Lost

     I walk with Bellatrix to the park today for our training session, in hopes that she will learn to be responsive in places other than my backyard, even though I know there is a wild male kestrel that lives in the park. He doesn't normally have the guts to get close enough to cause problems so I ignore his presence (mistake 1). We start with a couple of flights to the fist on the creance so that I can see how responsive she is. She hesitates a bit, but I free fly her anyway (mistake 2). I tell myself that I'm doing so because she's more responsive to the lure than the glove, but really it's because free flying her is so exhilarating. She takes her spot in a nearby tree and I call her to the lure. I drag it a little, but the movement spooks her and she swoops over to a fence. 

     The wild male calls overhead and takes his spot in the tree. 

     I swing, then drop the lure again, whistling for Bellatrix. She comes quicker than I expected, but that is a very good thing. She bates with it immediately, and I completely understand why. I make in to her as soon as I can to ease her discomfort. She eats her reward, the back half of a mouse, while I tid-bit her occasionally. I trade her off and set her loose again, completely forgetting the wild male (mistake 3). 

     She swings up into the tree and is immediately taken after by the wild male. He takes the style of a gyrfalcon, repeated swooping passes from one direction then the other. Bellatrix screams at him and dives from the tree, making a low-altitude escape. But the wild male comes in and grabs her. She screeches and dashes over the rooftops; he lands on the nearest house to watch her leave. I mistake him for her and pause for a moment before chasing after my bird. She's quite some distance away now, but I see where she's going. 

     I sprint in the same direction, pausing in any open areas I can to throw the lure around a few times. A car pulls up to the edge of the empty lot I'm in and watches me. I try to decide if I should stay or go; they probably think I'm a nutcase (not an entirely false accusation). They pull away and I decide to go home and get the car. 

     Mom drives me around to a few different fields where she might have gone. I look for any stand of trees in the direction Bellatrix took that she may have hidden in. No luck, she won't be found. 

     I decide to go home. I have work to do and Bellatrix is not going to move in the circumstances. She's stressed, not super hungry, and possibly injured.

     I beat myself up for all the mistakes. She has no bells on because she chipped her beak biting them and I took them off. She has no transmitter on because I won't be getting it in the mail for another few weeks. She's not wed to the lure or even remotely fond of me. 

     I go out again on my bike later that day, when she will be hungrier. I check the most highly suspect areas. The locals are very accommodating and I'm allowed onto three promising properties. I check every tree, swinging the lure and laying the trap, but she it not there. I cross the rather large portion of land off my mental map. 

     Dad comes to collect me; we're going to my grandma's for dinner. 

     Bellatrix is staying out overnight.  

   

Free Flying Videos

     Today we had our first free flying mishap. I put bells on Bellatrix today and she's getting used to them. I unhooked her from the creance intending to do a couple of flights to the fist and a lure flight. I took her first jess out of her anklet then tried to get the second jess and she flew off. She landed in a nearby tree and started watching. I decided to cut right to the lure flight. She was quite hesitant, probably for a number of reasons including the bells, being on a different perch, maybe being reminded that she is a wild bird, or having to come down to the lure. She waited for a while, then came to the lure from probably 50 or 60 feet away. She bound to the lure and started mantling, then made her killy-killy call, which made me really happy. She let me make-in with no problems and she ate her reward from the lure on the fist while I tidbitted her intermittently.
     Tomorrow I plan to do two lure flights and really wed her to the lure. Then I may be able to free fly her on the last coturnix quail I have. But I won't be able to hunt her until I've bagged her on a couple of sparrows or starlings and practice making-in when she's on a smaller, more portable kill.

Oh, Hi. I Totally Didn't See You There!

     So, ya know, sorry about the major lapse there.

     I have a kestrel now. Her name is CeCe. I'm almost ready to free fly her, but I'm still getting her "wed" to the lure. Her manning is going very well. I know that she knows how to kill a sparrow now. I don't think she did when we trapped her. Just getting her attached to the lure enough to free fly her.

     My sparrow trap got stolen, so I built another one but this one isn't working as well. Perfect timing since I will need baggies possibly as soon as wednesday.