Training a Merlin to bring lure\prey back to glove

[Pat]

I am training a female Merlin for a local rehab center. She was found as a downy chick and seems healthy. I have never trained a Merlin but have worked with other falcons. So far she seems like a quick learner. I would like to train her to bring the lure and the prey back to the glove. The benefit I see in this is that it teaches her to take her prey to a perch instead of the eating on the ground. I am having trouble envisioning the steps to train this behavior. Any advice would be appreciated. I have not introduced the lure yet, at this point she is just flying to the glove. I do a lot of tidbitting with my free hand and that seems to work well. When I offer a larger piece of food in the glove her tendency is to want to fly off with it. At this point she will perch on the glove all day for tidbits but when the peice of food is large she want to take it and go. This desire to carry doesn't seem like it fits very well with bringing her prey back to me.
Thanks for your help.

[Dirthawking]

Hi Pat, what is the final desired outcome for this bird? Release? If so I would think teaching it to bring food to you would be the last thing you would want to teach it. It will teach it that humans are a safe zone when it comes to food.

[michaelberan]

Hi Pat, what is the final desired outcome for this bird? Release? If so I would think teaching it to bring food to you would be the last thing you would want to teach it. It will teach it that humans are a safe zone when it comes to food.

This sounds like an imprinted bird not suitable for release

[Pat]

Hi,
Yes the bird is to be released. I see your point about not wanting her to see humans as safe. She seems less comfortable with strangers but that could go away with hunger. I envisioned that when I wasn't there she would instead take her prey to a tree or other perch. I know I once read an article in American Falconer by a falconer who had a Merlin that brought prey back to the glove. I don't remember the birds history or future (if he planned to release it).
I have worked with imprints and she does not stike me as an imprint, she was very fearful of humans when I got her. At the rehab center her experience with people was being chased around and caught up frequently. Could the carrying be an indication of imprinting?
I may need to rethink my strategy. I would still appreciate any ideas.
Thanks.

[PeteJ]

Carrying is a strong behavior in Merlins, although carrying to the falconer is often not easily accomplished and usually only with very trusting birds.
If this bird is going to be released, I would not worry much about it carrying to a tree or what have you, they often do this as a matter of course when they catch a small bird in the air, they usually just cruise over to the highest thing (pole, tree, whatever) and land there to consume it. They also, as they get older (usually by this current age) have become very uncomfortable in eating their kills on the ground as they know how exposed they are and frequently will carry to something higher where they can see better and therefore see an approaching attacking raptor.
Lots of raptors watch Merlins because of the Merlins' efficiency at scoring delicious little meals packed with vitamins that these other birds may have great difficulty in securing for themselves by any other means. So Merlins have developed a pretty good instinctive sense of how they can try their best to alleve the potential threats to themselves. It does not often work out for them though.

[mkestrel76]

If you do get this to work please post how to did it :D. I fly around dairy farms and dont want my bird landing in cowpies or next to cows. Would be cool if they caught prety and returned to my hand.

[Dirthawking]

Hi Pat,

Any updates on how this Merlin turned out?