Dec 2nd Still gaining weight!

 We have been getting colder and colder with each night that passes. Harris Hawks in their home territory rarely have freezing temperatures to worry about, and thus they are really not suited for this country. It dropped to 10 degrees last night, and will be getting colder. Hope has survived 15 degrees so far, and of course the higher body weight gives her fuel enough to combat the cold. I decided the last time I flew her that it was time to go inside at night. I do not need a hyperthermic Hawk. She of course does not understand why she cannot have the full run of the weathering area. I need to tie her to a perch, so that I can bring her in at night. She has been holding 1020 grams while spending the nights out. I started bringing her in the shop for the last two nights. The shop maintains 35 to 40 degrees.

It warmed up to 20 degrees by 11:00 AM, so I picked her up and put her on the scales. I had given her no more food than I always give her, but today she weighed 1041 grams. I guess she was burning a bit more to keep warm. I keep wondering what is her top weight? When will she just sit on the fist and watch the Jacks disappear into the sunset? Well apparently we haven't found it yet.  

Sue, ( my fishing buddy ) texted me, wondering when I was going hawking. I wanted to check another area to see if it was worth hunting, so after Sue arrived we drove out another dirt road at the ranch next door to see if anything lived there. After walking three different spots on that road, it became obvious that it wasn't worth the effort, so I drove closer to the ranch's hay fields, where I knew the Jack's frequented. I do not like to hunt the same field more than once a week if I can possibly keep from it.

Hope had been getting more than a little restless and tending to go off to see she could find some Jack's on her own. So when we got close to the ranch, we began to see a Jack or two. She had three slips in a couple of hundred yards, but wasn't able to connect due to the thickness of the greasewood. She kept getting knocked off course by her wings hitting the bushes. Then we found one that was in a bit more open area. He didn't make it.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

A paltry four miles today to get her dinner, and he was a fat one too. I may have to either compress the "Trophy tails" or get a longer piece of string.

  The string on the left is last years "trophies".