longwing In reply to aurawolf21 [2012-04-03 08:25:02 +0000 UTC]

Hi, try a Stanley knife or other craft knife or even a scalpel. You will have to use a chopping board. You shouldn't have to use much pressure. What leather are you using? It is easy to make jesses if you have the right stuff. Kangaroo is best. Be sure to check which way it stretches - you don't want stretchy jesses. There are plenty of threads on the falconry forum concerning jess making. It is a learning process but it's important to get it right. However, remember that dodgy jesses aren't half so bad as a dodgy swivel or leash.

Try to get out with someone to hunt with their hawk. Offer to help them - hold ferrets, beat bushes, run around, carry equipment, anything. They should be glad for the help. If you're useful they might teach you in return! Summer isn't great for learning hawking since anyone worth their salt will put hawks up to moult in the summer.

I'm working on a weevil drawing, however I never really do much any more, being so busy!

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aurawolf21 In reply to longwing [2012-04-03 19:53:34 +0000 UTC]

thank you soo soooo much!

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longwing In reply to Broadwing [2012-03-20 10:11:35 +0000 UTC]

Yes that is indeed about Dusk! Well she's pretty much out of my hands these days as I live in New Zealand and she is in England, but I am told her bumblefoot has reduced to the point where only one foot scabs and it's only a tiny scab that keeps falling off and growing back smaller. It's taken long enough though! I miss Dusk, I will see her when I go back there.

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Broadwing In reply to longwing [2012-03-20 18:48:01 +0000 UTC]

Wooo, that's awesome! And great news about Dusk, I bet you are really looking forward to seeing her again. It's always hard when you have to face up to the possibility of loosing a bird, but reading your thread I found it remarkable. It's saved to my favourites for reference too. I'm thinking of using aloe vera as a daily treatment of the feet when I clean them, but I might just use plain warm water. I think it's a great idea to stimulate the blood flow and prevention is always easier than cure! Our perching is going to be good and varied too, and cleanliness is going to be paramount... It's my obsession!

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longwing In reply to Broadwing [2012-04-03 08:50:00 +0000 UTC]

Ha ha! Yes, I'm really looking forward to seeing Dusk again. I think I'm looking after her for a bit when I get back.
Keeping the feet clean is, I have learned, the most important thing as well as of course good perching. Anything else you do is a plus. Aloe vera I'm not sure about, I'm allergic to it so I don't use it but there is some evidence for it having healing effects on some burns. The evidence concerning its other purported properties is inconclusive. I'm so glad that something good has come of Dusk's ordeal with her bumblefoot and I hope you don't ever have to go through all that! Best of luck with you and your hawks.

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Broadwing In reply to longwing [2012-04-03 15:47:46 +0000 UTC]

I'm going all out on perches, having astro and natural surfaces all over the aviary, and a rope-swing perch in front of the window facing the garden. Hopefully he won't have any pressure on a particular part of his foot this way!
Hopefully I'll never have a hawk suffer with bumblefoot... But I know which thread I'll be looking back at if I ever do! I'm thinking of using Richard Jones as my vet.
Thankyou!

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longwing In reply to lemurkat [2011-12-13 05:55:05 +0000 UTC]

Yes, although it appears not to be so shaky lately...maybe that's cos I moved into a house where you can feel every truck that goes past! Luckily we have the biggest density of katipo in New Zealand near here, at Kaitorete Spit. There used to be a lot at New Brighton but I have not found any in any of my studies there - it has been taken over by marram grass and I'm finding a lot of disturbance and vandalism. Katipo are really sensitive to disturbance. There are tons at Kaitorete though, you're never farther than a few feet away from one in the dunes there. Unfortunately people take the driftwood and burn it and they like the driftwood and also people drive on the dunes which kills and disturbs them...8/ Kaitorete's a really special place with tons of endemic animals and plants and the turquoise water contrasting with the bright orange pingao makes for some fine painting!

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lemurkat In reply to longwing [2011-12-13 06:01:26 +0000 UTC]

I've still never been out to the spit. We started out there one day, but it seemed like a long way to drive and my husband will only tolerate my bird watching endeavours so much (although he is very patient). Are the migratory birds there enforce?

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longwing In reply to lemurkat [2011-12-13 06:33:50 +0000 UTC]

Ach you've gotta get out to the spit! It's a long drive but a nice one and it's also on the way to Akaroa. Just be careful because they are everywhere! There are some variable oystercatchers and a load of gulls but what I like are the dotterels - their nests were everywhere a couple of weeks ago. There aren't heaps more birds there than there are the rest of the year though. There are loads of lizards and also some mammals like dolphins, sharks and sealions occasionally. It's the place to be man! You could try buying your husband a flying thing that you can use outside like a microlite plane or something - then he can fly his plane while you look at the important stuff.

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lemurkat In reply to longwing [2011-12-13 08:08:07 +0000 UTC]

I'm sure I can persuade him. Although he considers rare endemic spiders a negative (I think it's cos they're poisonous - ever been bitten?).

Do you know you're still listed as living in the United Kingdom?

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longwing In reply to lemurkat [2011-12-13 11:27:43 +0000 UTC]

Ha ha! you probably wouldn't be surprised by how many people think endemic spiders aren't worth saving. Ignorance! They are far more important to the ecosystem than things like kokako and kakapo. It takes a lot to get people to realise this though. I have never been bitten by a katipo despite having caught them, lifted spider traps without looking, measuring their legs while they were very conscious and moving around and finding one loose in my bag which I had been rummaging around in all day. They are the sweetest natured wee creatures you'll ever meet, always backing away from you and trying to stay out of the way. If disturbed they curl into a ball and drop or coat your fingers in web rather than bite. However people have been bitten (one person was even killed...maybe...in the 18th century) so it is important to be careful. They would probably bite if trapped eg. in your clothing so I always check the turned up bottoms of my jeans. If bitten death is very unlikely - it's more likely to be unbearable pain.

I have however been bitten by a redback in Alexandra. They are what will replace the katipo should it go extinct and they inject more venom, inhabit inland areas and go into people's houses! I did actually fall into the web though and it had 3 redbacks in it, and the one that bit me didn't inject venom (they only inject it a third of the time and some people get no symptoms).

Thanks for letting me know, I should probably figure out how to change that.

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lemurkat In reply to longwing [2011-12-13 17:35:08 +0000 UTC]

Yes, I remember there was a case in the news not too long ago where a fellow got bitten on a delicate part of his anatomy , which was painful but not fatal.

Kokako were/are a very important part of the ecostystem because they act as seed dispersers for some of the larger fruiting trees - with the huia extinct, the kokako rare/extinct (in the south) and the kaka not very common, the only large seed disperser left in decent numbers is the kereru. So they do play an important role.

But it's much easier to get donations for a charasmatic bird like the kakapo than it is for a small and poisonous spider or a strange weevil.

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longwing In reply to lemurkat [2011-12-13 20:04:25 +0000 UTC]

yeah it's true, so hard to get support. Of course they're really important, but still not as important as most of the wee invertebrates. Yes I remember that news story, ha ha! Poor bloke must have been in a lot of pain though, so I shouldn't laugh...

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lemurkat In reply to lemurkat [2011-12-13 04:44:22 +0000 UTC]

Oh, and try this place for prismas: [link]

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longwing In reply to PictureByPali [2011-03-14 16:32:07 +0000 UTC]

hehe don't mention it, I did it because they are brilliant! And so are you, nice work!

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PictureByPali In reply to longwing [2011-03-14 19:39:23 +0000 UTC]

wow thank you

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longwing In reply to Carcaneloce [2010-12-08 14:06:11 +0000 UTC]

That's okay, I love seeing an original style that is so refreshing. I keep looking back at it: I love its energy.

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longwing In reply to x-Tuari-x [2010-11-08 08:38:36 +0000 UTC]

course! fire away. juvenile eagles can be difficult but should be able to tell between those two.

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x-Tuari-x In reply to longwing [2010-11-09 05:26:56 +0000 UTC]

My sister thinks it's a bald eagle. It probably is, but I just want to make sure! Right now I can't upload the photo because my computers wont let me!

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longwing In reply to x-Tuari-x [2010-08-29 21:42:48 +0000 UTC]

hiya! I'm unfortunately stranded at the moment at university so have had to give up having hawks of my own. My buzzard Dusk is staying with a friend, I am seeing her in a few days when I go to visit the relatives. I have to console myself right now with hood making and reading books (if you haven't already, buy Phillip Glasier's Falconry and Hawking - it's excellent!). I look forward to this coming season when I will go hawking with my friends Geoff and Misty - Misty is a harris hawk who Geoff very kindly lets me fly.

It's good to hear from another person who loves birds of prey. I was interested at 10 years old but started working in an owl sanctuary when I was 13 - same as you. It's a far cry from paractising falconry though, get out there and find a club and a mentor who can take you hawking! Flying hawks is fun, but watching them do what they do best is exhilarating. Thanks for making contact, best of luck in your falconry career.

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x-Tuari-x In reply to longwing [2010-08-29 22:51:23 +0000 UTC]

You are very lucky to have had any raptor! When I move out I am definatly going to get some sort of hawk... I think my first will be a Harris' Hawk because they seem to be the easiest to work with and I think they would make good beginner haws But I really like Gyrfalcons and I hope to have one of those.. I will look into that book you suggested ^^ Thanks

My friend got me interested in owls from making me read the Guardians of Ga'hoole series about 3 or 4 years ago. So I went up to the raptor center and fell in love with all of them So just to clear things up.. What do falconers do? They hunt right? They use their hawks to hunt rabbits and such for meat and fur? Or am I completely wrong?

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longwing In reply to x-Tuari-x [2010-08-30 20:13:40 +0000 UTC]

Ha ha that luck was slow in coming and hard to get! I waited 5 years for Dusk but she was more than worth it. You might want to check out your laws in Canada - they change from country to country but you may have to do an apprenticeship. Getting your first hawk is exciting but really daunting - when I first picked Dusk up I had 5 years of training rescued nutcase hawks and had read a whole bookshelf of books but my mind went completely blank. It was as if the hawk was telepathic, trying to suck all my knowledge from me. I had no idea what to do with her. It takes a great deal of guts to start training!

Your friend likes gyrs too - I wonder why? You must have had some really good experiences with them! It's impossible to find the right land around here but I expect in Canada it's easier to come by. I'm going to upload some more gyr photos when I work out how to do it - I haven't done it in a couple of years.

I read the Guardians of Ga'Hoole too! A film is coming out in Autumn over here.

Falconry is the art/sport (depending who you talk to) of hunting wild quarry in its natural habitat with a trained bird of prey. Isn't that what you were planning on doing with your future hawk? They aren't really good pets, especially harrises - they need to hunt and they are bound to kill some day. Even my buzzard has killed rats, lizards, voles and I never encouraged it (well... I didn't exactly DIScourage it... but she wasn't flown at hunting weight). Flying a falcon to the lure every day would also get rather dull both for you and it...plus, I'm not sure whether it would be legal to keep a hawk just as a pet in Canada. It cetainly isn't in America.

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x-Tuari-x In reply to longwing [2010-08-30 20:26:00 +0000 UTC]

wow long comment O__O

Well, as I said, I am only 13 and I have to be over... I think it is 16 to get a falconers license but I wouldnt get a hawk until I move out... And a few years after that! So I still have time to read books and stuff. I took an 'apprenticeship' course at the raptor center I volunteer at... But it wasnt really....a real one..? I suppose you have to be over 16 to take the real apprenticeship course..

Yes, the film is coming here too!!! September sometime.

And yes, that is what I was planning on doing, but I was just wondering if falconry had a different purpose or something. The laws in Canada? I am almost certain you just need a falconry license to own a raptor...

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longwing In reply to x-Tuari-x [2010-08-30 20:49:34 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, I talk far too much - I can never fit everything I want to say in! It's great that you're doing things the right way around. A good falconer you will one day become this way! Falconry centres over here are run by people who aren't falconers, mostly anyway. To get a good apprenticeship you have to find falconers and annoy them with your questions - then they take you out hawking and teach you a lot, for free! You could try asking on the international falconry forum (www.falconryforum.co.uk) for anyone around you who is willing to mentor you or take you out for a few sessions, with your parents (I don't like going out on my own with anyone on there just in case). It's worthwhile doing it, you can make some good friends and learn a lot. You could also try joining a club, that's the best thing I did - got my buzzard from the club too! And as much help as I could ask for. But volunteering is obviously brilliant too, there's nothing like regular practise to learn you something.

I suppose falconry hasn't really got a purpose, it's just like extreme birdwatching. Although rabbit stew has certainly kept me going through many a winter week when I haven't been able to afford to go shopping. Also over here rabbits are pests so we want them all dead, not that falconry is that great at pest control. In Mongolia they used eagles to help keep wolf populations in check, although that's obviously illegal now.

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x-Tuari-x In reply to longwing [2010-08-30 21:19:22 +0000 UTC]

My 'apprenticeship' course cost about $300! Which is quite a lot! I wish I could do it for free! But I am pretty sure they would all cost money And I dont really think my parents would be up for it... they arnt that interested in raptors.. But older sister might!
Rabbits are a problem here as well, but I dont think of them as pests ^^ I have 2 of my own actually. Some of the birds at the raptor center are used for pest control, and they help out at the landfill to scare off other bird like Seaguls who may choke on something and die.

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longwing In reply to x-Tuari-x [2010-09-06 17:06:37 +0000 UTC]

Over here they also charge hundreds of pounds (a lot more than 300 dollars worth usually!) for a course. It does teach you a ;lot, you meet ots of people and get lots of experience but if you join a club you get it for a lot cheaper! My club is 40 pounds per year, I get soooo many days out with experienced falconers (not raptor displayers or handlers), newsletters to keep up to date with things, and invited to meets overseas (Opocno is in October, in the Czech republic - I want to go, not sure if I can though). You also get a heads up for all the game fairs and events which is useful. My parents used to take me to field meets, they're not into animals either but they enjoyed the days out and a little window into what I was so obsessed about. If you join the club but find you can't make it to meets, I'm sure your club chairman would find someone who could take you.

Pest control is a very fun job! It's not falconry but it is a good way of learning how to hunt with raptors, although it's rather easy since there is so much to kill! It's a lot of fun, I would do it now if I wasn't so bogged down with study!

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x-Tuari-x In reply to longwing [2010-09-06 20:37:11 +0000 UTC]

Well I just did the juniour couse thingy so it was a lot cheaper than the rest ^^
Sorry I cant type my hands aree a bit numb.
I might join the falconery association in the futurre but not right now...

I havnt done pest controll, I havnt huntedf with raptors before

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longwing In reply to Rosie-the-rabbit [2009-02-06 12:14:57 +0000 UTC]

lol that's ok!!! Thanks, birds of prey are so photogenic so no talent required!! XD sadly they're not mine, I have no contact with captive raptors any more because I'm at university. It's killing me slowly inside...:'( but I'm hoping to get a small hawk this September perhaps to fly in the city when no one's around!

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Rosie-the-rabbit In reply to longwing [2009-02-07 21:54:09 +0000 UTC]

wow that would be wonderful to have your own hawk i often go and droool over the birds of prey at the local wildlife park, but its not the same as being able to handle them

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longwing In reply to Rosie-the-rabbit [2009-02-09 23:46:07 +0000 UTC]

Ha ha! It's an experience that's for sure, but it certainly isn't for everyone. Falconry in the UK these days is far too accessible, lots of people over-breeding hawks and owls and idiots go to buy them as pets...I used to work at a rescue centre, you'd be amazed by how few hawks are actually flown and hunted properly, it seems most are just kept as pets to look at. Makes me sad. But they sure are the most awesome creatures, it's an honour to have anything to do with them.

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Rosie-the-rabbit In reply to longwing [2009-02-10 18:49:24 +0000 UTC]

wow yeah i should imagine there are many who need educating about proper care of hawks/owls, people do the worst things to animals and birds through their own ignorance but your right it is an honour to have a connection with these birds, and i applaude you for working in the rescue center too

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longwing In reply to Sirem [2009-01-04 23:20:29 +0000 UTC]

Cheers!

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