I would not advise such a trap! All birds have hollow bones that are very thin to as we say "lighten the load" for flight. Raptors eat the bones of their prey to help maintain the calcium levels of there own bones....such a trap could easily break a leg! A Bal-Chatri trap is more desirable! It is a cage so to speak with many snares covering it with say a mouse inside for bait. The cage protects the mouse from the Hawk and the snares entangle the feet. The trap weighs about the same as the bird so it can't fly with the trap.
Hi Red Feather Thanks for the picture the dog has him treed alright. I used to coon hunt with black and Tans.. it was interesting too. At night of course.. Has one of your birds got its talon around your finger and not let go? What do you do if that happens???? Another one of those dumb questions..
There are no dumb questions! That does happen, the bird wants to sit at the highest point possible, so if you want them to release your hand, you lower it and they will start to walk up your arm. Careful, soon as they release you need to raise your hand again so it is the highest point or they will walk right up your arm and onto your head! Now the bird does not know the difference between tree bark and your skin, so you can imagine how this might feel in the morning...lol! Please ask as many questions as you like and I will answer as I am able! I am enjoying your questions very much! I would love to work with you as an apprentice, I can tell by your interest that you would be a patient Falconer!
Realm: The Very Beautiful [in any season] Northeast Kingdom Vermont
Rindy thanks for this thread. I've been interrested in Falconry since I was ....ooohhh bout 13 or so Cornell University ~ Ornithology & had done some vol. work at an east coast Conservation Society & 2 Audubon Societies, rehab. inc. just on the smaller birds, animals & reptiles though.
Red Feather...I have since moved from my childhood home & have aquired 6 + acres & a ton of free time. There is a Falconry School which does offer a certification course within a few hours of me and also a Raptor Center. What are your thoughts an these?
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There's a reason for Everything and Everything has a reason.
I am sure you would learn much about the care and handling of Raptors! I like the Sponsor/apprentice set-up, seems more like an activity that is enjoyed and less like a job. The relationship you develope with your Sponsor and with your Bird will be very rewarding!
I thought this was interesting. My city is going to pay this man $8000.00 for 50 days. The falcon was to keep our crow population down. The city netted and coated roosting trees with chemicals, installed electronic detouring and utilized explosive noise makers. They also tried hiring police officers to shoot them off duty. I think I need to get into the falcon business. Anyhow I think its a good wage. The falcon is flying the friendly skies...lol
That is a fair price concidering the man most likely paid over $2500.00 for the falcon! There are many dangers to the bird in the city, transformers on power lines, the chance the bird could over shoot and slam into a building, or tail-chasing across a highway and getting hit by a car. Tracking equipment can be expensive also.....
Thanks Red Feather. Ok, another question, if using two birds do they ever fight over the food "prey" and if so what do you do? lol...I have this image in my head of rainning feathers....lol..
Another excellent question! The best birds for group hunting is the Harris Hawk! They are natives of the Sonoran Desert and they hunt in groups, sharing the kill by rank in the group.
MEASUREMENTS: The Harris’ Hawk has a body length of 18 - 24 inches, a wingspan of 3 1/2 - 4 feet, and weighs 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 pounds. HABITAT: These hawks are found in semiarid habitats like savannas, chaparrals, scrub prairies, and mesquite and saguaro deserts. They range from the southwestern United States through Central America and into much of the drier habitats in South America. DIET: Harris’ Hawks search for their mammal, bird, and reptilian prey from a perch or as they are flying. In some areas, family groups will hunt cooperatively. When hunting larger prey, like jackrabbits, hunting in a group will increase their chance of success. REPRODUCTION: Harris’ Hawks build stick nests in trees, bushes, cacti, and on man-made structures. The female lays 2 - 4 eggs that are incubated for 33 - 36 days. The young hawks fledge at nearly 6 weeks, but stay close to the nest for an additional 3 - 4 months. NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Greek word para, meaning beside or near, and the Latin words buteo, referring to a kind of hawk; uni meaning once; and cinctus meaning girdled, and refers to the white band at the base of the tail. The bird was named by John James Audubon after his friend Edward Harris. This hawk has also been called a Bay-winged Hawk and Dusky Hawk. INTERESTING FACTS: Harris’ Hawks are social birds. Some of the young will stay with the family unit up to 3 years and help raise subsequent broods and hunt cooperatively with the family.
Harris' Hawks are popular birds used in the sport of falconry because of their group hunting style. Live and hunt in family groups of 3-7 birds. One of only two social raptor species in the world. Mating system can be monogamy, polyandrous, or polygynous.
Hi Red Feather, That makes sense. You know this thread is keeping me awake at night thinking up questions. LOL.. ok, do you hunt the birds when they moult? Do they tend to get onry then?
Any one else feel free to ask questions jp, dragonsfly, help here...
Yes you can hunt Raptors during their molt! Due to the fact they must fly they molt one or two feathers at a time. Normally the time of molt is after hunting season and a time when you want to feed the bird as much as they desire to ensure they have the best feathers without stress marks for the next year hunting season, so most of us do not hunt our birds during this time. In the wild they must hunt year round to eat.