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longwing — Footed
Published: 2008-07-01 23:10:38 +0000 UTC; Views: 566; Favourites: 15; Downloads: 28
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Jamie being footed by Oberon/Obi - Wan/Aubergine/Mr. Hawk/Fluffy McGyr. See? I told you he was bad. Moved over to the dark side, he has.Gyrs tend to be on the footy side, especially when they're little imprints - they like to throw their power around a little. Walking into his pen feels a little like diving with great white sharks, but suddenly the cage is taken away. He is a bouncing, fiery cannon-ball who wants to play but doesn't quite understand the rules. Having said that, I haven't yet been footed by him. He seems to like me.
More of him coming up. I took quite a few the other day...at the expense of his handler...
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Comments: 15
Thanks! I was glad not to be footed by him.
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Jamie has my condolences... ow owww Owwwwww! Last time I was 'taloned' was by a saker falcon that found a tiny gap in the leather on the finger and it went right down the side of my fingernail. Over as quick as it began, but man did that hurt...
I hope you're keeping well in NZ. Keep us posted what you're up to!
Graeme
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gyrs are beaty!! your own? even a white one..*fell in love*
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lol if I could afford to own him I wouldn't be at uni! I don't think I'd own a gyr anyway though, they are not my kind of hawk really. But they are extremely beautiful of course! Thanks for your comments it's always good to meet a raptophile.
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right it is! Even i live in Cologne..there arent so much falconers...unfortunately...
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I wonder of Gyrs are more prone to 'footing' because of their hunting technique of knocking prey to the ground and then chasing it on foot?
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They tend to take prey in the air, or knock it out of the sky and then it's dead, as they're not particularly nimble on the ground. But they definitely pack a punch! It would be interesting to find out why they are so footy, perhaps they just feel how much power they have and want to test it. Where did you find that they chase prey on foot? I haven't heard that before, but if it has been observed somewhere then it may be an explanation!
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I found it out at a zoo, while they were flying their gyr. They spun the lure and had the falcon try to hit it a few times, when he did successfully knock it to the ground, they dragged it along and he chased it. No, he was not at ALL nimble. lol. But he did catch it. Then flew back to the fist with his prize- half a quail. The person flying him told us that this was normal behavior, and they were trying to mimic his natural hunting pattern. I'm trying to remember which zoo... I THINK it was Woodland Park in Seattle, WA, but I could be wrong. Maybe different populations have different methods. Since they have to be taught by their parents anyways, if their parents would knock and chase, the kids would probably too.
I've also heard of - and seen once- eagles and hawks getting sick of being mobbed, and flipping upside down and grabbing the aggressor for a meal. I saw a Red-tail do it to a black bird, it was amazing.
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Certainly some hawks do this - gosses are famous for doing it, and there's footage of it on the Life of Birds - but I've never heard of a gyr doing it. Obviously if one is chasing a lure, and someone drops it on the ground, they will go after it on foot because it's much easier. A lurebound hawk doesn't think of a lure as prey any more, and they really can't be bothered with all the shinnanigans. It may have just been saying, "Ok, I've done some flying. Now give me my dinner, lower creatures!". I know a lurebound saker who does exactly the same thing. Also quite often people in work with the public often say things they don't mean just to sound convenient and make people happy. I remember saying buzzards don't particularly like flying which is why it's okay to tether them to a glove all day. The truth is more complex, but the general public are simple minded and just want a good day out. I've certainly never heard of any kind of falcon doing this, as they're not that good at running and the prey is fighting for its life. Wounded prey is often harder to catch than healthy prey, and the usual falcon method is to throw back up into the air and dive again.
Still, I by no means know everything and I've been proved wrong before! Who knows?
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could very well be true. I've been fed outright lies before by 'experts'.
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Excuse my ignorance but, what does 'footed' mean?
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Whoops! Forgot to say that being footed is when a hawk grabs you with intent. It really hurts and it's difficult to make the hawk let go unless you know the nifty trick of disengaging the halux (back talon). You can't just pull away, and the hawk could sit there for hours and even go to sleep without its grip relaxing!
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o.o ouch, well thanks for telling me so I know not to get to close to them
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