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An online falconry journal (mostly)  ( I do believe we have made some serious progress. ) Sunday went okay, Gonzo seeming to be more focused than the day before(1265g) but still hesitant. I gave her only 3 sparrows and put her up for the night. Monday evening the weather was cooling down and misty drizzle had set in. By evening, she was at 1245g--a little lower than I'd expected as I was looking for about 1255-1260g. This might have been a good thing, though. Gonzo was quite keen, very eager, and very aggressive on the lure. She was focused on me nearly the entire session, trying to anticipate what was next and yet not misbehaving (flying at me while I had my back turned or before called). I was half tempted to fly her free, but as we're still doing flights of about 20'.... Not yet. Acquired some new 40lb, 50' braided test rope from Home Despot to replace the existing creance line (also 40lb test, but only about 25' of it). If the weather cooperates Tuesday, we'll see how far she'll fly with the safety line in tow. Shooting for about 1250-1260g just before noon. Front yard work. Got 3 flights to the lure, 2 times she hit while it was suspended in the air. Better response all around. I think she was definitely too high yesterday. 1285 might be too high. We did some short (10-15') flights in the front yard but Gonzo was acting distracted and didn't seem eager to come when called. Might have been an off day, but we'll see how she performs in today's session. 1260g by accident. Too cold last night combined with a lot of activity during the day probably lead to faster-than-expected weight loss. Got a decent response out of her today. She figured out going back to the perch on her own, but now she wants to bypass the whole "Get back on the glove" nonsense. (D'oh.) She's still only hitting the lure when it's on the ground. Gonzo is apparently going to be fun trying to keep her gear on. When I went to collect her from the mews, I found that she'd bitten through the cable tie holding one of her bells on. The bird's got a wicked bite! (Speaking of, my pinkie finger has healed up, though still feels sore if I rub it hard.) ( Falconry foo: Travel, exercise/training, food, mews introduction, and how to kill a digital scale. )
Current mood:  tired.
No real excitement this afternoon save for one point where Gonzo decided she wanted up off the ground and on my glove when I didn't have my glove up yet. I just raised the glove up and scooped her out of the air and back down onto the ground. No more problems the rest of the session! :) Oh, and a second time when I raised my glove to call her and she eyeballed it, then flew to try and land on my dad's head because he was closer. He ducked, Gonzo turned towards me and my glove, then went over my head before the creance line pulled her up short. She's just testing her boundaries and learning what she can and can't do. Pretty much what the subject line says. Gonzo likes the lure once she's on it, but is hesitant to go for it. She'll fly 10' to get back to the glove, but not 10' to go get the lure. (But food is now being shifted to the lure and not the glove, so that'll change soon.) She's starting to expect to go from the ground to the glove, so she's getting that routine. She's regaining the glove on her own about 50% of the time. I took her for a walk of about 1/4 mile and she did well, only bating six times. Fed up to 1375g, so she might be game to do something in the morning. And now, if you'll excuse me, it's beer and hot tub time! Current mood:  rejuvenated.Current music: Tom Petty, "The waiting is the hardest part.". |
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