Imprint Sharpie

[Lee Slikkers]

OK, new topic….

Imprint Sharpie…

Who is pulling one and how close to the “recipe” are you following? Any repeat attempts or flyers? I’d love to get some dialogue going on this topic as I am leaning very heavily towards attempting one of these rockets this Spring.

Lets hear it folks...

[`Chris L.]

I think Barry has some of those behing his belt. I really would like to hear more as well.

Do you know where they are nesting near you Lee,?

[everetkhorton]

TO ANYONE:
What do you do with any imprint if you want to move on. Isn't an imprint
in prisoned to human's for life? I know little to nothing about SSHW. I have heard they are very demanding in every way.

[Jimmy]

Imprints can be released. It's done every year.

[Takasho]

TO ANYONE:
What do you do with any imprint if you want to move on. Isn't an imprint
in prisoned to human's for life? I know little to nothing about SSHW. I have heard they are very demanding in every way.

Pass it on to someone who wants to try it? [smilie=dontknow.gif]

As for this next part, I'm just thinking out loud here...It's not an eagle, or even a red-tail, even if it did go after somone it couldn't do much damage. I would imagine that if you took it out to an out of the way field and just let it go it wouldn't cause too many problems. I'll bet it would be indistinguishable from a wild one pretty quickly other than perhaps letting people get closer than normal. I can see why releasing a bigger imprint bird would be irresponsible and down right dangerous, but a sharpie...?

Like I said, just thinking out loud... [smilie=eusa_think.gif] What does everyone else think?

[everetkhorton]

Jimmy:
Is there any data or studies on imprinted birds to see what happens after they have be let go? Sure you can turn them loose but what then? [smilie=eusa_doh.gif]

[Jimmy]

Ev,
I'm not aware of any studies, but that doesn't mean there haven't been any. I know I released one, and saw it on several occasions over the next several months. It appeared to be doing well for itself.

[Takasho]

I know I released one, and saw it on several occasions over the next several months. It appeared to be doing well for itself.

Out of curiousity, did it ACT like an imprint when you saw it again? I mean was it like flying over to you begging for food or anything? How did you know it was yours? I'm just wondering if they revert to being wild again or do they retain imprint tendencies. [smilie=eusa_think.gif]

[Jimmy]

It acted like a curious wild bird to me. He would never come to me, but would fly nearby and watch us. I knew it was mine because of it's tail feathers. The center decks were tipped slightly when I released it. That made it obvious when I saw it. This brd was also hacked from my place.

[goshawks00]

I'll bite on this and give what little anticdotal evidence I have.

First imprint I lost was a first year imprinted male cooper... I lost him in August, having taken his telemetry off after several kills and had tied him out in the yard. Usually I untie his leash and bring him in.... for what ever reason, that day I just unhooked him and held the jesses. As I opened the screen door he bated and flew up to a limb about fifteen feet away, then just as I came out with the lure to call him down, a pair of crows started harrassing him. Soon they had driven him away. For the next almost two months I got calls from people in the town I lived in ( a small town) saying that he was sitting on their fences, bird feeders, roofs of houses --- everywhere. I was always just a couple minutes short and he eventually lost both jesses and because of it, the inability to distingquish him from other coops in town... I lost him for good.

Second -I lost Schmiddty my then two year old gos off her perch in the back yard in late August when her old leather broke and she split--- hog fat. . This happened where we currently live and she was not seen again.... that is until a month to the day later when she came in to the lure as I was calling another goshawk down from hunting that afternoon. After being gone a month , I was able to grab her and stick her inside my jacket as the other gos chased me round and round because she knew I had the gos. I was able to put her in the mews , go in, get the scale and she stepped up to the fist like she did everyday of her life... gone a month she was only 25 grams lower. I still have her and she is now 9.

3/4/5/6/7 all imprint sharpies. all have been released after a summer's worth of hunting... all with bands still attached though no other equipment attached. I have never heard any neighbors talk about having any hawk come in to them, and our local rehabbers all have received no calls about them. Even when releasing a hawk I would never take the band off and always report them as escaped with band attached.... never know when it might turn up somewhere and it would be nice to know that.

That's pretty much what I have personally experienced , and not heresay or ideas that are unproven.

[everetkhorton]

Barry:
Thanks for your insight and experance. I am finding out that not all spec. of birds imprint the same. Falcons are different than accipitores etc. Also to the degree of there imprint is also a factor. I am starting to think differently about imprinted birds. From: what if they get away or lost point of view.

[Lee]

I am heading down to KY on June 15 to pull my first imprint sharpie. I am really excited about this trip hopefully I can post some pics of my new hunting partner for you guys.

[everetkhorton]

Lee:
Sounds great, keep us posted. Did you look for any SSHA nest around your area?

[wesleyc6]

Alright Lee!!!!!!

[everetkhorton]

Lee from VA, sorry wrong Lee. There is a Lee in Mi. also. How about a Avator to help keep thing on the straight and narrow. Good luck on getting a SSHA.

[Lee]

I did spend my fair share of time in the woods looking for a nest this spring and actually I am still stoping and checking out every good stand of pines I can find. I found two coops nest this year and a few redshoulders, and redtails but not the elusive sharpy.

[kimmerar]

Congradulations on your new sharpie. Please keep us informed on what you do. I plan on raising one sometime. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Has someone been keeping an eye out for a nest for you? Will make it a little easier if so.

Again - please post your experiences and good luck

[Lee]

I have a friend over there that knows where some nests are and he plans to help me. Anyone have any tips on keeping them warm enough for the first few weeks? I have some ideas but more would be appreciated. Thanks

[Falcon Boy]

I've heard hot water bottles and electric heat pads that people use for back pain and such have been used.

I think they start to thermoregulate between 10-14 days.

[kimmerar]

I might be able to help on keeping small animals warm. I like heating pads. Make sure you don't buy one that automatically shuts off. I have accidentally bought those and they are worthless.

Put heat on low first and put the heating pad under half the cage or box so they can move off of it (probably not at first but that will happen). When you go out you can wrap the pad around the container and it will keep them warm for a while. I always use the cover that comes with the pad. I have accidentally killed small animals by accidentally clicking over to med so watch it. Just keep feeling the bottom of the cage - should be warm to the touch but not HOT. You can add an extra towel under box because low is too cool and med is to hot. Don't put heating pad in box with babies.

I only use hot water bottles in emergencies. I have actually had small animals crushed by them - due to brakes being slammed or something else that you didn't expect. I have used them though but be careful.

I have never had to try it but the pocket warmers might be an idea if your out and about for a while. Just use towels to help regulate temps.

I've had bad experiences with terry cloth and I have never raised a raptor (YET) but I can see talons shredding that up and I have seen it hurt small animals (usually diggers) so again - just watch it. Small thin strings can be bad about cutting off circulation.

Just my opinion. Hope it helps. Can't wait to hear more. Noah has started a great topic on Goose - would love the same thing for your sharpie. I know - more to do - but I for sure would love to see your techniques tried and I'm sure others would agree.

[wesleyc6]

IN Bruce Haaks book, he shows a NEAT setup for that. He places a heating pad on a slope with a towel underneath one side and it touches the box on the other side/bottom. Then he fills half the box with pea gravel. It allows the chick to move away from the heat pad or toward it.

[Lee Slikkers]

If you don't have a real slow dial-up here is a nice reference for you to download, it's a PDF file from the Peregrine Fund, on propagation. On pages 68-75 there are some nice ideas and options on providing a heat source to young chicks you might want to consider...good luck!

http://www.peregrinefund.org/pdfs/ResearchLibrary/Propagation_manual.pdf

[`Chris L.]

If you don't have a real slow dial-up here is a nice reference for you to download, it's a PDF file from the Peregrine Fund, on propagation. On pages 68-75 there are some nice ideas and options on providing a heat source to young chicks you might want to consider...good luck!

http://www.peregrinefund.org/pdfs/ResearchLibrary/Propagation_manual.pdf

Lee great link.. fantastic ideas in there. thank you

[Falcon Boy]

Lee,you just saved me the 30$ or however much it is to purchase the book. Thanks from a poor college student! [smilie=icon_pidu.gif]

[kimmerar]

Lee - thanks for that - lots of info there.

[Lee Slikkers]

Anytime guys, my pleasure...

Chris, maybe we can put up a "resource" section for links and other helpful info?

[Lee]

Thanks alot Lee very helpful. Lee

[`Chris L.]

Anytime guys, my pleasure...

Chris, maybe we can put up a "resource" section for links and other helpful info?

Sounds great. I will be making a owl and links/resource section tonight

great idea [smilie=icon_thumright.gif]

[virdz]

TO ANYONE:
What do you do with any imprint if you want to move on. Isn't an imprint
in prisoned to human's for life? I know little to nothing about SSHW. I have heard they are very demanding in every way.

At least for coopers, they TOTALLY revert to wildness after some weeks of non-human contact (and being well fed). I´ve seen "imprinted" coopers mate, at least one male I had and lost I saw it again some time still with one anklet. I´ve heard many theories (from Harry McElroy) that accipiters and specially coopers DO reverse, they can even mate naturally if hard-imprinted.
Regfards,

[Lee]

I heard sharpies will revert back in a week.

[goshawks00]

I've released several sharpies and it seems once they get their own first meal on the wing by themselves --- it's "see ya'.
Usually by the next day they are for all purposes reverted, though I did have one stick around for the better part of a month and would buzz the lure -some times grab it, but NEVER let me close to him.
Barry

[Lee]

Just goes to show you how the relationship is one sided. I have a interesting story with a sharpie that happend to me when I was a kid and way before I was a falconer, I use to go out to the horse barn and shoot sparrows with my red rider well one day I just shot a sparrow and was carrying it around dont ask why I was 12 but anyways a sharpy flew in front of me and landed on a stack of old tires about 20 yards away so something told me to throw the sparrow at it and when I did it flew down and grabbed it and carried it off. I remember running home and telling mom what happend and she was looked at me like (yeah right) well the next day I was out again shooting sparrows off the roof when I saw the sharpie land in a tree in the field not far from the barn I yelled for my mother to look, she was out messing with the horses I threw the sparrow and in came the sharpie from the top of this tree and nailed the dead sparrow again. My mom was shocked to say the least, this went on and on for a few weeks then one day I heard my neighbor shoot a gun and he never shoots unless something was after his pigeons and after that I never saw him again but I will always remember that bird and my Mom still talks of that every time I show her a new hawk I am training LOL she should of believed me.

[everetkhorton]

Lee: Great Story [smilie=icon_thumright.gif]