03/25/2007

I have received a few more birds from different flyers. Ralph Coey, David Laux and Steve Burton have sent in their birds.

The birds received in the first week have been mostly settled. I put them out a few times after I gave them a brief bath. I was able to have them out dry over the weekend, and even after a red tail hawk flew over them and they exploded in the air, all were back except two.

One of the birds that did not return was my bird that crashed into the window in the building next door and was immediately killed. The other was a bird from Tom Beard, AU-07-DTL-7119. The bird may still return, as I saw it flying in the area for several hours after. But since it was not in at nightfall, and not in after flying my old birds this AM, I suspect that it is lost. In any case, there is still plenty of time for a replacement bird.

Normally redtail hawks do not bother me too much, but perhaps it thought I had something to do with the disappearance of its mate about a month ago. I plead not guilty. I hope the Cooper Hawks leave me alone, although I saw one in the area last week too.

I was pretty worried, especially after my count showed many more missing. I had forgotten that the latest birds received were still in a basket, and had not yet been brought back to the loft. Adding another six birds to my loft count made me feel a lot better.

Some of the birds have already started to drop flights. They should have a full wing by the time the first race comes around. I will clip the 9^th and 10^th flight shortly, probably soon after they start flying well.

I broke up most of my breeders, so that is where the rest of the birds received will go. It is the other half of my YB loft. I will have two separate teams, so that I can start training one bunch, while the other bunch is getting settled. It seems if I do not do that, none of the birds really loft fly well.

My Old Bird team is getting in shape. They are all paired up with the exception of a stubborn pair or two. They have been out as far as 10 miles, but I haven’t trained them as much as they should have been yet. Perhaps this week they will get out a bit more.

03/12/2007

The birds have been arriving fast and furious. I have received birds from Jerred Jerdee, Nick Kowalchuk, Bob Boltz, Steve Pronai and Tom Beard. I have several more shipments coming this week.

All birds were received in good order and are taking to the loft well. They have not been out on their own, but they are in the aviary all day. I force them into my trap area every morning, and the only way back is through the trap itself. All day they can go through the bobs in the window to get into the settling cage, with the only way to get back in the loft being through the trap.

I basket the birds in the afternoon, and set the basket in front of the loft for a few hours each day. They get used to the basket, watch my old birds come in, and see the loft from a different angle. I am not sure if it really helps, but it doesn’t hurt.

I have lost a few of my own birds, mainly trying to push them a bit too fast. The convention birds I am going much more slowly with. They have learned the feed call, and can sprint through the trap without problems.

I built a loading door in both my Old Bird loft and the Young Bird loft. It should make loading much easier after the birds learn how to use it. Most have been through it twice, and the second time was much easier. I suspect that I will be able to load birds at an accelerated rate for all of the training tosses that they will soon be receiving.

I have started training my old bird team, just to wake them up. They are mostly all paired up, and should be on eggs fairly soon. The first old bird race is the first Saturday in May.

My breeders will be broken up real soon. I have a few pairs that may be separated this week, with only a few select pairs to finish up raising their youngsters. After that, it’s the entire loft for the young birds.

It is starting to warm up here, finally. Once the snow is gone, it will feel more like spring.