Monday, 16 May 2011

late

I was getting into a bit of a routine with the blog. Monday evening do the blog up until last Monday. I finished work a bit late and by the time I got home and made dinner it was just too late to start.

I was going to do it on Tuesday but there was a programme on about the persecution of birds of prey on shooting estates. I decided to watch it and I can safely say it was nothing programme. There was nothing new in it. They didn't give any numbers of cases and incidents of persecution. So the blog didn't happen on Tuesday either.

It is now Wednesday and the blog is getting done.

The big event of the last 9 days was on Saturday. We were doing an event for Hopetoun House. As we turned up the rain was coming down heavily so we couldn't set up on the front lawn. We had  to set up next to the house on some gravel where it was a bit more sheltered and we could only put a few of the birds out. We allowed people to come up close and look at the birds, to give photo opportunities and to tell them why you shouldn't stroke a bird of prey. We had a few "but at the last event I went to they allowed us to stroke the birds". It's then that we have to point out things like the birds body language and how this shows that the bird is relaxed because they are showings signs of natural behaviour - like standing with 1 foot tucked up, rousing and preening. I am starting to feel like I am on a mission to stop the stroking of birds of prey at times.

Anyway back to the event. We had to fly birds at it and Brel was first up. I cannot sing Brel's praises high enough when it comes to this type of work. He might be a bit moody and bad tempered if someone picks him up other than me but if I pick him up off his perch and get him ready to fly, he will fly to anyone I ask. He must of flown to close on 40 people on Saturday evening swooping off the roof of Hopetoun House and over the crowds head. He was awesome. I decided to keep the Harris Hawk theme going so I got Pele out and he flew off. He only flew to the edge of the lawn and with in 15 mins I had him back. As I said in a previous post he is proving to be a bit erratic at the moment but I have lengthened his season this year and is maybe needing a break. This is being sorted as I am bringing Oran's weight back down so we should have him flying again by the end of the month. Other than that the event went well. We will be getting to know Hopetoun House well as we have another 2 events there this summer.

The rest of the week has been spent doing sessions at Cameron House and at the centre with a few days with nothing booked. I was hoping to use this quiet time productively and try and get some more painting done in the centre but there has been rain showers almost everyday so the place is always a bit damp. It has given me more time to fly birds though. I have had time to work with Artemis (Steppe Eagle). She has been refusing to fly to the glove again but she did fly to the glove today so hopefully we are getting back in the routine.

I have also started to work with Bob (Gyr x Saker). I tried to fly him last summer and it was a disaster. I bought him last April from someone. He was 5 years old and I don't think he had flown that much in the previous years that I got him and I don't think he had been handled that much either as he was very scatty and crashed about alot smashing most of the feathers in his wings and tail. Also I was told he would fly at 1lb 12oz which is way to low for him the whole experience was messed up.

A year on and he seems calmer so hopefully he will be better to work with. We shall see. The plan is to try and use him for hunting crows but we shall see. The first thing will be to try and get him to fly well. He does seem keen to come to the lure when I show it to him so fingers crossed. I suspect it will all come down to time.
Bob Gyr x Saker
The baby barn owl is making great progress. In the 12 days that we have had it I think it has doubled in size. I suspect it is a female. I haven't named it yet but hopefully we will have a name for it after the weekend. It still comes home every night with me and stays in the house but hopefully that will stop in the next week to 10 days as it will be big enough to keep itself warm and stay in an aviary.

I still haven't decided what to do with Dylan (Barn Owl) who is being replaced. His eyesight I feel is getting worse. I have noticed that if he doesn't see where the food lands when it is thrown into his aviary he does struggle to find it for a bit. Within a minute though he will find the food and he is still able to land on perches ok. I will speak to Alistair Lawrie (Vet) and ask for his opinion in the next few days about it. He is 1 of the top exotics vets in the UK.

Dylan flying to the glove

The next 2 days are quiet with only 2 hawk walks over at Cameron House tomorrow and nothing on Friday but this is good as it give me time on Friday to get ready for the Kilmacolm and Port Glasgow Agricultural Show on Saturday and then on Sunday I am back over at Kilmacolm doing a display at a Brownie camp and then off to Mugdock Castle to do a display in the afternoon so a busy day.

I should be hopefully back doing the blog on Monday to say how the weekend went.

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