Last Minute

 

Today's adventures culminated at the last moment, and finished up by giving a Falconry 101 plug, and meet some nice guys. This is Bruce on the left, and I'm letting him hold a satiated and hooded Seneca. On the right is his friend Adam.

Just prior to going into my work weekend we got the first truly cold blast of this winter. Last Thursday was just too awful to even think about going outside. I just fed Seneca up, and boosted her for a couple days to keep her internal fires going through the cold, and my not being able to fly her. After a quick nap this morning, after getting off work, and after tagging along with Rich to pick up some auction stuff, My Girl was at a good enough weight to fly. I chose the Byron field as I have not been there this year. In fact, I've not been there for 2 years since I had a short season last year due to my need for knee surgery.

As always, this favorite field (which is no longer secret) has an abundance of bunnies. We kicked up several, and Seneca made a play for a few of them, but she was not following tightly, and mostly self hunting. We were not out long, and it was starting to get late, so I tried to call her down. This was when we encountered these two gentlemen, who were standing outside a restaurant/bar at our chosen location. She ignored my lure call, and was staring intently the other direction in a very brushy spot I had just passed through recently. As I made my way out into the open to try calling her again, she left her perch and flew rather gently across the open area, down, then crashed the thick brush and caught a bunny.

It might not be greatly evident from this picture, but her catch in this brushy spot was VERY thick and brushy. I had to crawl over a lot of downed tree branches to get to her. Thankfully, she had a good grip on her prize. After getting to her, dispatching bunny, securing her, and allowing her to eat her fresh catch, I extricated myself out of the brush, and Rich took a quick picture of us.

We returned to near our parked car, and popped into the restaurant/bar and called Bruce and Adam over to get an opportunity to see the hawk up close. Bruce had told Rich while they were watching me try to call her down that he has a tattoo of a hawk on his shoulder. I figured he'd like to see her up close, and maybe even be allowed a quick hold.

It was an unexpectedly quick happy turn of luck just when we were about to throw in the lure and go home. Seneca got a really nice large and warm meal after these very cold days. Rich and I met a couple nice guys and hopefully made their day.

Today I invited a young lady to go out hawking with me and Seneca. As usual when I invite someone to go hawking I will inform them that they:

1.  Will see a hawk today.

2.  Will see a hawk fly.

3.  May NOT see a hawk catch anything.

Today Seneca fulfilled her destiny, as Jenna suggested over Messenger, that we could have "fun" with a telemetry chase.

I went to meet Jenna near her home in Stillwater.  She works with the education birds at the University of Minnesota Raptor Center, and has extensive bird handling and training experience. She is interested in seeing falconry. Seneca has increasingly become intolerant of me having anyone else in the field with me for hunts. True to form, once released, she bounced quick.  However, she also immediately was challenged by a pair of resident hawks, and the game was on. She took off over the hill and quickly moved out of sight.

I've advanced in my falconry that I really don't worry too much about this. Certainly, I don't want to lose a bird, but fly offs can happen. This is particularly part of the reason why I plan to release her back to the wild this Spring . . . she just really wants to go claim a territory, and a mate. The last several hunts she's challenged the locals. 

We walked back to my car, then drove around the field in the direction she flew off. Fortunately, she had just taken a tree across the road. I never had to pull the yagi (receiver antenna) out. After a tiny delay she did come down for the garnished lure. What you don't see because the video drifts out of frame as Jenna must have started watching without the camera, is that the Saucy Girl grabbed my hand. She was really jazzed up about challenging the locals.

Once secured and fed, I put her away, and we proceeded to drive around looking for any passage birds (first year hawks) that we could attempt to trap. Just about the time we gave up and decided to go get food, we saw a bird. I prepared the trap, and as we were about to place it the wild hawk we were watching bumped and flew across the busy freeway. We followed, and after some searching found an adult pair, and then a juvie. With minimal effort, we convinced him to come explore the trap and get caught. Size and weight indicated a male, which I have no interest in keeping. I let Jenna release him, which is always fun for people, even those who handle birds all the time.

Let's try again some time Jenna, maybe this time closer to my home.

Bunnies Enter the Season

 

Nest Cams and De-Stress Cams 2025

 The Wild North

(For De-Stressing. 2025 may need a lot of that!!!!)

~~Per usual, as nests become active I will add them here.~~

BALD EAGLES

Florida Eagles First

Window To Wildlife

Connie and Clive have their first egg, as of 11/18/24

11/21/24 second egg

Southwest Florida Eagle Cam

This pair is simply called:  M15 and F23

2 eggs in the nest

1st hatch on 12/14/24

Shepherdstown, WV

National Conservation Eagle Cam

Minnesota / Iowa

Raptor Resource - Decorah

Minnesota's Nongame Wildlife Programs

The monitored nest collapsed in 2023.  This is a new one selected to follow (different nesting pair)

Minnesota DNR Eaglecam

Friends of Big Bear Valley

Big Bear California

BIRD FEEDER CAMS

Nature Live - Denmark

Hans Nature Channel - Netherlands

Poland Forest Nook

Cornell Bird Cams - multiple

Indiana Wildlife Cam

Sax-Zim Bog Feeder Live - Minnesota

Como Zoo Conservatory Sunken Garden

Let's Get this Season Going!!!

Today was just a quick free flight at one of my very local bunny spots. We were not there very long as it was within 1/2 hour of sunset. Also, Seneca is still too high for great performance, but she showed she knows what this game is about. We did move one bunny, but no contact. She came to the lure when I called, although just a little delayed. Hopefully the cold weather will arrive, which will help shed those last extra grams and focus my girl's attention.

I anticipate this will be my last season with her. I am feeling the urge to let her return to the wild in the Spring. I do like this bird Very Much! However, my love for her is beyond simple possession, and extends into letting her regain her free life, and go find a territory and a mate.

But first, let's try to whack some wabbits, and maybe a few squirrels.