Hope dies last.

[BirdManMike]

Fascinating. Another (ignorant!) question: Can you differentiate between birds in the air? If there were 4 up there, could you easily see which one is Roach?

Ive had wild peregrines come in to check out my bird. I can tell which is mine if 1 bird is a female and the other a male simply because the males are so much smaller than females. I can also tell (sometimes, if they are close enough for good visual) if 1 bird is immature and the other a mature bird as plumage is very different after the first molt. But, if both birds are the same sex and in the same plummage, the only way I can tell is that one comes down to the lure and the other doesnt. If another falcon comes in to 'play', the flight is over - too much risk the 'play' wont be so nice.

Geez, I thought of another question again! What game do you target?

Huns, mostly. Sharptail when I can find them or I travel east. Sage grouse, rarely, especially with these tiercels as thats a big ask (they can do it). Ducks, occasionaly - the season of ducks on flyable water for a falcon is short in my area.

 

[BirdManMike]

Roach had his best flight today. They are supposed to get better every time, so this isnt unexpected, but today was the first time he got a foot on one of the homers which is a good milestone. He went up 200-250', easy, and I released the pair of homers when he was pumping up wind in relatively good position. He hasnt figured out a hard stoop yet, and from that height he really wouldnt put in one anyway, but he made a good stoop and got one foot on one of the homers. He wont kill a strong pigeon trying to grab it like that, of course, he has to figure out that they really need a good falcon punch, same as a grouse (not so much the huns - its better for him to come in behind out of the stoop and grab, but a falcon punch will certainly end their day just the same). Gave him a few passes on the lure after. Took a picture of my little ahole today:



Kidding about the ahole part, he is really starting to become a nice guy.


Also, some meh-lk crossed the road in front of me. The roadhunter's dream.



If only it were rifle season Idve started blasting.

Kidding, joking!










Or am I...

 

[BirdManMike]

The raptors are moving with this front, starting to head south.

Had a passage goshawk kill one of my homers near the loft yesterday. Today, Roach was mounting really nice, going up and up. A harrier came flying over the Sage which caused him to set his wings and lose height checking it out. He broke off and started pumping again, but he didn’t get back up to the pitch he was at or even yesterdays height.

I released the homers when he was wide and pumping up wind and he put in a decent flight. As he pulled off, a goshawk appeared from nowhere chasing him. I pulled the lure and he came right in, lucky, as I was kaking and shouting at the gos.

On the walk back, three different merlins buzzed us.

Fun times.

Two points on Sage grouse, tho. One group of 10 or so and another on a single boomer. Roach isn’t ready for that yet.

 

[Hammsolo]

This is so damn interesting. Where I teach we are involved in raptor rescues. The students help care for them. It’s amazing.

Also, I have a weird connection to owls. Camping last week, we had a screech owl come into camp at dusk and park it on top of a pine. She sat there for at least 15 minutes. It was enchanting.

I wish I could see this in action. So intriguing… Thank you for sharing.

 

[BirdManMike]

What happened today doesnt matter, tomorrow is another day.

Against my better judgement, I put Roach up over a covey of huns this morning. My young dog locked up on the covey out in the middle of stubble, a good ways from any cover. As I stood there looking at her beautiful point - the same shes been showing me nearly every morning the past couple weeks, bird numbers seem good this year - in what is the best hun setup possible, I decided to go for it. Roach's weight was low, lower than I planned for this morning, so I knew he was going to be hungry. I had hope he would fly well and his hunger would motivate him to take a shot even though he has yet to see gamebirds.

I unhood Roach and put him up. He mounted well, though I could tell his gas tank was low - not unexpected as his weight was lower than I anticipated this morning. He only made it to 200 feet or so, plenty high enough to kill huns in this sort of setup. I made in and had a clean flush as he was overhead, slightly up wind. The huns headed downwind towards the nearest cover, as expected. Roach shadowed them, focused on the first few that went, above the covey, not deciding to stoop until they were almost to cover where he had no chance as they put in. Not unexpected and not entirely bad, but far from what I hoped for. Were he a couple weeks further in training, I have the feeling one of the huns would have died. The young still arent fully grown and/or arent flying well yet - I think, due to the extremely wet and cool spring, either the hatch was late this year or the first clutch failed and these are second clutch birds.

The worst of todays flight wasnt the failure to fly the huns. Roach came flying back, but rather than remounting he landed in the stubble near me. I know his tank was pretty empty at this point, but any sort of reward for landing - lure, pigeons, food - is a huge mistake. I walked off hoping he would take off and start climbing so I could pull the lure, not caring how high he got just that he was pumping his wings, but he took off toward me landing at my feet again. I picked him up and cast him off the fist again - this time he decided to do a short circle round me before landing on my boot. I picked him up, hooded him, then took him home with no food - hopefully a good lesson that not flying means not eating. I just fed him on the fist at home, of course, since he cant go without and his weight definitely needs to come back up a bit, but he cant put 2-and-2 together so the lesson in the field is, usually, a good one - dont fly, dont get to stoop the lure (good fun!), dont get to chase something (better fun!), dont get to kill something (best fun!).

There is so much that can go 'wrong', most of it not in my control, when the falcon leaves the fist. I dont mean the catastrophic kind of wrong of the original post, but, more often than not, things dont go 'right', at least not exactly as planned. It can be difficult to not dwell on what happened today, to not wish for a do over or obsess on what could have been done differently - tomorrow is another day and there is always hope for tomorrow's flight being the best yet.

 

[RyGuy]

@BirdManMike this might be my favorite thread on HT.

 

[MNElkNut]

I enjoy your writeups immensely. Something I know nothing about.

I can't wait until Roach gets an elk and brings it back to you....

 

[Hatchie Dawg]

You would make a great dog man. Hang in there brother.
HD

 

[BirdManMike]

I can't wait until Roach gets an elk and brings it back to you....

Funnily, Ive been asked, multiple times, if my birds are going to bother elk.

I have found acquiring private access to fly birds, even if for just a day, (relatively) easy with the falcon. Knocking on doors with bird on fist, even calling ranches, explaining what Im doing, has gotten me some access on places I know do not allow gun hunters after birds. More than once, one of the first things asked is whether my falcon is going to chase the elk.

"I have some people out elk hunting, is that falcon going to go after elk?".
"No, sir, he/she wont go anywhere near the elk. We just want to chase those ducks on the pond."
"Oh, OK, thats no problem."


Seriously, multiple times a conversation just like this. It takes everything I have not to Bert-stare them when they ask, to not stare at them as tho they have two heads.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Falcon Punch is now my favorite phrase and I will be using it liberally.

 

[BirdManMike]

Falcon Punch is now my favorite phrase and I will be using it liberally.

Sometimes they falcon punch its face so hard an eye pops out and it hits the ground already dead.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Sometimes they falcon punch its face so hard an eye pops out and it hits the ground already dead.

 

[BirdManMike]

It’s amazing what difference 15 grams has. 487 grams this morning vs 472 yesterday. He looked like a real falcon up there, 100s of feet just pumping. Good flying.

Had a point on huns by the small fry but resisted todays temptation. It was only 3 birds and they were in Sage brush which makes for a poor flight since they’ll just put into Sage when the falcon is closing.

 

[geewhiz]

Falcon Punch is now my favorite phrase and I will be using it liberally.

Was literally thinking the same thing. Thats my new call sign when I use walky talkies

 

[Ben Lamb]

Was literally thinking the same thing. Thats my new call sign when I use walky talkies

There better be a Hal Needham poster somewhere close by when you use that call sign.

 

[BirdManMike]

Was literally thinking the same thing. Thats my new call sign when I use walky talkies

Super Smash Bros. F-Zero Captain Falcon Cosplay Costume

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Im all in on this fella Lamb posted the pitcher of. Might go buy a Nintendo just so I can mash buttons shouting 'Falcon Punch!' at random intervals.

 

[BirdManMike]

I intended to fly huns today.

Actually, taking a step back, I intended to fly a pen-raised hen pheasant launched out of a launcher. A friend was going to pick a couple up for me this past weekend on his training day with his dog. They are good lessons for these (stupid) chamber birds, teaching them they can kill other things than pigeons. Only, there were no hen pheasants. The guy has some roosters, but thats a big ask for Roach at the moment. I am going to call another place today, but I expect the same - no pheasants. The dog people love these pen birds for their training events which, being that this Montana, boggles the mind. Anyway...

I had points on 3 coveys of huns this morning, all within 20 minutes of letting the dogs out of the vehicle. Two of the coveys were fence birds, too close to a fenceline and cover on the other side to safely fly. One of the was definitely too close to take a safe shot if gun hunting, even, as on the other side of the fence is a road before the cover and the other wouldve been iffy to shoot at, too - Im sure theyve been shot at a few times, at this point, and have determined the fenceline to be safety. The third covey was out in the middle of the stubble, a good way from cover.

With both my dogs on point, old dog backing the young dog, I put up Roach. He checked on something immediately, pumping straight up wind then stooping down into a ravine off the bench. Rather than waiting for him to return and trying to salvage the hun flight - trying to get a clean flush with Roach overhead wouldve been a big gamble at this piont and he doesnt need to see huns he has no shot at right now - I gave the dogs the OK to flush when he was out of sight.

I saw Roach pitch up over the edge of the bench out in the distance, so I just waited for him to come back. It didnt take him long to come flying back. He was low over the stubble, did one low circle around me, then started climbing. He went up and up, steadily climbing, mounting wonderful height. He was, Id guess, in the 500-600' range when I tossed a hindered barn pigeon for him to catch as he was upwind of me, rewarding his good flying and height. Im not sure he was done climbing when I tossed it, but at this point that was his best height yet and I thought the reward better than the risk of him setting his wings and losing height - after all, he had been in the air working for a good while at this point.

Not at all the day I wanted, but still a good day. And tomorrow is another day!

 

[OntarioHunter]

Sorry to hear this. Tough to put so much time into them and lose them. Happens with hunting dogs too.

I am surprised a perforated crop took out that bird. Several years ago when hunting my three dogs, the Britt disappeared just before we got back to the Jimmy. Then she flushed a rooster from the other side of the refuge boundary fence. It made a beeline for the refuge cattails but realized a little late I was on an intercept course. He tried to climb up and away making an easy if somewhat long shot. Down it came and Lab Opal made the retreive, taking the bird to the vehicle which was near at hand. I loaded up the dogs and threw the rooster on the front seat. Hmmm. No tail feathers? I was sure it was dead when it hit the ground. He was an old bird with very long spurs so figured I'd go pick up the feathers the dog must have pulled out. Opal would often kill any pheasant that struggled so maybe he wasn't dead on impact. Went to the drop zone but no tail feathers. Weird. That night when I cleaned the bird I found out why. Something had got hold of it and tore it's crop. Maybe a coyote? I don't see how a raptor could pull out tail feathers. Anyway, Russian olive seeds leaked out of the crop but it appeared to be not a fresh wound and actually healing. The old bird was in good shape. No keel sticking out between breasts which usually indicates distress. Tough buggers.

 

[BirdManMike]

I 'flew' a group sage grouse today. Entirely accidental, Greta Grouse, my young dog, went on point after I had put Roach in the air. She pointed both a boomer single along with the group today. These grouse are being shot at, Id guess, as both the lone boomer and then later the group flushed wild when I was at 50 or so yards. The group flushed wild even with the falcon in the air -- the falcon often pins even late season birds being pointed, allowing for a clean flush - as an aside, Ive literally had December/January sharptail pinned so tight with a bird up that theyve held until I went to nudge one with my foot that I thought might be dead - but these little tiercels arent that intimidating for sage grouse so the grouse went when he was maybe 200' high and too far upwind. He pursued with intent, but had no chance. There is a freaking goshawk watching that field - it comes in after the flight to check things out, this is the third time. Maybe I should trap it - I need a second bird, especially a passage goshawk, like I need a hole in the head, but my personal happiness, in general, seems to directly correspond to the amount of (often self-induced) chaos - the more, the better - in my life, so ...

Ive had some good flying and some bad over the past week. Yesterday, had points on 2 coveys of huns, but decided not to fly either of them as Roach's weight crashed for some reason on Saturday so I was - rightfully - worried about his stamina. It's coming back up - not at all sure what brought that on but he seems OK. Last week, ended up finding a couple hen pheasants from a guy to put in a launcher. Usually, these pheasants fly pretty well, but these two flew 10', landed, then ended up getting killed on the ground. NOT AT ALL what I wanted, really poor lessons for the falcon, but at least he learned he can kill things as big as he is. Flying pen pheasants - even when it goes right - is about as exciting as playing launcher games with dogs, but its a necessary evil with chamber birds like Roach. Had a couple wonderful pigeon flights, also, with Roach flying great - the pigeon flights get more and more exciting the better he flies.

Tomorrow is another day. Its almost time we start focusing seriously on flying game.

 

[BirdManMike]

Today was horrible.

My young dog bust 2 coveys of huns. Didnt even stop. Wind was wrong today, but thats not usually an issue. No sure what that was about.

I put Roach in the air with the intent of flying some homers. As he was mounting, he checked on something off in the distance, flying off the bench and down into a draw. I assume magpies, like the last couple times. He didnt pitch back up after 30 seconds like normally, so I went for a walk to find him.

I found him down at the bottom, distress calling on the ground near a barbed wire fence. He hit the fence.

I dont know how hard he hit it. He was happy to see me and came hopping over. I picked him up to inspect him - nothing feels broken, no blood, had movement in wings and his foot grip was strong. One of the straps for the backpack he wears for the transmitter was all messed up so it had to be cut off.

Back up the bench, I cast him off the fist again letting him do a couple circles round me then gave a couple passes on the lure. He seems to be able to still fly, thats good. Ill put the backpack on again with new straps this evening.

Every morning, I wake full of optimism, full of hope. What happened yesterday - good or bad - doesnt matter because todays flight is going to great -- the falcons highest yet, game will be put in the bag, whatever it is we are working toward. There is so much out of my control every time the falcon leaves the fist, any other outlook simply cannot work pursuing this 'hobby'. Tomorrow when I awake, when I am getting everything ready in the darkness of early morning, my only hope will be that Roach is still able to fly OK.

Hope dies last. #*^@#*.