I picked up this little guy on Thursday at 16 days old from Lew Souder down in Nevada. First of all, want to mention how AWESOME he is to work with. The pictures and videos ahead of time of the babies was very cool. I had originally been working with Barry over in Wisconsin, but late planning on my part and bad luck on the sex of the babies worked against us. But also, awesome to work with. I've said this before and I'll say it again--I love our falconry community.

Anyway, I will be attempting to follow Steve Layman's philosophy on imprinting. I have a lot of experience with operant conditioning, and am just finishing up my degree in animal behavior. So we'll see how it goes.

So far, we've been "loading" the clicker and building that food pairing. He's only fed from me when he's rocked back on his haunches and his feet are limp. I set the food dish down completely in his line of sight, but as soon as I hold a piece up he will sit back and take it from my fingers. I let him take all that he wants to from my fingertips, and leave the rest in the dish with a little bit of water for hydration.

He's getting more mobile every day, and there's very little that bothers him. Lots of socialization and time around other people and animals. I LOVE this little guy, and am so looking forward to everything I get to experience with him! So, meet Blackjack!

Coming home from the airport


Big day for a baby hawk--already asleep


Playing with an old hood


He walked/scooted halfway across the living room to come play with the string


18 days old, at a friend's BBQ taking in all the new sights


The only time he got a little nervous was when one of the dogs tried to give him a tongue bath--so he came to hide by me


Maybe the dogs aren't so scary afterall


A friend's little girl couldn't get enough of Jack:


That night, he discovered his own reflection: