Bird_Dog
30-10-2006, 12:16 AM
For those kite trainers who use a parachute release,
I had an interesting experience while kite training my gyr x peregrine tiercel a couple of days ago. I use a parachute and not a down-rigger release. Several times in the past I've seen various wild raptors take interest in the bait dangling from the kite, but I've never experienced what happened this last time. The kite was about 600 ft. up in a strong steady wind (25 mph) - the kind of wind that makes a sound on the string. My tiercel named Crush, normally powers up to the bait in short order, but he was a bit slow on this day. Perhaps he saw the wild prairie falcon long before I did? As my tiercel climbed to the bait, a prairie falcon (pirate of the plains) came in for a look. They reached the bait at about the same time. My tiercel grab the piece of quail tied to the parachute. The chute openned and the praire made a pass, then my tiercel release the quail and the chute began to drift freely. That's when the prairie grabbed it! The wild prairie dropped to the ground holding the bait with my tiercel circling around them. They both landed in the same spot a fairly long ways away. When got to their location, I observed that my tiercel had taken the quail and the wild prairie (passage, I believe) startled by my presence flew to a nearby fence post.
Nothing really bad happened this time, but I sure hope she's moved on else where.
-- BIRD_DOG
I had an interesting experience while kite training my gyr x peregrine tiercel a couple of days ago. I use a parachute and not a down-rigger release. Several times in the past I've seen various wild raptors take interest in the bait dangling from the kite, but I've never experienced what happened this last time. The kite was about 600 ft. up in a strong steady wind (25 mph) - the kind of wind that makes a sound on the string. My tiercel named Crush, normally powers up to the bait in short order, but he was a bit slow on this day. Perhaps he saw the wild prairie falcon long before I did? As my tiercel climbed to the bait, a prairie falcon (pirate of the plains) came in for a look. They reached the bait at about the same time. My tiercel grab the piece of quail tied to the parachute. The chute openned and the praire made a pass, then my tiercel release the quail and the chute began to drift freely. That's when the prairie grabbed it! The wild prairie dropped to the ground holding the bait with my tiercel circling around them. They both landed in the same spot a fairly long ways away. When got to their location, I observed that my tiercel had taken the quail and the wild prairie (passage, I believe) startled by my presence flew to a nearby fence post.
Nothing really bad happened this time, but I sure hope she's moved on else where.
-- BIRD_DOG