Lost G/P Tiercel in Sacramento, Ca area.

[kurtp]

My one year old g/p tiercel escaped out the hawk house door when I went in to change his bath water last weekend (July 24th). I live in Wilton, CA, just a bit south east of Sacramento. He was molt fat and wearing nothing but his anklets and federal band. He is made to the quad, kite and balloon lure, live pigeon lure, etc.

Reward offered for information that leads to his recapture.

Here are a couple of photos of him in his first year plumage. He hadn't molted more than a few secondaries and primaries so still looked the same at the time of his escape.

[adam norrie]

I really hope you get him back Kurt, good luck.

[gyrhybrid]

Kurt,

So the bird is gone from your home area without a transmitter,....sorry for the loss.
I once had a raptor escape from my yard in the santa cruz mountains, an area where the bird was never flown. Seven days late the kids in the neighborhood came to my door and said the hawk was on the phone pole about six houses down the road. I then retrieved the bird. So apparently the bird recognized home base.

Your g/p may be looking for you and waiting for you to retrieve him.
He may be soaring thermals a mile or two from your house, then perching close by.
It has been several days, I would have tethered a pigeon on the house roof for consecutive days, as a last resort for recapture, or launch the drone with bait in the reutine field of training.

roger central calif

[kurtp]

Thanks, Roger. I have been flying my kite lure whenever there is enough wind, Flying my drone lure when there isn't enough wind for the kite, both at home and in our usual training/hunting fields. I am also flying both my new eyass and a rehab adult peregrine figuring that may bring this bird in. I have spent several hours on my roof tossing a pigeon live lure around...so far nothing. All of the Lost Falcon fliers I posted have resulted in my identifying many red shoulder hawks in people's yards, but no falcon so far.
I'm just sick about how stupid I was to lose this guy. He was the best flying falcon I've had.....Nothing I can do but keep trying and maybe he'll show up and be hungry enough to come to a pigeon.

[gyrhybrid]

Kurt,

It's been so many days since the g/p escaped, that recovering the bird gets slim each day that elapses. Since the bird was in moult, then she most likely was very very fat and not too hungry,....also her muscle strength during the moult was probably reduced.

My original thought about the pigeon tethered on the house roof, maybe needed more explanation. My intent would be from sunup to sundown for the falcon to observe the pigeon. And this pigeon woud not be a capture pigeon, but to only let you know she was back in home territory at last. Your presence was not required. If someone is in the house during the day, could have placed a falconry bell on the pigeons leg, if the falcon returned.

rdg

[kurtp]

I am free-lofting my pigeon coop so there are always some pigeons out and about. Maybe they will attract Earl if he happens by, but I agree as more time goes by the outlook gets bleaker.

[frigginchi]

Left you a PM. There was a sighting.

[kurtp]

Thanks, Chi. I saw your PM the other day, I had already followed up with that lady, she had posted on our local Wilton Facebook page...it was a red-shoulder hawk with no gear on it.

[rri32701]

Still no luck?

[kurtp]

Still no luck?

Lots of 'maybe' sightings, but nothing definite.