Everything changed in week two. For starters, Nameless got a name. Maddox lobbied for Nimrod (he swears it means great hunter) and Jordan for Akita. Seeing as how I dote upon my kids and give them everything they ask for, I decided to combine these two names and came up with the name Rebel. Now at this point, I still think that this bird is male and I have yet to send in the feather for genetic proof of sex, so name changes are still onthe table (kids are still pushing me for their favorites...).
Now why exactly I chose to name my bird after my miserable failure of a football team is quite literally beyond me (if nyone leaves a comment suggesting I change the name to Black Bear I will be forced to wish serious bodily harm upon you). Perhaps I was hoping to harness some positive association with the name that has been such a disappointment lately, but it came to me on the first day of creancing and it stuck in my head. Now it is stuck on this bird, at least until the feather comes back and / or one of the kids prevail.
So the first day of week 2 training commenced with Rebel outside on a creance for the first time. Rebel was a different bird when outside compared to his inside behavior. He had already decided he was safe inside so his focus was clear and his responses sharp. Outside, Rebel was an ADHD kid at Christmas, chugging Monster energy drinks while downing fistfuls of Sugar Babies and smoking methamphetamine. The head was always moving, the smallest stimulation had him jumping, and he was constantly bating to find a better perch. I was worried that this would mean difficulty with the creance. Or at least that I would need to find a better hiding place for my Sugar Babies...
Wrong. Once on the perch (the wooden fence out back), Rebel stayed pretty dialed in to me. He did not bate away, much to my surprise, but rather calmly (relative term in raptors) watched as I unrolled ten feet of creance line and garnished the glove. Right on the whistle he was on the glove! Amazing! Most birds take a significant amount of time to get responses like this but clearly this bird was special. We proceeded with ten more flighits for pinkies and small mice extending up to 40 feet on day one of creance.
The next day, we repeated this in a different part of the yard and had twenty flights up to 150 feet. I had made a portable perch for rebel out of a pitchfork with a handle that I wrapped in astroturf. He very quickly tuned in to the game and started to fly back to the perch on his own to speed the process up. He was still responding very well even at higher weights. My plan was to continue taking him higher until his responses dimmed and I found the weight where he was clearly healthy. Then I planned to take him down slowly to find best response weight.
On day three of creance, I decided to see if he would fly to the kids. We had had an audience for just about every session outside thus far and Rebel did not seem affected by this at all. Jordan was already a pretty familiar presence to Rebel so I put him on a perch, walked away with my back to him (hiding the food), garnished the glove, and slipped it on Jordan's hand. We turned just as I blew the whistle and Rebel came instantly. I don't think I will ever forget the look on her face when that bird landed on her glove. Maddox was next and I think he was a little more startled to have Rebel pitch in on him. He was not quite as used to the bird as Jordan, but the shock quickly turned into a big grin on his face as well.
The next day, Brynn got to try it and she was a natural. No fear, cautious when walking the bird back to the perch, and very respectful. I thought that the kids would shy away from the food (small mice and tiny baby mice, pinkies) but they did really well. I couldn't believe how tolerant this bird was of so many people. Al came over to watch and again remarked on how social this bird was compared to any that he had trained in the past.
We began to get some good flight pictures outside now and Jordan quickly became my Chief Photographer. Maddox got some inspired pics laying on his back with the bird flying over, but most were too blurry. Need a better lens I suppose. Hmmm. Any advice on how exactly to ask the wife for this for a Christmas present is welcome. She has already made it abundantly clear that she wants to rename the mews "The Rugs" and has just told me she feels she should put off ordering outdoor furniture due to various bird related expenses... I suppose I should reconsider getting her a Kestrel for Christmas...
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