Disguising your face

[Hawkingcolorado]

Funny that you ask, I've just finished reading Layman's article passager to imprint and I like the way he deals with passage birds, hiding himself at all time either by using cloths or the hood... Makes me think seriously about using this method for my future accipiter instead of taking the risk of creating a bad imprint...

I too just read that article...I'm picking up a new MHH tomorrow at the airport. I will give it a shot..I'll have to remember to NOT have a ski mask on when I drive into the airport

[goshawkr]

I too just read that article...I'm picking up a new MHH tomorrow at the airport. I will give it a shot..I'll have to remember to NOT have a ski mask on when I drive into the airport

Layman goes to extremes at avoiding fear with all hawks now.

I think this is a bit nuts, because there is definately a point of diminishing returns. I think a CB Harris' is a good example of diminishing returns. They come around so quickly, and tame so thoroughly with more traditional methods that I think taking the extreme fear avoidance route is overkill.

But it does make a difference, even with them.

And its not my time that will be spent on the endevour.

Avoiding as much negative association as possible is a great goal. But I temper that, at times, by doing a little mental calculation:
(how much fear/trauma will be involved) + (how difficult to overcome because of the nature of the hawk) / (how much of a PIA it will be to avoid/reduce the trauma) = my course of action.

Steve's current practice is to avoid all fear always with all hawks if possible. That is not a bad thing, just more effort than I want to saddle myself with.

[Bird_Dog]

Here are links to research by Dr. Marzluff of University if Washington. He studies long-term face recognition in Crows. (the so-called friend or foe study done in downtown Seattle) It seems to have relevance to the current discussion. http://www.cfr.washington.edu/spotlight.shtml http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/sc...crow.html?_r=2

something to think about

-- Scott