Rich and I visited Justin and his family this evening to meet his new baby. It's no secret to those who know Justin that he wants to fly a goshawk. He finished up his apprenticeship in 2013, and made a respectable dent in the rabbit and squirrel population in and around Winona this last winter with his red tail Chomps. However, he has been bitten with the goshawk bug, and it has been his dream to fly one. He tried to trap one last year, but between attempting to get his General Falconry status confirmed, and the poor migration we had last year, that didn't happen. Then this year, he tried to find goshawk nests to pull an eyass for imprinting, but that didn't happen either. As always with this impressive and lucky young man that I have had the pleasure to know, fortune shined upon him. A falconer in Wisconsin made the decision to pass along this young bird, and Dave helped with getting the health certificate and transportation. His family have named her Olivia, and she is quite adorable. She still has all her young nestling innocence, and none of the killer mindset that will manifest all too soon. Justin has his work cut out for himself, but he also has the guidance and advice of several Wisconsin falconers of distinction who have successfully trained and flown exceptional goshawks. He'll do fine!
We also got to meet Lucy, his new Jack Russell Terrier puppy. She is quite a cutie, and full of piss and vinegar as my mom would have said. He's working with her, and she has her beginning obedience ongoing. Although, when she was allowed to chase out some of their turkeys from under the coop she was rather loath to let the one go she had caught. She'll make a fine hawking dog. I threatened to leave Monty with them, as he had come along with us, but they nixed that idea immediately. They had planned to just raise the puppy this summer, as Justin didn't get the goshawk in the spring. However, with this stroke of fortune, now they have two baby animals in their home to raise and train. Enjoy!
I do believe this is the first time I have ever held a goshawk.
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