I primarily want him to be a high flying game Hawk, steady on the wing to what I am trying to flush for him.
To do that I intend at the right time to introduce him to the Drone or a kite to build muscle and form the habit in him to remain focused on the lure and me.
Once he has reached the height that I want him to "wait on", I will introduce bagged quarry for him to kill.
All sounds simple, but its deceptive. One of the advantages of Drones and Kites is that you can have a real reason for the bird to climb up in the sky. Food is there, and once a pattern is established the entire thing is achievable.
In the past the only way that you could teach a raptor to go up, was with thermals and pigeons. The idea was to not reward a raptor with a pigeon to chase until it had gone up high over you. If the bird was too low, you threw a Pigeon that could out fly it. If its height was what you wanted or an improvement then you threw one that it could catch. Somehow I have never been smart enough to make this plan work. The first thing that happens is that the falcon soon realizes that if he flies away, you will soon be spouting Pigeons like a hippie wedding.
The thermal idea is actually one that will work, most of the time. Its a bit of a juggling act in that the bird needs to be independent enough of food, that it is not a driving force, but still would like to eat if it is easy. When its hot, birds know that cooler air lies just above them. The higher they go the cooler it is and the further they can see. Their eyes are such they can see a long way, There could be a Pheasant just along the next valley. Temptation is a mighty driving force. Just ask any 50 year old man in the throes of Manopause.
The short story is that it is easier teach a raptor to wander than it is to teach them to "wait on."
With a Drone, kite or balloon, the food is right there, 50 feet under it. There is no reason for it to wander, or trying to figure out what you are trying to get it to do. So they build muscle striving to gain enough altitude that they can reach the lure. You start out low and over a period of several weeks build enough muscle, that the bird can climb 600 feet in a couple of minutes. Once altitude is reached they can hang there with little or no effort. The next is when the bird reaches an altitude that you are satisfied with you can then toss the bagged game for a reward. The raptor soon learns that it gets rewarded when it reaches that altitude.
Quite a few falconers want their birds to fly out of sight or at the limit of vision. I do not. I want the bird to be high enough to command the field and quarry. I agree that it is pleasing to watch and listen to a falcon tear up the sky. They can achieve tremendous velocity, but they dare not hit something at that speed lest they kill themselves. I find that I only manage to see the last hundred feet of such a flight any way. Where as at 4-500 feet I can flick back and forth between the two adversaries and see the whole thing. Its a matter of choice. The higher a bird flies the more opportunities are visible. So there is little reason for a bird to hang around waiting for you, if there is a tempting quarry just over the hill.
The key to any animal training is to be smart enough to show the animal what it is that you want it to do in a way that it can understand what you want. You have to be able to understand how the bird reasons, and it rarely is the same way that you think. Raptors survive by being able to read the body language of the things that they interact with. You and I go through life looking at billboards, seeing nothing.
About the only quarry that I can produce in a regular manner for a falcon, is Ducks. There is generally a mixture of Ducks too big for Lee to kill and those who weigh about he same as he does. So the goal is achievable. It will depend on how he learns to handle them.
Prairies are not normally associated with Ducks, but if one does learn to hunt them, they generally excel at it. Prairies generally hit things hard enough to kill it in midair.
The reason that Prairies are not generally flown here in the states is that they are one of the more difficult birds to train, and there are lots of "Designer birds" available. Every one wants bigger, flasher and easier birds to work with. Getting along with a Prairie is a bit like getting along with your mother in law. Once lied to or cheated you will be an asshole for the rest of your relationship.
Much of that is not in play with Lee, simply because he does not know that there is anything other than us. Ignorance is bliss, they say.
These goals are close within my reach, and things look good at the moment. So far, we are on a good path. Time and patience will tell. If he is not what I want, and I do turn him back to the wild, I have still learned and gained much. I will make sure that he as well, benefits by getting him through that difficult period of adjustment from fledgling to young adult.
There are many nuances to training and understanding raptors. Most of which after 52 years I do not even consider any more. If you need further thoughts concerning Lee and raptors feel free to ask.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Questions and ?answers?
I wrote the earlier post about midday. Since then I have gotten a few questions and rather than reply individually, it might be easier to just tell all of you at the same time as I am sure that you are either thinking the same thing now or will soon.
I do want to clear up one misconception concerning him and imprinting. Imprinting is when the animal thinks that you are its mother. It will occur in Raptors up to about 19 days, but you have to really work at it to be able to imprint one at that age.
There are two ways to imprint a hawk and the first and quickest is to take it so young that it actually cannot remember any thing else but you. The second factor is feeding it from above by hand. It is natural for a baby bird to respond to fingers dangling a chunk of meat over its head. The head goes back, the beak falls open. In no time at all it will respond with an open beak and begging cries.
Imprints were used in Raptor propagation simply because the most difficult factor in such an endeavor is getting the much smaller male, in an enclosure too small for him to escape if the female gets mad at him, to actually climb up on her back and copulate. The females will lay eggs with no problem, but getting semen is the hangup. Males were imprinted so that they could be trained to copulate on a hat worn by you. It is then picked up with a capillary tube for fertilization of the female either through voluntary presentation, or everting and exposing the cervix. Imprints are an unnatural hawk for hunting, in that they basically remain babies for almost the rest of their lives. They are spoiled brats that scream all the time. They forget why they scream, it becomes a habit. An imprint can never be released into the wild, because it could never rejoin the wild population, because it will never be as the wild species.
The attempt to avoid imprinting is why I took Lee at 23 days of age. If I pay close attention he will not imprint. That is why he was fed from a bowl, and never on the fist until he was outside hopping around. I took him at that age for two reasons. One is that he was young enough that he could bond with us a bit, without being totally dependent. The other is his feathers. If raptors, when growing feathers, come under a lot of stress or suffer a reduction in diet, will develop stress marks in the feathers. That will cause a weak spot and the first time it rocks back on its tail while fighting game will break those feathers at that weak spot. By taking him at that age I bypass that problem completely.
I have explained all this in such detail so that you can better understand the terminology and the reasons that I am doing what I have done with him. Lee, because of his species availability is free, costing no more than my time. He is also the subject of an experiment. Certain raptors are only available through breeding projects or you might be able to take a eyass Peregrine if you can find one that the state will allow you to take. ( don't get me started) The cost of one of these from a breeding project has gone way up due to the increased cost to raise and feed one. The bigger birds will go through as many as three quail a day at the peak of their growing cycle. The cost of a Quail is about $1.65 or more. They will go through about 70 of them from hatching to fully grown. If Lee is not capable of taking the only game that I have available to me, then I will let him go back to the wild. He can fit in to the wild population and it will not take him long to forget he ever lived here or lived with a human.
If you picture the "Ladies lap dog" that quivers and screeches at any other dog that comes close to his mistress. You will be experiencing the dog world version of imprint. Dogs generally imprint when taken from their mother at less than 6 weeks. What I have attempted to do with Lee was to dual socialize him. He knows he is a Prairie Falcon, but he kinda thinks that I might have my uses at times.
Now I am sure that every one who is not a falconer did not expect such a lengthy explanation of the word Imprint. I am also pretty sure that I still did not fully explain the ramifications of an imprinted Raptor. Tomorrow I will go through what I am going to try to accomplish with Lee, and my plans for him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This afternoon around 2 PM I attempted to call him to the lure to feed him, as he was giving signs that he was hungry. He chose to ignore it, as I had changed the lure that I am using to a smaller less obvious one. Toby, a friend pilot and his wife, came to visit, so I went on about my business. Pretty soon I hear him peeping at the door, so I let him walk into the house and eventually on the fist where he was able to eat his meal on his perch. I carried him for about 2 hours later in the evening.
I do want to clear up one misconception concerning him and imprinting. Imprinting is when the animal thinks that you are its mother. It will occur in Raptors up to about 19 days, but you have to really work at it to be able to imprint one at that age.
There are two ways to imprint a hawk and the first and quickest is to take it so young that it actually cannot remember any thing else but you. The second factor is feeding it from above by hand. It is natural for a baby bird to respond to fingers dangling a chunk of meat over its head. The head goes back, the beak falls open. In no time at all it will respond with an open beak and begging cries.
Imprints were used in Raptor propagation simply because the most difficult factor in such an endeavor is getting the much smaller male, in an enclosure too small for him to escape if the female gets mad at him, to actually climb up on her back and copulate. The females will lay eggs with no problem, but getting semen is the hangup. Males were imprinted so that they could be trained to copulate on a hat worn by you. It is then picked up with a capillary tube for fertilization of the female either through voluntary presentation, or everting and exposing the cervix. Imprints are an unnatural hawk for hunting, in that they basically remain babies for almost the rest of their lives. They are spoiled brats that scream all the time. They forget why they scream, it becomes a habit. An imprint can never be released into the wild, because it could never rejoin the wild population, because it will never be as the wild species.
The attempt to avoid imprinting is why I took Lee at 23 days of age. If I pay close attention he will not imprint. That is why he was fed from a bowl, and never on the fist until he was outside hopping around. I took him at that age for two reasons. One is that he was young enough that he could bond with us a bit, without being totally dependent. The other is his feathers. If raptors, when growing feathers, come under a lot of stress or suffer a reduction in diet, will develop stress marks in the feathers. That will cause a weak spot and the first time it rocks back on its tail while fighting game will break those feathers at that weak spot. By taking him at that age I bypass that problem completely.
I have explained all this in such detail so that you can better understand the terminology and the reasons that I am doing what I have done with him. Lee, because of his species availability is free, costing no more than my time. He is also the subject of an experiment. Certain raptors are only available through breeding projects or you might be able to take a eyass Peregrine if you can find one that the state will allow you to take. ( don't get me started) The cost of one of these from a breeding project has gone way up due to the increased cost to raise and feed one. The bigger birds will go through as many as three quail a day at the peak of their growing cycle. The cost of a Quail is about $1.65 or more. They will go through about 70 of them from hatching to fully grown. If Lee is not capable of taking the only game that I have available to me, then I will let him go back to the wild. He can fit in to the wild population and it will not take him long to forget he ever lived here or lived with a human.
If you picture the "Ladies lap dog" that quivers and screeches at any other dog that comes close to his mistress. You will be experiencing the dog world version of imprint. Dogs generally imprint when taken from their mother at less than 6 weeks. What I have attempted to do with Lee was to dual socialize him. He knows he is a Prairie Falcon, but he kinda thinks that I might have my uses at times.
Now I am sure that every one who is not a falconer did not expect such a lengthy explanation of the word Imprint. I am also pretty sure that I still did not fully explain the ramifications of an imprinted Raptor. Tomorrow I will go through what I am going to try to accomplish with Lee, and my plans for him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This afternoon around 2 PM I attempted to call him to the lure to feed him, as he was giving signs that he was hungry. He chose to ignore it, as I had changed the lure that I am using to a smaller less obvious one. Toby, a friend pilot and his wife, came to visit, so I went on about my business. Pretty soon I hear him peeping at the door, so I let him walk into the house and eventually on the fist where he was able to eat his meal on his perch. I carried him for about 2 hours later in the evening.
Day 56
Lee- Zard is at the stage where every day brings something new and different. His attitude is changing, he is becoming more and more independent. He is also beginning to chase stuff. No where near serious, but it fun to see, He needs us and our interaction now only first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. That of course is his feeding times. I don't believe that he has left the immediate area yet, but several times I haven't been able to find him. The battery died in the transmitter that I have on him, so that doesn't help. I have a new one with a range of about 50 miles that I am going to try to put on him tonight. Not sure how he is going to react, well, let me retract that. I am not sure how the longer antenna is going to last when I put the new one on him.
I let him out this morning after he ate a bit, and did a few things, both here and over at Tami's place. I had to go over to check the progress of Jasper, ( Tami's old Kestrel) and see how old they were. It appears as though they brought off 4 babies that are about the same stage as Lee.
When I got back it was time for the dogs to take me for a walk down the runway. We started out heading up the runway and Lee was sitting on the hangar. He had been talking to me a bit, but I ignored him and went on my way. I got to the turn to go up the hill, and the little #$%#@* smacked me right in the right ear. He wobbled off a bit shaky with all my invective causing some turbulence I am sure, but he maintained flight and went back to the hangar. I think he misjudged a bit and crashed into me rather than the sizzling fly by that he intended. I say that because I wasn't bleeding anywhere, but I still have a stiff neck. If he had struck me as they do, then I would have had some cuts somewhere on my neck and ears. Still a pound of bird at about 35 MPH can make an impression.
I let him out this morning after he ate a bit, and did a few things, both here and over at Tami's place. I had to go over to check the progress of Jasper, ( Tami's old Kestrel) and see how old they were. It appears as though they brought off 4 babies that are about the same stage as Lee.
When I got back it was time for the dogs to take me for a walk down the runway. We started out heading up the runway and Lee was sitting on the hangar. He had been talking to me a bit, but I ignored him and went on my way. I got to the turn to go up the hill, and the little #$%#@* smacked me right in the right ear. He wobbled off a bit shaky with all my invective causing some turbulence I am sure, but he maintained flight and went back to the hangar. I think he misjudged a bit and crashed into me rather than the sizzling fly by that he intended. I say that because I wasn't bleeding anywhere, but I still have a stiff neck. If he had struck me as they do, then I would have had some cuts somewhere on my neck and ears. Still a pound of bird at about 35 MPH can make an impression.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Day 53 - 54
Lee Zard is beginning to play. Of course it is mostly practice footing and jumping around, which will stand him in good stead when he begins hunting. He is starting to show a bit more finesse with his flying. He is still sticking pretty close and has yet to leave what I call the Yard. He has started following me around a bit as well. Just curiosity, but its an improvement. With the increased exercise, his appetite is picking up a bit. That is good to see. A bird that is hungry all the time is a good pupil.
Jessie is still stuck in Mommy mode, and is driving me a bit nuts trying to figure out how to shut her off. She has laid 10 eggs so far, and thinks that I should be giving her more food so she can lay more eggs. I have cut her back on her food hoping to starve her out of this cycle, but all it has done is to increase her begging me for food. I weighed her yesterday and found that she was down to hunting weight. I picked her up and fed her on the fist. She was quiet all day long. Perhaps she is feeling left out, with this new bird that I spend so much time with.
This morning Lee was anxious to get outside, so after he ate his breakfast, I opened the window and he would outside soon after. I went on to do my chores, one of which was to take Jessie to her day time perch in the weathering area, where she gets fed. Pretty soon we can hear her pitiful screaming as she would do for food. Karen asked me if I thought she would do better if I fed her on the fist again. I went out to look and there was Lee right in front of her on the outside of the weathering area, and she didn't like it.
I picked her up and went out to the Hot tub to drink a first cup of coffee and feed her. Lee apparently was a bit jealous, so he straffed my head and then circled around to the roof of the house where he could watch. Karen called him down and fed him some more. When Jessie finished all she wanted I threw the rest up on the Hot tub cover. Lee wasted no time getting to it and really fed up on the breeder quail. He especially liked the egg yokes still inside the Quail.
The food that he took in was of high enough quality that he didn't want any lunch, but he was ready to eat by 7 PM.
https://vimeo.com/172188820 password - owyheeflyer
Jessie is still stuck in Mommy mode, and is driving me a bit nuts trying to figure out how to shut her off. She has laid 10 eggs so far, and thinks that I should be giving her more food so she can lay more eggs. I have cut her back on her food hoping to starve her out of this cycle, but all it has done is to increase her begging me for food. I weighed her yesterday and found that she was down to hunting weight. I picked her up and fed her on the fist. She was quiet all day long. Perhaps she is feeling left out, with this new bird that I spend so much time with.
This morning Lee was anxious to get outside, so after he ate his breakfast, I opened the window and he would outside soon after. I went on to do my chores, one of which was to take Jessie to her day time perch in the weathering area, where she gets fed. Pretty soon we can hear her pitiful screaming as she would do for food. Karen asked me if I thought she would do better if I fed her on the fist again. I went out to look and there was Lee right in front of her on the outside of the weathering area, and she didn't like it.
I picked her up and went out to the Hot tub to drink a first cup of coffee and feed her. Lee apparently was a bit jealous, so he straffed my head and then circled around to the roof of the house where he could watch. Karen called him down and fed him some more. When Jessie finished all she wanted I threw the rest up on the Hot tub cover. Lee wasted no time getting to it and really fed up on the breeder quail. He especially liked the egg yokes still inside the Quail.
The food that he took in was of high enough quality that he didn't want any lunch, but he was ready to eat by 7 PM.
https://vimeo.com/172188820 password - owyheeflyer
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Day 52
Its been an interesting 24 hours. Don't worry Lee Zard is just fine, its been other things. First the well pump went out last night about 10:30. It had been giving me trouble for a while, I replaced the control box and it seems as though we had dodged a big one. We did, but only for a while. The pump was going bad and that is what messed up the control box. The hard part is getting someone to come fix it. Plenty of people in Idaho, but they have to be licensed in Oregon to work on it. :-/ That leaves the little town of Burns with about 3000 people.
No real problem. I had water enough to make coffee, plenty of water in the pool to use to flush toilets. Actually my only real problem was water for the critters. I have 7 Ducks just waiting and growing that I will be using to show Lee what I want him to catch when he grows up. I swear those varmints carry a beak full of food and dump it in their water, over and over. I have never seen anything any where near as messy as a Duck. I couldn't use the pool water because of the chlorine in it.
Of course I was up early, only to sit around and wait three hours for 8 AM to roll around in Burns. They are an hour behind us, so it seemed to take forever. I got lucky and there was one guy there who could actually take care of my problem. Its the middle of haying season, so the irrigation pumps are turned off, thus they had time to make a drive down here. Two guys showed up about noon and we pulled the pump, put another one in and I was back in business by 4 PM. I've got no clue how heavy the bill is going to be, but that is life in the Desert.
We had moved Lee's play pen up against the window while we had gone to Nampa Tuesday, and it had worked so well, we left it there. So at 6 am when I got up, I fed him and opened the window. I had read an article about putting transmitters on falcons and they had recommended Number 16 rubber bands for the neck mount. The last place that we stopped when coming back from Nampa was a Staples store. I had been using a big wide one that the mail lady puts on all out junk mail. The article claimed that some birds had killed their selves with the heavier rubber bands, The #16 looked a bit tight to me, but what the hell, I'll try anything once. That was the first real fit I have seen Lee throw. He gagged, and scratched until the fuzz was floating all over the place. I finally took pity on him and cut it off. I found a bigger one that was thinner and put that on him. He liked that a lot better and soon made his escape out the window.
It was pretty hot today, and I found Lee several times hiding behind the Chimney to get out of the sun. He is still hanging around pretty close. At noon I took half of a Quail out for him and tossed it on the ground. He was on the trailer and came to it and ate a little bit. I picked him up and put him back in the open window. He slept a bit on his perch. He went out again about 3 PM.
Around 5PM he flew back onto the Hot tub, and was trying to drink out of the little sheen of water on the top of the tub. I filled the bath, but he decided the pool was where he needed to be. I poured the water in the bath onto the cover. He made a bee line for that and got his drink and bath. After he got all preened out he went behind a Mediterranean Sage and slept again for an hour or two.
About 8 PM I got another half of Quail for him. He was sitting on the hangar, so I called his name and tossed the lure out. He wasted no time in flying to it. He overshot his landing and had to run back to it. So now the safety factor has increased by leaps and bounds. Now no matter how far away he is, when I swing the lure he will come.
After I put him in the house, I went back out to enjoy the evening counting Jack Rabbits. They are thick as I have ever seen them. I found two young Jacks dead at the edge of the yard. No marks on them so it is some sort of a disease. The only thing visible is their butts show some intestinal problems. Not a good sign at all. I was counting 7 in one group that was in about a 10 foot circle. Any disease will spread like wild fire if its bad enough.
We have about four Deer that lay up in the old growth Sage by the creek, so I always take my bino's with me when I sit out there. I noticed something light at the edge of the Sage. The field was full of Jacks and Quail, so I assumed that this was another Jack. Nope it was a Coyote working the edge of the brush. I made a bee line in the house and got the 22-250. No more Coyote. I drug her up to the top of the gravel pit to feed the buzzards. Don't worry, the bullets are frangible- no lead.
I had found one of the dead rabbits this morning while I was waiting for the pump guy's to show up, and took it up to the gravel pit so the dogs wouldn't get into it. Sometime the problems with the rabbits are worms. I don't need dogs with worms or rolling in a decomposing rabbit either. There was a Raven's nest inside the pit, so I took the Rabbit there. The pit has been locked off to the public for a year or two now. I tossed a rock at the nest area from the rim. Imagine my surprise when a Prairie Falcon flushed off the cliff face. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I have been risking my life flying all over looking for the Prairie that chased my Pigeons all winter and spring. I don't know how many miles I have walked to get to remote areas close to here, because I was convinced that she was near. Duh! Right in my back yard as it turns out. I haven't been able to verify the age of the babies, but it appears that they are quite a bit younger than Lee. The female was sitting on the cliff face in the shade when I went back to check so something is there. Oh well, no body is perfect, and I apparently am a shining example of that statement.
No real problem. I had water enough to make coffee, plenty of water in the pool to use to flush toilets. Actually my only real problem was water for the critters. I have 7 Ducks just waiting and growing that I will be using to show Lee what I want him to catch when he grows up. I swear those varmints carry a beak full of food and dump it in their water, over and over. I have never seen anything any where near as messy as a Duck. I couldn't use the pool water because of the chlorine in it.
Of course I was up early, only to sit around and wait three hours for 8 AM to roll around in Burns. They are an hour behind us, so it seemed to take forever. I got lucky and there was one guy there who could actually take care of my problem. Its the middle of haying season, so the irrigation pumps are turned off, thus they had time to make a drive down here. Two guys showed up about noon and we pulled the pump, put another one in and I was back in business by 4 PM. I've got no clue how heavy the bill is going to be, but that is life in the Desert.
We had moved Lee's play pen up against the window while we had gone to Nampa Tuesday, and it had worked so well, we left it there. So at 6 am when I got up, I fed him and opened the window. I had read an article about putting transmitters on falcons and they had recommended Number 16 rubber bands for the neck mount. The last place that we stopped when coming back from Nampa was a Staples store. I had been using a big wide one that the mail lady puts on all out junk mail. The article claimed that some birds had killed their selves with the heavier rubber bands, The #16 looked a bit tight to me, but what the hell, I'll try anything once. That was the first real fit I have seen Lee throw. He gagged, and scratched until the fuzz was floating all over the place. I finally took pity on him and cut it off. I found a bigger one that was thinner and put that on him. He liked that a lot better and soon made his escape out the window.
It was pretty hot today, and I found Lee several times hiding behind the Chimney to get out of the sun. He is still hanging around pretty close. At noon I took half of a Quail out for him and tossed it on the ground. He was on the trailer and came to it and ate a little bit. I picked him up and put him back in the open window. He slept a bit on his perch. He went out again about 3 PM.
Around 5PM he flew back onto the Hot tub, and was trying to drink out of the little sheen of water on the top of the tub. I filled the bath, but he decided the pool was where he needed to be. I poured the water in the bath onto the cover. He made a bee line for that and got his drink and bath. After he got all preened out he went behind a Mediterranean Sage and slept again for an hour or two.
About 8 PM I got another half of Quail for him. He was sitting on the hangar, so I called his name and tossed the lure out. He wasted no time in flying to it. He overshot his landing and had to run back to it. So now the safety factor has increased by leaps and bounds. Now no matter how far away he is, when I swing the lure he will come.
After I put him in the house, I went back out to enjoy the evening counting Jack Rabbits. They are thick as I have ever seen them. I found two young Jacks dead at the edge of the yard. No marks on them so it is some sort of a disease. The only thing visible is their butts show some intestinal problems. Not a good sign at all. I was counting 7 in one group that was in about a 10 foot circle. Any disease will spread like wild fire if its bad enough.
We have about four Deer that lay up in the old growth Sage by the creek, so I always take my bino's with me when I sit out there. I noticed something light at the edge of the Sage. The field was full of Jacks and Quail, so I assumed that this was another Jack. Nope it was a Coyote working the edge of the brush. I made a bee line in the house and got the 22-250. No more Coyote. I drug her up to the top of the gravel pit to feed the buzzards. Don't worry, the bullets are frangible- no lead.
I had found one of the dead rabbits this morning while I was waiting for the pump guy's to show up, and took it up to the gravel pit so the dogs wouldn't get into it. Sometime the problems with the rabbits are worms. I don't need dogs with worms or rolling in a decomposing rabbit either. There was a Raven's nest inside the pit, so I took the Rabbit there. The pit has been locked off to the public for a year or two now. I tossed a rock at the nest area from the rim. Imagine my surprise when a Prairie Falcon flushed off the cliff face. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I have been risking my life flying all over looking for the Prairie that chased my Pigeons all winter and spring. I don't know how many miles I have walked to get to remote areas close to here, because I was convinced that she was near. Duh! Right in my back yard as it turns out. I haven't been able to verify the age of the babies, but it appears that they are quite a bit younger than Lee. The female was sitting on the cliff face in the shade when I went back to check so something is there. Oh well, no body is perfect, and I apparently am a shining example of that statement.
Day 53
Jessie has been giving me trouble in that she will not quit laying eggs. As a consequence I have not been feeding her as much hoping that would curtail her egg laying. She has 10 or 11 so far, and Raptors are not intended to lay that many eggs. Yesterday she was very vocal, and I think a bit jealous, so much so that I put her up very early so that we wouldn't have to listen to her.
This morning I weighed her and found that she was down to hunting weight, so I kept her on the fist and fed her the Quail that I had intended to give to Lee later in the day. Now it was Lee's turn to be jealous. He did at least two high speed fly by's while she was eating. The first for that sort of thing.
After she finished and I had put her on her day perch, Lee flew over to the chairs where we had been sitting, landing on the back of one of them. I got the other half of another Quail and offered him the fist. He got on and ate one of the best meals that he has ever taken. I liked that a lot.
https://vimeo.com/171962079 password owyheeflyer
https://vimeo.com/171962079 password owyheeflyer
Day 51
First, Thank you for letting me know that rather than being pestered with an unwanted Blog, you are actually interested in what it is about. It takes a bit of an effort to produce this thing, and I refuse to monetize it. I enjoy doing it however and I would prefer that the people who get it, do as well.
Today's video concerns Lee's behavior, and training. Or at least the attempts to do so. One peculiar feature that I have not seen before with any hawk is his desire to be with us. When he gets bored and he starts vocalizing. If I go up to him he runs up to the fist talking and biting, then he gets on the fist and calms right down, and fluffs out his chin whiskers and is happy.
What I need to do is to get him made to the lure. It is funny, but he will not come to a half quail thrown on the ground, but he will fly to my ungarnished gloved fist.
He flew around most of the day yesterday and in the evening, when I would like to bring him in is when he gets his third feeding of the day. He doesn't require much food, ( a handicap ) but he still wants to eat at least a little bit. I tried to call him down to the ground for a quail half on a line, and he would not do so. I then stuck my fist up and he flew to it. I then tossed the half on the ground. He did go to that, and when he finished, came to the fist to be carried inside. It was a good start.
We had to go to town today, so he spent most of the day on his perch in front of the window. When we got home, I took him outside for the rest of the evening. At his normal feeding time he came back to the fifth wheel. I tried again to call him to the lure, but he still wouldn't come down. I then offered him my fist. He flew towards, but didn't feel good enough to land, but he did land on the ground. I tossed the quail on the ground, and he fed from it. He then came to the fist and I brought him in for the night.
It will take a bit, but his response is right on the correct timeline. It would help if he got enough exercise to give him an appetite. Prairie Falcons are designed to survive in very adverse conditions. The Desert is just such a place. It is normal for a falcon fed on a good meal of Duck to take as much as a week to need to hunt again. I am familiar with that since I have the same metabolism.
https://vimeo.com/171698549 Password - owyheeflyer
Today's video concerns Lee's behavior, and training. Or at least the attempts to do so. One peculiar feature that I have not seen before with any hawk is his desire to be with us. When he gets bored and he starts vocalizing. If I go up to him he runs up to the fist talking and biting, then he gets on the fist and calms right down, and fluffs out his chin whiskers and is happy.
What I need to do is to get him made to the lure. It is funny, but he will not come to a half quail thrown on the ground, but he will fly to my ungarnished gloved fist.
He flew around most of the day yesterday and in the evening, when I would like to bring him in is when he gets his third feeding of the day. He doesn't require much food, ( a handicap ) but he still wants to eat at least a little bit. I tried to call him down to the ground for a quail half on a line, and he would not do so. I then stuck my fist up and he flew to it. I then tossed the half on the ground. He did go to that, and when he finished, came to the fist to be carried inside. It was a good start.
We had to go to town today, so he spent most of the day on his perch in front of the window. When we got home, I took him outside for the rest of the evening. At his normal feeding time he came back to the fifth wheel. I tried again to call him to the lure, but he still wouldn't come down. I then offered him my fist. He flew towards, but didn't feel good enough to land, but he did land on the ground. I tossed the quail on the ground, and he fed from it. He then came to the fist and I brought him in for the night.
It will take a bit, but his response is right on the correct timeline. It would help if he got enough exercise to give him an appetite. Prairie Falcons are designed to survive in very adverse conditions. The Desert is just such a place. It is normal for a falcon fed on a good meal of Duck to take as much as a week to need to hunt again. I am familiar with that since I have the same metabolism.
https://vimeo.com/171698549 Password - owyheeflyer
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Day 49
I know that I said that I was likely at this point to cut back on comments and videos due to the fact that not much new would be happening until he began to learn the use of his wings, and I began training. Well today was a bit different in that I do have some different stuff to share.
This is basically his forth day of actually doing more than sleeping in the window. He did very little flying yesterday, but today he has expanded his horizons a bit. Not much but a big step in ability and confidence for the boy.
His biggest improvement is his reentry into the house, which is the most important part of his learning to date. I still want to establish his feedings on a lure, but that seems to be a lot more possible now. The important thing is that he learn how to get back in the house, and where he needs to be. Today he got a little carried away with his flying and playing and stayed out a lot longer than I would have preferred for his lunch. When he did realize that he was starving, he wasted little time getting to where the food was. His manners are baby terrible, but that will improve with time. The main thing was to get a regular schedule established so that we both know what to expect. I am sure that sooner or later he will spend the night out, but the later the better.
He has established his schedule as follows. Breakfast first thing in the morning, usually consisting of half a Quail of which he will eat about 1/5th to a 1/4 of it. I then take him outside into the new morning sunshine, set him on the Hot tub to do as he wishes. He will flit around here and there with periods of sitting and watching. Work his way towards the dining room window about noon, come to either me or the window, get lunch which consists of the rest of the first half. Walk inside the house to the window, lay down and nap for a couple of hours. About 2 or 3 PM go back outside and fly and play some more until about 6 or 7 PM, come back for the rest of his food, and then take up his perch inside the dining room window till dark. At twilight he gets tied to his perch for the rest of the night.
I am sure that I mentioned that he likes to be with us, but I am not sure that I have conveyed just how much it helps his state of mind and satisfaction with his world. I am a bit surprised to note that he wants to be in the house quite a bit. He so far has wanted to be outside for about half of the day. The rest he sleeps, and he prefers to do that in the house or on one of the window ledges. When he gets bored, he will start fussing. If I offer him the glove, he will run over to my fist and start biting and talking, then after a short time, he stops, climbs on the glove and settles down in contentment. I can then put him back on his perch and he will be content for quite a long period of time. He thinks nothing of being on the glove and is quite happy to be there and go where ever I go. Boredom is the worst sort of damage that you can inflict on your raptor. They cannot see any reason that they should not get what they want- NOW!
When he had not come in at 1 PM today, I went outside and found him on the roof of the weathering area. He was looking towards me and the house, but he wasn't making any move to come. I went inside and got some food and the lure. I first tried the lure, but right at the moment he is keyed to the glove. I held up my fist and he soon launched off and flew to it talking for all he was worth. It was obvious that I should have looked for him earlier rather than waiting for him. No real harm, I stuck him in the window to finish his meal. When he was done, he went inside to lay down and nap.
He slept until about 3 PM. He jumped to the dining room table and I went to him, offered the fist which he accepted, and I took him back out to the hot tub. I thought that he might like another bath, but he flew over to that window ledge and took another nap.
After about an hour he again began flying around. He flew more today than he ever has. He flew around until about 7 PM then landed on the fifth wheel. I offered him my fist but my head was bigger, so he landed there. I brought him in and gave him a new quail half to work on.
https://vimeo.com/171350224 password- owyheeflyer
This is basically his forth day of actually doing more than sleeping in the window. He did very little flying yesterday, but today he has expanded his horizons a bit. Not much but a big step in ability and confidence for the boy.
His biggest improvement is his reentry into the house, which is the most important part of his learning to date. I still want to establish his feedings on a lure, but that seems to be a lot more possible now. The important thing is that he learn how to get back in the house, and where he needs to be. Today he got a little carried away with his flying and playing and stayed out a lot longer than I would have preferred for his lunch. When he did realize that he was starving, he wasted little time getting to where the food was. His manners are baby terrible, but that will improve with time. The main thing was to get a regular schedule established so that we both know what to expect. I am sure that sooner or later he will spend the night out, but the later the better.
He has established his schedule as follows. Breakfast first thing in the morning, usually consisting of half a Quail of which he will eat about 1/5th to a 1/4 of it. I then take him outside into the new morning sunshine, set him on the Hot tub to do as he wishes. He will flit around here and there with periods of sitting and watching. Work his way towards the dining room window about noon, come to either me or the window, get lunch which consists of the rest of the first half. Walk inside the house to the window, lay down and nap for a couple of hours. About 2 or 3 PM go back outside and fly and play some more until about 6 or 7 PM, come back for the rest of his food, and then take up his perch inside the dining room window till dark. At twilight he gets tied to his perch for the rest of the night.
I am sure that I mentioned that he likes to be with us, but I am not sure that I have conveyed just how much it helps his state of mind and satisfaction with his world. I am a bit surprised to note that he wants to be in the house quite a bit. He so far has wanted to be outside for about half of the day. The rest he sleeps, and he prefers to do that in the house or on one of the window ledges. When he gets bored, he will start fussing. If I offer him the glove, he will run over to my fist and start biting and talking, then after a short time, he stops, climbs on the glove and settles down in contentment. I can then put him back on his perch and he will be content for quite a long period of time. He thinks nothing of being on the glove and is quite happy to be there and go where ever I go. Boredom is the worst sort of damage that you can inflict on your raptor. They cannot see any reason that they should not get what they want- NOW!
When he had not come in at 1 PM today, I went outside and found him on the roof of the weathering area. He was looking towards me and the house, but he wasn't making any move to come. I went inside and got some food and the lure. I first tried the lure, but right at the moment he is keyed to the glove. I held up my fist and he soon launched off and flew to it talking for all he was worth. It was obvious that I should have looked for him earlier rather than waiting for him. No real harm, I stuck him in the window to finish his meal. When he was done, he went inside to lay down and nap.
He slept until about 3 PM. He jumped to the dining room table and I went to him, offered the fist which he accepted, and I took him back out to the hot tub. I thought that he might like another bath, but he flew over to that window ledge and took another nap.
After about an hour he again began flying around. He flew more today than he ever has. He flew around until about 7 PM then landed on the fifth wheel. I offered him my fist but my head was bigger, so he landed there. I brought him in and gave him a new quail half to work on.
https://vimeo.com/171350224 password- owyheeflyer
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