Red Tail

[Nicodemus]

Here`s my son and one of our buddy`s Harris hawks at Pretoria Fields having a beer. I suspect that he will be starting his falconer apprenticeship in the real near future.

 

[jicard3]

Years ago my youngest BIL was in charge of the bobcat program for UGA at Cumberland Island. He'd trap and radio collar the cats for study. The large Havahart traps were baited with a live chicken in a separate cage. One day he caught and released an adult, fierce red tail. He also had the opportunity to sit in a blind in the dunes and observe the snaring of peregrine falcons during the fall migrations. The bait in the tethered mono loops was a live pigeon which didn't fare as well as the chicken did. He said it was amazing to see the stoop of the falcon as it clobbered the pigeon. The falcons were weighed and blood samples drawn and the birds were released. Gil

Birds of prey fascinate me. I love to watch them. Coopers Hawks diving at the doves under the deer feeder. Mississippi Kites "mousing" or "bugging" in the field. Listening to a pair of Barred Owls talk back and forth with each other in the creek bottom.
After seeing a video of Peregrine Falcons hitting pigeons in mid air above a big city, I wish I could see it in person just once. That is probably one of the most violent impacts I've ever seen. The feathers flew from those pigeons like they were shot at 10yds with a 12 gauge shotgun. It was simply amazing and I just know it has to be one of those things that TV can't really do justice.

 

[GLS]

One of the most beautifully written books I've read was Helen MacDonald's H is for Hawk. She recounts the pain of losing her father while being immersed in training a difficult Goshawk while living in England. One of the highlights of summer is seeing Mississippi kites fill the air in my neighborhood. At any given time, several can be seen overhead bugging. In the rural areas, around waterways, Swallowtail Kites are spectacular in flight. Nic, years ago Ga. Power lent its high boom trucks that would elevate ornithologists above the canopy in the Altamaha basin to study the Swallowtails and look for nests. Gil

 

[rosewood]

Ga. Power lent its high boom trucks that would elevate ornithologists above the canopy in the Altamaha basin to study the Swallowtails and look for nests. Gil

I always find it interesting how if you "study" the wild animals in their nest, you are harassing wildlife, but put a fancy title in front of your name and now it is ok in the name of science...

Rosewood

 

[Nicodemus]

One of the most beautifully written books I've read was Helen MacDonald's H is for Hawk. She recounts the pain of losing her father while being immersed in training a difficult Goshawk while living in England. One of the highlights of summer is seeing Mississippi kites fill the air in my neighborhood. At any given time, several can be seen overhead bugging. In the rural areas, around waterways, Swallowtail Kites are spectacular in flight. Nic, years ago Ga. Power lent its high boom trucks that would elevate ornithologists above the canopy in the Altamaha basin to study the Swallowtails and look for nests. Gil

I can watch Swallowtails all day long, especially when there`s a flock of them bugging an area. To me there is no bird more graceful.

 

[antharper]

We have a hunt set up for this Sunday. I`m not sure if they`ll be bringing the Peregrine, but he will have his pair of Harris hawks and a red tail.

Make sure to take us a few pictures , I’ve done it a couple times with a friend and really enjoyed it . Within the first few minutes the first hunt my daughter looked at me real serious and said we got to get us one of these

 

[Nicodemus]

Make sure to take us a few pictures , I’ve done it a couple times with a friend and really enjoyed it . Within the first few minutes the first hunt my daughter looked at me real serious and said we got to get us one of these

Will do. I`m taking my good camera along.

 

[Thunder Head]

We had a group of falconers come to our NRA youth day last year. One of them had a Kestrel. Man them things are tiny up close. Very beautiful. He had him trained to take out starlings.

 

[nmurph]

Our county has a pit where they've pulled the topsoil. It's clear water in probably no more than three to four feet deep. It sits right along the highway beside our high school. A couple of years ago I picked my son up from baseball practice late in the afternoon and turned onto the highway. An osprey with a 5 pounds or so bass in his talons. He flew up out of the pit and down along the road about 20 feet in the air. I followed him for half a mile or so with him no more than 50 to 75 ft in front of my truck. He finally flew out across a cotton field and into the trees. He looked like he could barely stay in the air with that bass. I would never have thought there were any fast that size in that hole, but nobody gets to fish it except for the birds.

 

[Nicodemus]

https://forum.gon.com/threads/hunting-with-the-hawks.988705/#post-12726287

 

[ScottA]

Great picture!

 

[bfriendly]

What a perfect capture! Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to some more! How the hunt go?

 

[GeorgiaGlockMan]

I had one dive bomb me once while sitting on the ground deer hunting. Bow hunting and in all camo. Thought the same thing...he must have seen my head move and thought it was a squirrel or something. Very believable!

I had the same thing happen to me with a big ol owl when I was bow hunting one super cold morning.

I was sitting 25 up in a tree with a fur lined mad-bomber hat on.

The owl flew so silent and was only a couple of feet away before I put my arms up in front of my face. How it managed to change directions at the last second still befuddles me.

Never wore that hat in a tree since.

Almost wet my pants.

 

[rosewood]

You know your camo works when you fool a bird of prey

 

[Worlldbeater]

cool pic thanks for sharing it Nic