Clive's Raptor Return

[Saker-Clive]

Carrying on from Terry's 'East Sussex thread; between Terry myself and another, we planned a 'covert operation' to reclaim a lost bird that originally belonged to Terry. If Terry wants to disclose details that is up to him but I am at present in love and heart broken!!!

I offered to go and pick up the Gyr x Pere from a person that had found it since Boxing day!!!!!! On arrival, the guy was very tentative at first but once he'd seen me he was OK as we'd met a few times in the past. Prior to my going, I telephoned the guy and asked if the bird was well mannered and hoodable; he said that the bird had been blocked out and left to moult and was feather perfect. He also said it was hoodable even though he had no hood for it:confused: . I got him to sign release papers into my care on behalf of Terry; then he took me took the enclosure the bird was in. I asked if he was going to get it but he said, "No, you can get it!!" Perhaps the bird didn't like him................and I know what that is like! Now considering the bird was supposed to have been blocked out for the past 5 months and untouched, I had a shock of my life. I cautiously approached (as you do) she bated away then I grabbed the jesses and she immediately sat up on the glove and was good as gold. I tried to put Zarbu's Ben Long 104 hood on and it went on but I think it was a little tight around the neck and she was scratching at it; I decided to take it off and try my original home made one which had been mauled by the dogs a short while ago. this one fitted much better. I unhooded her and she sat on the glove without bating or trying to bite, foot or anything for a good 15 minutes. I walked with her a good 150 yards to the car before hooding her back up. I took both my cadge and carrier but prefered the cadge as she was in pretty good condition. She isn't feather perfect but is looking good. I tethered her to the cadge and set off to our rendeyvous. A few miles down the road, I noticed a big pair of dark eyes in my mirror! she'd got the hood off and was looking all around. Oh, **** I thought but she stayed put for another 4 mile down the road until I was able to pull in. My glove was under the cadge so I now had to open the back of the 4x4, get my glove and try to get her without her going mental. She just jumped up onto the back seat and I got her on the fist. I decided that she had to go in the box so hooded her again and gently placed her in the box and covered it.
On getting to our destination, I un hooded her and thought I'd weigh her to see if she'd let me. I backed her on to the scales and she sat still nicely. 2lb. 7 1/2oz. and that is not fat weight. I was able to feel her keel, stroke her front and feet without her doing any of the usual nasties, especially as she had never seen me before!. I got my daughter to take a few pics. then after I blocked her out, I took some.
The reason I am heart broken is we seemed to have 'gelled' in such a short time. After blocking her, we came away but once we came within ear shot and she heard my voice, she started calling and bated towards me; as I approached, she jumped up on the block, then tilted her head and sat back nicely. Terry did mention figures for the bird and it is only something that I could ever dream about. As I have now 'mauled' her, she wont be any good for anyone now:wink: , so if you want to donate her Terry, I'll come up week ends and clean the hack pens out with a toothbrush:supz: ...............................................eno ugh of my ramblings..........here's some pics. You decide if she's been left or regularly manned; I've told Terry my ideas on what might have been the delay on returning her.............................................

[Saker-Clive]

.................and a few more; this bird is 'bloody gorgeous' and I want one;) :supz: :heart: I also know the Bash will be very jealous:goodman:

Terry has thanked me several times today for helping out but didn't need to; I should be thanking him for allowing me to 'play' with one of his birds for a couple of hours.......................IT WAS MY PLEASURE, ANYTIME.

[Kennelre]

Ooooh! How can you find a way of making her yours:heart: :heart: I've no idea how much a bird like that would cost??

[Kentish Falconry]

Once again I have say a big thank you to Clive for helping me out with this recovery. As I am sure you are all aware this is the middle of the breeding season for us here and a 5 hour drive would have caused all sorts of problems here especially as I had a Hospital appointment to attend as well.
Clive recovered the bird and then drove almost half way to us and left her with another friend and once Simon had finnished feeding chicks he left to collect her for me whilst I held the fort. She is currently sitting on a cadge in my Discovery on the motorway heading this way.
I also have to say a big thank you to Juliana & Neil at the IBR and Julian ford at Huxleys Experiance for helping to make all this possible, I also have to thank Miguel Gomez, Brian Morris and Paul Davies for their help and support over the recovery of the bird.
A good job done by all I think and the end of a 41/2 month search.

Once we have got her fit again and retrained we will decide what we will do with her but I will not offer her for sale untill we have assesed her as she was one of the best Game Hawks I have seen for some time and I would not want to advertise her as being a made hawk untill we check that she has not been messed up in one way or another.
Thanks again all
Terry:supz: :supz: :supz:

[Saker-Clive]

Let us know how she gets on please Terry; she really is a beaut:heart: :supz:


I'd offer you the wife but I know she aint worth that much:rolleyes: ;-) .

[Yarak1]

Well done Terry and to all that helped you.............:-P

[Kentish Falconry]

Ok she here now we will keep her on a block for a few days with good grub to bring her weight back up then she can have a month or so in the Hack pen to get fit and we will then retrain her.
Like Clive has already indicated she is fully manned and has fixed flying jesses on and in fact is below her hunting weight so we will see what happens now
Terry:supz: :supz:

[Bash]

Oh god!! I hate you all! :rolleyes:

I'll be having words with SS! 8-)

[HawkMan]

Well done clive your owed an appllaud m8 ,
All the best
Jb

[UKJay74]

sorry to here you lost this bird terry, clive good job as per mate :supz: top guy

[KenHawker1970]

Niceone Clive, top man.
Ken

[JayHawk]

she's truley woth all your ramblings saker suker a real bute

[Wightwings]

god bless you all.....even you GOMEZ you stud muffin...:rolleyes: :roll:

[Stewigan]

well done clive, what a beautiful bird

[Moses]

thats a very nice looking bird clive, well done mate

[GoneHawking]

Where is the original thread, how was the bird lost in the first place.

Mark

[Saker-Clive]

Where is the original thread, how was the bird lost in the first place.

Mark

There isn't one Mark; from what I've been told, the bird was 'purchased/borrowed' from Terry; the guy is known to have various alias's and aquired quite a few birds and flies hem without telem. etc, thus 9 times out of ten loses them; the person that found/caught the bird, had in the past reclaimed this persons birds previously; he then asked for a £500 return fee..............................................! !! the guy that lost the bird originally had tried to get the bird back from it's captor but had no joy........................................Terry then asked if there was anyone on here was close to the area...........end of story;)

[GoneHawking]

I take it he was shown the paperwork and told to stuff the £500 recovery fee up his arse???

Oh well at least the bird is back with the right person now.

Mark

[Saker-Clive]

In a word Mark...........Yes:rolleyes:

[Wightwings]

and flies hem without telem. etc, thus 9 times out of ten loses them

yea well done Clive but be careful with sweeping statements like this. I refer you to my thread on Telem that fo some reason doesnt get much input from the vast members list on here:roll: . Birds are lost through **** management not lack of telem:wink:

well done again tho:supz:

[Saker-Clive]

I agree WW and this is why the person seems to get through a number of birds!!!!perhaps he does insurance jobs:rolleyes: ..................................(speculation).

[Kentish Falconry]

The finder of the Gyr x Pere Female has contacted me and refutes the claim that he had stolen the bird.
The information that I had to hand at the time of the recovery was that the looser, who it would appear has a number of different aliases, had approached the finder on 3 seperate occassions and requested the return of the bird he said the finder denied all knowlage of the bird.
I am now informed by the finder that he had asked the looser if he had lost a bird and he denied looseing one,on the second occassion the finder was not at work on that day and he talked to staff, on the third attempt the finder said the RSPCA probably had the bird and sent him to see them to waste his time as he was always loosing birds and not careing for them correctly and could not produce any paperwork for the bird. In fairness to the finder he had reported the bird found to the IBR but for some reason the finding date was before the date she was lost, I now think this was a clerical error by the IBR, he had also informed DEFRA that he was in possetion of her but as the tear off slip had been sent in there was no reason to think the bird was mine.
So in conclusion I think this was all a genuine paperwork mix up and I hope this will see the end of the matter
Terry