Well autumn is here. The sun may of shone today and it was very warm but it is safe to say autumn is here. the trees are loosing their leaves fast. It seems to be faster this year than previous but then again as I have said this summer has been rubbish with gales in May, raining most of June, July and August with the tail end of a hurricane in September with lots more rain. Some summer. They are talking about an Indian Summer - I won't hold my breath. Any way enough moaning about the weather.
Time to talk about what has been happening in the centre. The answer is quite a lot since my last entry.
I eventually managed to collect the new Harris Hawk. I have decided to carry on the theme of naming the Harris Hawks after pubs in the West End of Glasgow by naming it Cooper after Coopers which is on Great Western Road. Cooper's training is progressing slowly. I don't like to rush the training so I have been taking the first 10 days or so very easy. The first part is all about getting him used to me and people in general so he has been coming home with me so I can spend some time with him sitting on the glove and he was eating fairly quickly when on the glove. Now that he is standing on the glove confidently I have changed the routine. I have now started walking him round the grounds of the hotel while offering him food to get him used to moving about on the glove. He doesn't seem to impressed with the new routine as he hasn't eaten anything since I started this yesterday but all I can do is offer him food. It is up to him to eat. He already knows how to eat off the glove so he will eat when he is ready. Now he has got to do it while I am walking. At this early stage I try to always feed him off the glove.
He has made quite a bit of progress already. He will stand on the glove, eat off the glove if I sit still, he is getting better at getting weighed and will stand on his bow perch. He is also alot more confident in his pen and out on the front lawn when people walk past him.
The rest of the birds are doing ok. The flying team has been cut back a bit in that as the diary quietens down the team is reduced. Taz (Kestrel) is now in moult (dropping out old feathers and growing in new ones). At the moment he is growing in a whole new tail. Alba (Barn Owl) is also being allowed to moult as Bella the new Barn Owl has been flying very well. I felt Bella was now flying at a standard where I could rely on her. Mardy (Harris Hawk) has also been allowed to start his moult and boy does he need it. He is looking a bit of a mess. I also took the decision to stop flying Bob (Gyr x Saker) yesterday. He has been moulting feathers even though I have been flying him. He was making good progress with his flying to the lure and I am looking forward to flying him next year but he is looking a bit scruffy now so a bit of a moult will be good for him.
While some birds are being a bit of a break after working hard all summer it is time to start working with birds who have been moulting over the summer. Pele (Harris Hawk) flew free today for the first time in 4 months. I just asked him to fly from perch to glove but he did it and was no problem. It will be now a case of building up his fitness. Pele is a great bird to work with. He is 9 years old. One of the original team and the oldest Harris Hawk in the centre. He is also not related to the other 4 Harris Hawks who are all related to each other in some way or another. He tends to be a bit calmer and a bit more calculated than the others. He is normally quite a reliable bird who does all sorts of events for me in the fact that he will do corporate work, small demonstrations, activity days, hawk walks and hunting days.
On the work front things have been up and down. Saying that I have been busy. I have been getting back into the routine of working on my own again after spending the summer having various vet students out helping me so they can learn a little about birds of prey. A big thank you to all the students who came out over the summer to learn and help out in Strathblane Falconry.
There have been a few bookings in the centre and over at Cameron House but 1 does stand out. We were asked to take a team of birds to Bellahouston Park for the BBC Deadly 60 road show (Deadly Day Out). It was a great event to be involved with. It was a long day though. I started at 5am in the centre opening up and loading up cars. I think I finished up at 7pm. So a long day. The only down side was the rain came on in the afternoon. I had 11 birds at it with myself and 3 other people helping me. Guil and Gail were out and about in the crowds with falcons talking to the public while myself and Jo were on the stand where we had the birds sitting out. We talking about how the birds fly, owl pellets and why you shouldn't touch a bird of prey. It was a great opportunity to tell people why they shouldn't stroke birds of prey. On the whole a good day. A big thank you to Jo, Gail and Guil for all their help at this event.
I was also able to go and collect the squirrels which had been culled. I think I got about 50 and I have filled a freezer with then. The birds have been loving them. The eagle, the eagle owls, the buzzard, the Harris Hawks, the flacons have all been eating squirrel. Even Taz (Kestrel) has been eating it. It is good eating for the birds as it is quite a rich meat with no fat. I always try and provide a variety of foods for the birds when I can. I feel there are other benefits other than nutritional. The birds always seem alot more excited when given something other than day old chicks. I like to see it as enrichment for them be it a deers head for Artemis or a mouse for Alba.
The coming weeks are bit quiet at the moment but I am expecting that to change when the October school holidays start. Saying that I am not complaining as it will give me a bit more time to work with Cooper.
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