OK...now that I'm back from Urgent Care...
To answer your questions...
patz...VERY TRUE...there is a BIG DEBATE going on between US Fish and Wildlife and falconers regarding the amount of incidental kills by these farms. USFW won't let falconers trap eagles because there is a set quota to be taken from the wild. USFW would rather those were JUST what is lost to the wind co's....not wind co's AND falconers.
HD...I AM trying to be the most interesting man
...life is to be lived...you only get 1 shot at it, right?
Quick...it's L&L electronics...bought it 2nd hand from a guy getting out...DOES give you confidence...i lose her AT LEAST once a session...often she will take a perch much farther away than expected, or sometimes hunts on her own. Or...like 1 time, stole another hawk's squirrel and proceeded to munch it down on a light pole over a freeway
I looked kinda goofy on the side of the road swinging a half a quail to coax her down. Luckily, she was still hungry!
DeWolf...in the wild only 1 in 5 sees it's 1st birthday. Causes are many, such as sibling killing them in the nest, being kicked out...cars, guns, electrocution...from the wild, eagles and great horned owls take a fair amount. From those, only 1 in 4 makes it to 5 yrs...with breeding beginning anywhere between 3 and 5 yrs old. There are estimated to be 5-6 million red-tailed hawks in the CONUS. That's why the gov't allows the take of these birds by falconers. The goal is to give this bird a fighting chance. I will keep her for 2 yrs. thru my apprenticeship. After that, I can get a number of different types of birds...as well as continue to keep her. When done, they can be re-introduced to the wild. All the falconer does is minimize human contact with the bird for a period of a couple weeks while feeding it regularly. Then, fully stuff the bird and release preferably in an area she's hunted before. She may get kicked out and have to find territory for herself...that's why you feed them up...gives them 5-7 days w/o eating while they find suitable hunting grounds. My sponsor's birds are 27 and 4 yrs old. In Pa., there was a guy still hunting his bird at 35!
WAYNE!!! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER call a falconer's bird a pet! That is the biggest insult! These birds have NO emotional attachment to you. It's only thru strict weight management the bird chooses to work with you. On the other side of the coin...I've fallen for her in a big way, and would be crushed if anything happens to her. But...when you are out in nature, anything can happen! Many falconers lose birds to nature. You just have to be willing to accept this can happen and try to minimize the risks...i.e. don't fly near wind farms, stay away from transformers, etc.
And finally...today I made a BIG mistake! Pepermint has always had impeccable manners on her kill, letting me in to help dispatch it, get her out of thick brush, etc. I didn't use my gloved hand between her and the rabbit and paid the price. She drove 1 of her talons AT LEAST a half inch into my hand...keeping a death grip on it where I couldn't do anything but wait till she re positioned herself to eat the rabbit. EVERYTIME either the rabbit or I moved, she re-applied more pressure. Like quicksix said...I'll only make that mistake ONCE! Thx guys for listening! Best, Jim.
