My birdfriend's back and they're gonna be in trouble (Hey la, hey la, my birdfriend's back)

[BirdManMike]

@BirdManMike Maybe you have answered this before but what is the collar around his neck?

GPS/Telemetry. It is for tracking him. The GPS gives me real time location, height, and speed dats, plus there is a flight log recorded.

Today, he went up 175', hit 60mph in his stoop, and flew 1.4 miles chasing a pair of homers. He came back breathing hard, which is good. Good numbers for his second flight out of the chamber, but not really good numbers -- good number are 1000'+ and 100mph+, like this.

Had 4 merlins following Greta Grouse around after flying Roach. They were looking for easy birds she kicked up and had a couple chases on larks. Really fun to watch. Three females and a jack. This was surely a family group -- there must be a nest nearby because Ive seen groups of them in the same field this time of year in the past.

 

[BirdManMike]

He’s ready for game. 275’ yesterday, 350’ today. Got a foot on a homer today (I released them when he was in perfect position so he had an easy shot).

If we don’t get a point tomorrow, I’m going to give him a pigeon he can kill (assuming he goes up at least 350). Weather coming in so looks like 2 days off — might as well give him a nice reward and build some confidence.

I’ve been running the fields before/after flying and still no birds. I did see a covey running along the road at first light the other morning, tho - good sized covey.

The hay fields are just getting cut so I should be able to run some stubble next week.

The gamebirds are going to show up — they have to.

Hope dies last.

 

[BirdManMike]

First point on huns for the year. First flight on huns for the year. First dead hun of the year.



The hun was maybe 2/3 size. Good size covey and Roach knows how to pick out the weakest one. It amazes me that the season opens when young gamebirds can hardly fly, but I’m not complaining - don’t kick horses in the face when theyre handing out presents, or whatever.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Congrats! I love following your threads.

Lots of small sharpies in my neck of the woods this year. Seems like some late hatches. Roach would have a field day. Maybe you have some late ones around too?

 

[BirdManMike]

Congrats! I love following your threads.

Lots of small sharpies in my neck of the woods this year. Seems like some late hatches. Roach would have a field day. Maybe you have some late ones around too?

Here’s hoping!

 

[BirdManMike]

Roach is flying great. All his fat is now gone and his metabolism is cranking. Daily portions of food that would have seen him gain a few grams just a couple weeks ago now will see him lose weight -- so of course his calorie intake is being upped as well so he can build all that muscle back.

Just 8 flights out of the chamber and he is already taking 400+' pitches, pumping his wings and working hard.

Today, we ran a stubble bench. I got a point on a covey of huns right on the fence line as expected (unflyable), then, when I thought I had covered the likely spots, I put Roach up to fly homers. He went wide climbing and climbing in the wind to 400'+ before coming back over me to take position. I released the pair of homers when he was upwind and slightly wide pumping and down he came hard. He got a foot on one but not hard enough to knock it down then chased it off.

As I looked around for Greta Grouse, I see her locked up not far away. F!

I waited a few minutes for Roach to return, but looking at the GPS I could see he was on the ground off the bench - he caught one of the homers. So I released Greta to flush and up got 3 huns in what would have been a perfect flight for my little buddy.

We went to go find Roach - not hard with the GPS (holy crap I dont miss the days of telemetry searches) - and picked him up.

8 flights into the season and he kills a homer. Good grief. This was an older bird, maybe 5, and may have lost some of the edge of youth. Im going to have to be careful when I release them and which birds I release this season because Roach is just going to keep getting better and I dont want him catching homers every time.

 

[Oak]

I waited a few minutes for Roach to return, but looking at the GPS I could see he was on the ground off the bench - he caught one of the homers. So I released Greta to flush and up got 3 huns in what would have been a perfect flight for my little buddy.

Glad to see you two getting along better 8 flights into the season.

 

[BirdManMike]

Roach threw a tantrum this morning getting ready. He then fought me the entire walk out into the field, trying to jump of the fist, flapping, leaning - all while hooded and unable to see anything. When I put him up, he didnt want to participate, instead flying to the nearest perch and landing.

Meanwhile, Greta was on point. I waited him out and he eventually got up off the perch to start climbing. The sharptail Greta was pointing had enough at this point - dont know how long they had been holding, maybe 10 mins - and the decoy bird - which is always an older bird - went first, sucking Roach down in pursuit when he was only at about 150ft. The rest got up shortly after, once Roach was down. The decoy got back up and Roach chased it off.

Roach is still difficult as ever. His flying is wonderful, but the rest is not, no better than last season. It feels like 10 minutes of enjoyment in exchange for hours off frustration and stress. This - falconry - usually doesnt feel like this. Usually, the 'other stuff' is neutral - sometimes good, sometimes bad, mostly just 'work' - but Roach has me questioning my life choices.

The falconer who bred him has mentioned to me - multiple times - that someone may want to breed him and that I would get a new bird from the breeding (that I dont think I would take - I miss flying wild birds). The genetics of these peregrines come for the Fraser River valley in BC and are no longer obtainable from the wild so to keep them going for falconry requires falconers to breed the remaining captive bloodlines. Roach is the last bird that will be hatched from his old pair - they are 17 now and didnt lay this summer, and last summer they hatched only the one eyass, Roach. Should he ask in earnest, Roach will be headed to somewhere else.

Frustrated.

 

[BirdManMike]

Roach had a wonderful flight today.

There was a covey of huns right at the hay bale stack on the edge of the bench and a massive covey on the edge of the uncut portion of the bench. Good points, but both are unflyable - the stack birds because of obstructions and cover everywhere and the birds in that uncut field are tough since they fly a foot or two over the hay then dump as soon as the falcon closes. So I just flew pigeons.

Roach left the fist cranking right away, went a half mile wide climbing to over 700' in no time. I probably could have gotten more out of him, but I didnt want him to have too good a shot at the homers so I released when he was pretty far upwind and wide.

He powered toward the pair of homers not beginning his stoop until he had closed a bit then started an absolutely amazing hard stoop - the kind of visual show that makes doing this worthwhile for me.

Both the pigeons I chose this morning are big, strong, male birds. He really has to clock one to kill it - binding to one in the air is a losing proposition. Easier said than done because they know how to juke a falcon last minute. He got a foot one, chased it a bit, then broke off.

I am feeling better about things today. I am going to change some things up. I havent had a bird where the husbandry portion is the challenge* -- usually, the concerns center around the training/hunting or dangers. Things arent going to be ideal for me or him, but he is going to have to make due unless he wants to cooperate.


*I actually have, with wild prairie falcons (the most difficult bird to work with), but with them if things arent going well - like out flying within 4 week from the trap well - they can be fed up for a week or so and released back into the wild no worse for wear (better than found, usually).

 

[BirdManMike]

Nice morning, wonderful flying, no gamebirds.

He really is a good looking bird and when he isn’t throwing a fit or fighting me he can be pleasant - as he was today riding back on the fist after flying.




Todays flight data:

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

I’d say when it comes to Roach breeding, take the cost instead of the of the new bird. And those Fraser River peregrines sound like the Turkish Kangal; never again exported. However, there might be a First Nations work around with those BC peregrines.

 

[BirdManMike]

I’d say when it comes to Roach breeding, take the cost instead of the of the new bird. And those Fraser River peregrines sound like the Turkish Kangal; never again exported. However, there might be a First Nations work around with those BC peregrines.

I would never take money for a bird that was given to me. If there is ever going to be money changing hand, my hands won’t touch any of it.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

I would never take money for a bird that was given to me. If there is ever going to be money changing hand, my hands won’t touch any of it.

I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the bird was gifted. I have no experience with birds, only show dogs. I’ve seen cash or puppy offer from breeders for the owners of dogs out of their kennels to breed the dog one time.

 

[BirdManMike]

Hun número dos. They were pretty close to cover so I only let him get to 450’ before flushing.

 

[BirdManMike]

The past 2 flights havent gone the way Id planned.

Yesterday, I was out looking for grouse and decided we werent going to find any bird so pigeons itd be. Roach mounted great, as ever. When he was over 700' I started getting the pigeons out of the bag to get ready. I looked again at the GPS to see where he was and how high he had gotten only to notice he was down over the rise into the creek bottom. He mustve seen something and stooped - no idea what it couldve been. When he came back, I waited him out to remount and he eventually made it to 300' so I released the pigeons when he had no chance. He tried his best, then came back to the lure. First reward for remount of the season - I want him to start going back up after a chase as he did last year.

Today, ran a bench thats finally been cut. There was check everywhere. Harriers flying the bench everywhere I looked, redtails on pivots, 50+ sandhills out in the fields, 100s of geese, flocks of starlings - you name it. I only give myself about 30-40 minutes to get a point on work days, so once we had covered enough with no point, I put him up on spec to run a bit more in my timeframe then toss pigeons if we found nothing. He was about 800'and 1/4 mile ahead when he stooped what I think were huns. A huge group of geese bumped as Greta approached which I think also bumped some huns. The huns flew straight to haybale-stack-safety where I found Roach sitting on a stack.

Wanting him to get back up in the air (never reward a sitting bird with the lure or otherwise), I started walking back into the field towards the vehicle. I wasnt paying attention to Greta at all, stupidly, and flushed another covey of huns she was pointing. Arg!

I marked where 3 of them flew and hoped to get a reflush. They all flew the opposite way Id have expected, probably because Roach was still sitting on the hay bales, focused on them thinking he was going to get another chance. He didnt notice the huns get up - a good thing - so I was waited him out.

When he decided he was going to get a chance, he got up and came flying back to me, mounting up to 300'. We went looking for the 3 huns Id marked and Greta went on point. A single hun got up and went for it.

Typically a single is a futile flight since it know that its the target and will dump into any small amount of cover then run, but this hun was in no man's land and had no choice but to fly for it.

It didnt make it.




Bird numbers are definitely less than last season, but we are finding enough. Grouse numbers seem especially low. It could be - and has been - a whole lot worse in this valley.

Also, the northern lights were visible from my house last night.

 

[BirdManMike]

Today we ran a narrow stubble bench in some light rain. This is a bench I can usually get points on, but they arent usually flyable since the birds need to be basically in the middle of the bench for Roach to have a shot. They were today.

With Greta locked up, I waited for Roach to mount hoping to flush when he was in the 300-400' range. He was 400'+ when he came back over into a good position so I flushed. The huns barely beat him off the edge of the bench with him following them down into cover.

When he decided it wasnt happening, he got up from the post he was sitting on and began mounting again. He topped out a little over 600' - pretty OK pitch for a remount a this point. Roach isnt a young bird anymore so concern is less throwing pigeons after a missed flight on quarry - something usually best avoided doing with young birds - so I decided Id reward the pitch with a couple homers to chase.

Down he came with a stupendous stoop and got a solid hit on one, a big male pigeon. The pigeon shook him, and Roach pursued thinking he had a shot - right over the other side of the bench, over the creek, and basically to the next road south a couple miles away. I could tell he had stopped flying but I couldnt tell if he had landed after breaking off or was down on the ground eating a homer.

After determining I wasnt making it to him on foot, I began beelining it back to the vehicle that I was a good mile away from to get to the other road. Cursing my luck the whole time, more worried than anything, I was very relieved when the GPS showed him flying back toward the bench to find me.

Good flying, if a little of a stressful morning.

 

[BirdManMike]

Close call today.

Greta locked up not long after leaving the truck. I thought it had to be grouse. As I was unhooding Roach, a couple larks went flying.

Pigeons it would be. I figured I’d see how high he’d get.

As he was circling up wide and still climbing. Greta went on point again. Has to be grouse!

It wasn’t grouse. Another couple larks got up and down came Roach after them.

He was 833’, still wide, and still climbing. I’m pretty sure I’d have gotten 1000’+ out of him. He was feeling good this morning.

The larks dumped as ever as he closed - they don’t really fly far - with Roach doing an impressive wing over, pitching up out of speed. He immediately started climbing again.

He made it over 600’ in the remount so I released the homers. He didn’t start his stoop right away, instead powering toward the pair while maintaining pitch. The wings tucked when he thought he’d have a shot and down he came in fine style.

He got a foot on one of the homers, a big male bird who’s one of my best, then using his momentum pitched back up regaining a small height advantage. He used the height to starting pumping hard down toward the homer and it was then I could tell this pigeon that had kicked Roach’s butt 30 times, at least, was intimidated and was going to try to bail into cover.

The flight ended in a small group of trees where I immediately heard the telltale screeching of pissed off redtails. Hoping the pigeon made cover and Roach was perched in a tree rather than on the ground on top of a pigeon like the chamber-raised dummy he is, I ran hard to get over to him.

Sure enough, Roach was on the ground on a pigeon right below the trees with not 1 but 3 redtails screeching at him. He had some awareness and sense of self preservation, at least, because he wasn’t obliviously plucking and eating the pigeon but rather covering it with his body to keep it hidden. Still, close call because any of those hawks could have killed him on the ground in an instant.

I think his saving grace was that Greta was nearby quick. Unlike with gun hunting, I want my dogs to chase the flush - it helps keep the gamebirds flying rather than dumping. Greta pretty much knows the drill so when she feels she’s covered the field well enough she will start looking at me anticipating the pigeons. Her judgement (nose) is usually better than mine, and when she decides there aren’t birds to point she is almost always, maybe always, right. She had chased the flight on pigeons today and was close enough that she was in view of the hawks which I’m sure deterred them.

This is him after the hawks had left.







I’ve learned I can’t attend falcon camp this year. My wife is out of town the week of camp and someone needs to stay here to take care of the animals. Bummer. I really want to get him on some sharptail so I’m thinking about taking a trip next weekend or the week after. Not sure where - the falcon camp spot has some sharptail around but it mostly Sage grouse so I might try somewhere else. Not finding grouse locally this year.

 

[BirdManMike]

Bunchve cows got moved. Last minute change of plans, didn’t find birds so flew homers. Almost to 1000’.

 

[BirdManMike]

Roach is going up over 1000' every flight now. Flights on game have been scarce, but it doesnt matter...

Sometimes, Im not really sure what I am doing this for, other than needing something...something to fill up the day, just for a few more hours, a few more minutes...


It is indescribable, but Ill try....

Always, as long as Ive been doing this, I put so much pressure on myself to kill gamebirds -- it IS important killing game, you cant call yourself a falconer otherwise. Killing gamebirds, tho, is an absolute shit baseline.

Killing gamebirds with a shotgun is easy. Fing easy. I could easily shoot every Fing gamebird in this valley over a fine, more than fine, point (kidding, not kidding). Watching the dog work is wonderful and rewarding.

But, little for me compares to watching a falcon figure it out. These flights are dogfights with falcon trying to gain advantage on a homer that by all rights has advantage after the initial stoop. Flights going on minutes after the initial stoop with aerobatics I can hardly describe, me surely slackjawed like some fat kid in a candy shop...



This is why I do this. Roach is the best of them, the most dynamic flier I have seen of mine - or any others - birds, both captive and wild.

I am headed east to put him on some sharptail next week. I think - hope - we will put one, or more, in the bag. Even if he doesnt, I dont know where to go from here. Ive had plenty of success the last 11 seasons - not without hardships, but my fair share - so where do I go from here?

For now, I am going to enjoy the rest of the season even if he does kill all my nice pigeons.

 

[BirdManMike]

What I mean is tht with gamebird flights, the falcon comes down and it kills or doesnt. The gamebirds win with cover - if they make it there, the flights over-- there is no chase, no battle in the sky. Not so with strong pigeons.

I think the future - for me - is back to wild-trapped birds. Get them going and flying the way I want, then see what theyll do before releasing them in spring and starting over to see what the next can do.