Life in the centre is slowly starting to quicken. At the moment there are four birds on a diet to bring their weights back down to flying weight. First up is Lobey (Turkmanian Eagle Owl) I would say he is about a day away from flying free. I always feel really happy when Lobey is back flying. He was the first bird I ever owned and in the 11 years that we have been together he has been brilliant. He is a real character and it is always great to have him back. Next up is Alba (Barn Owl). It will probably be another week until she is flying. After Bella my other Barn Owl who is hyper and always shouting (even when she is eating) Alba on the other hand is calm. It will be a nice change. She is a experienced hand at many an event and takes everything in her stride. Nothing seems to phase her. Brel (Harris Hawk). I would say we are a few weeks away from flying him. He has still to loose 3.5oz before I will ask him to fly. He is getting there but is a bit grumpy at the moment. Some of the people who have helped me over the years would say that is normal for Brel but when he is at weight and in a routine he is a real sweet heart for me and will fly almost anywhere. Last but not least is Mardy (Harris Hawk). I was going to give him a bit longer off but my hand has been forced so he has been brought back early. Mardy is great in the grounds of the hotel but can have his moments when asked to fly somewhere else especially if he sees something that he think she can catch or wants to catch. I have been a bit easy on Mardy over the last 2 years only really using him in the grounds of the hotel where we are based but this year I am going to try and get in the habit of using him out on the road as well. I would say Mardy is about 7-10 days away from flying. Kyle (Buzzard) is also back flying. I am not sure as to what the plan is with Kyle but I do enjoy flying him even if he is just a Buzzard. He is a bit unreliable and not that good with people he doesn't know but I will stick with him. I have for the last 11 years. Hopefully if I have enough time to fly him and get him into a descent routine he may do the odd display but we will see after all it is Kyle and he is a Buzzard but he can also be something else that begins with a B and ends with a D with the same number of letters as Buzzard. So life in the centre is picking up. We haven't even hit the middle of February and already over half the centre are flying or are being prepared to fly. The first big event is not until mid April but the preparation work starts weeks before.
Bookings have been in fits and bursts through January and into February. There maybe 3 or 4 bookings and then nothing for a week and then another 3 or 4 bookings. That's just the way it is at this time of the year. The phone has also been ringing with enquiries and bookings for large events over the coming summer. There are a few that I am quite excited about but I will mention more about them as we get closer to them.
The bookings that we have had have all been run of the mill stuff. A few bookings in the centre and a few over at Cameron House. Over at Cameron House it has been mainly haw walks. Oran and Pele (both Harris Hawks) have been flying well with Oran catching a rabbit last week. It was a fair size weighing in at 2lb12oz. Oran was flying at 1lb6 1/2 oz. He had to crash straight into some brambles to catch it. The funny thing was 2 days before hand he had crashed into the same spot and missed but not the second time.
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| Oran with a rabbit he has caught |
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| Oran with a rabbit |
Here' shoping that the coming spring and summer are dry. I don't need warm but dry woould be great.
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