bring him inside so that I could read and be comfortable. I set up a perch for him, and he was content for about 5 minutes.
Then he jumped to the arm of my chair, then to my arm, then up my shirt to try to give me some love bites. Then to the top of my chair, which gave me a crick in my neck as I fully expected to get my ear pierced at any minute.
Josie need some attention as well and they looked each other over from all angles.
A smell test was in order, but a cautious one. Josie is smart enough to know to not trust one of these critters.
Hearing a thump from outside, I went to look, and Lee was running around on the back porch. He eventually ended up on top of the smoker, sliding off, and then running over to me so that I could hold him.
The next week will be the critical time. He will soon be trying his wings. I am not sure what kind of possible danger he will face while he gets used to them. As long as he doesn't get too close to a mama hen with chicks, I think the Chickens will be OK. The young Redtails have not fledged yet, and he is very cautious of things that fly. If I can get him through the next two weeks, then things should work out fine.
https://vimeo.com/170335756 password- owyheeflyer
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