A Rainy Bunny Catch

There was a steady misty rain / snow shower all day.  Rich and I took Kali to the park in Spring Grove, to test her on squirrels.  That park, which is normally teaming with tree rats, was rather quiet today, they all staying inside their warm nests.  A few were pushed around, but not many to test Kali's willingness to go after them.  She did chase a few, down into the creek (of course) where it is a heck of a lot harder for the humans to follow.

We then relocated up the park some to a brushy area that sometimes has rabbits. Sure enough, Rich popped one out, and I watched her pursue it from a distance, towards me, beyond me, down the creek bed, and whack it as it tried to run up the other side.  Everything is covered in a steady cold rain, so slippery.  It didn't hinder her at all to bringing her second bunny to the bag.  I'm loving this girl!

Training for Kali, and her First Bunny

The final days of my new hawk's training in my yard, just prior to going to a large open field for long flights, and then free flying.  Rich is filming with our new GoPro Hero 5.  The sharpness of the image is a great improvement on our previous one.  The trainer (me) is very much in casual, comfy home clothes.  Don't look at me . . . look at the beautiful bird.



You'll be able to see in the video before the reason I have decided to name my bird Kali.  After free lofting her, once she was settling into manning, she scraped her cere (the fleshy skin just above the beak) on something, and gave herself what looks like a bindi, the round spot that Hindu's mark on their "third eye".  For that reason, I chose a formidable Hindu goddess, Kali.



This was our first free flight with the new bird hunting bunnies.  She seems to know about them.  Again, the image is so much sharper than our previous GoPro.  It took me awhile to get to him as I was in a very thick tangle when Kali went for her bunny, and on my way to her found myself in a marsh.  Rich had the quicker, high ground route.