[Kirsten]

Hi Redtail
I'm also new to the site but thought I would come and say 'hello' to a fellow falconer!
Kirsten

[redtail]

Hi Kirsten

Sorry, I missed your post yesterday.

There was a time when virtually every falconer knew every other falconer - then along came captive breeding and the Harris Hawk
Where are you and what do you fly?

I am off out within the hour. On today's menu is Gyrkin and Sakeret followed by two Harris Hawks.  Was going to one HH but a lad I taught two years ago is bringing his great lump of a female.

[Rosemary]

Re beekeeping I think we start with theory, then go outside in the spring.

[redtail]

Re beekeeping I think we start with theory, then go outside in the spring.

Sounds like you in for a lot of theory -  My bees would probably benefit from a revision course but when I tilt my head all the new stuff runs out. Although I spent 9 years teaching animals sciences the work did not involve bees. 

The county beekeeper kept a few stocks on campus but when the Principles wife was stung they were removed. My bees are on campus now but well hidden in a grove of poplar trees.  With a huge choice of of trees I don't know what their main source of nectar was but the honey is thick enough to stay on a spoon, has a wonderful nose but has not crystallised.

[Kirsten]

Re beekeeping I think we start with theory, then go outside in the spring.

Sounds like you in for a lot of theory -  My bees would probably benefit from a revision course but when I tilt my head all the new stuff runs out. Although I spent 9 years teaching animals sciences the work did not involve bees. 

The county beekeeper kept a few stocks on campus but when the Principles wife was stung they were removed. My bees are on campus now but well hidden in a grove of poplar trees.  With a huge choice of of trees I don't know what their main source of nectar was but the honey is thick enough to stay on a spoon, has a wonderful nose but has not crystallised.

I am up in Scotland.  We have a centre in Fife and another near Crieff.  We fly quite a lot of different birds because it is a full time job for my husband and I and a couple of employees.  HH's of course and we were actually out for a pleasant afternoon today with some friends flying up in the Angus Glens.  When I say pleasant, I mean in a very snowy sort f way!  How was your afternoon?
Kirsten

[redtail]

I am up in Scotland.  We have a centre in Fife and another near Crieff.  We fly quite a lot of different birds because it is a full time job for my husband and I and a couple of employees.  HH's of course and we were actually out for a pleasant afternoon today with some friends flying up in the Angus Glens.  When I say pleasant, I mean in a very snowy sort f way!  How was your afternoon?
Kirsten
[/quote]

I was out all day yesterday. Hard frost with deeply rutted tracks frozen solid making walking difficult.  The only quarry seen was a cock pheasant which outflew my male Harris.  In spite of beating for a very switched on female we drew blank after blank.
I have rheumatoid arthritis and I walked too far so last night and most of today I have paid the price.  Maybe OK tomorrow in which case I will give my old Redtail a chance to pretend he's a Gos. I have flown Peregrines in your part of the world but the hills defeat me now.

The only pere I have now is wild tiercel found with all his primaries cut off on one wing last June.  He has only part moulted from red hawk but no new feathers have developed on that wing. Against my original judgement I have manned him to stop him bashing himself to bits and he has lovely manners. I am going to give him another moult before deciding his future.  He has the biggest eyes of any peregrine I have ever seen and wonderful feet  a real beauty - such a shame!  He bathed this afternoon but did not dry so at dusk I brought him in and at 11pm he is now beside me in my study sound asleep - Bless!

[doganjo]

Guys, I think for us non-falconers you may have to explain some of the technical language.

found with all his primaries cut off on one wing last June

Presumably this means feathers?  Sounds dreadful!

I have manned him to stop him bashing himself to bits

Completely foxed on this.

He has only part moulted from red hawk

[redtail]

Oops-Sorry  One tends to speak write in the gibberish of falconry language.

Primaries - those are the main wing feathers without which the bird is flightless.  When he arrived I thought they had plucked by another predator -possible a Goshawks>   Goshawks and Sparrowhawks pluck the wing feathers from their victims to stop them escaping - they don't expect their food to be dead -just to keep still!  Closer examination showed they had been cut off very close to the skin - this must have been a deliberate human act.  Strong suspect - local pigeon fanciers most hate peregrines.

Manned - manning:  Getting the bird used to being close to people, feeding on the glove, sitting still - relaxed while strange things are going o around it.  For wild birds - everything we do is strange and threatening and puts them under severe stress.  The falcon is trained to respond to people, food is the key. You may note I don't use the word tame - birds of prey, specially wild ones are never tame. Put their weight up with lots of food and the moment you open your fingers and release the leather straps (jesses) which restrain it the bird is gone.

Red Hawk:  A peregrine in its first year.  It changes to a blue hawk over the spring and summer of its second year of life by moulting.  Often many small feathers on the shoulders are not changed in the first, and even second, moult. These give a guide to age.  In captivity a bird which has had a moult is called 'intermewed'  Two moults = twice intermewed  Three = thrice etc etc.

A bird hand-reared or taken from the nest is an eyass and is always  eg: thrice intermewed eyass.  A bird in its first year, reared by its parents and flying when taken is known as a passage bird.  If it is fully mature when taken it is haggard.  Species which change colour in the first moult are easier to age and some - Redtailed Hawks for example can be aged up to four years by their eye colour which goes from golden brown to dark brown over that time.  After four they are nearly impossible to age.

A few days ago I was asked to view a buzzard which a friend wanted to buy.  It was being sold as four year old.  I looked at what, on first impression was a nice bird but - thin beak almost no depth or thickness to the upper beak, nostrils(cere) had been badly damaged, wing feather broken tips, legs very scaly, but the closed ring was dated 1995.  Vendor swore the bird was four but had been rung with an old ring in the absence of properly dated rings (are put on when the bird is 10 days old)  Yeah!  Pull this one!  No sale - No-one uses a 10 year old ring on a bird unless they are trying to decieve.

Gosh- Thats a long answer - the lecturer comes out at the slightest provocation.

[doganjo]

Gosh- Thats a long answer - the lecturer comes out at the slightest provocation.

But soooo interesting - feel free to lecture us again any time.  I will feel slightly more knowledgeable when I visit my puppy and his new owners in a few weeks time.  I once wrote a three part article on the Brittany for the Falconry Magazine, I'll bet it raised a lot of laughs in falconry circles.  Thought I knew a wee bit about the sport then - in my naivety!   I do know about my breed though and it's popularity with austringers.

[redtail]

I once wrote a three part article on the Brittany for the Falconry Magazine, I'll bet it raised a lot of laughs in falconry circles.  Thought I knew a wee bit about the sport then - in my naivety!   I do know about my breed though and it's popularity with austringers.
[/quote]

Yes Brittany Spaniels are popular with Austringers, as are Wire-hairedGP's.  I was more of an Austringer than a falconer for many years and used working cockers -my father bred them and my first personal dog was golden bitch when I was 11, named 'Raq' after Romany's dog.

A few years ago I struggled to decide between a Brittany and a clumber.  They both lost out to the most wonderful kind and gentle dog I ever had - A Weimaraner - she has been gone 6 years now and I miss her greatly

Perhaps we should explain  Austringer- One who flies the short-winged true hawks - of which we have two in the UK  Sparrowhawk and Goshawk. The others are grouped as 'Longwings'  the falcons, and 'Broadwings' the buzzards, including Red-tailed Hawks which are really buzzards and Harris Hawks.  The Americans call vultures - buzzards and buzzards- hawks.
 
  I used to specialise in flying the tiny male (musket) sparrowhawk and in weather such as we have tonight (snow is falling hard) a musket low in weight can easily die overnight. If I had one now he would be here in my study warm and well fed.  As it is I have my little wild peregrine and two sleepy dogs keeping me company.

Perhaps when you visit your puppy you can impress with the following (bit rude this but) How can you tell the difference between Falcons and Hawks?..... Longwings defaecate straight underneath themselves while short and broadwings defaecate a distance away, bending slightly forward, lowering their under belly feathers and squirting the droppings, sometimes several feet.  To differentiate we crude falconers say "Longwings s**t short and Shortwings s**t long"

This remark I use as a closing line when giving talks to WI groups, Townswomens Guilds and the like - Well...... it makes me laugh!

[doganjo]

Does the name Steve Wright mean anything to you?  He is a good friend of mine and on our Club Committee - his dogs, and birds, are named after Shakespeare characters - Havoc, Trouble, Hassel, Pip

[redtail]

Does the name Steve Wright mean anything to you?  He is a good friend of mine and on our Club Committee - his dogs, and birds, are named after Shakespeare characters - Havoc, Trouble, Hassel, Pip

I know of but have never met a Steve Wright who runs a centre in Warwickshire  I vaguely recall he was/is interested in Brittany's. Likely its the same one

[doganjo]

Yup, breeds them, used to have two or three falconry centres I think - Hearts of Oak maybe?  He's never at our AGM in February in the Midlands - always taking clients out up here in Scotland instead!

[redtail]

Yup, breeds them, used to have two or three falconry centres I think - Hearts of Oak maybe?  He's never at our AGM in February in the Midlands - always taking clients out up here in Scotland instead!

Yes I knew of Hearts of Oak.  Sounds like a very busy man.  So many centres are struggling now - mainly because there are so many.
I aspired to a centre forty years ago but could not afford the land at Surrey prices - which is probably why there are no falconry centres in Surrey even now. I expanded the teaching and just do enough to keep me amused now

[doganjo]

His stock is based on my lines - he used my stud dog way back in the late 80s