Looking Forward Without Moving On

It's been a month and a half since I found out Petrie was dead. It feels like longer. Nevertheless, I have my apprenticeship to finish, so I've been keeping my eyes open for passage birds in the area.

I wasn't legal to trap until now (nor did I want to), because I'd trapped my 2 birds in 2015. But now it's 2016 and I can trap again.

Here are my options:

1) Misty. She roosts in my neighbors porch and is just the most beautiful female I have ever laid eyes on. The coloration on her chest isn't just brown on white, but black on brown on white which makes for a very beautiful muddled hot cocoa and marshmallows look. I think she's a haggard, but I find that I really like the gusto haggards have.

2) Luke. He lives in the local park and he is a butt. He is the reason I can't train my birds in the local park, or really anywhere near my house because he's claimed such a freaking huge territory. Really, I'm not too enthusiastic about him, but hunting with him would mean that I might finally be able to train in the park. Up until I let him go.

3) Fenoglio. The wild passage I have yet to meet. Really, I only have a few months left of the season to fly a bird, and a passage would mean less training time and more hunting time. This is probably the best choice for my situation, but Misty might have just captured my heart.

I don't really know what I'll do. What I do know is that I need to order some BioThane for making anklets. Luckily, this teenager finally found a suitable job.

And, while I've got your attention, I might as well tell you my plans for next season, because they're one of the few things that help me look forward to life after Petrie. The Cooper's hawk is not an option because my parents are not comfortable with an accipiter in the house. But, I will be moving up to a merlin. I'm planning on trapping a female Columbarius (the ones here are black as black comes) and hunting her on doves by waiting on. Maybe at some starling flocks too, depending on the season and what she takes to.

And I've finally got my telemetry, so things will go better now. No more losing birds.

Leashes

I finally spoke with someone of authority at Western Sporting. They found my order through the website database but there was an energy glitch so the website database didn't send the order to the product database. Since I ordered the leashes FIVE FREAKIN' WEEKS AGO they said that they would only charge me for one leash (I ordered two) and rush the order and send me some of their  "Premium Hawkers' Chocolate" with the order for free. I'm not sure what that is, but I'm pretty sure it's chocolate so I'm happy.
Unfortunately, I'll be camping next week so I won't get the package until the next week unless rushed shipping means overnight. That would be fantastic.

A Little Update on Everything

I finally got word that my leashes shipped. Appearently, the one with this information is a new worker and forgot to send me my email (which I still don't have). I'm expecting the package to come within the next two business days. Otherwise, my mom wants to call and yell at them. She doesn't seem to know that once it's shipped, yelling at them doesn't do anything. They can't make it ship faster, they've already handed it over to the USPS.

I got a $15 pair of leather gloves to be my falconry glove. I just need to put an eylet or two in the cuff and it will be perfect.

I caught two more house sparrows. I put them in the aviary instead of the freezer. Last night one of them wriggled they way throught the top, then got caught in the net and choked to death trying to get back in. Now I have 3 birds in the freezer and one in the aviary. Hopefully I will catch more.

I remodeled my room to make it more falcon-friendly. Now there's a lot more space by the window and in the corner to the right of the window. That way, I can move the kestrel near and away from the window.

You have been updated.

My Review of Western Sporting Goods

I am very upset with Western sporting right now.
I ordered two books from them a while ago which came throught fine, but my last TWO ORDERS have not processed.
I have been waiting for my leashes for five weeks now. They were supposed to be here 8 days from ordering. I have called once a week for the last three weeks and they have yet to do anything about it but take my email and put me one the urgent list (which does nothing).
I was thinking about this a bit. Suppose I was not an apprentice collecting my beginner's equipment but a falconer whose leashes were starting to wear out. Suppose I had called plenty in advance to be sure that I would have them before my worn leashes were useless. It is not plenty in advance anymore and I would probably have lost my bird!
If they can fix it today, I will take the order and leave their customer pool. If they can't fix it today, I will cancel the order and leave their customer pool.
Your time is ticking Western Sporting. You have about three hours to take my 27 dollars before I leave.

Sparrow Trapping

I finally made a sparrow trap that works. It's called a funnel trap in case you're interested. It caught sparrows the day after I set it up.
Then the neighbors' dogs found it and ripped and crushed the cage until the birds were out.
Oh, and my leashes still aren't here.

The trap before it was ruined.

Frustration and Screen Perches

I ordered my leashes around Friday two weeks ago, meaning the 16th. They are supposed to arrive within 2-8 business days. So excluding memorial day and weekends, it has been 8 days and I still don't have them. It's just Wyoming to Idaho! Jumping two stinkin' state borders! If they're not here tomorrow, I'm going to call Western Sporting.

On another note... I finished my screen perch.

Waiting

Just waiting for my leashes to come in the mail.
I didn't think it would take this long for a package to get from Wyoming to Idaho.
They're not that far apart.

MAJOR update

     So....
     How's the last year treated ya?
     Sorry about the massive gap between posts there. My computer randomly became incompatible with blogspot.

Long Before April 7:

     My dad said that I couldn't get a falcon...
     I fell into depression...

April 7:

     I'm not sure that I've told you about the falconer that lives on Marteeson. I have seen them out manning their Harris', but I couldn't ever talk to them about falconry because their front yard was fenced off and their front door was removed. But I know there's a falconer that lives there.

     I met them today. I was biking to the library and passed their house just as they pulled in. She started walking to the back gate and I stepped in the driveway and called, "excuse me?"
Her reaction to "I'm Anna and I'm interested in falconry," surprised me. I expected an interrogation to figure out whether I was really up for falconry. Instead she invited me in. Her name is Kelly. She has a harris' hawk named Delta and a Finnish goshawk named Aussie. Then she gave me a list of contacts, and a list of books to collect, and a list of things to learn over the summer.
     Then she let me hold her harris hawk.
     And a hallelujah chorus started singing in the back of my head.

It was great.

     I proceeded to bike home and Facebook message every single person on the contact list. I got one reply out of six. Monica (the replier) and I met up that same week where she offered to sponsor me with the help of two or three other people. So fortunately for me, I have the unique option to have three sponsors. I accepted.
     During the rest of the afternoon with Monica, we got things figured out. I'm going to have a kestrel. I'll keep it in my room so my dad and the HOA don't complain about the mews in the backyard. I'll trap in the fall.
     That gave me roughly six months to get everything ready... and pass my test.


Since then:

Unfinished Mews

• I've built my mews
• I've bought the two falconry books my sponsor recommended (Falconry Equpments by Kimsey and Hodge, American Kestrels in Modern Falconry by Matthew Mullenix)
• I've built two sparrow traps
• I've started working on my giant hood
• I've ordered my leashes from Western Sporting
• I've gotten my hunting licence
• I've decided that this summer is going to be the longest summer of my life

Unfinished Giant Hood

The Books my Sponsor Recommended

Hunting Licence and Hat

Study Guides 2

Let it be known that on this day (Friday, June 7, 2013) at 12:55 pm my study guides arrived, along with some beautiful blank cards.

My favorite

The books

The whole family

Study Guides

     I just ordered my study guides! California Hawking club apprentice study guide and the apprenticeship Manual, plus a falconry intro package from Western Sporting. Funny thing here, I got the all that for just under $40 from Western Sporting while Amazon is trying to sell just the study guide for $120+.
     Lesson to be learned: Amazon is a rip-off.