Falconry in Washington

I have moved to Washington State and after a year of back and forth hassle (a long and not-so-fun story), I got my mews approved and went out with a falconry buddy to trap a bird. We were both hoping for large female RT and we both got lucky. After a morning of frustration, near misses and one passage male with very small feet, we trapped two females within 20 minutes of each other. There is a very good chance they are from the same brood.

We brought them back, got them jessed up, wormed and ready to go. After a few weeks of working with Mira I realized she was eating like a pig but not maintaining weight and she was breathing hard after very little exertion. I took her to Dr. Bennett at Tumwater Veterinary Hospital where she was diagnosed with Aspergillosis. You can read more about Aspers here. She is a strong girl to have survived it. She apparently had it when trapped (which explained her low weight) but it looks like we got to it early enough.

After more than two months of treatment she is holding her weight and is able to continue flight training without overly exerting herself. Currently she flies 25+ feet on the creance. I’m sure she’d do further but she refuses to wait until I call her this week.Here she is hanging out with me in my office.

She is currently flying at around 1200g and is still keen.

Training

So it has been some time and many events since I added anything here. Like many well-intentioned but non-prolific bloggers I got busy with my subject matter and neglected to write it down.  So here is a recap.

12/11/2011 A falconry friend and I have been trapping out in the same area for awhile now with no real success but plenty of ‘almost’s. This time we ended up with more than we bargained for. I had never seen it happen before, but two passage RTs came into the same trap at the same time and both got caught!

Here is a photo. They look like angry bookends.

I ended up with the one on the left. Because of the unusual circumstance of his capture I named him BOGO (Buy One Get One). We fitted him with jesses and leash and then we wormed him (not easy).

Here are some photos of when I got him back to my house.

Getting to know each other.

So since that day it has been training, training, training. I’m dusting off skills I haven’t used in awhile and remembering why I loved this so much to begin with. Weight management has been difficult because a) I’m learning his metabolism, b) trying to ascertain his flight weight, and c)dealing with fluctuations in weather that are very uncommon for this time of year. I’m feeding him quail I purchased from RodentPro. I was very pleased with the quality, care and timeliness of their product and service.

I suppose now would also be a good time to mention that I got most of my falconry supplies (the ones I don’t make myself or draft talented family members into making for me) from Mike’s Falconry Supplies, (since I’ve been asked). Now, before this sounds like a commercial, I will continue on.

First Bogo was fat and scared (normal at that point), but he handled being on the glove well. He was jumpy and bated frequently at the smallest movement from things around him. He was able to be hooded but would kick the hood off and so for the first bit he stayed in the GH that a good friend made me several years ago.

In attempting to get him to a responsive weight I dropped him too low and he started binding to the glove and screaming (for food) whenever I came near him. I cropped him up to raise his weight and a warm front hit so then he was too high again. It took him two days until he would readily hop to the fist but then things moved quickly–until another warm front set him too high again. It was in the 50s then it dropped to the 30s and snowed. The very next day it was back to the 50s.

Despite the weirdness we moved on to creance training.

 

Bogo was still high today but he flew to the fist 50ft four times before he decided the new field we were in was more interesting than the tidbits on my glove. I threw the lure out to him and even that was not much of an enticement. Throughout the session Bogo continually refused to get on the perch and instead would land on the ground. I flew him to the fist this way but a couple of times he started running after me instead of flying. It was weird. Obviously I have to wait until he looses a bit more. Here are some good shots of Bogo in his weathering area.

See? He is standing on the ground again. His feet look fine and he will sit quietly on the perch in his mews…dunno.

Such a pretty boy. And of course here he is giving me the stink eye.

You can find anything at the mall…

Tags

falconry, hawk, trapped, trapping

Yesterday on my way to work, I noticed a bird of prey of some sort stuck in the glass overhang at the entrance to the mall. He had apparently flown in after a sparrow and could not figure out how to get out. I contacted the mall to let them know, but I wasn’t too concerned because I was certain he would find his way out by nightfall. He did not manage to and by the end of the day he was exhausted from bashing himself against the glass all day. At first the mall office would not allow me to help, but they relented and told me I could trap him if he was still there in the morning.
I went back early this morning to find him still perched in the glass dome. I had hoped he was a juvie redtail (I couldn’t get a good look at him) but something about the tail and the bird’s silhouette bothered me… I tossed the trap and he took just a minute to slam into it. He didn’t trap himself the first time so I had to wait for him to take another shot. He did and I moved in to subdue him and get him off the trap. I had trapped an adult sharp-shinned hawk (he could have been a cooper’s but his color was diffused on his chest and his tail was square). I didn’t get any usable photos but I am attaching a photo of what he looked like.
Still no redtail for me but a productive morning none the less. He was a beautiful bird.

The quest continues

I’ve been out trapping a few times since the last post but have not had much luck so far. It is gratifying to know I am finding birds with regularity. I’m just not seeing many passage birds. The falconers on NAFEX were encouraging when I asked for advice. I’m doing the right thing. Now it comes down to timing and patience. C and I will be out before dawn tomorrow to get into position when the birds start looking for breakfast. Hopefully I will have good news to share tomorrow…

The trap works

C and I went trapping Wednesday and it was too depressing and frustrating. We saw several birds (most of them haggards) and had no luck getting them to drop on the trap. After several hours we called it a day as it started to rain. Later that night C and I left to go get pizza in the dark and rain…and saw a bird perched right next to the road where the rules of logic say he should not have been! So, of course, I did not have the trap with me. After much creative venting on my part we resumed our evening.

C and I went trapping again this morning. The temperature had dropped and it was still chilly in the early morning. We saw several birds–adults or in bad spots–on our way toward the river. We spotted two large birds along the entrance ramp on the highway so we circled back around and tossed the trap. Both the birds eyed the trap and then one launched herself at the trap. We waited, holding our breathe, to be certain she was caught. Bam! She was flapping and flailing. I jumped out of the car and ran toward her. She was pulling the trap around (Note to self- add more weight) and was caught by one toe. And she had the most lovely red tail…oops, caught a haggard! She lay there doing the big winged puffy thing so I tossed a towel over her head and grabbed her foot to untangle it. C got his first up close and personal look at a wild red tail and their EXTREMELY large talons. He was quite impressed. I managed to untangle the noose from her toe then I had C  step back. I stepped back and pulled the towel from her and she was off! It was beautiful. It was the most exhilarating experience. I now know the trap works just fine. 🙂

We continued on toward the river. After spotting and tossing a few more times unsuccessfully, we found a juvie sitting in a small tree by the road. We tossed the trap and scooted down the road to watch. He took several minutes to decide if he was interested then he made a pass at the trap. We waited to see in he was caught but the trap was in a bad place to see it clearly. We exited the car and moved toward the trap…and he flew up and landed in a tree not far away.

C and I spent about a half an hour moving the trap and attempting to catch him. He was not afraid and didn’t spook or fly away. We walked very close and he stayed put. He made one more halfhearted swipe at the trap and then perched and stayed. I pulled out the binoculars to get a detailed look and realized he was favoring a leg. He was sitting on one foot with the other held out beside him. He appeared to be injured. C took some pictures of the entire event and then tried for some close ups of the bird. Finally the bird had enough and flew across the road into a tall power pole. By this point it was close to 11 and I needed to get back to get ready for work.

Here is the juvie we found

It was an exciting day full of ups and downs. C and I are getting better about communicated and trap placement. Though I did not come back with a bird today it was a worthwhile way to spend the morning. It is nice to know the trap works. We’ll go again Sunday.

Here is how close we could get to him without him spooking. He's at the top of the tree on the left.

 

Just my luck…

or is it? I was home yesterday with food poisoning. I won’t go into details but it was not pleasant. Today, with my stomach still slightly queasy, I got up early to pick up J for a fun morning of trapping. It did not turn out that way. We drove for a bit with nothing. We spotted two hawks perched by an access road. I drove into a side path in a field, J dropped the trap and I turned around to find a place to watch…but I didn’t realize there was a drainage ditch to the side of the path. Before I saw the danger my Jeep was already in the ditch, over a pipe and at a precarious angle at best. Being somewhere near Freeburg, several people saw our distress and stopped to help. Three people, two trucks, and a Bobcat later my Jeep was free with minor damage. The helpers refused any kind of reward (even breakfast). With the car safely beyond the ditch (my helpers stayed to watch and make sure I didn’t drive right into it again) J decided she had enough for the day and called her husband to come get her.

Now I realize that it was a boneheaded thing to do but it was an accident. The condescending attitude that I was somehow incompetent really rubbed me raw. Everyone has accidents and makes mistakes…mine just happen to be large and visible when they happen. I morosely drove home thinking gloomy thoughts and saw 3 hawks that I could not attempt to catch because I had no one to toss the trap. One was definitely a juvie because he flew right in front of the car and I got a good look at his tail. I think the hawks are mocking me.

Hopefully C will be up to going out when he gets home. We may not have trapped anything yet but everything went much smoother with him. More updates later…

Trapping

Tags

falconry, trapping

Yesterday was cold, rainy and windy. Even when the rain cleared and C and I did a drive by of the places we had seen RTs before, we saw nothing. C is very sick so I didn’t push my luck. Instead I took him home and put him to bed. 2nd day and still no bird.

Today C had classes all day so I enlisted the help of a friend who is interested in falconry to be a spotter and BC tosser. Being an avid hunter, J was thrilled to be a part of it and not too full of doubts about tossing a trap with a gerbil in it. We went out at two. We spotted a hawk near the beginning but when J threw the trap it landed upside down. Correcting the trap spooked the bird. We continued on. 3 hours, 5 hawks that were either haggards or in a bad position to attempt to capture, 4 deer, 2 groundhogs, and a coyote later, we called it a day. Then we realized Js phone was missing. We attempted to retrace our steps but to no avail. So we ended up losing something instead of gaining something. J is a good sport and took it all in stride, she is even still willing to go trapping again. Maybe this Sunday we will have some better luck. And that was day 3; it’s back to work for me tomorrow.

The long twisted paths we take

After an apprenticeship and an unplanned, extended break I have returned to the world of falconry. It has been a weird and fascinating journey so far, and I have learned so much.

After months of work and waiting I got my renewed general license and capture permit in the mail at the start of the week. I took some days off to go trapping. Late last night the rain rolled in with thunder, waking me up several times and drenching everything. This morning the rain was still poring down and I thought my first day of trapping would be a bust. As it was I would not be able to start until late in the afternoon when my husband was available to help me toss the B.C. I got all my supplies together and hoped. The rain stopped in the early afternoon. Things dried up just a bit and the day stayed overcast and chilly. My husband got home (sick and grumpy) and said he was still willing to go. At this point it was three o’clock. I almost called a day before we went (he really did look miserable) but I thought we could just go scout about for a bit. A quick run to Petsmart for a gerbil– which was awkward as all the sales associates were congratulating me on my new pet– and we were off.

We drove down highway 255 looking for birds perched along the sides. My husband has much better vision than I do so I drove and he watched for birds with the B.C. balanced on his lap and a confused gerbil running back and forth inside. He spotted a large redtail perched in a tree but just past it there were two police cars with their lights going and a car pulled over. We exited at the next ramp and turned about. Miraculously the bird was still there. I pulled over past the bird and my husband got out to set the trap. I was sure the bird would spook but it stayed and watched. It contemplated the gerbil for several minutes then flew to another tree. Eventually it flew low but went past. We retrieved the trap and continued on getting off at the next exit and taking some less used roads.

We spotted the bird again near a power station. C dropped the trap and I continued to drive around the station until we could see the bird at a distance. He watched the trap and thought about it. We tensely waited. He flew closer and landed. We waited. More tension. He leapt off the perch and dove for the trap…just as a large car came barreling around the corner. The bird veered off and flew away. Sigh. We retrieved the trap with the still very active gerbil inside and continued on.