Little Better

So things went a little better yesterday.  I took the morning off as an apprentice falconer was coming up from Oklahoma City to buy some old telemetry equipment from me.  Daniel and Jonathan also took the day off to come and fly, so we were set to have quite the crew here.  

Daniel came up a little earlier than the rest to come along for a quick flight at ducks.  I've been back to the kite for a few days with my hybrid to try and get him on track as far as pitch is concerned.  Looks like the kiting was a good reminder for him.  We found a bunch of mixed ducks on what I've named the Bull pond (the rancher keeps about a dozen large bulls in this pasture when they are in between fulfilling their role in life).

I got Tulsa in the air and he instantly went over another pond the other way from our intended target.  Not such a bad thing as it turns out.  

He wasn't terribly high over the wrong water but as we made our way toward the Bull pond he realized that he was off track and came roaring back gaining pitch the whole way.  Just as we reached the pond edge he was coming up right behind us in perfect position.  We flushed dozens of Mallards, Gadwalls, and Ring-bills off the water and.......nothing.  

Several seconds past as I watch the fleeing ducks waiting for impact.  It was probably on 5 seconds or so but it felt like a minute or more.  Finally out of the corner of my eye I catch movement and see a hen Ring-bill cartwheeling down into the pasture.  The falcon throws a lazy wing over, a sure sign that the duck it down for the count, and lands gently on the duck.

Today he actually let the ducks get a little ways off the water before he really turned on the stoop.  Definitely an improvement over the past 3 or 4 flights.  Hopefully this will be our turning point.

I just looked over my notes and last year I caught my second duck on today's date.  So technically I'm one day ahead of where I was last year.  This is the start of year two of hunting with this bird and it's pretty obvious that he still has a lot to learn on his way to be great from just a barely mediocre game hawk.

Afterwards we met up with the others and did some bunny hawkin'.  Quite a few were flushed and a couple now have bald spots but in the end nothing was brought to bag.  I'm now all cut up by the thorns that made it above my brush pants and worn out.  Falconry season must be in full swing.