Hawks & Eagles

Silhouette
Originally uploaded by Canon Fodder.

Wow, I had an awesome day yesterday. After posting a query on a falconry forum a while back, I received an invitation to bring Katie to spend a day, to find out what it was like to be a falconer for real. The idea being that after cleaning out an owls aviary of three weeks worth of guano, of helping with the dead rats and chicks the hawks eat and then going hunting so that Katie was in at the kill, she would be put off from such a demanding sport/lifestyle.

However the day did not work out as planned. The falconer, a very friendly gentleman by the name of Richard Cooper, started by giving us a brief tour of some of his birds. I've been to zoo's with less! He has eagles, falcons, hawks, vultures and even a parrot. He does not stop at birds either. As well as the ferrets and polecats he uses when hawking he has spiders, scorpions, hedgehogs and even sugar gliders. (That's flying squirrels to you and me.)

So after the tour Katie was presented with an owl enclosure that had not been cleaned for three weeks, a bucket and a pressure washer. A girl used to emptying the litter tray for the cat, as well as cleaning out our rats, Katie made light work of this.

Next we moved on to the larder and a collection of dead rats, chicks and birds. None of which fazed Katie, even when Richard pulled off the chicks legs and cut off their toes.

The hawks were boxed and put in the van. Then Richard dealt the line that made up Katie's mind even if he did not know it, "If you are going to hunt hawks you are going to need these too." So saying he extracted two ferrets from their hutch to squeals of delight from Katie. Hawks and cute furry animals? Oh pleeeze!

We then piled into his van and made a short trip to a local farmers field to hunt bunnies. Unfortunately we did not catch any, though that was not from a lack of trying. Katie was given the job of ferret wrangler, and said creatures certainly did their part. A number of rabbits were flushed but they were all very lucky bunnies. One managed to dodge a hawk as it stooped on it head on, and another managed to run nearly the length of the field, with both hawks in hot pursuit, to dive down a hole at the last second. Our lack of success did not detract too much from the hunt though. The anticipation of not knowing what was going to surface, a sprinting rabbit or the snowy face of a ferret was quite exciting, and when a rabbit thumped and ran for it the hawks were incredible. The scenery was stunning too; the field being close to the Pennines with their snow capped fells. We also saw two wild peregrine falcons dispute the patch of sky over our heads.

Once it was clear the rabbits were not joining in our game we headed back to base. Katie was given the job of holding a Harris Hawk while it devoured half a rat. I think Richard gave her this job in lieu of seeing bunnies die in the wild. Katie just stood there grinning as the hawk dismembered the rat on her hand.

As a finale to the day Richard took his newest bird, a enormous golden eagle called Morpheus for a fly in the field in front of his home. The bird is young and provided some comedy moments with some clumsy landings. But once on the wing this bird was spectacular.

So are we going to let Katie keep a Harris hawk? That I still do not know; But she is going to call hers Binky and I'm going to call mine Canth!

Bean Slicer

Bean Slicer
Originally uploaded by Canon Fodder.

Woohoo! I've got a bean slicer... Okay I know this makes me look sad, but I've been after one of these bad boys for years. That said... Mum, I still want yours when you die!

Look an eagle!

Swoop
Originally uploaded by Canon Fodder.

Well after our recent trip to Cumbria Katie has reaffirmed her burning desire to own and fly a bird of prey. This is down in most part to Karen and her Harris Hawk, Bob. For not only did Bob give a superb display. But Karen sold Katie on the idea, that it is indeed practical to keep a hawk, in the back garden of a mid terrace in Blackpool!

So I have learnt a lot about hawks and hawking over the past week. I even joined a forum where I got a lot of very good advice; Link to Forum

The upshot of all this is a very generous gentleman has invited Katie and I to spend a day helping him with his birds, in Cumbria. He runs his own falconry and has lots of birds, including Golden Eagles, Eagle Owls, Peregrine Falcons, Buzzards and Harris Hawks to name just a few. The idea is Kate helps butcher their food, clean their mess and in the afternoon go hunting. That way Katie finds out just how much work is involved and what it is like when a cute furry bunny meets death from above.

Off topic we have had a small piece of luck. Lorii has diligently been selling all the detritus around the house that we have no room for on ebay. Just recently she got around to posting a large collection of Subbuteo. It turns out one of the teams is very rare indeed, and it has cause quite a stir amongst the officiano. Bidding has been unbelievable, and while most teams sell for around £5 or £10 this team has already reached £86 and the auction is not over!

Shattered

I've got this cough. Just as I'm about to drop off to sleep I start hacking. :( It's 6.30 in the morning and I've not slept all night. I have to leave to work in 45 minutes and I'm feeling pretty glum. I cannot call in sick as employment laws dictate that if I don't return after paid holiday my employer does not have to pay my for the said break. And, unfortunately, my employers are tight enough to enforce the rule. Ho Hum

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel
Originally uploaded by Canon Fodder.

Well I'm back from a fun week at Center Parc in Whinfell Forrest, Cumbria. Though it would have been better if Lorii and I were not both suffering with heavy colds.

We had lots of fun Badger watching (The real things not our dog.) squirrel spotting and flying hawks. Katie has really been bitten by the hawking bug, and is now determind to become a falconer.

I have turned forty. Thank you to all who sent me cards and presents. I am now patiently waiting for my life to begin.

Tomorrow never comes....

Well tomorrow is my fortieth birthday. I've been around that long? Bloody hell! Not sure how I feel about it. I didn't like turning thirty, but I've been experiencing nothing like the dread I went through in the run up to that. Perhaps that's because my life seems so sorted at the moment; Loving partner and family, stable job ect. I expect to be very busy from tomorrow so I'm not sure when I'll next post. I'll let you know how the big day went then....

Mirror Ball

Mirror Ball
Originally uploaded by Canon Fodder.

On the way home from work I noticed the Rollercoaster was all lit up, pretty unusual for this time of year. So with Jake keen to try out his new camera I took him straight back as soon as I got home. We both took pictures of the 'coaster. But this picture of the giant mirror ball has come out much better than I had expected.

This year and last...

Well here we are at the start of a new year. It seems to me that I should either start making a few more entries or quit all together. So while this is not a New Years Resolution lets see if I can improve….

So to bring things up to date;

My parents came up to visit just before Christmas. We really enjoyed their company and I hope they can do it again some time. It’s a big trip though and, what with fuel prices, it is never going to be something done very frequently. Unfortunately with Badger having a total rest order from the Vet, he had to go and stay with Lorii’s parents while my parents’ dogs were around. Shadow and Breeze had a great time on the beach, though I fell climbing the sea wall and hurt my back.

My back has been very slow to heal. The immediate bruising and stiffness cleared up as expected, but I live in fear of sneezing. Every time I sneeze it is as if someone is sticking a knife in my spine. The Doc thinks I may have bruised my Thoracic Ligaments, but said if the pain does not go in two weeks to return. Well it has been more than two weeks so I’ll be making another appointment soon.

Just before Christmas both Lorii and the kids were struck down with very heavy colds. While the kids losing the last week off school is no major drama, Lorii too ill to organise Christmas was. In the end it all got sorted, though we missed the deadline for the last post on the card front. The children, as always, got some great gifts. Jacob got a remote control Dalek, and a battery charger to ensure the intergalactic invasion does not get put on hold. He also received a digital camera, so I can see him posting lots of pictures on Flickr too. Katie got lots of cool clothes, including a Harry Potter scarf that she lives in, as well as some oriental style pyjamas that she is happy to spend all day in. Lorii was given some Channel 19 and I got OSX 10.4 for the Mac.

The New Year was seen in at the Paparazzi restaurant on Gynn Square. The food was stunning and Karaoke was laid on for afters. I embarrassed myself with a rendition of Queens ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and unfortunately there is video evidence. Lorii’s sister Mel, who was back from Australia for Christmas, led us all in a chorus of ‘Sweet Caroline’ and the video of this too is tainted with proof that I cannot hold a note in a bucket.

As I write this Lorii is accompanying Mel to the airport to return to Oz. At some point the family has got to get back into the nine to five swing again. But with my fortieth birthday and a trip to Center Parcs looming on the horizon I’m not sure when or how…

Have a happy new year everyone.