Dec. 9th - Snow day

Keeping Hope inside at night has slowed her weight loss enough that she did not lose enough weight to have much of a chance to catch anything today. We have about an inch of snow on the ground and she weighs 1000 grams today, so I didn't need a crystal ball to tell me that today was not going to be a serious hawking day. However I wanted to see how she does in snow, having never seen any before. If she gets on the ground with a Jack she is going to get very wet, as Harris Hawks have little water proofing in their feathers. I decided to make a short foray here at the house, avoiding as many of the Bunnies as I could, then feed her a maintenance amount of food. Then perhaps fly her Sunday, when the snow should be gone.

I again decided to wear the camera, the lighting is pretty subdued but you can still see what she is doing. I turned the sound on this time, so you can hear me wheezing as I walk. :-/

The extra weight had the effect that I expected. She is still willing, just not as able. The required amount of snap just isn't there. Compare the wing beat in the last video to this one and you will be able to see what I mean. It is this lack that will tell a handler what the high end of his hawks response weight really is. Today, she was too fat to hunt! However I felt what she would experience was worth the "wasted" effort.

If I had wanted her to catch something, I could have arranged for her to catch a Bunny. I don't consider Bunnies in this setting to be much of a challenge. It is of course different in the Willamette Valley, due to the terrain, and vegetation, as well as the Rabbits are different. The Eastern Cottontail was brought into the Valley long ago, and are very much different from our Brush Bunnies.

 
Not a lot of places for this one to go. Brick pointed him out to me yesterday, and he was there again today.

There is about three or four of these little guys living here in the wood pile and under the Pigeon house. There is little reason to kill them, besides I think they are really cute, and I enjoy seeing them.

https://vimeo.com/195027665   password- owyheeflyer