so here we are at day 10 and it's time for 'Dora (and my daughter) to take their first flight on the creance (long line).

Both were somewhat nervous about this but there comes a point where the talking's done and it's time to go for it

the exercise here is to fly 20 feet, land on the glove,jump to a thrown tidbit on the ground, then back to the glove. return to perch and repeat.

(sounds simple I know but there are a lotta moving parts and it happens pretty fast)

1st try:


coming along:





these things do happen!





here we go:



[img]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x134/utahlefty/falconry/DSC08237_zps7484fccf.jpg[/img]

perfect!


[img]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x134/utahlefty/falconry/DSC08238_zps85f70220.jpg[/img]


[img]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x134/utahlefty/falconry/DSC08233_zps5b780989.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x134/utahlefty/falconry/DSC08234_zpsbb5f70fe.jpg[/img]

this 16 week old bird and 13 year old girl have a grand total of 20 days experience between them so lets give a shout out for staying in the batter's box &knocking this one out of the park!

Way, way cool.

Nifty!

What is the end goal? IIRC I have seen hunting shows where they used falcons to go after pheasant

rabbits mostly, although these two have long enough tails to be maneuverable enough to go after pheasants & even puddle jump ducks.

U.L.,

Great post! I couldn't help but notice that as your daughter's body language in the photos became more relaxed, so did the bird's posture become more relaxed and natural. It may be one of those "chicken or egg" things but there it is.

Did the talons draw blood on her arm/shoulder?

Thanks for posting and please keep 'em coming. I've never seen falcon training before. Fascinating.

RS

That is a brave young lady. Looks like you have a winning pair.

Very cool! You and your daughter ought to be pleased with how this is progressing.

I can see the school paper now "How I spent my summer, training a falcon!"

Outstanding.

Guy

this does not pass the smell test sir

All awesome stuff,but I would like to see your daughter wearing protective eyewear.

What kind of raptor is that?

Thanks for posting some really cool pics.

she's got some superficial skin scratches but no real injuries to speak of -- 'Dora is really pretty light-footed.

as to the rest -- yeah towards the end of the session they were both relaxed, synched-up and working together. That's really a big part of the process (building trust).

It's pretty intimidating for a 100# kid to have a hungry bird with a 4-foot wingspan flying at her feet first !

I can imagination it would be intimidating to me and I am an even 200.

Beyond cool...... Please keep posting.... Would love to read a post or two from your daughter about her experience......

it's one of a pair of Harris Hawks we're training up for this hunting season

+1

I find falconry fascinating!

My 5th grade teacher / boy scout leader was a falconer, he got a peregrine the second year I knew him. Watched him fly that bird a lot bringing down pigeons, your pics bring back memories.

Good for your daughter! Though some type of arm/shoulder pad might be a good investment, lots of falconers have puncture scars. Maybe look into some paintball pads?

Neat pictures!
I have a question, Left: after you catch/trap a falcon or hawk, what makes them want to stay with you and not fly off the first time you turn them loose?

Impressive work.

There are actually two different answers to that, depending on the species.

#1) Harris Hawks. These are the only social raptor and hunt in packs in the wild. They bond tightly to their handler and want to be close. They see the falconer as a hunting partner and have a "hunting" association, not a food association. Bad behavioral stuff happens to Harris' that see the falconer as a vending machine.

#2) All other raptors. These are not social and the bond is a food-bond. They associate the falconer with food and "allow" the falconer to come along on their hunts. They become more responsive as their weight approaches ideal hunting weight. Let one loose too heavy and it won't come back!

That's really neat. You have the coolest hobbies.

awesome pictures.

WONDERFUL !

Kudos and all blessings on a successful effort, one clearly a labor of love.

GTC

Just awesome. Thanks so much for sharing. Question, please: can/do instances ever occur where a raptor mistakenly latches into the handler's flesh? Do the birds understand that clenching their talons into anything other than the leather will cause injury? Can a raptor land on, say, a forearm and balance without puncturing skin, as in loosely grabbing? Thanks for any insight, and thanks again. This is great stuff.

Leighton - those feet are more than capable of doing damage and most falconer's will get "footed" at some point.

those talons are almost an inch long!



The Harris has 2-3X the grip strength of a human (in PSI). Double that for a Red-Tail. Double again for a Ferugie. Double again for an Eagle.

Having said that though, you're not likely to get footed unless the bird is startled. Even walking around with one on the glove, they're pretty light footed and don't break the skin.

Most are comfortable picking up their own bird(s) with bare hand/arm for short periods or to adjust something, etc. as we already have with these guys.

here's another pic of her holding the bird with one foot riding up off the glove:

Thanks; appreciate the shared knowledge very much. So very cool, what you guys are doing. I'll have to remember not to offer to 'shake hands' with any eagles...

One other question (apologies if already asked and answered): what is the average life expectancy of captive birds, please?

You are a very lucky man, Lefty. She's beautiful! The bird looks good too.

most captive bred birds will live 25-30 years and can fly regularly for nearly all of it if they can avoid the many hazards (electrocution, eagles & owls).

Outstanding Matt!

Yes outstanding!

Thanks for sharing this.

So you have to keep them "hungry" in order for them to stick around?

Very interesting stuff.

Also, how do you go about catching a Harris hawk? (No, I don't intend to attempt to become a shade-tree falconer, I just find this very interesting.)

they're not native here (a Sonoran desert breed) but can be trapped in their range the traditional way other hawks are: a trap called a Bal Chatri, which is a hardware cloth cage with a mouse inside and fishing line loops all over the top. hawk drops to get the mouse and gets it's feet tangled.

you have to be within sight of the trap at all times and will have had the target bird spotted before dropping the trap. run up with a towel and ba-da-bing.

falcons are usually trapped with a net called a Dho-Gazza.


BTW, these two of ours are captive-bred out of Seattle.

and yes, there is a "magic weight" at which they are athletically at peak fitnes and aggressive. above that, they're lying couch potatoes and below that they're weak and in danger.

finding and maintaining that weight is an art...

Thanks for all the info, way too cool. I am envious.

This is a great. When can we expect the "range trip" post?

Matt, any good books out there for someone just interested in learning more about falconry? ive got a European hunting book that has a chapter on falconry but it just glances over the subject preferring instead to show dozens of pictures of the different style hoods....

Very cool

Snake

the goal is to have their weight down enough to be hunting before Sept 1.


Nick Fox's Understanding Birds of Prey is the gold standard -- but it will be out of print until the first of the year.

also really good is the Coulson's new book "Harris Hawk Revolution" if you're interested in Hawks specifically.

finally,

the website http://www.themodernapprentice.com/links.htm has a wealth of falconry info if you're just wanting to browse...

Sweet! I so much wanted to do this when i was your girls age, my buddie and I tried to catch some little great horned owls, didnt go so well, mom & pop owl didnt want to give them up, kinda guess the out come. always said some day, just keep us up to date on your progress! to cool!

Do you breed the birds?

That is cool as heck! Thanks for sharing, and, a knuckle bump to your daughter for hanging in there.

no, one needs a propagation permit to do so.

and, all our birds are females.

And a leather jacket. Maybe a wielders coat.

Stunning and beautiful.

I could never have anything like that. I forgot to give my rabbits water for 4 days once


......once



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