Hello from southeast Missouri!
Dear fellow falconers,
It's the dawn of summer! Great time for taking a vacation, raising an eyass, playing a lil' softball, watching a hawk moult out, and of course, waiting for hawking season to be here once more! While we are all waiting, I thought I'd take the opportunity and introduce myself!
My name is Bridget Ulrich, and I'm from Jackson, Missouri, in the southeastern part of the state. I'm 17 years old and attend Saxony Lutheran High School. Apart from falconry, I enjoy softball (JV and League), bowhunting, art and writing. I'm a member of my school's Varsity Academic Team and Yearbook Staff and I'm also actively involved in my church, Grace Lutheran in Uniontown, Mo. I hope to graduate from college with a degree in Biology/Wildlife Conservation or a similar major. (I'm currently considering Pitt State in KS, UMKC, SEMO, SIU, Missouri State in Springfield, and a few other colleges.) Boy time flies like crazy!
I've been a falconer since the fall of 2007, apprenticing under master falconer Bob Dale. (Thank you, Bob!) My first bird, a male Red-Tailed hawk named Bud, was trapped in early October of 2007 in a sickly state (It was determined that he had Asper before and when he was trapped.) and passed away two days before Christmas of 2007, despite veterinary help. We all tried our best to bring him out of this horrible sickness, but God had other plans for him. I did realize, though, that my time spent with Bud was a valuable learning experience which taught me many different aspects of falconry: from health and disease to letting go and moving on.
After Bud had passed on, I had a choice to make: Trap a passage bird late in the season, or wait until next season. I took a deep breath and readied my BC. Just a few days before trapping season for the 07-08 season would end, my sponsor and I trapped a nice-sized female which was a tad darker than the typical Missouri Red-Tail. I named her Storm Max, (I usually refer to her as just "Storm") And, I couldn't believe it! She was a late-trapped bird, and yet she was so quick to take to the training! She came to the fist with perfect response and was wedded to the lure in no time.
I have to admit, I was eagar to get hawking. I decided to take her out on a wintry day in Febuaury when I thought she was ready. (Here's my HUGE apprentice mistake that cost me: Her weight was a tad too high. Falconers, please don't make the same mistake I made if you can prevent it!) I took her out to a field next to my house that had a few cottontails. I put her up in a tree and then tried calling her to the fist a few times. She came the first few times, but then quickly lost interest. She flew off into the woods, and I'd never see her again. I tried to desprately get her back, but even after two months of trying, I never did.
At this point I felt ignorant, dumb, stupid...all the negative words one could think of! The summer of 2008 was a long one. But, I made it through, and it was trapping season 2008-2009!
This trapping season was an interesting one. Now being able to drive and having some trapping experience at hand, my sponsor allowed me to trap by myself! At first, there were almost no passage birds around my neck of the woods! I traveled up to 60+ miles south (Sikeston area) of where I live to where local falcoenrs said the passage Red-Tails were. Boy were they right! The farther south you went, the more passage birds I'd see! Along a stretch of Highway 60, I counted 14 passage birds within 3 miles! In late September, I finally had a passage stick to the trap. I named this bird "Charm", because I had hopes that "Third time's the Charm" since she's my third bird. She had a sharp keel and weighed in at 1050g. I contemplated releasing her, but I knew if I did she'd probably wouldn't have made it. So, I decided to put her on my permits. She had multiple problems, which included not gaining weight properly (She wouldn't gain weight, despite the rich and fatty foods she was being given)carrying her left wing in a slight droop, and just being overly lethargic and weak, among other issues. She could barely fly to the fist, sp my sponsor and I decided that best place for her was the local bird rehabber's. I had only had her for a few weeks, but it was still very difficult.
You can only imagine how I felt once I dropped Charm off, driving back towards him feeling like the lowest, most pathetic "falconer"in the world. At that point, I didn't even feel like a falconer. I just felt outright pathetic.
After taking another big breath, I readied my BC once more, intent to trap only the most perfect fattest big-footed passage Red-Tailed out there. I trapped and trapped and trapped, but alas, no luck.
Then, about a month after had given Charm to the local rehabber, I got an interesting phone call from my sponsor:
"Bridget, the rehabber just called me. Charm is back to perfect health. Do you want him to release her, or do you want to put her back on your permits? It's your choice, he told me. I know you haven't had much luck trapping with this late migration..."
I litterally jumped for joy! I couldn't believe it. It was a blessing in disquise! Charm was truely what her name says..a charm! Turns out Charm was just "on her way out" due to not getting enought to eat before she was trapped.
I agreed, and recieved Charm within a couple of days. (Thank you, rehabber! I can't express my thanks enough!) and she was as fat as ever. I worked with her, being as deligent and detailed as I possibly could, and got her wedded to the lure and got her response to the fist great, and got her down to hunting weight.
Then came that cold December day...for the first time in months, I'd get to go hawking again! That day was awesome, followed by many more awesome hunts that lasted until mid-March when she started moulting. I ended up taking both feather and fur with her (even a sparrow out of mid-air!) with this bird. By the end of season, I was flying her around 1280g. (Remember, she was trapped at 1050g!) She's a nice-sized bird, and best of all, she's fast for her size! I knew she was a keeper.
So, right now, I'm watching her moult out. She has some very beautiful tail feathers and secondaries coming in. This upcoming Senior year of high school is gonna be fun with this Red-Tail, I truely do hope!
The 09-10 season is going to be my last season with Charm. I'm releasing her in the spring of 2010, because in the fall of 2010, I'm going off to college. But, in the 09-10 season, I hope to travel farther south into the bootheel to try her on Swamp rabbits, and my main goal is to have a blast with her. Just thinking about such things brings tears to my eyes!
As you can see, I've had some pretty rough spots on these beginning roads of my falconry life. But, with all the tear-filled moments come learning and experience oppurtunities. I just so please to have gotten the oppurtunity to learn from these three birds. It seems I finally got it right with Charm, but that's only because of the experience and mistakes that took place with my first two birds. My mind keeps going back to some of the past season's hunts, reliving my bird's first cottontails...it brings a smile to my face! Charm's also been to a few local schools and conservation departments, where I've had to oppurtunity to spread the news about falconry ad birds of prey. It's amazing to tell others about this!
In October of 2009, I'll be upgrading my permits to general status. After I release Charm, I'm hoping to fly my next bird my sophomore year of college, if everything works out. Not sure on which bird I will fly next. Depends on game and bird availiability and such, of course!
So, that's me! Sorry it was so lengthy! A few years back I went to MFA's summer picnic (2007, I think?) and met some of you! Since then, I haven't been able to make it to a meet or picnic. Hopefully this year I will be able to! If anyone would like to talk falconry, just email me at articfoxx77@hotmail.com or call me at 1-573-579-6036, anytime! I wrote this letter in hopes that I would meet and talk with other falconers!
If I had a glass, I'd raise it and say "Here's to next season!" Haha! I'm hoping everyone's doing well, and have a blessed summer!
I'm trying my absolute hardest in this lifestyle we call falconry. I can't help but feel that I'm one of the worst falconers out there, seeing how I've had a rocky start to my falconry life. I just hope I'm helping to hold falconry in a good light!
I cannot stop daydreaming about flying Charm on cottontails and swamp rabbits next season...
Now, I must go, I've got half a fox squirrel I need to feed my bird!
Happy summer, everyone!
Bridget Ulrich
2nd year Missouri apprentice falconer
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to NAFEX. There are a lot of Hi's & lows in falconry. It is what you learn from them is what is importunated. There is a lot of good information on this site. We like pictures of all kinds. Also we like to have people sign there name when posting, we are a friendly group. You can do this automatically by going into the User CP section. Have fun and post often
Just kidding! You can stop beating yourself up about your first year, falconry isn't easy and the best teacher is experience. I had a similar first year many, many moons ago. My first red-tail landed on a transformer and my second died of asper. You soon learn those things happen in falconry and you just do your best to avoid them. And wait until this fall, a 2nd year red-tail really knows the game and you are going to have a blast!
