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Out with mySaker....


Saker Clive
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Is that a weasel the Harris Hawk is feasting on :D

 

Yes it is; he took a liking to the little buggars a few years ago and luckily he always got them by the head and never got bitten. He hasn't had one last season or this as yet!! Musty, smelly things.

We were out on a Hawking Day with about a dozen people, and he went hurtling along about 40 yards infront and went down hard..........we knew he wasn't after a rabbit or pheasant and when I got there he was on a weasel and I got 'scented' :unsure: which made the others laugh!!! Another time, he was at the top of a 30 foot tree scanning the surroundings when he went into kill mode and flew 60 yards into knee length grass and again, he had another one. Their eyesight is something to be amzed at.

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Edited by Saker Clive
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Today was a lot cooler than of late and her weight was 1lb. 15 1/4oz. a little bit up than I'd hoped but the colder temp. should have counteracted that. There is a slight north-north -easterly breeze around 12mph. and quite overcast which was a shame as the forecast had said it was going to be a lovely weekend!!!

I also found another local weather-station on the web which gives out the cloudbase etc. today the cloudbase is 2767 feet, and I wasn't expecting Zarbu to go up much today. She started off as normal, and headed off into the wind then up over the hill but she decided to climb and stoop, climb and stoop along the hillside before getting up and ringing away. We watched her go out over the coast and then really begin to climb. We neede the bino's to watch her go up through the clouds then lost sight of her! I was having a chat with a couple of people who decided to watch and after about ten minutes they asked the usual questions, 'what do you do if she doesn't come back?' and 'how does she know where you are?' etc. I told them about the telemetry and got out the receiver; I said that providing I get a good signal without the need to open up the yagi, she is within a couple of miles. I turned on the unit and got a very feint signal even with the volume turned up full!!!!...........................then I realised it was still on close range from being out with Kier recently..............so as not to look totally stupid, we carried on chatting and I flcked the attenuator back to normal, then after a short while I said I thought I could hear her bells, turned on the unit inside the case and got the loud strong beep.............and said that she was on her way back. We all had a good look about then I saw her about a mile off at nearly 1000 feet. I called to her and threw the lure out and she was soon back on a long acute angled stoop. I was getting a little chilly and wanted to call it a day but she was enjoying herself and wanted her normal 2 flights. I offered her a pickup peice but she turned her back and hopped a few feet away!!! I threw a chick leg over for her then attached a head on the pad whilst she watched. She knew that she could go off again and soon headed up into the wind. She had only been up a few seconds when a female Kessie that had been hunting decided to let Zarb know that she was not welcome and the 2 dissappeared out of sight over the ridge. A few minutes later the Kessie came back down our way and carried on with her business but no sign of Zarb. I wasn't worrying as I know she was either sitting down or flying low. I decided to check with the receiver and she was defintely on the wing, then I saw her gaining height and going up over the top of the golf course. I whistled to her and she soon turned in and headed back towards the coast with the wind. She carried on ringing up but stayed below the clouds and in view all the time....................which was nice!

She was up for a good 20 minutes then just seemed to hang on the breeze for a while. I decided to call her in and she positioned herself ready for her final approach. I called to her and swung the lure letting her know she could take it...........................and in she came; instead of stooping in straight, she seemed to stoop in stages!! She began her stoop and after a couple of hundred yards, she'd drop lower and hold that height for another couple of hunrded yards, then do the same. She did this until she was about 400 yards out then she came directly in. I offered her a whole chick on the fist but I didn't quite have hold of it properly and she did a 'snatch and fly' with it. she only went about 50 yards away so I made in and sat next to her then got a hold of her flying jesses and got her up on the glove. I equipped her then gave her another chick and a medium rat before making our way back home. I think she'll be a little too heavy for a good session tomorrow but we'll have to wait and see!!

Hopefully Kier's weight will be down tomorow and we'll go for some bunnies and pheasant.

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This morning, I decided to take out Millie my Bengal eagle owl just for a 'walk' to start getting her used to where I am hopefully going to get her flying!! She was very well behaved and didn't bate at all but I think it was because she was a little phazed by it all.............................................here are a few pics taken on my mobile!!

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Edited by Saker Clive
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Just got back in from flying Kier my Harris hawk..................................we were only out for 10 minutes when he dived into the brambles and we then heard that sweet sweet sound of a rabbit in distress :good: I had to run up and around the the bushes then clamber through thick brambles to get to him; he was about 10 yards away from me so it took me a few minutes to get to them and all the while Kier was trying to get a little deeper in so I couldn't get to them!!!

 

After ripping myself to bits on the brambles (why the hell he can't catch anything in the open I don't know) I managed to pick them both up and neck the rabbit before letting him sit on it for a few minutes. I removed him and then paunched it giving Kier the liver. We were 'joined' by a young family walking their dog and the young 5-6 year old girl wanted to come and have a look but I suggested that it wasn't a pretty sight and it may upset her but they said that she'd be fine with it!! They all came over and watched him with his head in the opening and then left to walk the dog. kier wasn't going to do anything else so I gave him a little longer on his kill before switching it for a smaller trade off. I got him equipped then came home.....................I doubt I'll be flying him for a few days now.

 

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Edited by Saker Clive
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After flying the Saker I decided to get Millie out for another walk over the same place; I had her on a long leash about 3 feet as I wanted to see if she would do any jumping for food........................there was a pretty stiff breeze so she kept on opening her wings expecting to go off somewhere!!!

 

I put her on a post and offered her a chick; she looked, then looked away. looked again and shuffled her feet but just wouldn't commit! I decided to pull off one of the legs and offer it to her at close quarters, which she happily leant forward and took. I offered the chick again and after a hesitant pause she jumped and took it. She didn't eat it at first just stood on the glove with it hanging out of her beak!!! I sat down on the ground and put her beside me and she then ate it. I stayed sitting for a few minutes just talking to her then got her back up and put her on the post again. I offered her a head on its own but that wasn't enough to tempt her at this stage, she is still way too heavy compared to others I know of flying free. She was 2lb. 6 1/4oz. I did manage to get a shot of her landing on the glove with her wings open :yes:

 

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I'm with Malkiserow, this is what we were flying on saturday

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1lb 4oz male harris hawk, and it was very good :lol:, i could look at the pictures all day mate, can you put some more up please and what camera are you using?

Edited by Hezbear
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Various cameras have been used; the flying /action shots were taken by 2 freinds of mine that come out. 1 is a free-lance photogragher and he uses a Nikon D70 with various lenses and a Canon Eos 20D. I only have a cheapo digital but it has taken some good shots like the one of the Harris coming in to the fist etc. The last few I posted of the owl and on the rabbit was taken with my mobile phone!!!

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This is not my bird (unfortunately) but I went and picked it up from a place that 'found it' then denied it for about a year <_<

 

it is a Gyr x Peregrine cross and the then owner that lost it, who has more money than sense apparently used to buy these mega-bucks birds, never really trained them, then took them out and let them go!!!! Then wondered why they never returned!!!! Anyway, it was proven that this was the bird and the guy still owed the breeder a lot of money, so he said that the bird was at this place and if the breeder wanted it, he'd have to make arrangements to get it collected. I was asked if I'd be prepared to go and get it, so me being me jumped at the chance. It so happens that I knew of the person that had it and was ex-plod that was done for dodgy dealings etc. to do with raptors. he collate info on what birds were out on the loose then with mates trap them and either sell them on or keep them!!! (so I've been told).

When I was told about the cost of this bird I nearly phoned the breeder up to say that I pulled over to make some adjustments to the perch and it managed to escape.........................................£4500.

 

Enjoy these, I know I did :yes::hmm:

 

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23/10/'09.

 

Well, after the deluge of heavy rain up until midday, things weren't looking too good to take the birds out but they say the sun shines on the righteous and by 14:00 we had lovely sunshine with large gaps of clear blue sky and nice big 'fluffy' white and grey clouds.

Zarbu was slightly heavier than normal as the weather most of the week has been hit and miss so I fed them up earlier as I hate keeping them at flying weight if they are not going out. She weighed 2lb. exactly and decided to give her a go. We got to our usual place and I took of her equipment, then unhooded her..........................................................she roused, (fluffs herself up and has a shake to put the feathers in the right place) then took off. Despite all the rain, it was still pretty warm and she almost went up virtically and quickly. she was having a good stooge about and got to 1500 feet then she was joined by the tiercel Peregrine again! Unlike the last time when he was putting in at her, he just stayed with her almost flying in unison, with wingtips touching every now and again. I think that Zarb was a little unsure of his intentions and kept on trying to turn away but he stayed along side of her and every now and then, dropped below her, then rung up to her again!! This went on for a good 15 minutes before he lost interest and dissappeared as soon as her arrived. She went up through some of the lower clouds and I lost sight of her for a while before hearing her bells. at first I wasn't too sure exactly where she was; then I looked up directly above me and there she was just waiting on about 1000 feet up. I thought that a stoop in from there would be spot on and I got the lure out and called to her. She set her wings and dropped like a stone, going out slightly to my left about 30 yards then coming in to the lure. She ate the chick body that was on the pad and within seconds, she was off aain. I loaded up the lure with another body and watched while she had another 20 minutes soaring about. This time she headed to her normal spot over the golf course and I was joined by a couple of walkers that took an interest in watching her. She let me know that she was ready for another snack, so I got out the lure and threw it out for her again. She was in and down in seconds which really impressed the walkers and they then started to ask if she was as fast as a Peregrine etc. I offered her a pick up to get her ready to come home but the sun on her back and extra energy she decided to go off yet again :good:

This time I only put a chicks head on the lure as I only had 2 chicks left and I always give her a good feed up afterwards.

After another 20 minute flight, she came in and I got her up on the fist. I equipped her and gave her the other 2 chicks before coming home. The pics are of her and the surrounding area.............................taken on the mobile.

 

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29/10/'09..........................

 

Haven't been out with the Kier for a couple of days, yesterday we had fog and mist come down around lunchtime and stayed all afternoon and after the break-in at work been busy helping out sorting the store etc. and after flying the Saker ran out of time/daylight!!!

 

Any way, flew the Saker first as normal but she didn't really want to go up much so I called her in and we came home giving more time to get kier out. Whilst flying Zarbu, I did notice a number of rabbits out in the sunshine and unusually a number of Jays, which I haven't seen many around for a while!

Got Kier sorted and headed back and got him up in the bushes. We did a few flights from trees to fist then he was off.......tail chasing and gaining on a Jay (which he's taken in the past) but as it was already at speed the distance covered was over 200 yards and I called to him so he raked off and came back. We saw a few rabbits on the bank in the scub and a few out in the open 70 yards away. I tried to get him to go after the ones in the open but he had a fly around then headed up the bank and positioned himself on his regular 'killing' post. I began to beat around at the bottom of the bank hoping to push the rabbits towards Kier. I noticed another Jay land in a tree 30 yards to my left and wasn't sure if kier had seen it. I decided to call him in to the fist then took a slow careful stroll towards where the Jay was. As it flashed its wings, Kier saw the blue and white on the bird and headed off but not directly at it! He started off going straight up the bank then turned to the left and tried to get in behind it but it was off while he was behing the trees. Again he began to chase but it dropped over the plateaux. Kier went down aswell but soon came back over for a tid-bit on the glove. I put him back up on his post and his head was bobbing intently. I could see a rabbit 10 feet to his left but he was looking right so I watched and then he was up in the air and cartwheeling back down into the brambles....................then came a sqealing of the tell-tale sign of a bind. I as usual had to run about 100 yards to get around and up to where they were. The sqealing stopped after only a few seconds and by the time I got to them, he had opened up the back of the neck and broken the spine seperating the head from the body with just the skin holding it together. I decided to let him take 5 minutes to feed up and calm down then exchanged it for a chick body while I paunched it and gave him the fresh hot livers and kidneys.

A guy walking his lurcher heard the rabbit and put the dog back on the lead, then made his way down to take a closer look. We chatted about the kill etc. and he also got a closer look at Kier.

 

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