And so it Begins...again, thanks to Berkut

[Eznugud]

And so it begins…..Again

This could turn out to be a long one so get comfortable….

From the beginning…..{sort of}

I’ve been flying hawks & falcons basically all my life.
7 or 8 years ago I decided I needed to take a break, originally I only planned to have a season off but one thing led to another and it turned out to be a lot longer.
6 months ago my son started pestering me to get him a falcon, this was totally out of the blue and not expected…..maybe it is in the genes.
I got him a male gyr/saker x pere nearly 3 weeks ago.

I’ve got to admit I really didn’t think he would last, I thought it would end up just like the rabbits, guinea pig and hamsters…after a few weeks leave them for dad to feed and clean out.
I wasn’t too bothered about this because I thought let him have the falcon I’ll fly it anyway.
How wrong I was, he spends every spare second with the falcon or with his nose in a falconry book and the bird is coming on great…ok the training is going slow but that’s to be expected.
I thought that by the time he had dropped the birds weight he would have got bored and that I would be taking over, I’d got myself pretty giddy about crow hawking again……so when I realised that he was serious I decided that I need to get a falcon.

Because of the time of year, the **** weather and having to help Brad enter is falcon at crows I decided I would be better off with a falcon that knew what crows were.
Last week I put an ad in the wanted section for a young hybrid that was wed to crows.
I had a few people pm me, one of the pm`s for some reason struck a cord.

The pm was from Berkut {Neil}, and was offering me a 6 year old female pere x saker with very little history.
Neil had taken this falcon on in April 2006; reading between the lines Neil bought the bird to get it away from its previous owner who by the sound of it did not have a clue.
The falcon was in a bit of a state when Neil got her and in Neil’s words needed a lot of TLC to bring her round.
He did not want anything for the falcon only a good home and for her to be flown.

It really went against the grain even to consider this bird, if someone had told me they were considering this falcon I would have told them not to go near it.
Yet on Tuesday morning at 04:00 I set off on a long drive to Scotland to meet Neil and pick her up.

Why have a taken her on?
First of all I need to stress it was not because she was free; I’m not to a few hundred quid for a falcon.
I really can’t put me finger on why, maybe it’s an age thing and I’m getting soft…
Maybe it’s because it’s more of a challenge…..I suppose the main reason was when I talked to Neil for the first time, you can tell when someone is genuine and Neil came across like a very genuine non bullshit bloke who knows what he’s taking about….and if he was willing to give her a chance then so should i.

I’ll keep you updated with her progress……

[Berkut]

Shaun,
Well put.Exactly as it happened.Hope you do well with her.If you get a chance shove on a couple of photos to show what a stunner she is.

When I got her she was in a terrible state but she was moulted on top grub and is now in perfect nick and has potential on crows.She was flown at grouse( in a roundabout way) by her last owner but on each occasion was found on corvids.

All the best Shaun,
Neil.

[Eznugud]

Here you go.....

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[Saker-Mad]

GREAT LOOKING BIRD.:supz: and well done to your son.

[Eznugud]

Bit of a progress report on her.

Tuesday: Picked her up from Neil, weight 1lb 15 ¾ oz. {already asked Neil to start dropping her weight}

Wednesday: Weight 1lb 15 ½ oz, 40yds to lure on creance, 100yds to lure free.

Thursday: Weight 1lb 15 ½ oz, 500yds to lure in strong wind, eventually got to me after a lot of “zig zagging”.

Friday: 1lb 15 ¾ oz, 20 stoops to lure in 3 bouts, she would have done more but caught me out with a crazy vertical stoop…so fed her up.

Another week and I reckon she may be fit enough to start giving her some easy slips at crows.

[Alf]

You certainly look to have the ground to fly crows.
Nice looking falcon I am sure you will do well, keep us posted on her progress. Alf.

[Stealth]

Great post, well done to you, Neil and your son:yawinkle:

Keep the posts coming:-D

[FlameHairedFalconer]

She is a really lovely and a credit to you all!

FHF

[Eznugud]

If shes doing 20 stoops to the lure i would start sneaking up on crows NOW
If you cant find a slip then fair enough fly her to the lure

I think you might be surprized at how an old falcon who is unfit knows how to tack the wind & make up for lack of fitness

I've been in the same position, when i was convinced she wasent ready for quarry

Tinto

The only way this falcon would stand a chance at crow now is if I took her onto a landfill and we happened to come across a blind one with a broken wing, and that’s not going to happen.
I grew out of slipping unfit falcons at crows a lot of years ago, I used to do it when I was younger but didn’t know any better.
I`m sure we will still have crows around in a week or two when she’s feeling fitter, nothing worse than seeing a falcon have to stop chasing a crow because its coughing a lung up…… just for the sake of a bit of lure work and time.

Thanks for the input....

[Eznugud]

Brads decided that he’s taking over the fitness training for “Arwen”.

Very foggy today, she did around 25 stoops in 3 bouts, she had to work that bit harder on the 2nd and 3rd bout due to her primaries getting soaked…..

I really do think in the right hands {not mine} she would have the makings of a decent game hawk…..
After the first pass of the lure she starts to mount and I know that if I left her she would go up, the lure needs to hit the ground for her to come back low…..after that she’s happy to stay low putting stoops in.
If we don’t have any fog tomorrow I think I’ll just leave her and see how high she would go, just for the sake of it.

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[Eznugud]

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[Eznugud]

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[PeelsBells]

Some great pictures there , hope you do well will the bird.

[BFC 007]

nice bird mate,the lad looks chuffed to bits :D

[KevGem1]

nice pictures mate,the bird looks very well and the lad looks to be doing a fine job.hope you your son and the birds have a fine rest of season ahead of you, all the best KEV.
ps. looking forward to hearing about both your birds progress.

[Eznugud]

ps. looking forward to hearing about both your birds progress.

Brads young male his coming on well, he is making a diary and wants me to post it when he catches his first crow…..

Its coming 20yds to the lure, Brads slow timing with him…..I think he his trying to put off taking the creance off…….ill give him another 3 or 4 days and if he’s not made the decision to do it ill give him a little push…

[Saker-Mad]

well done to your son:supz:

[Falconry Equipment International]

Hallo Mate ! when I saw your 1st post on this thread I thought it might be you, when I saw the pics just now with your lad wit the glove, I new who it was :yawinkle: . I am delighted things have worked out so well, Neil is a top bloke as well so it sounds like youve really lainded on your feet & fired a passion in your lad. m give me a bell sometime and I look forward to seeing you if your ever passing us ( & not p'boro sorting office:lol: ) Merry Christmas to you

[Berkut]

Shaun,
Great to see the photos and hear how well she is doing.
Neil.

[Eznugud]

Another progress report:

First flight at crows today.

She had just put in 16 stoops to the lure and I was sat on the grass having a smoke with the falcon sat on my knee having 5 mins before she did a bit more work.
One second she’s sat on my knee the next she’s off straight lining about 3 feet off the ground, very goshawk like.
I’m sat on the grass watching her through the binoculars wondering where the bloody hell she’s going.
All of a sudden her wing beat gets faster and she starts mounting, Brads shouting “she’s after some crow’s dad” but I can’t see the crows because I’m in the restricted world of binocular vision.
Now I have the falcon, a crow and trees in my vision, the crow gets to the tree first and the falcon follows it straight in and they both start tumbling down through the branches.
She can’t have had it properly and the crow starts making its way back up the tree and the falcon starts back up the tree and is now chasing the crow from branch to branch, just like a red tail squirrel hawking.
After a few mins of this the falcon leaves the tree but now with the crow chasing her, she lands on a wall and starts to get mobbed by 30 plus crows.
Brads gets the lure out and after a few mins she sets off towards us with the crows hot on her tail.

I have had this happen before with young not fully fit falcons{not the tree bit} and I’m convinced that the crows can tell when the falcons “shot its load” so to speak and is no longer a threat because its knackered.
Anyone have any opinions on this?

Young Bradley learned a good lesson today; don’t wear black gloves with a crow hawk.
Bradley brought her in to the lure, he picked her up of the lure a went to secure he Jesse with his right hand that’s got a black woolly glove on it to keep it warm.
This falcon gets pretty hyper for a few seconds when she is taken up from the lure, and she grabs brads black woolly gloved have with both feet and then starts trying to eat it.
shes made a bit of a mess of his hand, but i`ll bet he never does it again.
he still insisted on changing her jesses and putting her back on the cadge.

On my way home I drove the distance from the start on the flight to the trees and it was just over ¾ mile.

[Berkut]

Another progress report:

First flight at crows today.

She had just put in 16 stoops to the lure and I was sat on the grass having a smoke with the falcon sat on my knee having 5 mins before she did a bit more work.
One second she’s sat on my knee the next she’s off straight lining about 3 feet off the ground, very goshawk like.
I’m sat on the grass watching her through the binoculars wondering where the bloody hell she’s going.
All of a sudden her wing beat gets faster and she starts mounting, Brads shouting “she’s after some crow’s dad” but I can’t see the crows because I’m in the restricted world of binocular vision.
Now I have the falcon, a crow and trees in my vision, the crow gets to the tree first and the falcon follows it straight in and they both start tumbling down through the branches.
She can’t have had it properly and the crow starts making its way back up the tree and the falcon starts back up the tree and is now chasing the crow from branch to branch, just like a red tail squirrel hawking.
After a few mins of this the falcon leaves the tree but now with the crow chasing her, she lands on a wall and starts to get mobbed by 30 plus crows.
Brads gets the lure out and after a few mins she sets off towards us with the crows hot on her tail.

I have had this happen before with young not fully falcons{not the tree bit} and I’m convinced that the crows can tell when the falcons “shot its load” so to speak and is no longer a threat because its knackered.
Anyone have any opinions on this?

Young Bradley learned a good lesson today; don’t wear black gloves with a crow hawk.
Bradley brought her in to the lure, he picked her up of the lure a went to secure he Jesse with his right hand that’s got a black woolly glove on it to keep it warm.
This falcon gets pretty hyper for a few seconds when she is taken up from the lure, and she grabs brads black woolly gloved have with both feet and then starts trying to eat it.
shes made a bit of a mess of his hand, but i`ll bet he never does it again.
he still insisted on changing her jesses and putting her back on the cadge.

On my way home I drove the distance from the start on the flight to the trees and it was just over ¾ mile.

Excellent post Shaun ,I agree with you re the crows knowing the bird is no longer a threat.Sounds like she has potential.
All the best.