Falconry Punch

Returning

Goshawk – From The birds of Europe by John Gould.  Plates drawn from life and on stone by J. and E. Gould and E. Lear, 1837.

Fun times at the California Hawking Club annual field meet in Topaz, NV. Cottontails were hard to come by and competition over fields was tough, but the company and the landscapes were fantastic. Kai got 4 total. I’m proud of his performance :)

the gyrfalcon (falco rusticolus) has many variations in color; they are often categorized into four groups, or ‘morphs’ - silver, brown, black, and white. white is the rarest, and is typically seen in snowy habitats where it can assist the falcon in camouflaging itself. the gyrfalcon is also the world’s largest falcon, and preys upon small mammals, birds, and reptiles, occasionally eating carrion.

Training has been going well with Hudson! I’ve been taking it slow, getting to know how she responds at an individual level. My sponsor is difficult to reach, but luckily I know two other reputable falconers in my area who’ve been answering my questions and celebrating my progress with me. This week she’ll be on the creance, though I’m sure her weight will need to fall below 1300 g to get a reliable response at the creance distance. Also, I’ve learned that paracord is tissue paper for her foot knives and face cleaver. Leather jesses and rope leash are the way to go.

Owl fits perfectly

Looking Over

Hudson responded well to the glove today! After four days or so of moderate inattention and overall indifference to the glove, she brought herself to jump within 20 seconds at every single food offering this morning. Her weight has been a lot higher than what my scale has been reading; I didn’t know that by holding her jesses above her feet I was inadvertently tugging, creating a huge discrepancy between the scale reading and her actual weight. Thought she was 1280 g, turns out she was 1345! And yet the big girl came to the glove and everything. What a gem ❣️

Thanks to one of our willing volunteers, Jacob, this afternoon this beautiful bird was released back into the wild to fly free once more.

Sparrowhawk… by @avzon

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)

Texas Renaissance Festival Birds of Prey show

Texas Renaissance Festival Birds of Prey show

Nishimuraya Yohachi, Eagle on a Pine Branch in the Rain, 1780s.

Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, OBE, RA (British, 1901 - 1979), Lanner