In my last entry I said it looked like it was going to be quiet. Well that's not quite what happened. We had a few bookings come in last minute which was great and things have been busy with a few interesting bookings in the diary.
I suppose the big news has been Bella our new Barn Owl. After a bit of a slow start she has really come on leaps and bounds over the last few weeks. Flying really well on bookings at the centre and Cameron House. Also doing 2 or 3 bookings on some days if we have been busy. The big news is that she flew at her first school booking this month. I was a little bit nervous about it. I knew she should be ok but it was her first time and I wasn't sure how she would re-act to being indoors. As it was she was a star. She flew about the school hall and wasn't fazed in the slightest. The following week we were at Glasgow University visiting the zoological department and Bella was flying in a lecture on birds. She was brilliant. The lecture hall was like a amphitheatre with the seats rising up to the back of the theatre and there must of been around 100 people at it. A tough venue for only the second time flying indoors. We did get off to a slow start but then she came good and was awesome. Swooping down from the back of the theatre to the front over peoples heads and then flying back up to the back when called. It is tough for the birds doing an event like this. The thing is they are brought to the place they are needed to fly in a black transport box so they can't see out out and see where they are. The box needs to be black so bird is in the dark so it will sit quietly in the box. They may never of been to the venue before and have no time to tune in and take in where they are but they are being asked to fly. Dylan was good at it, Alba is good at it and Bella looks like she is just going to be just as good as Dylan who she is replacing.
The visit to Glasgow University Zoological Department wasn't the only visit to Glasgow University. We also visited the vet school to give a talk on bird of prey husbandry to some of the vet students. It was also a chance to say hello and catch up with a few people who had been out on EMS placement over the summer.
The other new addition to the team - Cooper (Harris Hawk) has also been progressing well. In my last post I talked about how I had stopped flying Oran (Harris Hawk) and allowed him to have a break because Cooper has been flying so well. I also mentioned that I had a few booking coming up. Well Cooper was great. I have been using him over at Cameron House on hawk walks. These last for an hour and go round the grounds of Cameron House. He has done about 3 or 4 and has been brilliant - flying well, looking confident (he didn't even get stressed when he watched a helicopter land less tan a 100m from us) and always coming quickly to the glove when asked. He even made a half hearted attempt to catch a crow that was shouting at him.
Talking about crows, Pele (Harris Hawk) caught 1. I am not sure how he managed it even though I was kind of watching. Crows are not the easiest of things for a Harris Hawk to catch especially if the crow knows the hawk is there. Crows are smart. Probably 1 of the smartest birds birds about. The crow was sitting in a tree shouting at Pele who was about 50m away sitting on a lamp post looking about not showing alot on interest in the crow. Pele has had crows shout at him before and has ignored them. What I think happened from the angle I was kind of watching from was that Pele flew towards the crow but made it look like he wasn't interested in it and was going to fly past it as he got level he turned quickly towards the crow and grabbed it. Even when he grabbed it there is no guarantee that he will be able to keep hold of the crow. Crows have a large beak which they stab with when grabbed. The crow was almost the same weight as Pele. The crow weighed in at 1lb 3 1/4oz while Pele weighed in at 1lb 5 1/2oz. As I said in my last post, Pele is 9 years old, he has been round the block a few times and is quite a calculated individual. I saw this calculated attitude again last week. We were out hunting and came across a pheasant. Pele was up in a tree and the pheasant was on the ground up ahead. The pheasant saw me and started running. Pele sat in the tree and watched. He knew that from where he was the pheasant had a good head start and he would struggle to get near it. The pheasant turned into the hedge it was running along and went straight into a fence. It was now stuck. This was when Pele attacked. He was straight out the tree, into the hedge and grabbed the pheasant. Unfortunately he grabbed it by the tail. The pheasant managed to escape missing half it's tail which Pele had. A lucky pheasant. I always have to watch Pele when he is flying. He might look like he is not interested or there is nothing going to happen but you never know with him. The only thing I can be sure of is if he thinks he can catch it he will go for it.
Today we had our 6 monthly vet inspection. This is because the centre has a zoo licence and part of the terms and conditions of the zoo licence act of 1981 is that my centre is inspected every 6 months by the vet who I take my birds to for veterinary care and once a year by the council vet. The council vet visited last month and this month it was the vet who treats the birds when things go wrong - Alistair Lawrie. The inspection went well and the vet was very happy with everything in the centre.
The coming weeks are quiet at the moment but that will probably change. We are in the run in to Christmas so if I am not busy with bookings I will be busy with enquiries. Hopefully I will be able to get out and do fly some of the birds for myself though.
677
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Friday, 4 November 2011
Another Duck
October finished how it started and carried on right through - WET. While it has been wet and raining most days it is mild so while the rain has been a pain it has been warm rain. The waterproofs have always been close at hand.
Back to the birds. The flying team is getting smaller and smaller all the time. It always happens at this time of year. There are no more big displays, corporate events are few and far between and it is just bookings over at Cameron House and in the centre over the the coming weeks. I have decided to give Brel and Oran both of whom are Harris Hawks a break and I have stopped flying them. I always stop flying Brel at this time of the year as he does all my display and demonstration work. As there are no big demonstration or corporate work there is no reason to keep him going. He only flies from April till October. He spent yesterday eating a large squirrel. I also decided to stop flying Oran as well. I was going to keep him going up until the end of the year but with Cooper doing so well so quickly I decided to stop flying him. To be fair he needed a break. Oran is a great bird and has worked really hard over the last 18 months. He flew all of the summer 2010, he then got about 6 weeks off in the autumn 2010 and then was brought back for Christmas 2010. I was going to stop flying him after the New Year but we were busy and I just kept him going. He did get about 5 weeks off around April/May 2011 and then was back flying again all summer mainly doing the hawk walks over at Cameron House. He has been a star with only the 1 screw up back in September. I decided to stop flying him because Cooper was flying well and also because he was looking a bit scruffy. He did finish off with a bit of a flourish on his last hawk walk at Cameron House for the season by catching his 3rd duck. When I caught up with him he was in the water, using his wings as paddles to get to the waters edge with the duck held firmly in his talons. Saying that the duck was an easy target and he knew it. The duck had a broken wing. In the end a bit of a mercy killing.
Ok I go hunting with the aim of killing something. Using a bird to catch the prey is maybe not the most efficient way compared to a shot gun or rifle but 1 thing I will say if the bird catches the prey and the prey breaks free then the prey should be ok with nothing more than a few cuts. The 1 thing I don't like about guns/rifles is that if you don't kill the prey and it escapes after being hit and you can't find it then it is in for a long and slow death due to blood poisoning and infection with broken bones and serious injuries. That was what happened to the duck that Oran caught. It had a broken wing. Once I had killed it I could take a closer look at the wing. The wound looked a few days old, with the bone coming through the skin. On closer inspection I found an air gun pellet lodged in the wing with the bone shattered around it. Anyone who uses a air rifle to shoot at duck is just being cruel. There is no other way to describe it. There is no skill in shooting at duck on the water or ones that are on land. Most air rifles don't have the power to kill a duck unless you shoot it in the head, unfortunately most people who have an air rifle don't have the skill to do that. It's the first time I have come across something like that and I hope I don't see something like that again. It has kind of hardened my views and opinions on air rifles and who should have them.
On a more cheerful note Cooper the Harris Hawk continues to do well. The fact that he is flying so well made me think that Oran should be finished up early. He has been doing a few bookings at the centre and has done a full lap of the grounds of Cameron House with me flying him - all of which he has flown well in. This weekend I will be relying on him with 5 bookings in the next 2 days. He will be used in at least 2 of them.
The other big news is with Pele. On his first hunting day this season he caught a rabbit. He had had a few attempts at rabbit and pheasant and then he caught a rabbit. It was a good size weighing in at 3lb3 1/4oz. Pele was flying at 1lb 5oz. Saying that I suppose it is not that big news as it was Pele. At 9 years old, he has been used in the last 8 seasons for hunting and having caught many rabbits, pheasants and various other things he knows what he is doing. He is always very calm and I get the feeling he is a bit calculating compared to the other the harris hawks. Unfortunately his second hunting session was rained off.
The next few weeks are quiet in the diary but it is November. Saying that while it is quiet I will be busy as I gear up and prepare for Christmas advertising. Time to start dealing with the real world.
655
Back to the birds. The flying team is getting smaller and smaller all the time. It always happens at this time of year. There are no more big displays, corporate events are few and far between and it is just bookings over at Cameron House and in the centre over the the coming weeks. I have decided to give Brel and Oran both of whom are Harris Hawks a break and I have stopped flying them. I always stop flying Brel at this time of the year as he does all my display and demonstration work. As there are no big demonstration or corporate work there is no reason to keep him going. He only flies from April till October. He spent yesterday eating a large squirrel. I also decided to stop flying Oran as well. I was going to keep him going up until the end of the year but with Cooper doing so well so quickly I decided to stop flying him. To be fair he needed a break. Oran is a great bird and has worked really hard over the last 18 months. He flew all of the summer 2010, he then got about 6 weeks off in the autumn 2010 and then was brought back for Christmas 2010. I was going to stop flying him after the New Year but we were busy and I just kept him going. He did get about 5 weeks off around April/May 2011 and then was back flying again all summer mainly doing the hawk walks over at Cameron House. He has been a star with only the 1 screw up back in September. I decided to stop flying him because Cooper was flying well and also because he was looking a bit scruffy. He did finish off with a bit of a flourish on his last hawk walk at Cameron House for the season by catching his 3rd duck. When I caught up with him he was in the water, using his wings as paddles to get to the waters edge with the duck held firmly in his talons. Saying that the duck was an easy target and he knew it. The duck had a broken wing. In the end a bit of a mercy killing.
Ok I go hunting with the aim of killing something. Using a bird to catch the prey is maybe not the most efficient way compared to a shot gun or rifle but 1 thing I will say if the bird catches the prey and the prey breaks free then the prey should be ok with nothing more than a few cuts. The 1 thing I don't like about guns/rifles is that if you don't kill the prey and it escapes after being hit and you can't find it then it is in for a long and slow death due to blood poisoning and infection with broken bones and serious injuries. That was what happened to the duck that Oran caught. It had a broken wing. Once I had killed it I could take a closer look at the wing. The wound looked a few days old, with the bone coming through the skin. On closer inspection I found an air gun pellet lodged in the wing with the bone shattered around it. Anyone who uses a air rifle to shoot at duck is just being cruel. There is no other way to describe it. There is no skill in shooting at duck on the water or ones that are on land. Most air rifles don't have the power to kill a duck unless you shoot it in the head, unfortunately most people who have an air rifle don't have the skill to do that. It's the first time I have come across something like that and I hope I don't see something like that again. It has kind of hardened my views and opinions on air rifles and who should have them.
On a more cheerful note Cooper the Harris Hawk continues to do well. The fact that he is flying so well made me think that Oran should be finished up early. He has been doing a few bookings at the centre and has done a full lap of the grounds of Cameron House with me flying him - all of which he has flown well in. This weekend I will be relying on him with 5 bookings in the next 2 days. He will be used in at least 2 of them.
The other big news is with Pele. On his first hunting day this season he caught a rabbit. He had had a few attempts at rabbit and pheasant and then he caught a rabbit. It was a good size weighing in at 3lb3 1/4oz. Pele was flying at 1lb 5oz. Saying that I suppose it is not that big news as it was Pele. At 9 years old, he has been used in the last 8 seasons for hunting and having caught many rabbits, pheasants and various other things he knows what he is doing. He is always very calm and I get the feeling he is a bit calculating compared to the other the harris hawks. Unfortunately his second hunting session was rained off.
The next few weeks are quiet in the diary but it is November. Saying that while it is quiet I will be busy as I gear up and prepare for Christmas advertising. Time to start dealing with the real world.
655
Thursday, 20 October 2011
More rain and flying free
Well as the title says we have had more rain and then some more rain.
It has been hard at times to work with the birds as the rain just makes it impossible. I am sure it is also impacting on the diary as well as the diary has been a bit quiet. People don't look out the window and see the rain and think lets go and do something outside. At some point the rain has to stop.
Anyway enough moaning about the weather. There is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing.
The birds are all doing ok with the ones who are in moult dropping feather left right and centre. Taz the kestrel is growing in a whole new tail as is Sanda the Lanner Falcon. Alba the Barn Owl is also dropping alot of feathers at the moment.
The birds of the moment are 2 of the Harris Hawks - Pele and Cooper. Pele first. I mentioned in my last post that Pele was back flying and it was case of trying to get him fit now. This has proved to be hard going mainly due to the weather and being unable to get any consistency with him but at last I have been able to get him out and he is looking good. The other 1 is Cooper the new Harris Hawk. He is doing well. I asked him to jump to the glove the other day and he was straight to it and on his first day of flying to the glove he was coming 10m. Needless to say this part of his training moved fast and should of moved faster but last week I didn't have any time to work with him. So he had a week off. This week I knew I had to get things moving with him and that I would be flying him free which I did yesterday. On Monday I just fed him off the glove as he was a bit heavy and grumpy with it. On Tuesday I flew him the creance (long line) and he was coming straight to me from about 15m. I decided that Wednesday would be the day to fly him free. Well Wednesday came and I was going to give him 1 flight on the creance but when I put him on the T perch I could see he was keen and as I walked away he flew after me and landed on the ground next to me so I decided to fly him free. Always a nervous moment the first time you let a bird go free. He flew off and landed in a tree. I called him in and he came straight to the glove without any hesitation. I spent the next 15mins just flying him from perch or tree to the glove. Today I decided to try and get him to follow on a bit. I was just going to get him to fly round the front field but he was flying so well I decided to take him round the hotel grounds which he did. Tomorrow I will take him over to Cameron House and fly him there on the creance as this will be his first time I will of asked him him to fly some where different. Fingers crossed it all goes well
The last few weeks the diary has been steady with the normal booking at the centre and over at Cameron House. There has been no real stand out events. There are 2 though in November that I am looking forward to. At the moment it is just early stages and they haven't been confirmed yet so I don't want to say to much.
The main thing that I have been focused on this week other than Cooper flying free is my Zoo Licence inspection tomorrow. This is something that I need to have done every year on top of the 6 monthly inspection that the vet I use does. The inspection have always gone well and hopefully tomorrow will be the same.
Just a short post this time as I need to go and look out some information and get ready for the inspection tomorrow.
624
It has been hard at times to work with the birds as the rain just makes it impossible. I am sure it is also impacting on the diary as well as the diary has been a bit quiet. People don't look out the window and see the rain and think lets go and do something outside. At some point the rain has to stop.
Anyway enough moaning about the weather. There is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing.
The birds are all doing ok with the ones who are in moult dropping feather left right and centre. Taz the kestrel is growing in a whole new tail as is Sanda the Lanner Falcon. Alba the Barn Owl is also dropping alot of feathers at the moment.
The birds of the moment are 2 of the Harris Hawks - Pele and Cooper. Pele first. I mentioned in my last post that Pele was back flying and it was case of trying to get him fit now. This has proved to be hard going mainly due to the weather and being unable to get any consistency with him but at last I have been able to get him out and he is looking good. The other 1 is Cooper the new Harris Hawk. He is doing well. I asked him to jump to the glove the other day and he was straight to it and on his first day of flying to the glove he was coming 10m. Needless to say this part of his training moved fast and should of moved faster but last week I didn't have any time to work with him. So he had a week off. This week I knew I had to get things moving with him and that I would be flying him free which I did yesterday. On Monday I just fed him off the glove as he was a bit heavy and grumpy with it. On Tuesday I flew him the creance (long line) and he was coming straight to me from about 15m. I decided that Wednesday would be the day to fly him free. Well Wednesday came and I was going to give him 1 flight on the creance but when I put him on the T perch I could see he was keen and as I walked away he flew after me and landed on the ground next to me so I decided to fly him free. Always a nervous moment the first time you let a bird go free. He flew off and landed in a tree. I called him in and he came straight to the glove without any hesitation. I spent the next 15mins just flying him from perch or tree to the glove. Today I decided to try and get him to follow on a bit. I was just going to get him to fly round the front field but he was flying so well I decided to take him round the hotel grounds which he did. Tomorrow I will take him over to Cameron House and fly him there on the creance as this will be his first time I will of asked him him to fly some where different. Fingers crossed it all goes well
The last few weeks the diary has been steady with the normal booking at the centre and over at Cameron House. There has been no real stand out events. There are 2 though in November that I am looking forward to. At the moment it is just early stages and they haven't been confirmed yet so I don't want to say to much.
The main thing that I have been focused on this week other than Cooper flying free is my Zoo Licence inspection tomorrow. This is something that I need to have done every year on top of the 6 monthly inspection that the vet I use does. The inspection have always gone well and hopefully tomorrow will be the same.
Just a short post this time as I need to go and look out some information and get ready for the inspection tomorrow.
624
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
autumn is here
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.
595
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.
595
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Rubbish weather
It's been a while. It's been a month since I last updated my blog. The first part of August may of been a bit slow with bookings the second part of August just flew by. Where to start?
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.
This weekend we had an event at Lennoxlove House where we were doing a display a group who were having a wedding there. All the birds flew well apart from Sanda who went a landed in a courtyard and became a bit dis-orientated and I had to go and look for her. I found her a short time later and she jumped straight to the glove when she saw me - so it all ended well.
While I have listed 4 of the larger events that we have been doing over the last month there have been many more smaller bookings with up to 4 bookings in a day on some days.
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
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.
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| The display team sitting out waiting to start at Inveraray Castle |
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| Midge (White Faced Scops Owl) at Inveraray Castle |
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| 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
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Where is the summer
The last 2 days have been rubbish. It has rained almost constantly and the booking that we had yesterday and the 1 we had today both cancelled. This is August - the sun is meant to shine. I heard that Glasgow had had 1 of the wettest 24hrs in August since records started and it doesn't look like it is going to get any better over the next few days.
The last 2 weeks have been interesting and very busy at times. Since my last post we have done the Hopetoun House International Horse Trials. This was an all weekend event. We took a big team of birds - 11 in total and I also had an extra person helping me - so there was 3 of us in total at it. A big thank you to Jo and Becky. I said in my last entry that it was great venue, well on the Sunday it was even better due to the cross country course going round 3 sides of the area where we were doing our static and flying displays. The birds all took it in their stride on the Sunday even though there was horses galloping past them for most of Sunday afternoon.
The displays went well. We had to do 2 flying displays each day. All the birds flew well. I put Bob (Gyr x Saker) into the display on Saturday. I was a bit worried about this. Even though he had been flying well at the centre and out on the farm, this was his first flying display and there is always that little bit of doubt at the back of my mind when a bird does it's first display. There was nothing to worry about though as he flew well and looked very good. In fact he looked so good on the Saturday that I flew him on the Sunday as well. The only down side is that I will now not use Bob for hunting crows as he is now part of the display team. The weekend was a long 1 as I was in the centre for 5am to open up, clean the centre and load the van to go through to Hopetoun House for 8.30am. We would finish up at 8pm.While it was a long 2 days with alot of hard work it was great fun and I loved every minute of it. The event was well run and everybody knew what they were doing.
And then July was over.
While July was finishing being very busy, August started quietly with no bookings for the first 2 days. This was great as it allowed me to get things back to normal after the weekend at Hopetoun House. The birds that were at Hopetoun House got a few days to relax and the birds that weren't used were readied for up and coming events. Things this month have been either very busy with 3 or 4 bookings in a day or nothing on. On the 5th Aug we had 2 corporate events to do at 2 different locations. Thankfully the venues were only a few miles apart so it was relatively easy to do. 1 was just outside Balloch and then it was down the road to Cameron House for the next 1 in the walled garden. Once we had finished the 1 in the walled garden we had to set up for a family fun session at our aviaries on the front lawn. So in the end we did 3 bookings in 3 different places. A big thank you to Stephanie who helped me that day.
The last few days have been the exact same either very busy or very quiet. Saying that now that it has rained for the last 2 days it has been very quiet. I haven't been able to fly the birds for myself due to the rain. The falcons haven't flown in a week due to work and weather which is not great. I have also been trying to fly Bella the new Barn Owl, but it has been difficult to get any consistency with her due to work and the weather. Jo has been a big help by flying her after she has finished work for the day. Bella has been a little bit skittish recently. Some days she has been very good but other days she can be spooked by cars coming into the car park which she has seen loads of time but some days it just spooks her. I am not sure what her problem is but hopefully by trying to fly her everyday we will get it sorted. Saying that she hasn't flown the last 2 days due to the rain but then again nothing has flown over the last 2 days. All I have been doing is cancelling bookings.
The only thing that I have been able to do over the last 2 days was a photo shoot for Glasgow Warriors rugby club. They are playing the Newcastle Falcons this Friday and wanted some pictures of some of the players standing with a few falcons for promotional purposes. The rain eased to a drizzle so we were able to get the photo shoot done. Good luck to the Warriors for the match this Friday.
While the weather and bookings have been making it difficult to work with the birds the 1 thing that doesn't stop is the constant rotation of birds (who's flying and who is being given a break to moult). The bird I am most excited about at the moment is Lobey (Turkmanian Eagle Owl). Lobey
To give you a bit of background on Lobey. He was the first bird I ever owned and he has proved to be real star. Always reliable around the centre, at Cameron House and corporate events. He is a bit of a character and I do need to watch him when he is flying as he is entered and has caught 7 rabbits, 1 hedgehog and chased most things that move even though he hasn't been trained or encouraged to hunt. I am looking forward to him being back on line. He will be replacing Duffy (Bengal Eagle Owl) who has been flying for a year now.
Lobey has about 2oz to loose in weight and then he should be good to go.
The other big news is that I should be able to get the new Harris Hawk sometime in the first full week of September. I spoke to the breeder today and everything is going ok with it.
519
The last 2 weeks have been interesting and very busy at times. Since my last post we have done the Hopetoun House International Horse Trials. This was an all weekend event. We took a big team of birds - 11 in total and I also had an extra person helping me - so there was 3 of us in total at it. A big thank you to Jo and Becky. I said in my last entry that it was great venue, well on the Sunday it was even better due to the cross country course going round 3 sides of the area where we were doing our static and flying displays. The birds all took it in their stride on the Sunday even though there was horses galloping past them for most of Sunday afternoon.
The displays went well. We had to do 2 flying displays each day. All the birds flew well. I put Bob (Gyr x Saker) into the display on Saturday. I was a bit worried about this. Even though he had been flying well at the centre and out on the farm, this was his first flying display and there is always that little bit of doubt at the back of my mind when a bird does it's first display. There was nothing to worry about though as he flew well and looked very good. In fact he looked so good on the Saturday that I flew him on the Sunday as well. The only down side is that I will now not use Bob for hunting crows as he is now part of the display team. The weekend was a long 1 as I was in the centre for 5am to open up, clean the centre and load the van to go through to Hopetoun House for 8.30am. We would finish up at 8pm.While it was a long 2 days with alot of hard work it was great fun and I loved every minute of it. The event was well run and everybody knew what they were doing.
And then July was over.
While July was finishing being very busy, August started quietly with no bookings for the first 2 days. This was great as it allowed me to get things back to normal after the weekend at Hopetoun House. The birds that were at Hopetoun House got a few days to relax and the birds that weren't used were readied for up and coming events. Things this month have been either very busy with 3 or 4 bookings in a day or nothing on. On the 5th Aug we had 2 corporate events to do at 2 different locations. Thankfully the venues were only a few miles apart so it was relatively easy to do. 1 was just outside Balloch and then it was down the road to Cameron House for the next 1 in the walled garden. Once we had finished the 1 in the walled garden we had to set up for a family fun session at our aviaries on the front lawn. So in the end we did 3 bookings in 3 different places. A big thank you to Stephanie who helped me that day.
The last few days have been the exact same either very busy or very quiet. Saying that now that it has rained for the last 2 days it has been very quiet. I haven't been able to fly the birds for myself due to the rain. The falcons haven't flown in a week due to work and weather which is not great. I have also been trying to fly Bella the new Barn Owl, but it has been difficult to get any consistency with her due to work and the weather. Jo has been a big help by flying her after she has finished work for the day. Bella has been a little bit skittish recently. Some days she has been very good but other days she can be spooked by cars coming into the car park which she has seen loads of time but some days it just spooks her. I am not sure what her problem is but hopefully by trying to fly her everyday we will get it sorted. Saying that she hasn't flown the last 2 days due to the rain but then again nothing has flown over the last 2 days. All I have been doing is cancelling bookings.
The only thing that I have been able to do over the last 2 days was a photo shoot for Glasgow Warriors rugby club. They are playing the Newcastle Falcons this Friday and wanted some pictures of some of the players standing with a few falcons for promotional purposes. The rain eased to a drizzle so we were able to get the photo shoot done. Good luck to the Warriors for the match this Friday.
 | |
| Rory Pitman with Gigha (Peregrine) and Chris Fusaro with Bob (Gyr x Saker) |
While the weather and bookings have been making it difficult to work with the birds the 1 thing that doesn't stop is the constant rotation of birds (who's flying and who is being given a break to moult). The bird I am most excited about at the moment is Lobey (Turkmanian Eagle Owl). Lobey
To give you a bit of background on Lobey. He was the first bird I ever owned and he has proved to be real star. Always reliable around the centre, at Cameron House and corporate events. He is a bit of a character and I do need to watch him when he is flying as he is entered and has caught 7 rabbits, 1 hedgehog and chased most things that move even though he hasn't been trained or encouraged to hunt. I am looking forward to him being back on line. He will be replacing Duffy (Bengal Eagle Owl) who has been flying for a year now.
Lobey has about 2oz to loose in weight and then he should be good to go.
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| Lobey in action |
519
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
It's been busy
It's been 2 weeks since my last post. I do try and make time to do this every week but it is just not possible at the moment. The days are long - somewhere between 10 - 11hours and when I get in it is difficult to find time to do the blog. Eating tends to be a bigger priority, walking dogs and then sleep. It is then a case of getting up and doing it all over again.
The last 2 weeks have been busy wit a steady flow of bookings. In my last post I mentioned that we were out doing 3 demonstrations at weddings in 3 days, 2 of which were off site. All the bookings went well. Glenbarvie House went well and was a lovely venue. The venue for the display in St Andrews - St Salvators Quad was very impressive. As a location for a demonstration I was a little bit worried because I worried about what sort of problems the local sea gull problem would cause but they weren't that bad and we got the demonstration done. We did have 1 scare though Alba (Barn Owl) caught a light breeze that carried her over a wall and she disappeared. I had to go and look for her. I found her quickly as she was wearing a transmitter. She was sitting in someones garden just across the road. I won't fly my birds at a demonstration unless they are wearing a transmitter. In my opinion it is just good management and practice. I decided that Alba had done enough after that. Corrie (European Eagle Owl) was next up to fly and was brilliant even with the local seagull population shouting at him. A big thank you to Amanda for helping me with these 2 events.
After we got these bookings out the way it was time to get ready for the next big booking on the Sunday. Millerstain House. It was a good day with the weather. It was meant to rain and I thought it would be a long day standing in the rain but the sun shone and it was all good from that point of view. Brel had another wobble with his form not sure what his problem was as he had been very good. He went up into a tree and was slow to come back but did in the end. It happened in the first demonstration but he was perfect in the second demonstration of the day. Uist (Lugger Falcon) though did screw up though. He was flying well and looking good when he went a grabbed his tail and basically couldn't turn so he went off and sat in a tree. I had to go and look for him but he hadn't gone far and came straight back to me when I caught up with him
After all these booking that were a bit different it was back to the norm with bookings in the centre and over at Cameron House. Last weekend we did 13 bookings in 4 days. Friday was a marathon with 4 bookings, 3 of which were over a Cameron House. That was all easy, the marathon started as we left Cameron House. The A82 was closed due to a serious accident where someone had died. We had to take a detour. A 30 min journey to get back to the centre became a 4 hour marathon. The other highlight of the last weekend was Oran (Harris Hawk) who caught his second rabbit. We were doing a hawk walk at Cameron House and Oran who had been flying great but just at the end he slowed up and wouldn't follow on. I called for him and no sign. I thinking maybe he had moved when I hadn't been watching but I was sure he hadn't as I hadn't heard his bell. Next thing I see him dropping out of a tree straight down in to the undergrowth and there is a squeal. I knew straight away he had caught a rabbit. Sure enough he had. Not planned but it's second rabbit. I need to say a big thank you to Gordon who helped me all last week on his EMS placement from Glasgow University Vet School.
This week so far has been a bit quieter which has been nice. A slightly calmer pace. Today I spent the whole day in the centre something I haven't done in a week. This has been all great as it allows me to get ready for this weekend. This weekend is the Hopeton House International Horse Trials where we are doing 2 displays on Saturday and Sunday. I have been looking forward to this booking for a while. Hopeton House is a stunning venue. Hopefully the weather is ok. I don't want it to be too warm as this can cause problems for the birds and I certainly don't want rain. What I am looking for is a dry day which is mild with a gentle breeze to help the birds fly.
It will be a long weekend starting each day at 5am and finishing at about 8pm. That's ok though. I love doing these big events and what a venue. Finger crossed that it all goes well. Hopefully the birds all fly well. I will let you know hopefully next week.
498
The last 2 weeks have been busy wit a steady flow of bookings. In my last post I mentioned that we were out doing 3 demonstrations at weddings in 3 days, 2 of which were off site. All the bookings went well. Glenbarvie House went well and was a lovely venue. The venue for the display in St Andrews - St Salvators Quad was very impressive. As a location for a demonstration I was a little bit worried because I worried about what sort of problems the local sea gull problem would cause but they weren't that bad and we got the demonstration done. We did have 1 scare though Alba (Barn Owl) caught a light breeze that carried her over a wall and she disappeared. I had to go and look for her. I found her quickly as she was wearing a transmitter. She was sitting in someones garden just across the road. I won't fly my birds at a demonstration unless they are wearing a transmitter. In my opinion it is just good management and practice. I decided that Alba had done enough after that. Corrie (European Eagle Owl) was next up to fly and was brilliant even with the local seagull population shouting at him. A big thank you to Amanda for helping me with these 2 events.
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| St Salvators Quad |
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| Brel (Harris Hawk) at Salvators Quad |
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| The new car at Millerstain House |
After all these booking that were a bit different it was back to the norm with bookings in the centre and over at Cameron House. Last weekend we did 13 bookings in 4 days. Friday was a marathon with 4 bookings, 3 of which were over a Cameron House. That was all easy, the marathon started as we left Cameron House. The A82 was closed due to a serious accident where someone had died. We had to take a detour. A 30 min journey to get back to the centre became a 4 hour marathon. The other highlight of the last weekend was Oran (Harris Hawk) who caught his second rabbit. We were doing a hawk walk at Cameron House and Oran who had been flying great but just at the end he slowed up and wouldn't follow on. I called for him and no sign. I thinking maybe he had moved when I hadn't been watching but I was sure he hadn't as I hadn't heard his bell. Next thing I see him dropping out of a tree straight down in to the undergrowth and there is a squeal. I knew straight away he had caught a rabbit. Sure enough he had. Not planned but it's second rabbit. I need to say a big thank you to Gordon who helped me all last week on his EMS placement from Glasgow University Vet School.
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| Oran (Harris Hawk) with his 2nd rabbit |
This week so far has been a bit quieter which has been nice. A slightly calmer pace. Today I spent the whole day in the centre something I haven't done in a week. This has been all great as it allows me to get ready for this weekend. This weekend is the Hopeton House International Horse Trials where we are doing 2 displays on Saturday and Sunday. I have been looking forward to this booking for a while. Hopeton House is a stunning venue. Hopefully the weather is ok. I don't want it to be too warm as this can cause problems for the birds and I certainly don't want rain. What I am looking for is a dry day which is mild with a gentle breeze to help the birds fly.
It will be a long weekend starting each day at 5am and finishing at about 8pm. That's ok though. I love doing these big events and what a venue. Finger crossed that it all goes well. Hopefully the birds all fly well. I will let you know hopefully next week.
498
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