Hope- 12 days

Hope had enough ammo that I had to take the two tarps that I use for a ground cover for the carpet out and wash them again. Way too much crap on them for a new bird in training. One look and I was mentally kicking myself for losing a day due to my misguided generosity. I picked her up out of the weathering area and found that she was somewhere north of 910 grams. That is roughly an ounce and a 1/3 higher than the weight that she was when she was taken from her parents.

Falconers will understand the importance of weight control when training a bird. They will have to bear with me so that I can bring the rest of you up to date as best as I can in a simplified version. Raptors need to be in top physical form and weight to hunt. Neither too fat or too skinny. When they get extra food it goes to muscle, thus they gain weight as well as condition. When food is scarce or withheld they lose that muscle and if enough is lost, the ability to catch food as well. So in essence a fat hawk is independent, and a skinny one is unable and weak. So you are running a razors edge when you are controlling a birds weight. You want it as strong as it can be and still maintain control.

So Hope should not have been hungry enough to advance in her training. Every thing that I would offer today should have been ignored. An ounce and a third should have been enough that she would not be interested in extending her self enough to jump to the fist, and her wild side should have been showing. Apparently she was out hunting when that lesson was taught.

Normally I would have just left her on the perch without food and tried tomorrow, but she so far is not following the hard to get role that most play, and I decided to give her a chance. I cut the shoulder part off of a Jacks front leg, and a tidbit from the missing part. I wanted just enough to reward her for any advancement, but not so much that she would maintain her current weight.

John Hauck and Nell were here and we were sitting outside watching the Jacks go to water down at the creek. I was watching her for signs of disdain for me but she kept looking at the fist wondering what she had to do to make it produce food. I gave her to John to hold for me while I went for the food and my official hunting gear, my vest. After I picked her back up, I went for the creance and tied it onto her swivel. I no sooner got it tied than Hope turned around, flew to the hot tub, and turned towards me leaning forward in anticipation of the glove being offered. When I did she flashed to the glove for her tidbit. I turned towards the tub, and she flew off on her own, turned again. This time I offered her the front leg at about 5 feet and she lost no time coming to the fist for it as well. I gave her the leg and a hind foot, which she worked on until she had reduced it to its basic parts and ate them. She should lose a bit of her weight, but apparently she doesn't need to.

Its getting to the point that I am having a hard time wiping the grin off my face.