comical gos

[sharpster]

couple of(low quality!)pics of the birds.does anyone elses hawk do this?!http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds059.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds041.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds063.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds055.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds004.jpg

[sharpster]

a few more random pics......dave sharpe
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds023.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/gos012.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/picsjan2010003.jpg

[sharpster]

just a few more of a daft gos and others.(i know he looks like gonzo!he'll be coped after moults complete!
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds083.jpghttp://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds077.jpghttp://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds081.jpghttp://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds076.jpg

[sharpster]

try again,doh!http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds081.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds077.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds076.jpg

[PeteJ]

The head flipping is a very common behavior with imprints that are comfortable with their environment. It isn't that older taken birds (PR) don't do it, they just don't do it as readily.
Your Gos just is showing how comfortable he/she is with their life, a testament to your care and handling.

[sharpster]

cheers!i'll remind him of that,next time he complains about anything!he does it a lot lately whenever your around him,with something'diferent' in your hands-i hope he doesnt do it in the field this season-the bunnies wont take him seriously!!

[Dakota]

Nice pictures! What kind of Peregrine is that?

[tampamatt]

Nice pictures! What kind of Peregrine is that?

I was going to ask the same thing.

Nice looking birds you've got there!

[Zarafia]

There's a saying, "Point your finger and a dog will look where you're pointing. Point your finger and a cat will look at your finger." I add to that, "Now point at your hawk."
I would say that to my friends when I had a falcon or my HH in the house and do it, and watch my bird's head turn completely upside-down like that. It cracks me up LOL.
BTW I agree with Pete. My falcons were imprints and overly comfortable with their surroundings and lifestyle, and the harris hawk is, well, a harris hawk.

[sharpster]

hi guys,your going to be dissapointed,hes a pere x saker,although i believe that both his grandparents on his dads side(peregrine )were 'wild disabled birds'.hes my first longwing ,and i have to say an absolute joy to own nd train(i guess compared to the hawks im used to?!)
as to the upside down head and silly behavior of the imprint gos-it tickles me too!
the pere x is planned(we'll see?!)to be flown as a lure bird.i have a question:i know longwings take some 'getting fit' at the moment i let him fly around and learn what his wings are for,then ill give him a couple of lure passes,hide lure again,then a couple more passes,beak open,and let him have it.but the lure passes are what really 'puff him out',can i leave him up a lot longer,stretching his wings before i call him into the lure?today i timedhis flying and it was only just over 2mins,hes strong on the wing,but i dont want to push him and make him land thru tiredness!hes been free,everyday for 11 days sofar,2mins sounds poor,but he has put in quite some flying in that time!-any advice,most welcome-dave sharpe

[tampamatt]

A lot of guys kite their birds to get them in shape. Thats about all I can tell ya as I'm not a longwinger. Also why not fly him on game?

[sharpster]

well because.............mmmm i dont know now!!
after years in falconry ive never flown a longwing,because ive never considered i had enough open tracts of land.although longwinging is so diverse nowadays,that maybe doesnt apply.i wanted to learn about longwings with him,learn 'the craft 'of good lure swinginging etc etc.and the challenge of making a fit and'interesting' lure bird.
having said that i can regularly find crows,rooks ,jackdaws,feeding out in the fields here,what worries me is that my hunting permission is broken up
areas,not huge open expanses of 'common land'that you guys may have?and i could see the flights taking him a long way into areas hes 'not allowed'eg 'keepered'pheasant shoots-everywhere here!!the bane of my life!
so was going to keep hunting with the gos,and enjoy seeing what this guy can do 'on the lure'-but of course as a falconer the temptation to enter a bird is always there!maybe when hes fit he will make his own decsions?!!-dave

[Dakota]

Yea seems like the quarry you have might be chased for long distances. If you have partrage or grouse or can manage waiting on flights it might be better. Of course they can turn into long tail chases to. Here in the US falconers train their birds to hunt. Most longwingers can stoop their birds but choose just to get them on game quickly. Birds kept for just lure flying I think are rare in the US, and pet keeping of BOP is looked down apon so not so many owls and such. That is a beautiful Hybrid so enjoy no matter what you choose to do.

[sharpster]

cheers dakota,i realize in the u.s your falconry is governed,here it isn't much(for better or worse-depending on your viewpoint i guess!)i agree that not hunting with your bird is certainly not falconry.i'm lucky in that i'm able to fly my gos,hunting,normaly 6days a week in season.and am now also able to learn and enjoy a lot about longwings,which may enable me to hunt with one sooner or later.
i 'm not sure what the 'crack' is over there,but here there are a lot of birds,that only get flown maybe at weeends,to my mind a falcon flown almost daily,only to a lure,but fit,is a luckier bird than a harris attempting to catch bunnies 2 days a week.

just read what ive wrote,it sounds a bit deffensive!sorry not meant to,i know you wasnt criticising ,dakota-and i agree that falconry is falconry and anything less is not!
ill try and post some more pics,sorry the quality is poor!

[sharpster]

forgot to say,on my permission i do have partridge,but not enough to provide regular sport!even the rabbits took some work to produce last year,everyone was worked for!

[sharpster]

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/gos020.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/gos017.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/Picturesdecjan2009061.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/Picturesdecjan2009062.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/Picturesdecjan2009060.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/DSC00592.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/DSC00542.jpg

[sharpster]

the snowfilled scrubby woodland in the pics provided us some cracking flights,me my son and a ferret,seeing a rabbit bolt at full pelt,breaking the tranquility,and the gos come to life in a split second,electric!then seeing the bunny going like a missile down its pre planned safety route,and a gos at full pelt,yet seemingly flying thru' the tangle of branches and trunks(in its natural environment?)breathtaking!and he killed more than he lost!
some of the best flights of the season,partly because we had many days of snow on the ground last season,which is rare here nowadays.-dave

[sharpster]

ooo!another question for you guys,i hear that the 2nd most popular pet in the u.s is the ferret? but are you able/permitted to use them as a falconry assistant(as a longwinger would use a dog etc)?here,especially towards the latter end of the season,they are invaluble in producing slips,when there is minimal cover left in which to find quarry.

[Chris L.]

Great pictures Dave, thank you for taking the time to post them.

I really enjoy seeing the UK countryside...

thanks again

[sharpster]

thanks chris.i'll pop some more on when i get the chance.

[sharpster]

heres a couple more pics of a daft gos,nearly done moulting,but not quite!he actually makes me giggle!

i put on a 'falconry display' yesterday,to help out my overbooked friend with his business.all was going well,usual harris' owls etc.but the grand finale was my pere hybrid,well this bird is bombproof and faultless to the lure,except yesterday he got 'lost' behind some huge trees and fkd off!which was a tad embarassing in front of a crowd of spectators,when you'r talking on the mike!it was comical too....anyway tracked him hr and half later,several miles away,on a nice warm half eaten crow!!out in a stubble field!!
so hes now self entered-the swine!which normally is the best feeling in the world,but i'm thinking- there goes my lure falcon,here comes hours of tracking in poor longwing hunting terrain!!if he keeps chasing,then i'll start hunting him in the few available 'better places' i have available-it would be rude not to,eh?!-dave sharpe
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds031.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds035.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds014.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds017.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds023-1.jpg

[Squirrelhawkin]

Dave,My redtail does it alot when I'm in the mews.Here's what he did today when he spotted the phone in my hand.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc156/goshawkin/_Preview_-5.jpg

[sharpster]

hiya nick,they crack you up dont they!nice shelf/loop perch set up,ive got simalar just built ready for my gos this season,how do you find it?zero feather damage i hope?what have you got to catch the mutes?paper?samd?-cheers ,dave

[Squirrelhawkin]

Dave,I've had 5 passage redtails on it so far and all stayed in good feather and all had SHARP talons.I freelofted my second year's bird and he crashed around like a madman and was banging himself up,so I tried this setup.It worked great for him and every bird since. There's a group of 5 or 6 of us that go hawking together and I've welded up loops for them and they've all been getting good results as well.

I use welcome mats ontop of rubber padding to catch the mutes. I have a big stack of them and just swap them out when they get dirty. When I'm down to just a few clean ones left,I go to the carwash and rinse them off with the pressure washer.

When I go in the mews every morning to feed,clean,etc. He'll usally give me the upside down or sideways look and chitter very softly. I mess with his feet.jesses,bells and feel his keel or hand hood him every day.Look close at the pic I posted and you can see my hand is all wrapped around his legs.When he's eating I cover part of the food with my hand and he'll eat it from between my fingers.Doesn't associate my hand with food,just is so used to it he can care less that it's there,lets me get away with murder on a kill.I've done that with all my birds and I think keeping them tethered has something to do with it.

Here's a link to a thread on my setup.
http://www.nafex.net/showthread.php?t=8360

[Squirrelhawkin]

Dave,Here he is eating some mice from under my hand.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc156/goshawkin/_Preview_-1.jpg

[Squirrelhawkin]

Working on half a quail here. If someone else comes in the mews with me,hell drop his wings and puff up a little.As soon as they leave,he pulls his feathers back up tight and can care less about me messing with the food.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc156/goshawkin/_Preview_-6.jpg

[borderhawk]

Excellent!!!


Working on half a quail here. If someone else comes in the mews with me,hell drop his wings and puff up a little.As soon as they leave,he pulls his feathers back up tight and can care less about me messing with the food.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc156/goshawkin/_Preview_-6.jpg

[sharpster]

cheers for the info nick,i'll be putting my gos on his new loop perch set-up ,as soon as hes finished moulting.havnt as yet as didnt want to 'upset' him till his feathers are out of blood.i know nowadays free lofting is the in thing,but this bird def' stays feather perfect and calm tethered,last year he was free lofted through the moult,tried in 2 diff' pens,diff locations.yet he still didnt settle and came out with a damaged train.
by the way,cracking red!was that wild taken too?-wow!

[sharpster]

popped to see my friend at his falconry centre yesterday,just in time to give his spar a training session.was offered it to hunt on loan this season,but havnt got time at mo'-bummer or what!!
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/thebirds045.jpg

[sharpster]

finaly,re- kitted the gos,after a long moult!this year he was moulted tethered in full view of things.which meant a couple of days manning and creance and he was 'off'
anyway after 2 'blank 'days he got his first kill this year,not big,but a start!wow,i forgot how fast he was!
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/first12010003.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/first12010004.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/gos2010003.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/gos2010001.jpg

[Squirrelhawkin]

Hey Dave,Nice pics,the bird looks great. Good luck hunting this season. I just saw I missed your last question,yep all the birds I've flown so far have been wild caught. Maybe a Fin gos for me next year,we'll see.
Here's my bird in his new suit.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc156/goshawkin/_Preview_-8.jpg
Sorry,can't figure out how to make the pic bigger,it's from a cell phone.

[sharpster]

lovely redtail,you dont se many flown here nowadays,all harris' and gosses,shame 'cos they're lovely birds.
my gos is on his new loop perch set-up,no probs' except he sits bacwards a lot and shts the wrong way!cant put perch nearer the back or his tail will foul!harris is on loop perch too,perfect behavior,poos the right way every time!!bloody accipiter!

[sharpster]

getting some bunnies at last,with the ferrets.have been given permission on a couple of cow fields.perfect as can be for ferreting to a hawk,lots of small warrens out in the open on short grass.the rabbits here bolt quick and come out like rockets!had great sport today,although the bullocks are a pain-very nosey,and them and horses scare me!!
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/goshunting009.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/goshunting011.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/first12010003.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/goshunting001.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/goshunting006.jpg

[sharpster]

oops!one of them pics is from somewhere else!doh!
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos/goshunting013.jpg

[james morrisontoxic2]

now that is funny

[sharpster]

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos2010007.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos010.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos002.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos003.jpg
http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/72sharpster/gos009.jpg

[sharpster]

this bird flys with rapid wing beats,no gliding,looks so damn fast!had some great sport yesterday on open land ,along the boundary hedgerows,flew a bib big hare,on the third 'attack' he realized just how much of a kicking he would get,so veered off!then flew a rabbit,bunny went under sheep netting,and as the gos hit the netting,the bunny stopped,turned 'round,and flicked the bird to the bird-hate it when they do that!luckily the bird was uninjured.next flight was a big rabbit that jinked 3 times,3rd time he 'd made cover!good sport.
today we went back to the 'cowfields'bolted 3 rabbits,first 2 jinked and dodged,and made sanctuary(unusual here,the bird normally wins)3rd rabbit tried to run in an arc to another warren,but the bird cut it off,and the rabbit turned downhill for the hedgerow,very very fast flights,this one ended in success for the bird!blistering flights here,the ferrets always provide sport on this land,bless 'em.
we fed the gos up,walked back to the truck,and swapped over with the harris,although too high,he flew the first bunny well,uphill,got one foot on it but bounced off,he then wasnt giving it his all to the next ones,so called it a day.it was freezing today,snow on the ground first thing,so it was good to get home!-dave