2013 Sharp shinned hawk. "Sweet P".

[colelkhunter]

Just a quick thought on tethering.

I have heard some folks mention tethering their birds at such a young age. Be careful with this. It is my opinion that creating frustration in a young imprint is possible a basis for aggression. You can contain the bird with a taller box, giant hood or other do like I do and let the bird wander. It needs to explore and flap and do what it does. If you choose to tether, why not take the bird into another room to tether them. That way they have no one to place the blame on. Just my opinion. I have been wrong before...

[FredFogg]

I have been wrong before...

June 25th, 2013, 22:23 hours! I just want to make a note of this!

[colelkhunter]

June 25th, 2013, 22:23 hours! I just want to make a note of this!

You are missing out. It happens every day around here.

[jeffandheidi]

Hey Brian

Sounds like things are going great for you guys! I have tethered mine for a couple hours a day after feeding and for during time he has only walked to the end I his jesses a couple times. The rest of the time he bathes, sleeps and preens.

My only other accipiter experience has been with cooper hawks and this is the time frame just before hack when the lure becomes so important. Not doing a hack with this bird is making me feel like I am missing steps. The lure is in his nest box, but its more of a dinner plate.

[colelkhunter]

That's really all you can do at this point. The lure is a dinner plate for my girl as well. She knows that it represents food and is now walking over to it looking for food. She will follow it if you remove it. That is a good start to great lure response. Sweet P is starting to pluck at the carcass if the sparrows today. So she was left with a whole carcass after feeding. So far so good.

[jeffandheidi]

Wow, I posted that earlier response from my phone without previewing it first. Sorry, I'll blame multitasking and autocorrect.

[HERMANN]

Cole, mark here I took Jeff's group out so I did not get a chance to talk much with u but I am enjoying ur thread. Like ur pics.

[colelkhunter]

Thanks Herman, It's Brian. Joe Katt will have lots more soon. I am processing them now.

[colelkhunter]

Sweet P is eating an enourmous amount these days. Weighed her for the first time two days ago at 181g empty. Today she is 201g empty. No way she will fly anywhere near this but it gives me hope that she might be on the larger side. Standing and flapping even more these days. Plucking from sparrows on her own now in addition to being fed. She is left with a dressed sparrow to pick at after her meals. She uses it for between meal snacks right now. Starting to show some interest in playing with toys. She has had access to a small orange ball and today she tried t kill a balled up paper towel that I was using to clean up a mute. She was also able to view herself in a mirror today and was not at all surprised. She went over and layed next to the mirror.

All in all I am happy with the way things are going. This week I will start dragging a dressed lure for her to chase, in the living room. Waiting for her feathers to come in. Didn't take any new pictures of sweet P but here is a pic of one of my doxies pups asleep.

[colelkhunter]

Welcome to this weeks episode of Sweet p's play house! Here we have everything needed to imprint a female sharp shinned hawk. Requisite nest bowl, freshly cleaned. Tiny little tennis ball that she chases and kills now (terribly funny). Modified ball sack lure. Meals are split and fed on lure and finger tips. Random no ryme or reason to it. Green dish towel "Landing pad". I am making a new smaller, perch for her that I should be done with tomorrow. Ever seen a "Mini Meng"? Me neither, that's why I am making one. Surely it will be all the rage with idiots that have too much time on their hands.


Feathers are popping out everywhere. Flapping and jumpig have increased. All goes well.

[BestBeagler]

Brian, I see the Teflon jesses. I made a pair as well. I LOVE them! And like you said they are slicker than owls poop on a pump handle. I'm sold so far.

[colelkhunter]

Lots of activity today. Playing with her toys more than ever and getting really animated. 24 days of age and footing everything in sight. Getting really good at plucking and pulling her own food now. Stands,flaps and jumps up to her perch now pretty well.

I still notice a slight resistance in her. She tolerates me preening and handling her a bit but grows weary of it after a little bit. Of course this deacreases when she is hungry. Got up late this morning and fed her a little later than usual on purpose to see if it had any impact. What I saw was her attitude change and show real interest in getting to me. I would think this could be expected of any hungry passage bird that has been well manned. After her first meal of the day she was playful and animated for a while but not too interested in playing with me. I am thinking at this point in the game, rather than back off with her (which would most likely be a reasonable,logical option) I am going to proceed to super-contact mode. More to see what happens.To see if it will bring her back a little. I don't really have an idea on this, I'm acting on instinct. She isn't demonstrating the typical imprint behaviors, if I am to be honest. The shorter attention span with me and stand offishness is leading me into a strage area with her. If this continues and my intense manning and contact doesn't work, I will change the regiment completely and leave her alone until after hard penning. Cutting off contact and letting her develop to a point that I can cut he weight as you would a passage bird and start training her that way.The cues that I am getting from her are subtle, mond you but they are there. This is the critical time when a serious mistake can be made. I am trying to make a cear decision to move forward in this manner, knowing that it might be te wrong decision. Then planning a back up if things go south. This bird is proving to be a wierd one for sure. As I promised with all my threads here, I will give ya'll all of it. The good and the bad. So when I screw up at least you know why and how. Maybe it will work? No idea but my options with her are gettin slim and I am running out of time.

[wesleyc6]

Lots of activity today. Playing with her toys more than ever and getting really animated. 24 days of age and footing everything in sight. Getting really good at plucking and pulling her own food now. Stands,flaps and jumps up to her perch now pretty well.

I still notice a slight resistance in her. She tolerates me preening and handling her a bit but grows weary of it after a little bit. Of course this deacreases when she is hungry. Got up late this morning and fed her a little later than usual on purpose to see if it had any impact. What I saw was her attitude change and show real interest in getting to me. I would think this could be expected of any hungry passage bird that has been well manned. After her first meal of the day she was playful and animated for a while but not too interested in playing with me. I am thinking at this point in the game, rather than back off with her (which would most likely be a reasonable,logical option) I am going to proceed to super-contact mode. More to see what happens.To see if it will bring her back a little. I don't really have an idea on this, I'm acting on instinct. She isn't demonstrating the typical imprint behaviors, if I am to be honest. The shorter attention span with me and stand offishness is leading me into a strage area with her. If this continues and my intense manning and contact doesn't work, I will change the regiment completely and leave her alone until after hard penning. Cutting off contact and letting her develop to a point that I can cut he weight as you would a passage bird and start training her that way.The cues that I am getting from her are subtle, mond you but they are there. This is the critical time when a serious mistake can be made. I am trying to make a cear decision to move forward in this manner, knowing that it might be te wrong decision. Then planning a back up if things go south. This bird is proving to be a wierd one for sure. As I promised with all my threads here, I will give ya'll all of it. The good and the bad. So when I screw up at least you know why and how. Maybe it will work? No idea but my options with her are gettin slim and I am running out of time.

I hate that you aren't seeing what you hoped you would see. It will be interesting to see what happens when you amp up the association. My bird seems to be starting to regulate his own weight somewhat. He really doesn't care much about food at all in the mornings, a little more at lunch and then chows pretty hard in the evening. However, for him food doesn't seem to change his desire to interact any. He can turn down food to fly up on your head or lay in your lap. Interesting to see the similarities and differences amongst all our shins.

[bluejack]

Hi Brian,
I read your last post and after wondering what age you pulled her I looked at your first post. You thought that she was approx 7 days old.
There are two pics in the post. The 2nd pic shows the one bird. Was that pic taken on the same day that she was pulled, or some days later?
The reason I ask is because it looks like her primaries are starting to pop out and that would put her right around 10 days old, I think.

[colelkhunter]

I am hoping that I am over thinking this and she comes back after more intense contact. I am taking it as it comes to me with a back up plan to move in a different direction. Might work, might not.

[colelkhunter]

Hi Brian,
I read your last post and after wondering what age you pulled her I looked at your first post. You thought that she was approx 7 days old.
There are two pics in the post. The 2nd pic shows the one bird. Was that pic taken on the same day that she was pulled, or some days later?
The reason I ask is because it looks like her primaries are starting to pop out and that would put her right around 10 days old, I think.

The first post of the thread was 5 days after she was pulled. The picture with them all together was on pull day. The one were she is in the tupperware nest bowl was taken 5 days after she was pulled. So an estimated 12 days of age. Give or take of course and just a guestimate.

[jeffandheidi]

My bird seems to be starting to regulate his own weight somewhat. He really doesn't care much about food at all in the mornings, a little more at lunch and then chows pretty hard in the evening. However, for him food doesn't seem to change his desire to interact any. He can turn down food to fly up on your head or lay in your lap. Interesting to see the similarities and differences amongst all our shins.

I am seeing the same thing with mine in regards to feeding. He hardly ate this morning or afternoon. He doesn't have any interest in footing or any toys for some reason.
It's great to have this many shin threads for comparison while they grow. I expect we will all have similar threads once we are in the fields.

[bluejack]

The first post of the thread was 5 days after she was pulled. The picture with them all together was on pull day. The one were she is in the tupperware nest bowl was taken 5 days after she was pulled. So an estimated 12 days of age. Give or take of course and just a guestimate.

Got it.
The more I see the less I know.

[wesleyc6]

I am seeing the same thing with mine in regards to feeding. He hardly ate this morning or afternoon. He doesn't have any interest in footing or any toys for some reason.
It's great to have this many shin threads for comparison while they grow. I expect we will all have similar threads once we are in the fields.

Brian and I talk often, and I do know both of our birds will whoop up on a paper ball.

[colelkhunter]

Brian and I talk often, and I do know both of our birds will whoop up on a paper ball.

And a bath pan,a tennis ball, their own shadow and any erant down that she preens off.

[BestBeagler]

I am seeing the same thing with mine in regards to feeding. He hardly ate this morning or afternoon. He doesn't have any interest in footing or any toys for some reason.
It's great to have this many shin threads for comparison while they grow. I expect we will all have similar threads once we are in the fields.

Jeff, my bird is the same way with feeding now. He also hasn't entered the footing/playing with things yet but shows a keen interest in birds flying around.

[colelkhunter]

This morning finds Sweet P jumping all over the place. Not really interested in eating this morning then all of a sudden about 1100 became a velociraptor on an opened quail. Jumpin and footing it, very funny.

[colelkhunter]

Sweet P fledged first thing this morning. She made it over to my coffee table in the living room with little effort. After that she has explored hearly all the corners of the house and finally settled down on a block perch that I had set on the floor in front of the coat rack. Let the games begin.

[colelkhunter]

Pictoral proof. Also she clearly needs more lure training. I threw the lure on my end table and she jumped on it right away. These imprints are really tough I tell you.

[Breeze]

Hey Brian! Glad to hear your velociraptor has fledged. LOL! Totally enjoying your thread - amazing to watch Sweet P change so quickly!

[colelkhunter]

Hey Brian! Glad to hear your velociraptor has fledged. LOL! Totally enjoying your thread - amazing to watch Sweet P change so quickly!

She migrated from Velociraptor to Pterodactyl today. In the span of one day she fledged the nest. Took over my entire living room as her territory and established a no fly zone for all airborne bugs. She is now sitting with the dachshunds on the couch preening. Second lure call to the coffee table was successful as well as a short carry on the fist.

[colelkhunter]

pep talk.

[colelkhunter]

Requisite bird on the computer shot.

[colelkhunter]

Dachshunds and sharpies go together like peanut butter and jelly. This pic was while both were getting fed tidbits. One after the other, taking turns.

[BestBeagler]

Brian, how's the mini Meng coming along? Really liking the idea and thinking of having one made as well.

[Paul Mascuch]

Brian -

How is Sweet-P progressing? Have you guys hit the field yet?

Paul

[FredFogg]

Brian isn't going to answer anyone because he is ashamed to admit that Sweet P ate all those puppies he had and is a face grabbing crazy hawk! LOL

[colelkhunter]

I'll post some stuff when I have something interesting to post. Don't want to post the typical "My bird lost 2 grams today!" update. You fellers can wait a while....

Fred, she would kill everyone of those pups if she could. When she isn't snuggling with them that is.

[jeffandheidi]

How are you guys doing?