New Eyas

Hatched at 10:14 on Jan. 30th. 5 lbs 10 oz. but I think she'll fly a little higher than that. I'm planning on tame hacking her for 18+ years and we'll decide what to do after that. ;-)

Hunting in a suit

Saturday was a little disappointing. I didn't have much time so I zipped over to the sparrow bush thinking that after last weeks success she'd dive right in. Didn't quite work out though. She was maybe .5g higher than last week and I suppose that made the difference. She chased them off the top of the bush like she usually does but was reluctant to go in after them. I tried feeding her into the bush through one of the openings but she'd just hop right back out looking for a tidbit.

There was only one time when I thought she might go in. She was sitting on a nearby building and I guess a sparrow flushed out of the bush I was working and put in in a smaller bush ten yards away. She took off from the building tucked up in a super shallow stoop heading for the bush but flared right at the last second landing on top of the bush. She looked down into the bush pretty intently and I could hear the sparrow moving around but it flushed out the opposite side as I approached.

The closest we came to a "kill" was at some small bushes in a Walmart parking lot. The bird took a slip at some sparrows WAY too farout (like 30 yards with the sparrows right next to cover...). I got my bird back on the fist and started kicking bushes and bunny popped out and ran across the street right in front of a car. The bunny saw the car at the last second and kind of folded in to a ball as the front tire took off some fur. It got spun for a loop and spun perfectly in time with the rear tire just barely, and I mean barely getting out of the way!

Sunday was super cold with snow flurries. It seems like I find more starlings on the ground on days like this then the warmer days we've been having. The first group I saw bumming around a dumpster next to a bank. I was actually on my way home from a church meeting so I was dressed in a suit and tie but I didn't want to let the opportunity pass me by so I rushed home, got the bird, and headed back for the slip still wearing my suit! The starlings weren't on the gound any more when I got back but I quickly located them on the roof of the bank. I pulled in to a parking spot and watched for a few minutes and before long they headed back to the dumpster. Unfortunately this dumpster had one of those concrete walls around it with a locked fence as the only access and most of the birds were on the inside. Patience paid off though and before long two birds were arguing over a piece of bread just outside the dumpster. I rolled down my window and began my approach. As I got about 15 feet away I was thinking that this was going to be good since both birds had their backs to us. Out the window she went...just as the bird she was going for disappeared behind some low shrubbery. It was only a few inches high but I guess it threw her off just enough since she overshot the bird. The rest flushed and that was that.

I headed back out after church, this time in proper hawking attire. A quick stop at the sparrow bush yeilded a pretty good flight as probably 30 sparrows were away from the bush feeding at the feeder. The main group got up probably 5 feet in front of her but she plowed into some long grass under the feeder and for a second there I thought she had one. She hopped back up and followed one over to the bush but didn't go in after them. With a bit of daylight left I figured rather than trying to get her to go in the bush after them I would go look for starlings and come back if I couldn't find any. I headed over to a nearby industrial park and did my usual route. On the very last leg I found about 6 starlings feeding in a grassy strip behind a building. It was an absolutely beautiful slip! I was sure wewere going to get one as I rounded the building, unhooked the kbird and prepared for the kill I was sure was coming...But I swear I am the unluckiest falconer on the planet. Just as I got lined up all but one bird flushed for no apparent reason. W.T.F!! The last bird was jumpy and flushed shortly after. Dulci was out the window but the starling had agood 10 yard head start. It was a good 75 yard chase but she was beat before it started.

I called her back and we headed home.

#2...Finally!!

The starlings have been rather uncooperative as of late. I see lots of them on the power lines and in trees but haven't been able to find them on the ground for the life of me. After driving around for a couple hours and having the only starlings I saw on the ground head to the trees as I turned around I decided to head to the ol' reliable sparrow bush.

This is a bush in a small shopping center parking lot that is always LOADED withsparrows (there's a feeder nearby). We've had lots of flights out ofthis bush but hadn't connected for one reason or another. What usually happens is I slip her from the car on the first go around when the sparrows are out near the curb, over at the feeder, or sitting on top of the bush. She would pitch up into the tree above the bush or fly to one of the nearby buildings if she missed and I would flush the birds toward her resulting in more chases. The buildings were just a bit too far away for her to have a good chance from there and there's another bush that the sparrows dodge into before she can get a good shot at them from the tree. I noticed last time however, that the sparrows hold really well in the bush after the initial slip. It's a thick evergreen bush and I can imagine they feel pretty safe in there. I figured that if there was some way I could get my bird actually in to the bush though we'd probably catch one.

Well it happened just about like I thought it would. On the initial slip she chased a sparrow under a parked car but the sparrow hit the ground and bounced out going the opposite way back to the bush. Not to give up so easily my bird came out from under the car hot on it's tail and hit the bush just behind it. She was peering intently down into the bush as I pulled the car into a parking spot. Usually this is where she flies up to the tree or one of the buildings and I thought I would have to call her to the fist and kind of insert her in to the bush. As I exited the car though she suddenly ducked in tothe bush on her own!

I would say the bush is about 6' wide by 10' long and holds well over a hundred sparrows on a good day. This was a good day and I could hear the sparrows going nuts. Due to the thickness of the bush I couldn't see much but kind of tapped on the bushes to herd the sparrows to where I thought my bird was. I ducked down to see if I could see anything from a lower angle just in time to see my bird snag one as it tried to dash past her. Wahoo!

I've always been nervous flying sparrows because of the possibility of carrying. Catching them in the bush prevents that but fishing her out took a bit of work. When she could see me she tried to snag the tidbits off my glove and drag the sparrow toward me but it was so thick in there that the sparrow got snagged in the branches. I got her out though and she finished the sparrow on my glove.

Hopefully she's realized that she can be successful in the bush now. If the starlings won't cooperate then the bush is almost a guaranteed meal if she'll regularly go in after them.

Here's hoping #3 doesn't take as long!

"Religious" Falconry

This is an article I recently wrote for the local falconry club here in Colorado. I've gotten some positive feedback from it so I thought I'd post it here:

“Religious" Falconry

Bear with me for a moment as often times talk of religion becomes awkward within the first few sentences. I do not intend to expound on the spiritual inclinations of mankind, rather I only mention religion here to highlight the similarities that this beautiful sport of ours has with the metaphysical beliefs scattered across the globe.

I consider myself a religious man, in the Bible sense of the word, and every Sunday you’ll find me at church worshipping. However, you’ll rarely hear me talk about my beliefs unless asked to do so. I find that most people will believe whatever they want and preaching to them does little but annoy. That’s fine by me. While I do believe strongly in the church I belong to one particular belief of my church states, “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” While our beliefs about the afterlife, or lack thereof, may cross the spectrum, individuals reading this article most likely all share the religion of falconry and it is this “religious falconry” to which I would like to speak. It is my intention with this article to encourage all falconers to adopt the above mentioned tenet of my faith as it applies to falconers. Claim the privilege of practicing falconry according to the dictates of your own conscience, and allow all falconers the same privilege, let them practice how, where, or what they may.

There are many definitions of religion. One says religion is, “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.” Another says similarly, “[a] body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices.” Certainly falconry falls under these definitions! The fundamentals of falconry are nearly identical across the globe and the practices inherit in falconry unite cultures that in other circumstances may even be considered enemies. Indeed, in this respect, falconry is an amazing practice.

Yet another definition suggests that religion is, “something one believes in and follows devotedly…”, no problem there, but the definition continues, “…a point or matter of ethics or conscience.” And when ethics and conscious come into play things get enormously sticky. What constitutes “good ethics” and “bad conscious” differ as greatly as a gyrfalcon differs from a sharp-shinned hawk depending on who you ask. Therein lies the problem that falconers often face. What constitutes good falconry versus bad falconry? Put a group of devoted longwingers in a room with devoted shortwingers and ask them to debate the merits of their chosen practice and you might as well throw up an octagonal cage and charge outrageous pay-per-view fees for the slugfest that is likely to follow! (On a side note, if anyone takes that idea and runs with it, please donate all proceeds to the club…) And in the end who will be right? No one, of course, as the beauty of the sport is in the eye of the beholder. One may find the orchestra of falcon, dog, and pointed quarry absolutely musical whereas another may find the flash of an accipiter off the fist in a flight lasting no more than thirty yards poetry in motion. Fair enough, I can accept the fact that different flight styles are appreciated by different people.

Unfortunately, I have seen these spirited debates escalate to involve more trivial matters. Suddenly whether or not one hawks on open ground or in an industrial park is a matter of ethical concern! Youtube has certainly been an accomplice in escalating this silly debate. Being as passionate as we all are about this sport there are those among us concerned that showing hawking in an industrial park will not be putting our best foot forward when the general public is likely to stumble upon the video. Fear of what “the anti’s” (ever lurking in the shadows) might say or do should they see such a video are certainly valid concerns and yet I hardly think that our passion for the sport should be wasted on defaming other falconers if they chose to practice that type of falconry.

We live in a modern world where space and time are luxuries afforded to few. Yet falconry has adapted to these conditions remarkably well. It would wonderful if we could all devote all our time and energy into orchestrating a beautiful longwing flights or spend hours afield pursuing the most difficult flights for our shortwings but the fact of the matter is most of us aren’t so lucky. Yet giving up falconry is no more an option than giving up ones religion for those who are truly dedicated. So we make due. A few quick flights at industrial park bunnies becomes our hurried prayer to the falconry gods each day. Not ideal, but at least we’re praying! And if we’re lucky enough to capture those quick flights on film it’s understandable that we would want to share the excitement.

I have chosen here to highlight just one, and perhaps the most minor, of the arguments that I hear among falconers and I imagine that many of you who are reading this can think of dozens of more “hot-button” topics which are likely to cause a heated debate in falconry circles. I do not mean to advocate complacency. Debate, even “spirited” debate, is healthy and this is not to say that there is no such thing as bad falconry. There is. What I hope to encourage is a different approach, a more respectable dialogue, in discussing these matters.

There is not a falconer out there who does not love the sport. There are too many hoops to jump through in becoming a falconer for someone to undertake this sport without that love. Unfortunately, that passion often clouds our unity and interferes with potential friendships. In the coming months and years we have the chance to change the way our sport is regulated and I fear that our petty bickering amongst ourselves will hamper our ability to move forward in positive ways. I would ask that all falconers approach these exciting times with open minds and strive for regulations that indeed let all falconers practice their beloved sport in the manner that they see fit. You cannot regulate good falconry and you cannot force another to practice only what you feel to be “good”. If we accept that fact and strive only to practice our own best falconry then we can all appreciate this wonderful sport for whatever we may feel it to be.

Happy hawking to all…whatever form you practice.

How cold is TOO cold??

Still having trouble putting #2 in the bag (lingering effects from the curse I suppose) and this weekend didn't do me any favors. Saturday was super windy with winds 25-30 mph and there were reports of others losing their birds to the wind but I headed out anyway. Didn't see a single starling but it was probably better that way, I imagine Dulci would've been blown into the next county.

Sunday was COLD. Not just "Burrrr, it's cold" kinda cold, I'm talking a HIGH of 9F (-12C) kinda cold. It was 3F (-16C) when I went out at 1:00pm!! Did that deter me? Nope. The car has a heater, right?

It took me awhile to find the starling though. I finally found a good group hudled underneath an evergreen bush in a Home Depot parking lot. It looked to be an absolutely perfect slip. Unfortunately there was no way I could do it safely. The bush was right at the corner to turn in to the parking lot from a busy road. I wouldn't have been able to stop safely driving by the bush from either direction. I did find a few hudled beneath another bush across the intersection in a safer, albeit less accessible, spot but it was a really difficult slip uphill and the starlings were already so close to cover all they had to do was hop up to be out of the way.

Having scared the starling out of that spot however, they congregated in a couple trees above the islands in the neighboring Walmart parking lot. A much better slip...if cars weren't parked right where I needed to drive!! Don't these people know I'm hawking here!! Finally a few floated down to the bushes beneath the trees and a parking spot opened up right next to them. I didn't get a moving slip and all the eyes in the trees above the bushes alerted the starlings on the ground as soon as Dulci went out the window but a good 50 yard tailchase ensued. She got beat fair and square.

After breaking off the chase she went and stooped a raven that was sitting on a light post in the middle of the parking lot and then landed briefly on a neighboring light pole. I think the metal pole was too cold on her feet though and she glided down to a bush another 20 yards away. I lost track of her when she went down and it took me a minute to navigate the car through the lot packed with cars but she came in immediately when I swung the lure. When I got her on the fist she immediately sat down on her feet. I can only assume she was trying to warm them up. I got back in the car and turned the heater on and held her near the vents for a couple minutes until she stood back up. She'd only been out for a total of maybe 5 minutes! Too dang cold, so I fed her up and we headed home.

Black Friday アメチョウは獲物ゲット！

THE CURSE IS BROKEN!

Day 1:I arrived on Sunday afternoon, threw my stuff in the hotel room, grabbed a couple buddies and said, "Let's go kbird hawking!" First stop was the Walmart parking lot. There were a few sparrows under a bush on the far edge of the lot so they offered the first slip. Out the window she went and the sparrows dove into the bush. It was a fairly sparse bush so we could see the sparrows still in there. My friends and I exited the car and surrounded the bush to see if we could get a reflush but they all busted out the top. We (bird included ) piled back into the car and drove around for a bit looking for starlings. We found A TON...but they were all up on wires! We tried throwing some bread out to see if we could get some to come down but they were having none of it so we moved on. A grocery store parking lot provided the next shot at sparrows. There were quite a few people walking around though so we wanted to be discrete. Luckily the sparrows were on the edge of a parking row and there was a parking spot directly across the way. I slipped her, she gave chased but missed and we continued right on in to the parking spot. She landed in a tree right next to our parking spot so I stuck my glove out the window and down she came. First time she'd ever come back through the window! We headed back to the Walmart parking lot and saw some starlings feeding in a fast food parking lot but the slip would've been through the drive through so I pulled into a parking spot facing the starlings and let her go. It was a bad slip and she missed and then was caught by the wind and was suddenly 100+ yards away. She hovered for a bit, drifted a little further downwind, hovered a bit more, and then finally found a light pole to land on. I'll admit, that scared me a bit. I don't know that she'd ever gone that far out. I quickly pulled out the lure though and on the first swing she was already on her way. She landed on the lure, I fed her up and we headed back to the meet hotel to catch some other friends headed out with a gos.

NAFAの一日目
日曜日にテクサス州とNAFAのホテルに到着。すぐに友達を見つけて「狩りに行こう！」と言う。初めは何でもあり屋さんんの駐車場でのスズメ。追いかけるけどスズメが植物に逃げられる。実はスズメはちょっと怖い。捕ったらどこかに飛んでいきそうなのでスターリンングを探す。スターリングは沢山いましたけど捕れるところにはいなかった。結局またスズメに投げる。しかもまた捕らない。最後にやっとスターリングを見つけたけどあんまりよくない場所でした。追いかけたけど風に流されて100メテル向うに飛んでいてしまう。いいのはルーアを出したらすぐに戻ってきました。それでホテルに帰った。

Day 2 (Monday):A GREAT way to really begin the meet. My sponsor's son and I headed out to look for slips and decided to check the truck stops along the frontage road near the freeway. We found a couple that had some really promising looking starling slips and got a couple flights on both starlings and sparrows. I even slipped her at a mixed flock of sparrows, starlings, and pigeons and while she missed all of the above, she scared the crap outta one pigeon that took off and then literally plowed right back into the ground when she saw Dulci coming. Funny stuff. But the last slip of the day was the best. We went back to the most promising truck stop that had some grass islands just loaded with starlings. A group of about 15 starlings mixed with grackles was feeding along one of the islands in a perfect set up. I rolled past, out the window she went and...she grabbed a grackle! I actually don't think it was on purpose. There was a curb around the island and I think she missed a starling, turned around and grabbed the first thing she saw that was against that curb, it just happened to be a grackle. I jumped out of the car and ran over to assist but just as I got there the grackle pecked at her and she let it go. I thought she'd realize what it was and let it go but to my surprise she got up and chased it a hundred yards and put it in under a parked semi!!! What an awesome flight! And the best part is, we got it on film! It's not high quality but it gives you an idea of what happened:

二日目
次の日はすごくよかった。新しい場所を沢山見つけてスターリングがいっぱい。数回投げて捕らなかったけど惜しかった！ベデオではスターリングより大きい鳥を掴んだけど持つことが出来なかった。外ずしても100メテルも追いかけった。びっくりでした！

The next two or three days were busy hawking with other folks and while I got at least one slip every day except Thursday because of strong winds, none of them were really great. I dedicated Friday to catching something with the kbird, no hawking with other folks until she caught. Luckily, I didn't have too wait long!

次の2日、3日は他の人と狩りしていったのでアメチョウはあんまり飛ばせなかった。

Day 6 (Friday):My sponsor tagged along as we began checking truck stops. In all honesty, I thought Dulci was a tad bit high for the time we were heading out so I was pretty selective with my slips. There were a couple that I could've slipped her at but didn't. Our first slip came at the same truck stop where she'd grabbed the grackle a few days before. There was a good sized group of starlings feeding up against a wall so I told my sponsor to get in position with his car to watch the flush as I pulled around to beep Dulci up. As I was beeping her up a group of about 10 landed about 15 feet in front of me on the opposite site of some concrete dividers. My sponsor was out of position but I couldn't pass up the slip. All I had to do was put the car in drive. Dulci was out as soon as she saw the birds but the dividers messed up her approach and she didn't have a good angle on them. Scared one of 'em bad enough that it almost ran into my car, but it wasn't meant to be. We headed to the other truck stops to check things out but didn't see anything as promising as that first slip so we headed back in that direction. On the way I saw some sparrows feeding on the side of "The Big Texan", the restaurant where NAFEX had it's dinner Monday night. I figured I'd give it a go and for the first time ever slipped her out the passenger side window. It was probably her best flight of the meet! The sparrows got up just ahead of her but she was closing fast. They stayed close to the ground as the kbird and two sparrows went whipping around the corner of the restaurant. I gunned my engine and raced to follow. I found my kbird sitting on top of a fence looking into a tree behind a tall wooden fence in the back of the restaurant. I didn't want her to catch a sparrow back there so I called her back to the fist but wow, what a great flight. My sponsor may have gotten that one on film before they went around the building. I'll post it when it gets sent to me if it's any good.

6日目は最高でした。2回すごく惜しかって3回目投げるとスターリングゲット！！数羽が草の中食べていたのでアメチョウを見なかった。食べていたところを見て「絶対捕るぜ」と思った。窓から飛び出して直線に背中向きのスターリングに当たりました！喜んでいました！

The next flight sealed the deal. We were back at the truck stop that had been so good to us all week. This time the starlings were in an absolutely perfect position on one of the grassy islands. I did a drive by to check the slip and tried to get my sponsor in position to film. As I pulled up next to him I rolled down my window and said, "They're in a perfect position, she'll get one on this flight. Time to kill a starling!" The birds were about 20 feet out feeding and as soon as she went out the window I knew she'd get one. I even picked the one she'd go for in the split second between when she left my fist and the first birds saw her. The one she hit had it's back toward her as the others took off. She smacked right in to it and came out on top. I immediately hopped out of my car to assist. She kakked at me as I approached but didn't try and go anywhere at all. I scooped both birds up, finished the starling off and let her break in. Lots of smiles and pictures followed.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like my sponsor got the flight on film. He'll send me what he got soon but I'm not too hopeful.

She got both legs, the head, and half of the breast. A fairly good crop for her. She was way over weight the final day of the meet so I didn't get to fly her again.

Overall I couldn't be happier with her performance at the meet. Twice she was blown quite a ways away (100+ yards), once clear across all six lanes of the busy freeway but every time I pulled out the lure she came instantly. She came in and went out of the car window like she's been doing it her whole life when I've never done any sort of training for that. She had some great flights on sparrows, grabbed a grackle, and killed a starling despite the fact that she's never been given any sort of baggie other than two sparrows in my house at the very beginning of training and I got my first NAFA game pin.

May this be the start of an excellent season!

N.A.F.A. Highlights 全国鷹狩り大会

Just a couple of highlights from my recent trip to the NAFA meet in Amarillo, TX. Unfortunately I didn't take that many pictures, too busy hawking!! My kestrel adventures will have their own post.

NAFAからの写真んです。残念ながらそう何撮らなかった。狩りで忙しかった！アメチョウの出来事は次のポストで書きます。

One of the coolest things I did down there was something I'd been wanting to do since the last NAFA meet. There are a couple of guys from New Mexico that chase jacks with falcons and sighthounds. I went out with them three times and saw jacks taken by all three of the falcons. We'd walk a field until a jack got up and the dogs would go tearing after it. The hood would be popped off the falcon and it would immediately join the chase. The falcon would smack the jack and make it tumble or bind to it and the dogs would run up to help finish it off. The flights were generally a quarter to a half mile long. That is some impressive flying and the type of jack hawking I could really get in to! Someday...

一番面白かったことは隼と犬でウサギを追いかけったことでした。皆が一緒に歩いてウサギが出ったらまず犬が追いかける。隼はその時までフードを付けったままで
いったけど犬が走り出したらフードを外ずして飛んでいく。すごく速いペースで追いかけって隼がウサギを当たたら犬が殺すのに助ける。大体500メテルから1km程のフライトでした。すごくよかったです！3回行って毎回ウサギを捕りました。いつか自分でやってみたいな...

I spent one day with the eagles way down south in Lubbock.

一日はイヌワシの狩りを見学しました。

We were taken to the most incredible jack field I've ever seen. There were literally hundreds of jacks! I tried to take some video, it's not really great but if you're patient to the end you can get an idea of just how many there were. Despite the incredible jack numbers, only 2 were put in the bag that day.

凄いところに行きました。そう何沢山んのウサギを見るのは初めてでした。数百匹がいました。ビデオはよくないけどよく見ったらウサギの数を想像できます。その日イヌワシは2匹を捕りました。

And of course there were the Harris hawkers. I saw a few bunnies and a jack get taken by them as well.

そして人気のハリスもいました。ウサギを何匹か捕りました。

And of course these are just the highlights of the pictures I was able to take. I also got to see a longwing flown in waiting on style kill wild game for only the second time in my life, numerous other birds fly and I even found an arrowhead! Overall it was an incredible meet. One intagible highlight was meeting a lot of great people who I've only known through the internet for so long. I didn't get to go hunting with them all but I'll look forward to hunting with them next year. I can't wait!

他の出来事が沢山なったけど写真んはないです。隼がゴイサギを捕るのも見て、 オオタカの狩りにも参加しました。すごく楽しかった。アメリカに来る機会があればお勧めします。又来年を楽しみにしています！！