The weather that is where I will start. This summer has been the pits. In August I got to the point where I stopped hoping for the sun to shine and I just hoped it would stay dry each day and even that was to much to hope for on a lot of days. I know that this is Scotland and I know that it will rain at some point over a summer and that there is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing but this summer even by Scottish standards has been rubbish. I have spent to whole summer keeping a waterproof jacket close by and I even found myself thinking at the end of August that maybe I should of had thermals on while doing a highland games at Hopetoun House. That's bad! So far September hasn't been much better with talk of the tail end of a hurricane coming into tomorrow and 3 days of rain. Oh great.
On the booking front there has been some good bookings. As mentioned we were back at Hopetoun House for our 4th visit this summer. It has been very much a regular venue for us this summer and what a venue. This time we were back for a highland games. Unfortunately it was a bitterly cold day with gusting winds. This meant that there wasn't a huge number of people attending. Saying that we got a good crowd for our displays and the birds flew well but it was a long day due to the weather.
We were also back at Inveraray Castle for a demonstration for a group visiting the castle. I have said it before but Inveraray Castle is 1 of the most beautiful venues that I get to visit. The timings for the event were thrown into disarray due to the group having to take a detour in getting to the castle due to a traffic accident and the road being closed but they made it and we were able to do the demonstration. The best part was that it has been one of the rare days that the sun has shone this summer.
 |
| The display team sitting out waiting to start at Inveraray Castle |
 |
| Midge (White Faced Scops Owl) at Inveraray Castle |
 |
| Sanda (Lanner Falcon) at Lennoxlove House |
There is another very large high profile booking coming up. At the moment I am not sure if I can say anything but I should know by tomorrow morning as I have a meeting with someone tomorrow about it. It will be happening in the next few weeks. Watch this space.
Now to the birds and how they are getting on. First up Lobey (Turkmanian Eagle Owl). I finished my last blog entry talking about Lobey and saying how he was almost ready to start flying again. Well about 2 days after that entry Lobey was back and flying in bookings so Duffy (Bengal Eagle Owl) is now on a well deserved break and being a typical Bengal Eagle Owl by being a bit grumpy.
Bella the new Barn owl is progressing well and has been flying well in bookings at the centre and at Cameron House. She has really come on leaps and bounds in the last few weeks and is proving to be a lot more reliable.
On the down side I was hoping to have my new Harris Hawk by now as I was meant to go and collect it last Thursday but everything was thrown into to disarray by Oran (Harris Hawk) on Wednesday. I was out flying him with a friend on Wednesday evening and he was playing up. I am not sure why. We were somewhere new but that shouldn't bother him as it has never done so in the past. There was also some heavy showers about and we did get caught in 1 so maybe he just got wet and decided no I'm not playing. Like I said I don't what his problem was. He is normally very reliable so i was really quite disappointed by what was happening. In the end I couldn't get him back and I had to leave him where he was that night.
How wrong was I. Everything was going great right up to the point where Oran was meant to fly to my glove at first light. First light came and Oran flew off and that was the start of a 5 1/2 hour chase through a wood with some of the thickest most overgrown vegetation that I have have ever had to deal with. I had to walk along streams because in place that was the only way through, walk through nettles and brambles that were waist high and I even got bitten by a dog - thankfully it was only a Labrador and I was wearing gaiters so it didn't hurt. When I got him back I was exhausted. It was hard going being only able to follow him as he wouldn't come back to me. All I could do was keep up with him and hope I got a chance to try and catch him - which I did and I took my chance when he swooped down trying to catch something and missed. He flew back up in to a tree but landed on a low branch so I was able to throw food attached to the creance (long line) up at him to get his attention and try and get him to come towards me, which he did. All I can say is thank goodness for the Marshalls Telemetry transmitter that he was wearing and the receiver I was using.
I had to cancel collecting the new Harris Hawk but I should be getting him this week.
Also this coming week I am meeting someone who can supply me with gray squirrels as bird food. They have been trapped to try and stop the spread of them and they want to use them rather than just throw them away. I had a quick chat with the guy and told him that I have a Steppe Eagle and 3 Eagle owls who all love to eat squirrel. They will be say for my birds to eat as they have been trapped and killed by being shot in the head with an air rifle.
Talking of squirrels. I had to use Brel (Harris Hawk) for a hawk walk at Cameron House the other day as Oran was grounded as I had to go and catch him the day before after he flew off. Brel hasn't done a hawk walk at Cameron House for a few years as all I really use him for now is display work. Well we were out flying him and he was looking good when he saw a gray squirrel and he was after it in a shot. It just goes to show you that even though he has never been taken hunting and has only ever caught 1 mouse in the 7 years I have had him he still has the instinct to hunt. It can never be taken out of them. He came very close to catching it.
567
No comments:
Post a Comment