Feb 19 – Back to Back Doubles

Sunday morning came with cooler temperatures but a bright almost cloudless sky.  The cabin we were in was awesome and the kids were laughing and having a blast.  I left them to shower and get ready and took Rebel outside for a look around.  There was a squirrel moving right by the house but he scuttled off before I could get Rebel out. 

Rebel was in good spirits after yesterdays’ successes.  She had spent the whole day out on her weathering perch with four other Red Tails around after her successful hunts.  I was in a hurry to get her out and I forgot to weigh her, which was a bummer.  I would have loved to see if there was a change at all after two chicks and a ton of exercise yesterday. 

The squirrels that I had been watching play on the ground and in the trees through the window had disappeared once they caught sight of Rebel.  We walked around for quite a bit before we finally got our first squirrel moving.  She was a gorgeous tawny-red squirrel that I found myself almost hoping would get away.  She was really that pretty.  She led Rebel on a merry chase through several trees before trying to duck into a knothole, only to find it occupied by an gnarly old grey male with a bent tail who promptly chased her out of the knothole and around the tree, chittering away like an angry shopkeeper speaking in Chinese.  This spectacle proved too much for my one track mind Rebel who swooped in once and then promptly forgot how to pick only one squirrel to target.

The distraction proved to be just the right thing for Red, who made it to the top of the tree and a nice hiding place.  The buck made it back to his knothole and Rebel sat perched trying to figure out what had just happened.

After a few minutes, we slipped on down the path looking to drum up more squirrels as these two were clearly doing excellent impersonations of statues.  Just down the hill, Rebel pitched up into a large pine just out of my line of sight and I heard a familiar and disturbing cry.  I looked up to see a hag female stooping down into the tree where Rebel had perched.  I ran over as fast as I could.

A male Red Tail wheeling above the pine tree quickly joined the female.  As I got there, I saw why.  Rebel was sitting in the middle of a nest, high in the top of a large pine tree.  This nesting pair was already working on their nest for the coming breeding season, and Rebel was perched in their living room.  My presence quickly drove the two hags away, and Rebel came almost instantly down to the glove.  Whether Rebel was hungry for the tidbit or just thankful for the protection, I wasn’t sure, but it was definitely her best fist response of the day.  We decided that it was probably best to head to another area for further hunting. 

We headed back to Al’s house where my friend Rich was flying a huge female.  She had already killed one squirrel and was chasing another when I arrived.  After the chase, Rich put her up and I was hoping to see his apprentice’s bird fly, but the bird was overweight.

Laura and the kids had arrived and Al was putting a bridle on one of his horses for them to take a walk when someone spotted a flock of turkeys making in from the hardwoods.  I decided, “what the heck?”, and pulled Rebel out to make a flight.  Rich decided to circle the turkeys and drive them to us.  Rebel, Dave, Maddox and I got into position.

The turkeys proved a little too smart for us but Rebel quickly saw a captured a small grey in a live oak overhead.  He carried it off a good ways but was looking for the trade off, which was becoming increasingly consistent.  We were still pretty close to the house and Al, Laura, and the kids rode / walked up.  Rebel hopped up into a tree and I went to chat with them, knowing that Maddox was about to leave for his soccer game in Sumpter.

Laura made the comment that Al was a good friend for taking my daughters riding instead of going with me to watch my bird chase a turkey.  He replied, “Nah, I just knew what I would have really watched was three turkeys chasing a turkey!”   Classic.

Some other falconers came up and I decided to pull Rebel down so that they could hunt the area.  She would not come to the fist very well so I went in after her.  When she finally left the perch to fly down to me, she zipped right over my head to take another squirrel out of the tree!  I hadn’t even seen the thing.  No wonder she didn’t want to come to the glove!

A second trade off and we had our second double of the meet.  I was proud, but felt a little guilty at our success.

Feb 18 – Florence Meet

I had been excited for this meet for weeks.  My friend Al was hosting a falconry meet at his home outside of Kingstree and he was expecting anywhere from fifteen to twenty local falconers to come with many different kinds of birds.  Several non-falconers had also come to learn more about the sport. 

My daughter elected to come with Rebel and I, but we had to leave Addie at home.  Most of the falconers were dividing up and heading to their respective spots when we pulled up.  Al asked if I would take a few people behind the house in the hardwoods and show them a Red Tail at work.  Our entourage included an ex-marine who was working for the local news channel, a young boy and his father, my daughter, and then Al joined us a bit later.

Rebel was as keen as she could be and ready to hunt.  I had been lowering her weight steadily in anticipation of this meet and she was flying at 39.6 ounces.  My bird has been as high as 46 ounces in the field this year and has still killed and followed well.  While she had killed at higher weights, her trap weight was still much lower than this at 36 oz. and I have been questioning myself about taking her weight upwards.  I had definitely noticed that at the higher weights, I spent my time following her rather than vice versa, and I wanted to rein in that behavior.

There were a lot of questions, most from the reporter.  He was sporting both a video camera and a still camera with a lens the size of Rebel.  Rebel chased four squirrels right off the bat but did not catch them.  I guess she was shaking off the nerves or something.  I haven't heard of a bird with performance anxiety before, but hey, this bird is teaching me something new everyday!  Anyway, she would chase one and get it moving then get distracted by another she saw.  She would chase that one and then see the first one move again.   Poor girl does not do well with too much information overload.  ADHD I guess.  I blame the parents... ;)  Her usual hunting style is to get a squirrel moving, push it up higher in the tree, and then wait for it to make a break out on a long limb where she can snatch it easily.

After the first few flights, Rebel seemed to settle down and get back to her normal hunting style.  I was proud of how well she was following and paying attention.  Her first kill came after several near misses.  She had cornered a young squirrel in a tree and caught him when he tried to escape out on a limb.  Unfortunately, she also saw fit to carry this squirrel about three hundred yards away.  

We caught up to her in a small ravine and traded off without incident and set her back up for another run as it was so early.  We were joined by Al and another young future falconer when we set out.  We headed down into the bottom area near the swamp and it didn’t take us very long to get a squirrel running. 

This squirrel was the endurance champion of the season.  He sprinted from tree to tree before Rebel could even get her bearings.  Rebel took a few dives at the squirrel but the wily little thing was smart enough to not run out on a limb until after Rebel had had a near miss and was looking for a new perch.  By far, this was the smartest squirrel we had faced all season. 

The squirrel finally took refuge in a red oak and hid wisely in the moss.  I thought that the guy had finally lost his wits when I saw a squirrel burst out the base of the tree and try to run to another tree with Rebel hot on his heals.  It turns out that our wily squirrel was still high in the red oak and Rebel had actually flushed another one!  This squirrel led Rebel on a wild chase on the ground and finally disappeared into a knothole at ground level.  Rebel actually went inside the hole to investigate and we got a few pictures, which were pretty cool.

Rebel was pretty frustrated getting back on to the fist.  That frustration wore off quickly however as we had no sooner started heading out when we saw another squirrel trying to ghost off through the trees.  Rebel gave immediate chase and almost caught this one on the first pass.  It was actually pretty impressive acceleration from the fist.  I would say reminiscent of how a Goshawk would do it, but I have honestly only seen one fly... 

She missed the first pass and ended up chasing this squirrel thought several trees before catching it out on a limb like it’s predecessor.  The amazing thing was that she was actually stradling the limb with one talon on either side, holding on to her quarry.  She hung like that for a couple of minutes making sure she had completely killed her prey before she got herself loose.  This one too, she carried about three hundred yards or so.  I had to get out the tele to find her location, but the trade off was pretty smooth.  I really think that this bird totally gets the game even though perhaps she is not completely satisfied with the rules…

Anyway, we scored a very nice double in front of spectators and I could not have been more pleased.  Rebel spent the rest of the day out on a perch surrounded by Red Tails and I even had time to make it down to Maddox’s soccer game.  It was a great start to a great weekend!

It turned out that the picture of Rebel hanging upside down with the squirrel made the front page of the second section of the Florence Sunday paper!  In still frame, it looked like she had just peeled the squirrel right off of the tree and was flying away with it.  It was an amazing shot and I am hoping that the photographer can send me a digital copy of the picture.  I will post it immediately when I get it =).

Feb 11- First Rabbit!!!

I was looking forward to our first hunt in a long time today.  I had just finished a VERY long series at work and needed to get out badly.  The only one who needed to get out more than me was Rebel.  We had hardly hunted in so long that she was wearing out her leash with all of the baiting she was doing.  I am telling you, this bird was ready to go.

Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating.  It was drizzling and overcast and I kept scouring the sky for a sign of a break.  I was packing up to head out anyway, but I was discouraged.  My bird typically does not do so well with cloud cover.  It must be some version of avian cyclothymia, no doubt.  Anyway, just as soon as I had placed Rebel into the GH, I got a call from my buddy in Florence telling me that the weather was perfect and he had a great spot scouted out for rabbits.  Well I didn’t need to be asked twice.  We were heading down the road before I even hung up the phone.

It was almost a two-hour drive, but it was worth it.  The weather began to clear about thirty miles from his house and it was truly a blue bird day.  I met Al at his house and we struck immediately for the field.  This particular field was mostly straw grass with a ton of briars, ranging in size from one foot high to ten feet high.  There were many perches scattered around in the form of patches of pine trees, perfect for a Red Tail.

We put Rebel up first and she got her bearings.  I was glad that I had actually had the foresight to bring my pole perch, although it wasn’t completely necessary.  Rebel had great response to the perch.  She would come to it whenever I whistled looking for a tidbit, but didn’t particularly like to ride it.  She would stay on a little longer each time as she got more used to it.

Rebel did a really nice soar over the field to check things out as we started.  I really think that if I knew how to properly reinforce this behavior and could predict it better, this bird could be a soar hawker’s dream.  After the first soar, she really didn’t do it too much, although she did take a couple of S curves when flying to and from the pole perch.  Despite the abundance of perches, it took awhile for Rebel to get into the game.  Al had jumped up a couple of rabbits early, but Rebel was in no position to see them.  She was way too far behind and the cover was so thick, she couldn’t see them.

Addie was having a time of it.  She was bouncing through the grass and ducking through the briars like she had body armor on.  She would wade into the thickest of thickets without hesitation.  She was staying close for the most part, but of course would occasionally surge ahead, looking back at me from time to time to gauge my mood with her face grinning and her tongue lolling out the side.

We had a couple of breath-holding moments when Rebel was gliding across the field and did a sudden wingover and hit the ground.  I ran up to find nothing both times.  The second time, he was clutching a clump of grass.  I think he was going after a little field mouse or something that time.  Not sure about the first.

As I was wading through a nine-foot high row of briars, very carefully I might add, I saw Rebel dive down into the grass behind me.  She had shot out of the tip top of a nearby pine and winged over about two feet off of the ground, slamming something out of sight.  I heard the sound and knew we had our first rabbit!  I got there quickly and helped dispatch the rabbit and traded Rebel off smoothly.  It was a nice big cottontail with thick long legs!

I fed Rebel up and we put him back in the truck to give my buddy’s bird a turn.  No luck for him at that spot but he didn’t seem to mind.  I think that he was just as fired up as I was with Rebel getting his first!  DEFINITELY worth the two hour drive!

Feb 8 – Chases without end

Have you ever had a day where you felt like you were on a treadmill?  No matter how fast you ran your goal was always on the horizon, never getting any closer?  Well Rebel and I had that kind of day today.  

We ran over to the old horse stables to run up a few squirrels.  It was a little overcast and I was anxious to get out ahead of the rain.  Work was pressing hard and Rebel was definitely not getting enough flying time.  We had been out here and there but the outings were short due to weather and time constraints.  This bird was very geared up to fly.

We ran a squirrel almost as soon as we were out of the car, but these guys at the stables have always been really smart.  They live in the largest live oaks I have ever seen and there are plenty of knotholes into which to escape.  We ran the first one in a circle around four trees for about fifteen minutes before it literally disappeared.  The second squirrel escaped somewhere in the old barn while we were looking elsewhere.

We decided to explore a little more of the property.  We walked all the way back to the lake and around.  We had three more chases that ended in frustration and Rebel was getting a tad bit miffed.  Well, I guess that that is only accurate if you consider a bird who screams at you when she comes to the fist or a bird that glares at you like you just stepped on its nest every time you call it “a bit miffed”.

It was starting to drizzle and I knew we should just head back when Rebel spotted one more and gave chase.  This one took us out of the woods and into a small trailer neighborhood.  The local dogs let us know we were in the wrong place and a few people came out to see.  I quickly explained who I was and what we were doing.  Rebel had lost he squirrel by this point anyway. 

We headed back to the truck heads hanging a bit low.  I would love to end this telling about that last chase right at the barn and how it ended with a great catch, but it didn’t happen that way.  We did get one last squirrel to run but it was the smartest of the bunch.  It never left the core of the tree until Rebel had flown past for the umpteenth time.  At that point, it gave a smartass salute and bailed out on the roof of the barn and was gone.  If my eyesight weren’t so bad, I would swear that the blasted thing actually gave me the finger…

I had had enough.  I called Rebel down to the lure and leashed her up.  She must have flown on seven squirrels and every chase had lasted what seemed like forever.  She didn’t think she was too tired though.  She wanted more, but I wanted dry.  I cropped her up nicely for her efforts, but a baleful glare followed me out of the mews when we got home.  I guess that she was still thinking that it was all my fault…  Women…  Wait.  I’m not even sure if she is a she…

Jan 31 – Turkey, Round Two

Well, we had to go back to Sutton today.  Rebel told me she wanted another crack at the fox squirrels.  I, of course, had to try again at the rabbits.  It was another picture perfect day with blue skies and moderate temperatures.  The only problem was the wind.  Gusty doesn’t begin to describe it.  It was more of a steady gale force thing…

I was a little worried about Rebel getting blown back to North Carolina, but she wanted to fly and I am nothing if not a pushover for a pair of pretty eyes. 

I put her up on the edge of a cornfield in the tree line.  She was a little surprised by the wind and zipped off about two hundred yards away before she knew it.  She turned into the wind and actually hovered as she selected her perch and actually floated down to it in slow motion.  I do love watching her fly.

She was incredibly attentive today.  She stayed very near me and came to the pole perch numerous times without me calling her to check things out.  She would turn quick circles over the field to check things out.  I did get a little video of some of these flights that were pretty cool.  Addie of course was having a field day, no pun intended.  Wait.  Maybe that one actually was intended…  Anyway, she absolutely loves bouncing through the grass that is over her head.  I haven’t formally trained her on rabbits, but she knows the scent and does her best.  We will work on it in the off season.

So after traversing several fields with no signs of rabbits seen, we headed into the trees looking for a few squirrels to chase.  There was absolutely NOTHING moving in the trees.  Rebel was getting frustrated and started lagging behind and wanting to hunt on her own so I called her down and we moved on to the Fox Squirrel spot.  On our way, we once again spied the turkeys ghosting along about fifty yards deep in the woods.  They didn’t seem to mind the truck at all, so I stopped ahead of them and got my critters out.

Rebel spotted them immediately and perked up.  I made my way towards them and once again, Rebel streamed in after me.  This time the turkeys were a little more skittish, getting up to fly much earlier.  Rebel took a flight at them but didn’t really make the effort. She flared up at the end of her flight and took a perch, watching those big birds fly ungainly away.  She looked back at me like, “What?  You didn’t actually expect me to grab one of those did you?”  Oh well.  Probably better this way.  I have heard of a few Red Tails getting mixed up with turkeys, and while they typically come out on top, there are some reports of injuries from those spurs.  Probably not worth it.

We headed back to the fox squirrels and we were in luck.  A grey faced fox squirrel with a raccoon tail was halfway up a tree waiting for us.  He hid as I pulled Rebel out but it didn’t take long for Rebel to get him moving.  She almost had the squirrel five different times but just barely missed, allowing the squirrel to duck into a nest at the top of a pine tree.  Rebel did not see the squirrel go in and no amount of banging or yelling would get the squirrel to come out.  Just when I thought she was going to come and attack the nest, she winged of for another tree where a HUGE solid black fox squirrel was hanging out.  I hadn’t seen this guy.  He looked like a small bear with his thick black fur.  Rebel took a cautious flight at him but pulled up, clearly disturbed by his coloring.  He ran, which is a bit atypical for the bigger fox squirrels, and I thought Rebel would give chase but apparently she thought better of this.  Usually, it is the squirrels who do not run and behave like normal prey that seem to put these birds off of the hunt.  When they run, the prey drive usually kicks in and the hawk will follow.

Not this time, that squirrel ran out on every long limb, ripe for the picking but Rebel just watched him.  The damned thing actually almost fell out of the tree about eight feet above my head at one point.  It had made a slight miscalculation and grasped for a very small branch after it jumped from one small gum tree.  It lost its footing and was literally dangling just above me for like twenty seconds.  That may not seem like that long to you, but that is precisely the kind of mistake that these birds take advantage of with these squirrels.   Actually, that was way worse than most of the mistakes I see these critters make.

Oh well, it didn’t matter because Rebel just sat up and watched him crawl to freedom.  I was terribly disappointed, but there is always tomorrow.  In the confusion, Rebel had clearly forgotten about the other squirrel.  She was clearly frustrated so I called her down to the lure and called it a day.  Nothing in the bag but some exquisite flights in the memory banks.

Jan 30 – Rebel Meets a Turkey…

Today, Rebel and I headed out to Sutton to a friend’s farm.  I had been there a few times with the bird and there is always a ton of game.  We were really hoping for a rabbit, but I wasn’t holding my breath.  We had had a few near misses on Fox Squirrels at his place and I was very hopeful of adding that species to our list.

Rebel was flying lean and mean at 39 ounces, about the lowest she has been since November.  I was trying to bring the weight back in line down to the weights where she had formally killed ducks, but I could not seem to get her any lower than 39 or so.  Clearly the bird is in better physical shape than when I got her.   Her flights are more powerful and longer, but I wonder if she hasn’t lost some of her quickness.

We set out into the rabbit field near the house in waist high straw grass.  Not much in the way of briars, but I was encouraged by the fact that there was a hag RT perched in a snag at the end of the field when I pulled up.  We bumped her off as soon as I opened the door, so I was not too concerned for Rebel.  Besides, Rebel has held her own many times with hags.  She has never backed down once, so I guess that either makes her confident or stupid…

She didn’t think too much of our efforts with the rabbits.  In her defense, the cover was thick and the visibility was poor.  As I was out in the middle of the field, she took off into the woods after a squirrel.  She chased that one through seven trees before letting it get away on the ground.  Okay, clearly she wanted squirrels so we did our best in the woods instead.

The squirrels were not moving too well today.  We had a few early chases, but nothing lasting too long.  Rebel finally connected on a smallish squirrel as it was fleeing.  She had a beautiful helicopter to the ground after capture.  I traded her off for a squirrel and she let right go.  It seems that the trade offs are becoming even smoother.  She definitely knows she is getting the poor end of the deal, and still seems mad about it, but she hops off quicker for her chick each time.

I put her back in the hood to check out another area.  This was a spot where I had seen fox squirrels in the past.  As we set out, I saw some turkeys ghosting through the woods ahead of us.  I moved forward to get a better view and Addie took off.  That was apparently the signal for Rebel as she turned on the after burners and shot after Addie.  A few of the turkeys took to the wing, but most just started to run along the ground.  I was actually videoing this with a new hand held Hi Def video camera and I caught Rebel swinging out over my right shoulder, heading straight for a turkey and winging over striking it on the ground!!!

I was shocked!  I ran over as fast as I could and got there in time to see the turkey taking off, minus a few feathers.  Rebel was standing on the ground looking at me like, “Dude!  Did you see the size of that thing???!!!”  She had knocked out a few feathers, but I think that as soon as she realized the size of that turkey, she decided that a fight was not in her best interests.  Wow.  I never expected that.  Remember in the beginning when I was talking about how she had stood up to many other hags?  Well, I am pretty sure that hitting that turkey showed some pretty amazing confidence, but letting it go probably showed that she isn’t exactly stupid!

Hope the video turns out!

Jan 28 – Ninjas and Numchucks

Rebel and I headed back to the Georgetown hole today as I had left my beatin’ stick there the other day.   Now I would not have gone back for just any old beatin’ stick.  This one just happened to be an oak quarterstaff that managed to find its way back to me from my childhood.  When I was a boy, my brother and I fancied ourselves knights, ninjas, or pirates on any given day, and as such, we were forced to have battles as you might guess.  As oldest, I was frequently on the giving end of most of our battles, but on the receiving end of the punishments those battles invariably provoked.

One day in summer, a friend left us a catalog of ninja gear at our house.  In the wisdom that only comes from being 12, we decided to order some gear.   We bought a pair of wooden samurai swords each and a pair of quarterstaffs, envisioning epic battles to follow.  We even managed to cut up one of mom’s broomsticks to make numchucks.  That went over well.

I learned two valuable lessons that summer.  The first and most obvious was that solid wood friggin’ hurts when it smacks your knuckles or anywhere really.  The other was that when your parents find out you have used the credit card to order contraband material, hide your stuff and blame your little brother.

Well somehow, when my parents moved out of the house, that staff showed up and proceeded to follow me on several moves.  It was hiding in my box of gardening implements (which had not been unpacked for at least six moves…) just so it could turn up now to keep me from falling on tough terrain and serve once again as a tool to pummel the enemy, as long as your enemy is a tree or heavy brush.  Obviously, I couldn’t leave it behind, once I discovered it missing.

Sure enough it was there where I had dropped it so with a smile on my face we set out into the woods, armed to fight ninjas should they appear.  None did, so Rebel and I took our fight to the squirrels.

We took our first squirrel in a heavily infested area near our usual first duck slip spot.  As has been the case lately, there were no ducks on the water when we got there, but Rebel immediately spotted a grey squirrel heading for a hole.  She chased it through several trees before finally snagging it out on a limb.   I am reasonably certain that this was no ninja squirrel as his moves were not nearly so nimble as many others I have seen around here.  She carried it a goodly ways off which has been happening with growing frequency lately.  The trade off was smooth and we decided to make one more circle in case the ninjas were going to show up.

In truth, I was actually hoping for a Kamikaze wood duck slip, but they were clearly on to me at this point.  Either that or they had decided to buy in to the American dream and found something to live for like Starbucks and Apple TV. 

Duck was off the menu so we cruised around exploring parts of the property that we had not often seen.  It was a great day overall with good weather, a responsive bird, and the recovery of a childhood memory.  I was all warm and fuzzy heading home.  My bird was clearly confident after her kill and I was much more confident in my chances against any impending ninja attacks now that I had my trusty quarterstaff / beatin’ stick back at my side.

Jan 24 – A Squirrel and a Book?

 Rain and work have conspired to keep Rebel and I out of the woods for more than a few cursory flights lately.  Not today though.  With the sun shining brightly, we headed back to the Georgetown hole in hopes of some squirrel action.  Of course I was secretly hoping for a duck slip that might turn fruitful, but given Rebel’s reticence to chase ‘em since the fall, I was not holding my breath.

Almost as soon as I released Rebel she was on squirrel number one.  She chased it through four different trees before catching it out on a limb and bringing it down in classic fashion, a good grip on the head with no bites.  It was a beautiful flight and I wished I had been quick enough to get it on camera, but as usual, I found myself watching and chasing.  I never seem to think about the camera until the deal is sealed.

The trade of was smooth and Rebel was once again looking around for action.  I was heading across the lake to the larger expanses on the other side, but within three steps of where we got the first squirrel, another one started running!  Rebel chased that squirrel through fifteen trees.  This guy was smart.  He finally got to an old dead snag and hid under a branch.  Rebel was understandably a bit tired and she perched up and just watched the squirrel, waiting for her chance.  In my mind, I wanted to see how it would play out in the wild without me there to shake vines and beat on trees, so I waited and actually brought out the camera before the kill. 

It was an amazingly long wait.  I finally decided to help out a bit and beat on the tree some but the only thing that could get this squirrel moving was Rebel.  The squirrel had the clear advantage of position.  From his spot, he could see the bird easily and every time she moved, he would move to a more protected spot, never running out on a limb or leaving the base of the tree.  This went on for literally an hour.  No lie.  I finally pulled up an ebook on my phone and read a bit.  Quite peaceful really.

After much waiting and a few intermittent flights, Rebel finally gave up and we headed out across the lake.  We had several more great flights but came up just shy on all of them.  On one flight in particular, Rebel showed his frustration.  He had a wily grey running through the trees and Addie and I sprinting after them.  He knocked the critter from a branch and came swooping down for the kill but the grey was too fast and started scampering through the thick cover.  Addie was less than a foot behind him and chased the squirrel right in front of me, just out of reach.  The squirrel popped into the base of a hollowed out tree right in front of us to disappear safely.  Addie had her nose stuck in the hole and whining as Rebel hopped over.  To say that she was a little upset at losing this squirrel would be a huge understatement.  She looked at me like it was entirely my fault and then considered Addie like perhaps she would like to take out her frustrations…

Addie wisely backed out of the hole and let Rebel inspect the area.  She huffed around a bit and I finally got her up to the fist but she was mantly and footy so I decided it was time to leash up and walk out.  She had a kill early in the day but got increasingly frustrated in her misses.  She certainly got her exercise today.  It only took her a minute to slick down and get calm on the glove.  I expect that she knew she was in for a treat as soon as we got home.  By the time we got to the truck, she was rousing and standing on one foot, her happily contented self.  It is amazing to see how fast these creatures can switch from pure aggression to contentment.

Jan 19 – Bunker Buster

Today Rebel showed me something new that I haven’t seen much of before with her.  She has crashed nests in the past but this time she was bouncing around from nest to nest shaking things up.  It was pretty cool to watch.

Rebel was keen to fly after work today weighing in at 42.4 ounces.  She didn’t get to fly yesterday due to work stuff so I had to race home this afternoon to get her out before dark.  We went to our newly found horse stables area and hit the ground running. 

Right off the bat, Rebel got up a squirrel in a tall live oak and chased it through several trees before it got away.  I was actually surprised that she missed it as hard as she was chasing.  Lately, it seems that her experience has been making it almost too easy for her on squirrels.  Not these squirrels though.  They were fast and experienced and knew where to hide.

We decided to explore a bit and we set of in a wide arc around the property.  As I mentioned, there are plenty of trails and a ton of small slews and lake areas.  Rebel was a bit frustrated after her first miss so in her usual fashion, she decided to lead for a bit.  It is kind of funny because the takes of ahead and then waits for me to catch up.  If I go a different direction, she just stares and eventually follows.  Sort of a constant test of wills as to who will lead I suppose.

Well as we came around full circle, we got up another pair of squirrels and Rebel was all over them.  She chased them through several trees until they both ducked into the same nest.  She was on them in a New York second crashing into the nest like a Kamikaze.  Both squirrels bailed out of the bottom so she quickly resumed the chase.  She selected her target when they split up and when he ran into a nest, crashed after him as well.  Once again the slippery devil got away.  This repeated two more times!  Every time, Rebel was holding on to the nest a little longer giving the squirrel a better chance of escape.  This one did get away, but it wasn’t long until we had another running, this one out over the swamp.

I had waterproof bots on but wasn’t sure how deep the water was in some spots, so I was having a slow time of it navigating through the swamp.  Not so much Addie.  She bounded through the water like an otter following the action.  I honestly can’t explain how Rebel failed to catch this squirrel.  He was trying to hide in the tallest branches of small Ceder and Cyprus trees with very poor cover.  Rebel had several beautiful chances at him, including twice when he tried to hide in a nest only to find her tearing it down with him inside.  Both times, the squirrel made it out the bottom but Rebel was clearly dialing in to the nest thing.  That was six nests she had dive bombed in just one hour!

The squirrel finally made it to ground where Rebel did a nice wingover to grab him.  She had him but he twisted out of her talons and she gave chase over ground.  Now most times, once Rebel has them on the ground, it is game over her favor.  Not this time as this quick varmint scuttled under a root and up the other side of the tree.  Rebel gave up and just stared at me like it was all my fault.  Women…

On the way out of the woods, she hit another nest just for kicks but there was nothing in it.  I do love to see her figuring out tools and skills that make her a more successful hunter.  It is going to make me feel much more comfortable when I do finally turn her back to the wild, knowing that she has these skills to help her make it though the winters.

Jan 17 – Full Facial

Not a good day.  Today as our last day in Asheville and Rebel and I ran out to get a quick wing-stretch in before that long drive home.  We had had a great trip so there wasn’t much pressure as we headed up the mountain.  It was overcast, and as I have previously noted, this bird does not do well in overcast conditions.  Today was no exception. 

We had one good chase on a squirrel at the beginning but Rebel’s repeated misses soured the day for her in a big way.  She finally flew off in a huff after the ninth near miss.  Well, getting her focused again was proving difficult, so I decided that she needed a rest.  She was not responding as well as I would have liked to the fist, so I decided to head on down the mountain and call her to the lure back at home.  We were not that far away by this point.

Rebel actually followed really well.  When we got back to my sister’s house, I thought maybe I would try to get a picture of Rebel landing on the snowman that the kids built, so I put a chick up on top of his hat and called her down.  She came right down, but instead of landing to eat, she raked the chick off and flew into a tree.  Oh well, it would have been cute but clearly Rebel was in no mood.

Since she was right there, I decided to feed her off of the fist as I was getting worried over her increased aggression during and after feedings.  I held up her portion of squirrel and she came right down to the fist and settled in to eat, mantling like a bum does over his bottle.  We were in my sister’s porch at this point and I settled back into a rocking chair while Rebel fed. 

Fatal flaw number one, I didn’t have her leashed.   I can’t get near her feet anymore while she is eating.  She is just too damned aggressive.  So I called her to the garnished glove but needed to let her eat unleashed.  No problem until the dog came in.  She had just finished her meal so I rose to put her on her perch when the dog nosed over smelling something she had dropped.  Like a flash she hopped over and hit poor Addie in the top of the head!  I was a bit pissed at myself for not seeing that coming.  I reached down and picked up the bird while Addie was pushed up against the sliding glass door trying to get away.

Fatal flaw number two, I still didn’t have her leashed and I only had control of one leg.  I had reached down with my gloved hand and grabbed one foot to help lift her up.  I did not want to let go until I had the leash on so I raised her up intending to get a good look at the other anklet to attach the leash.  Well, she did not particularly like being held by one talon so she shot her other talon out and tagged me quite quickly in the face.  It was a strike meant to scare, not hurt, same with the dog.  She did not try to bind to me in anyway, she just wanted me to let go of her.  Well I did.  Quickly.

Okay.  Now I am bleeding from a couple of needle like puncture wounds to my face.  My dog is pressed up against the glass watching all of this in horror, and my bird is standing on the ground looking up at me like “What?”  I gently but firmly grabbed the bird by BOTH talons this time and turned her over to leash her.  She did not like that much, but with all of the amped up adrenaline in her system after those two bouts, I was not going to take any chances that could result in her, or myself, getting hurt.  Once leashed, she went promptly into the giant hood to let her calm down in a dark environment.

I went inside to face the family crowded around the glass watching my idiocy.  When I looked into the mirror and saw how close to my eye her talon had come, I said a prayer and carefully went over everything again to make sure my lesson was learned.  I hate that my bird has become so aggressive to me when she did not start out that way.  It is clearly in some response to patterns of behavior that I have somehow reinforced unintentionally.   That coupled with the right triggers regarding food and a perfect storm can develop almost instantaneously.

Hunting success notwithstanding, I clearly still have a lot to learn from these birds.  I bought a pair of safety glasses that very same day.

Jan 16 – Asheville Squirrel Number Two

Wow.  To think that I considered not bringing my bird on this trip.  We woke up a bit early again today to get some flying time in before family time.  No skiing today, the kids were all worn out.  The plan was for pizza and a movie later on and maybe some paintball if the troops could rally.

That left Rebel and I the morning.  Laura decided to come with us for this one.  It was pretty out with clear skies and much warmer temperatures than the teens we had been out in the last few days.  The snow was rapidly melting though and the trails were all pretty muddy.  I have to say I was regretting the loss of the snow.  I loved how I could spot tracks of earthbound activity and even keep tabs on running squirrels while watching them knock snow off of branches in their flight.

Rebel was still on the lower side at 41.4 ounces despite being inside and eating pretty well the last few days.  She was definitely eager to fly.  We headed up to the top of the mountain with dogs in tow.  As we crested the first rise, little Holly the toy poodle / mini schnauzer mix came up with a gift.  She had found a rabbit leg in the snow!  Fortunately Rebel had not seen it so I quickly stowed it to use later in training the dogs a bit.  Wouldn’t you know that my inside dog finds the rabbit scent…  oh well, Addie just needs more training =). 

Apparently the theft of that leg did not go unnoticed by the locals.  A very angry haggard RT came in on us screaming at Rebel as she flew back up to us from down the mountain.  Her cry ripped through the silence around us, putting everyone on alert.  It sounded more dinosaur than RT at first.  Interestingly, Rebel did not fly after her to challenge.  She simply sat her perch about thirty feet or so away from the hag and watched.  She did try her version of that cry but it was again Mike Tyson-esque and pitiful.  Poor bird.

The hag left us and we resumed the hunt.  I was really hoping to get another rabbit flush.  I knew they were here given that we had found a head yesterday and a leg today.  At the op of the mountain, I headed off into the briars to try for a flush.  This was a bit much for Laura who volunteered to take the little dog back to the house by way of the trail.  Rebel saw something and took a few dives along the ground after what I was hoping was a rabbit.  I was running up the mountain now to give chase, as fast as my wheezing lungs and aching legs (skiing remember?) would allow.  I never saw the rabbit but Rebel was watching keenly.

I sat quietly and waited and watched with hope.  Rebel seemed to lose interest and launched herself up and into a thermal.  She was soaring around when out from the left came the hag.  They did a few cool aerial displays that would have made the Blue Angels proud and then she came back to perch besides me.  They never locked up and there was no further screaming that I could hear.  It was more like they were sizing each other up and deciding that maybe there was room in that valley for the two of them after all.

I made my way down the mountain with Rebel reluctantly following.  She was lagging way behind and I was pretty sure that even if I did manage to kick up a rabbit, she would be in no position to see it.  When she once again took off like a shot down the mountain, I was on her tail.  She had spied a squirrel and he ran up a tree frightening the three other squirrels in the tree there.  Wow.  I am not sure how we missed all of these on the way up, but I was happy. Rebel however, was not sure which target to dive upon.  She solved this by choosing none and flying away to a distant vantage to make a plan.  She finally picked the squirrel she wanted and set in.  She chased him through a couple of trees and the squirrel ran to ground.  For the second time this week, Rebel caught that squirrel in the snow. 

Like a surgeon, Rebel had one foot around the head with one talon in the ear and the squirrel was dead almost instantly without any assistance from me.  She is definitely more lethal now as her experience mounts.  The trade off was easy and we headed for home.  She was lagging again behind so I went to my sister’s house and called her to the lure.  I loved seeing her bomb down the mountain in almost free fall with her wings tucked in close almost like a harrier jet.  She hit the lure hard and set in.

I do love watching this bird fly.

Jan 15 – Asheville Entourage and Near Miss on a Rabbit

After an almost perfect day yesterday of hawking in the morning in the glorious snow covered mountains followed by skiing with my family until ten pm yesterday, I was thinking that another hike up the mountain for hawking might just do me in but I was wrong.  Poor Rebel had been cooped up in her giant hood for waaaay too long and was in dire need of some flight time so we headed up the ridge shortly after daybreak.

Rebel, Addie and I got to the top of the mountain via the trail and were slowly making our way down.  Rebel had chased one squirrel waaaaayy down the opposite side of the mountain, but he had gotten away, thank heavens.  I am not sure I could have made it down that ravine to help and if I had, I was pretty sure that making it back up was going to be straight out of a bad survival flick.  Pretty sure I don’t want to go down as the “Into The Wild” guy of falconry….

Nothing much was moving so we set our down the ridge when my cell went off.  My sister had told a few of her friends about her brother with the obvious mental imbalance who liked to chase after hawks.  They came a-runnin’.   My sister, her friends, and their children met me halfway down the mountain.  Brynn came along as well.  I could hear them about a mile before I saw them.  Oh well, we got a kill yesterday, right?..

I started down to introduce myself and say hello.  The kids had all kinds of questions on falconry.  Rebel was still uphill in a tree, turning her nose up at the whole situation.  She flew down a little closer but would not come to the fist so I was thinking maybe she had seen something.  I made my way up to her through the worst patch of deadfall ever to be found in the NC Mountains, leaving small bits of blood and cotton fibers on most of the briars in the area.

The young girls weren’t too far behind me, managing to traverse the briars without nearly as much difficulty, still asking questions.  I turned to answer when Rebel dove off of her perch and slammed into the briars in the middle of the deadfall.  It was so think I couldn’t see exactly where she went, but I knew that she had just tried for a rabbit!  We had not caught a rabbit together yet and I was anxious to add that to our game totals for the year.  I crashed through the briars to the spot but when I got there, no Rebel…

We started fanning out looking for her on the ground, as I was sure she was trying to be sneaky with her prize.  Nope.  She was up in a tree looking at us like we were crazy.  Oh well, not today.  I guess it was probably a good thing not to scar the little ones with a dead bunny.  It looked like they could possibly get behind a dead squirrel, but as we all know, Peter Cottontail is a bit different.

The biology lecture continued and Rebel consented to come down for a preen and a chance to show off.  After the oohs and ahhs, had subsided, more questions started coming.  Rebel had had enough so she took back off for a distant perch as we made our way towards home.

As we were leaving the park area, My sister’s dog came bouncing up with something in his mouth that he had dug up from the snow.  It was a rabbit head!  I started to get psyched because I at least knew that they were here.  I picked the rabbit head up to study it a bit and noticed the little ones staring at me.  I must have looked a sight with a mangled rabbit head, complete with one bulging eye, in my hands and a grin on my face.

I expected to see the moms pull the youngsters in close and give me a dirty look as they walked away.  I expected a tear or two and a look of betrayal from at least one of the princesses, but nope.  Wouldn’t you know they came and crowded around wanting to look at the bunny and ask me questions about it.  I explained that a raptor or a four-legged predator who couldn’t finish his meal probably caught this particular rabbit.  Since he couldn’t finish, he had tried to bury it in the snow for later, but the dog with his keen sense of smell was able to find it first.  More questions incoming and one of the dainty things actually wanted to touch the bulging eye.  I guess I need to give kids these days a bit more credit.  That or relook at those immutable rules that I thought governed the universe.  Pretty sure that one of those rules was that little girls don’t like dead things…

I reburied the rabbit head so Rebel wouldn’t see it and come for it.  It looked fresh, but you never know and I would hate it if that rabbit actually died of poison or something.  Anyway we headed down the mountain, the girls possibly a little better educated on hawks and me possibly a little better educated on little girls, if that is even a possibility, which I sincerely doubt.

Jan 15 – Asheville Entourage and Near Miss on a Rabbit

After an almost perfect day yesterday of hawking in the morning in the glorious snow covered mountains followed by skiing with my family until ten pm yesterday, I was thinking that another hike up the mountain for hawking might just do me in but I was wrong.  Poor Rebel had been cooped up in her giant hood for waaaay too long and was in dire need of some flight time so we headed up the ridge shortly after daybreak.

Rebel, Addie and I got to the top of the mountain via the trail and were slowly making our way down.  Rebel had chased one squirrel waaaaayy down the opposite side of the mountain, but he had gotten away, thank heavens.  I am not sure I could have made it down that ravine to help and if I had, I was pretty sure that making it back up was going to be straight out of a bad survival flick.  Pretty sure I don’t want to go down as the “Into The Wild” guy of falconry….

Nothing much was moving so we set our down the ridge when my cell went off.  My sister had told a few of her friends about her brother with the obvious mental imbalance who liked to chase after hawks.  They came a-runnin’.   My sister, her friends, and their children met me halfway down the mountain.  Brynn came along as well.  I could hear them about a mile before I saw them.  Oh well, we got a kill yesterday, right?..

I started down to introduce myself and say hello.  The kids had all kinds of questions on falconry.  Rebel was still uphill in a tree, turning her nose up at the whole situation.  She flew down a little closer but would not come to the fist so I was thinking maybe she had seen something.  I made my way up to her through the worst patch of deadfall ever to be found in the NC Mountains, leaving small bits of blood and cotton fibers on most of the briars in the area.

The young girls weren’t too far behind me, managing to traverse the briars without nearly as much difficulty, still asking questions.  I turned to answer when Rebel dove off of her perch and slammed into the briars in the middle of the deadfall.  It was so think I couldn’t see exactly where she went, but I knew that she had just tried for a rabbit!  We had not caught a rabbit together yet and I was anxious to add that to our game totals for the year.  I crashed through the briars to the spot but when I got there, no Rebel…

We started fanning out looking for her on the ground, as I was sure she was trying to be sneaky with her prize.  Nope.  She was up in a tree looking at us like we were crazy.  Oh well, not today.  I guess it was probably a good thing not to scar the little ones with a dead bunny.  It looked like they could possibly get behind a dead squirrel, but as we all know, Peter Cottontail is a bit different.

The biology lecture continued and Rebel consented to come down for a preen and a chance to show off.  After the oohs and ahhs, had subsided, more questions started coming.  Rebel had had enough so she took back off for a distant perch as we made our way towards home.

As we were leaving the park area, My sister’s dog came bouncing up with something in his mouth that he had dug up from the snow.  It was a rabbit head!  I started to get psyched because I at least knew that they were here.  I picked the rabbit head up to study it a bit and noticed the little ones staring at me.  I must have looked a sight with a mangled rabbit head, complete with one bulging eye, in my hands and a grin on my face.

I expected to see the moms pull the youngsters in close and give me a dirty look as they walked away.  I expected a tear or two and a look of betrayal from at least one of the princesses, but nope.  Wouldn’t you know they came and crowded around wanting to look at the bunny and ask me questions about it.  I explained that a raptor or a four-legged predator who couldn’t finish his meal probably caught this particular rabbit.  Since he couldn’t finish, he had tried to bury it in the snow for later, but the dog with his keen sense of smell was able to find it first.  More questions incoming and one of the dainty things actually wanted to touch the bulging eye.  I guess I need to give kids these days a bit more credit.  That or relook at those immutable rules that I thought governed the universe.  Pretty sure that one of those rules was that little girls don’t like dead things…

I reburied the rabbit head so Rebel wouldn’t see it and come for it.  It looked fresh, but you never know and I would hate it if that rabbit actually died of poison or something.  Anyway we headed down the mountain, the girls possibly a little better educated on hawks and me possibly a little better educated on little girls, if that is even a possibility, which I sincerely doubt.

Jan 14 – Asheville Squirrels Taste Sweeter!

So what do you do when you have a family trip to Asheville for a little skiing and family fun, and there is no one at home to keep your bird?  You take her with you, of course!  Poor me!  Forced to carve away a bit of time for falconry in the snow (a first).  It is such a shame that my sister lives at the top of a neighborhood, above which is a state park and hiking trails quite literally out her doorstep.

Rebel was keen from her long incarceration and was weighing in at a low 41.5 ounces.  We have not been below 42 in some time, and I was previously flying above 44.  The bird was sharp on at these weights and wanted badly to get outside.  I unleashed her as we stepped off of the pavement and she took a perch, not quite understanding this white stuff called snow that she had never seen before.

It didn’t seem to phase her much.  She played in it a bit on a limb and then set about the business of dinner.  Addie was running hither and yon, digging in the snow and sometimes deep into the loamy soil underneath when she smelled something.   I had gotten up with the dawn to hunt as we were supposed to go skiing on the early side of things.  It was cold and clear with a splendidly bright sky overhead.

I looked back one time as I was climbing the mountain and the bird was behind me.  The sun was rising behind my bird and I was pretty pumped.  As the new morning sunlight shone through, there were these fine ice crystals floating in the air creating a sparkling prismatic effect that took my breath away.  It didn’t last long, but it was truly beautiful and nothing like anything I have ever seen before.

We trudged all the way to the top of the mountain.  Somewhere along the way we managed to pick up a murder of crows that was badgering Rebel incessantly.  Amazingly Rebel didn’t seem to care one bit.  They would dive bomb her when she flew and caw at her whenever she was on perch.  They would leave for a bit to annoy something else on the mountain, but they inevitably came back.

At the very top, Rebel finally got a squirrel running and Addie and I happily gave pursuit.  It was pretty cool to watch because when the squirrel would try to run down a branch, it would knock the snow off of the branch, giving its position away.  I can’t tell you how many times I lost the blasted thing, only to see snow falling a dozen feet away or so and see the squirrel scampering for a knothole.   Rebel was right behind him and a murder of crows was right behind Rebel!  The squirrel bailed out of the tree and landed about ten feet away from me.  He turned immediately and scurried up a dead branch as Rebel raked the snow off of the limb right behind him!  It was intense to say the least.  The crows where whirling just overhead and Rebel turned to fly back up but the squirrel had made it safely to his knothole.

We stomped through the snowdrifts a bit more and started heading down the mountain along the ridge and though the briars.  I was still hoping for a rabbit slip but Rebel found another grey squirrel instead.  She chased this one through the trees like a pro and it finally ditched to the ground with Rebel on its tail.  She crashed it as it leapt over a log and rolled it into the snow.  The snow was covering her talons and the squirrel but she didn’t let go.  The trade off was smooth and we headed down the mountain with grins on our faces.  Well.  Rebel can’t really grin so I did it for her.

Jan 11 – So Close To Home

Well I was tooling around with Google maps to look for nearby areas to fly when time is pressing (which seems like all the time), when I found the best area ever right down the street from my old home.  This place is only about two or three miles from where I live right now and it used to be a horse barn and riding property but the county has recently bought it to turn it into a public park.  They have not started any of the construction yet and don’t plan to for another few years. 

It was raining all morning so I thought that I would drive over and check it out.  I stopped at a nearby house to get the scoop on the area and the nice gentleman informed me that I was welcome to fly on his three acres and that the county had been inviting the public to come and walk the property in the paper.  Perfect!  It is about 50-60 acres of swamp and hardwoods.  I rode around on the dirt roads and saw all of the horse tracks leading around the woods that would be killer to explore.

I went back that afternoon when the rain was down to a drizzle to try to fly Rebel.  I had been bringing Rebel’s weight down a bit and she was sitting at 42.4 and very ready, though a bit wet.  As soon as I set her up, I heard wood ducks deep in the swamp and started to explore.  There is a long shallow lake on the north east side of the property with ducks on it but I had no way of getting over to them to flush without waders.  Oh well, maybe another time.

The rain was picking up so we didn’t have much time for exploring.  A murder of crows decided to drop in and make things even more difficult.  We decided to pack it in and come back another day to better assess this spot, but I think this is just what we needed.  It was quite a bit of fortune to find an easily accessible and unused piece of property in the middle of this town.  Can’t wait to explore it more and find out where the squirrels are.

Jan 7 – Michael Phelps Redeux…

So today I got up early and took Rebel to Georgetown for a chance at some woodies and squirrels.  It was cold but not bitter and the sky was clear and bright.  The clouds were puffy and moving across the sky at a fair clip but not so fast that you couldn’t see a few nice images in them.  Kept looking for a hawk breaking down on a duck…

We got out a little behind schedule but still with plenty of time before work.  Addie was all over it and having a blast.  She would streak in to the water for a little ice bath action then get out and zip around in circles as fast as she could to warm up.  It was pretty funny to watch, but it wasn’t helping us sneak up on any ducks.  There were no ducks on the lake in our first and best slip spot, but we took off hoping to find them in another slew.

Rebel was flying pretty well down to 43.4 ounces.  I want to try to get her down to around 41 or so and see how she flies.  She has not had a duck kill since November and she was at 40 ounces then.  I truly think that her reluctance on ducks is not only because of her bad experience of the ice bath, but also because she has gotten so much better on squirrels that she is primarily looking for them as prey.  It is a bummer to me as I loved watching her stoop on ducks, but things have not been looking good on that front lately.  That being said, many other falconers suggest that perhaps her weight has drifted too high for her to fly on ducks.  I don’t know.  I am having a hard time reconciling how hard she is flying on other prey to her lack of interest in ducks at the exact same weight.

The weight issue brings up another point that I have been very slow in making.  I have had a very hard time trying to find this bird’s ideal body weight for hunting.  She started so low and has been so successful at so many different weights, it is hard for me to determine what weight is the healthiest for her.   Weight is not the only variable in determining how well she hunts, but it is a big factor in determining how well she flies.  Hunger seems to be the main determinant of how well she hunts.  If I feed her a huge crop of duck one day and nothing the next, her weight may still be two or more ounces higher than my expectations, but she will still fly hard and hunt because her stomach is empty.  The problem seems to be one of endurance when she is too far off of her desired weight.  She still follows well and hunts well with the proper hunger drive at heavy weights, but she doesn’t fly as fast.  On the other end, if her weight is too low, she seems a tad faster but doesn’t leave the perch very well and seems more insistent on tidbits.  It is very frustrating to work out exactly where her weight should be.

Well, she was flying fine, she just wasn’t too interested in ducks.  Once again our first flush was missed and in retrospect it was our best one.  Hoping for more flushes, we started making our way across the lake.  She took a beautiful perch in a dead snag in the middle of the far end of the lake.  This is a place she has perched before and seen many a wood duck cutting a path back down the lake as I flush this corner.  It effectively pushes them right underneath her. 

So I was pretty fired up.  My bird was in perfect position, I had heard ducks on the lake and this slew was where they had to be.  If Addie and I could flush them, they almost always follow the lake back, right under where Rebel was perched and maybe we could break our streak of bad luck.   Addie and I pushed up and success!  A brace of eight wood ducks jumped up and flew across us down the lake just as I had envisioned!  I looked up to where Rebel was to watch the pitch and saw…  No Rebel.

The ducks winged past about five feet under the now empty perch.  It seems Rebel had seen a squirrel and given chase right as I flushed.  Damn.  She flew back to her perch and watched the ducks take off for the hills.  Oh well.  As I was trying to console myself for Rebel’s missing yet another perfect slip, she took a dive at a squirrel who had been hiding right over my head.  This one she chased through the cedars and tagged him in a treetop out over the lake.  Oops. 

At least it was warmer than her first unintentional bath out here.  She and the squirrel splashed down like a search and rescue team and Rebel began swimming towards shore.  Fortunately she wasn’t that far away this time and by the time I got over there, she was already on the shore, bedraggled and cold, clutching her equally soggy prize.  The trade off was pretty smooth except for the somewhat significant fact that I failed to make sure that the squirrel was dead before putting it in my bag.  That was an unpleasant discovery as I felt something moving in my bag pocket…  I couldn’t do much immediately as I had a wet Rebel on my arm and I definitely did not want her to see this again.  

I put her up in a tree and turned to dispatch the squirrel out of sight.  Rebel must have known what was going on because she steadfastedly refused to come back down or even acknowledge my presence.  She sat high in the tree in the sun to try to dry off and I finally had to call her down to the lure and walk out.  Oh well.  A successful day on squirrels but again no ducks.  A smelly wet bird that was still a bit miffed with me gave me a disdainful look as I put her back in the hood for the ride home.

Jan 4 – The Perfect Mallard Slip…

This afternoon we decided to keep it local and Rebel and Addie and I headed up to Doc’s land around the corner.  I was hoping to put Addie out in the briar patch and see if we couldn’t get a rabbit moving.  Unfortunately, a group of kids was hanging out at this area so I moved on up to the rice fields.  As I crossed over the lake, I saw something that I had not seen here in forever… ducks on the water!

We pulled on through and parked.  I got Addie out and she seemed to sense the urgency, as she stayed right beside me without commands.  I put Rebel up and tried to convey where I wanted her to go.  She took off to a nearby tree to view her surroundings.  She saw the ducks on the water so she pushed up ahead as I have been trying to get her to do forever.  She flew across the lake to a dead snag on the opposite bank.  Perfect!  I stood up straight and began walking to the lake.  A few groups of ducks would get up and fly but Rebel was waiting.  When the right group got up, she gave chase but she was already way behind.  She ducked out (no pun intended) into another high perch. 

Several ducks had flown further up the lake, so Addie and I headed up the lake.  Rebel was perched in a tall pine and I spotted a male and female mallard just past her on our side of the water.  We headed in and the ducks stayed on the water.  They paddled to the far side of the lake, but would not get up even with me on the bank, so I sent Addie in after them.  As she got closer, the ducks leapt up into the air, the greenhead wheeling back over right over my head.  About one second too late, Rebel left her perch to drop on the ducks.  I couldn’t believe it.  It was the most perfect duck slip I have ever managed for the bird.  She has had success in much more difficult situations, but this one, she practically let go.

Uggg.  She followed the mallards out into the swamp and turned back.  She lit in a gigantic live oak near me and spooked up two squirrels.  Okay, I could handle a successful squirrel hunt to offset the bitter taste of that last missed slip.  The trouble with these squirrels is that they stayed together.  Because they stayed together, Rebel could not decide which one to go after.  She finally gave up on this too.  Bummer.

Now I know that Rebel flew hard yesterday.  She was lower today at 43.4 where she was 44.5 yesterday, but this is well within her range (so far, every weight I have flown her is in her range…).  I suppose she was just tired or sore or pissed about the tradeoffs.  I don’t know.  I can say this for sure though.  I will be checking that easy lake slip more often now for ducks.

Jan 3 – Raining Squirrels

Wow!  What a day!  I don’t know if anything else could have possibly happened today.  Something amazing happened every five minutes it seemed!

The day was nothing short of epic for falconry, brisk but comfortable, nice breeze, bright sunshine and excellent company.  Rebel and I got to fly today with my sponsor and his new PFRT, Jade.  We headed out to Wee Tee, a farm owned by one of my friends outside of Georgetown.  It is a gorgeous place with lakes, cropland and tons of hardwood forest.  There are turkeys and deer everywhere.  You almost step on the dove if you walk in the cornfields.  About every tree has a squirrel nest in it and the rabbitat is amazing.

As we pulled in, we saw a big passage RT sitting in a snag on the side of the road.  We had my trap with us so we turned around and tossed it out underneath him.  He was on the trap immediately and was snagged!  We ran up but he managed to get free and flew up into a nearby tree.   We decided to throw the trap back out and watch and see.  Sure enough he came down again and hit the trap hard.  He footed it several times but it took forever for him to get caught.  Again, we raced up only to see him get free.  This is the luckiest bird ever…   Once again, he flew up into a nearby tree but did not leave.  We left the trap and rode away.  Gave the bird fifteen minutes and came back to find him on the trap for the THIRD time!  Now by now, most of the nooses needed to be reset, so it was not a surprise that he did not get trapped.  He flared as we rolled up and we let him be.

We pulled in to the farm and started to cruise around to find our first hunting spot.  There were many hags spotted around the place, one soaring at about 800 feet in lazy circles around the open fields.  As we pulled up on the lake, we saw several wood ducks on the water.  Fortunately they had not bumped from the truck, so we backed out and got Rebel ready to go.  Rebel set up too far from the water’s edge and the ducks got up too far away.  I was surprised that he didn’t give chase, but then I noticed the ginormous Fox Squirrel he was intently staring down. 

We started yelling and banging the tree and the Fox Squirrel began to run with Rebel in hot pursuit.  He dove twice just missing the behemoth.  As the Fox squirrel ran out on a small branch right above me, Rebel swooped in.  I could see his talons closing down right when the branch snapped and down came the fox squirrel from about forty feet.  I watched his underbelly as the squirrel spread his arms and legs to increase his resistance and I realized that he was going to fall directly on my head.  Hmmm.  This was a simple fly ball catch with my left hand, falconry glove already in place.  I reached up to catch the big squirrel when strangely I pulled back.  Rebel was feet away from the squirrel and I thought for sure he was going to catch this thing right at my feet and I didn’t particularly relish the idea of him crashing into my squirrel filled glove.  We already have some issues with possessiveness and I was pretty sure that if he saw me snagging his meal out of the air, he was going to hire a hit man.

The squirrel landed inches from my feet and I could feel the impact through the soles of my boots.  He hit the ground running, scrambling towards a nearby pine.  Rebel crashed behind him right as he hit the base of the tree and unbelievably, he missed.  Bummer.  I thought for sure we had our first Fox Squirrel in the bag.  The squirrel disappeared in a knothole at the top of the tree and Rebel gave up.  We headed back around the lake and Rebel had a stoop on a wood duck that I got up on the far side of the lake, but he missed.  He also missed a smaller grey squirrel after chasing him through about a dozen trees through the swamp. 

On the far side of the lake, Rebel took off to a stand of trees so we followed convinced she had seen something.  We beat on trees and yelled, but nothing was moving.  When I was finally ready to call her down and move, on, she dove getting another big Fox Squirrel running.  She stooped on it twice and almost had it but once it was into the top of a pine, she gave him up.  It is weird.  In retrospect, all three Fox Squirrels she has had experience with, she has abandoned when it got into a pine.  We decided it was Jade’s turn and we would give Rebel a rest so we headed back to the truck.  On the way, we saw the three geese from the other day.  Rebel wisely wanted nothing to do with them this time.

Jade looked good out of the box but was a little skittish of Addie running around under her.  She got used to the dog quickly though.  She treed a grey squirrel and laddered him up the tree like a pro.  I was shaking vines like a madman when the squirrel made his break.  He raced down the truck with Jade and her T-Rex sized talons right behind him.  She was closing the gap when the squirrel decided to bail.  He leapt out of the tree and fell, once again, right on top of me.  This time I did reach out, but the squirrel was an inch out of reach.  Again, the bird barely missed the beast on the ground.

After covering that territory well and not finding much game, we decided to head back towards the cabin where we had seen a ton of nests.  We put Jade up and she seemed to love the 70-foot tall pines.  She chased a couple of squirrels but ended up frustrated.  Back in the box for her and it was time for Rebel to try again.  Rebel came out of the box amped up like a crack head on check day.  She set the pace and we blazed through the woods.  She finally treed one squirrel in a maple abutting a holly tree.  She was so smart in the way she herded the squirrel up and latched on when he broke out on a limb.  It was a beautiful chase but she carried the blasted thing about three hundred yards.  Sigh.  Excellent trainer…

The trade off was actually very smooth and I put her back up in the air to make our way back to the truck for Jade to have another turn.  On the way out, I shook a vine near a nest and a smallish grey jumped out and started fussing at me.  Rebel took note and swooped in.  She chased that squirrel into one of the tallest pines I have ever seen.  Again, the bird showed real experience, laddering the squirrel higher and higher until it panicked and tried to race down the trunk.  She was of course waiting for just this eventuality and she neatly plucked him right off of the tree.  Another carrying session, this one nearly five hundred yards, and Rebel had her second double!  Easy trade off with a rat and a fuzzie and I took her to the truck for a DOC as a reward.

We were running out of daylight when we put Jade back up looking for those Fox Squirrels.  I was pretty sure she would not hesitate if she saw one, but they were still holed up in the lairs I guess.  Jade unfortunately did not get any game on this outing, but I am sure that will be corrected next time we venture back here.  We looked to see if we would have another shot at that passage bird on the way back, but he must have gotten other game and was perched for the night.  We headed home as the sun was setting, very thankful for a spectacular day.