Borat- Black 1/4 Gyr/Saker Imprint

[AyrshireTaxidermy]

Hi,

I have had Borat for around 3 months or so. Picked him up from a display falconer down south, who said he couldnt use him cos he was flying off and killing stuff. He'll do for me i thought. Was told his flying weight was 1lb 15/3/4oz.

Brought him home and let him more or less finish his moult. He was almost done anyway by the time i got him.

Brought him down to flying weight, and off he went. He would go way out and up, and was very responsive to the lure, coming back from a long way as soon as it came out. Many a time, he was slipped at crows and got himself above them, but never seemed to bother his ass.

So, forget the 1lb 15 3/4oz, i started bringing his weight down slowly. 1lb 15 1/2, not interested, 1lb 15, not interested.......and so on.

In the last few days, he has started to show a healthy interest in corvids, so i knew he wasnt that far away. The day before yesterday, i slipped him at a group of 20 or so. Off he went and locked onto one, he took it right out and the crow turned and made for the hedge, where he just missed it as it went in. He circled round and picked another that was making off in the opposite direction. That also just beat him to cover.

Didnt manage out yesterday, as went off to pick up an AK from Shaking Stevens (thats a whole different story).

Today - 1lb 14.0oz. Took him out at 5pm. Mixed flock of gulls and corvids, and off he went, picking out a crow, turning it a few times and almost picking it out the sky, but lost it in another hedge.

2nd slip, another mixed flock. Off he went, picked out a rook, engaged the turbo, right up alongside it and pulled it out the sky :rockon: Not a young rook either.

Run in and helped him kill it, and took the following pics.

Went on to fly Eve,my 10 year old Peregrine. Shes the most clumsy Falcon you have ever seen. Anyway, to cut a long story short, i slipped her 3 times at crows, and she was unlucky each time. The last time, she actually took a crow midair, and they both fell, onto a road, luckily a quiet country one. She lsot hold as they hit the tarmac, and the crow ******ed off, leaving her looking a little bemused. Anyway, she will come good in the next day or so.

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w279/ayrshiretaxidermy/18072008598.jpg
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[CJTaylor]

Nice dark bird Rob.....will show you some neon real blacks on thurs mate......colin

[Drifty]

Well done Borat!.: Mabe now you'll change his name and bye him a nice new hood? Well done to you too Rob!. spoiling another good display falcon!!::)

[Mark Collins]

Way to go Rob , nice looking falcon , mark.

[AyrshireTaxidermy]

Well done Borat!.: Mabe now you'll change his name and bye him a nice new hood? Well done to you too Rob!. spoiling another good display falcon!!::)

Borat - Its gotta be a better name than Shakey!!! :roll:

[Stephen]

nice one rob and i missed it after all that time
****** this working lark

[Shikra]

Well done Rob, so happy for you and you have managed to get through that (patience killing) time nicely :supz: nice bird :supz:

kind regards.

[AyrshireTaxidermy]

Borat does it again.

Off out today again @ 1lb 14oz. Spotted a single crow out in a field, so drove up and turned car round. As we pulled up the crow lifted as i opened the door to get out. I slipped him but thought he'd missed his chance. Off he went, and was over it in a matter of seconds, this birds seriously quick. First stoop he spun it in the air and it dropped a few feet before regaining itself and started to make for the nearest cover which was a wood at the bottom of the field. Second stoop, it jinked him and he missed. He threw up and got above it again, and this time hit it a smack, knocking it to the ground. Game over. :D

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w279/ayrshiretaxidermy/19072008607.jpg
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[Shikra]

great :supz:

[AyrshireTaxidermy]

First outing for Borat in 6 weeks today. 1st slip, he was unlucky and got beat to a hawthorn hedge. Straight back when i swung the lure. 2nd slip, was much better. Large flock out in a stubble field, he went in amongst them as they rose and clattered one, which hit the deck. He followed down to nab it.

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w279/ayrshiretaxidermy/Image000-3.jpg
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[Nickic]

well done mate!

[GregorHarrisHawk]

So you keeping borat then rob, there are a s*** load of crows up by my way if you want an easy slip

[Foxy1]

Hes looking good Rob, ive been trying to raise the funds to take him off you but apparently its against Ebay regulations to sell your Granny!! lol

Billy

[Mark Collins]

Nice one rob, fine looking gyr/saker,mark.

[AyrshireTaxidermy]

Thanks Mark.

[TiercelMan]

Just a wee question Rob. Being Ayrshire born and bred, I can't imagine anywhere that you could fly rook hawks without them getting to cover what with the postage stamp sized fields surrounded by trees. I've noticed there's always trees or hedges in most of your photos. Do you fire of a starting pistol or what to eject them from cover, or sneek up on them goshawk style?;),
regards Alistair

[AyrshireTaxidermy]

Your right Alistair, its quite enclosed country, tho there are a few places where the cover isnt so bad. Although i do not to bad on corvids, many more escape than are caught. Most are caught just as they are about to dive into a hedge, some are even taken from the trees they make into. The odd time, we do sometimes get a decent flight but not often. Hence the reason for spending most of my time looking for gull slips now.

[TiercelMan]

Your right Alistair, its quite enclosed country, tho there are a few places where the cover isnt so bad. Although i do not to bad on corvids, many more escape than are caught. Most are caught just as they are about to dive into a hedge, some are even taken from the trees they make into. The odd time, we do sometimes get a decent flight but not often. Hence the reason for spending most of my time looking for gull slips now.

I just remembered Rob, There's some decent open country out Muirkirk way. I don't know if that's handy for you,
Alistair

[AyrshireTaxidermy]

Not far from me. Will chap some doors when im passing thru next time.

Cheers

[Mark Collins]

I just remembered Rob, There's some decent open country out Muirkirk way. I don't know if that's handy for you,
Alistair

Alastair , i stayed in muirkirk , about 12 years ago, flew grouse on sorn , and glenbuck , courtesy of austin todd, now deceased [great fellow] very open ground , went there 2 seasons on the trot, flew mainly peregrines then, open country , from what i remember looks ideal, cheers,mark.

[AyrshireTaxidermy]

Hi Mark,

Didnt realise you knew Austin. He lived 5 minutes from me. Stephen has a bit of ground over the hill from that grouse moor, still grouse on it, tho its not keepered.

[TiercelMan]

Alastair , i stayed in muirkirk , about 12 years ago, flew grouse on sorn , and glenbuck , courtesy of austin todd, now deceased [great fellow] very open ground , went there 2 seasons on the trot, flew mainly peregrines then, open country , from what i remember looks ideal, cheers,mark.

Yes Mark, There's quite a lot of potentially good rook/crow/gull around there reaching as far as the A74. What I'm hoping is that Rob doesn't hang about and gets the flying on it and invites me down :lol: Are you reading this Rob!!!!;)

Alistair

[AyrshireTaxidermy]

Theres plenty of good bits for gulls Alistair, you know your welcome down anytime.

[Goldie]

Re Muirkirk.
A lot of the ground in the vicinity has been taken over recently and new keepers are in place. I am local to the village and even now only stay 10 mins away. Only last year i lost the permission where i flew my eagle and a few other birds due to the keepers wanting nothing with a hooked beak anywhere near :cry: Lots of release pens have sprung up in the last 18mths to accomodate the shooting brigade
The majority of the farmers are lease tennants and as such play ball with the estate and the other part in the immediate area is coal board land which is being open casted to the west of Muirkirk with a lot of heavy machinery in use at present.
One of the smaller farms i fly on was part of the estate and the farmer bought it outright last year but the estate have the shooting rights to it for the next 5 yrs :twisted: i have flown on it for 17 yrs and only a couple of weeks ago the farmer said to me........Jim, you can still fly and take rabbits on the ground but don't take any pheasants :confused:
Times are sure getting tough.

Jim

.

[Mark Collins]

Hi Guys, thinking about it its more like 15 years , my old female peregrine lived until about 16 i think , i have had the same problems down here , i had a couple of runins with local shoots and one particular keeper , fortunatly he has gone now [ complete bas****] its the reason i switched to gulls.rooks, and magpies with tiercels, i now have a lot more permission than i did then , and the new keepers are much more tolerent , hunting crows helps no end, going back to my stay in muirkirk , we had a great time , not loads of grouse but enough, and we even beat the locals at pool !!!!,cheers,mark.

[Mark Collins]

Forgot to say 1st time we stayed at a farm just outside muirkirk, the farmers name was kirk [2nd name ] great home cooking , fantasitc hospitality, my mate lost a tiercel and the farmer helped us look for it !!!, 2nd time we stayed in a cottage near stranraer , up on the moor , keepers name was jim, ring any bells anyone,mark.