My Harris Hawk Eggs

[tigerlily]

OMG!! That is an awesome photo! WOW... just WOW!!

[Cl@!r3]

First, You are an amazing hand with the camera and second I love your harris hawk! I didnt know there were other falconers around! My dad loves BOP and we are in the right spot. There are a pair of red tails nesting not 100 yards from the house and some prarie falcons in out front window!

I got'st a story 4 ya! Before we moved 2 AB about 3 months ago, we get a knock @ the door and its a guy who wanted to train his Gos hawk to catch pigeons, and he wanted to use our indoor riding arena. We are like "SURE! As long as we get 2 watch!" Dad has always loved falconry and as it turns out, this guy is the Director of the Ontairo Falconry association! Soooo... he is setting us up with a Harris hawk out here. Its a bit un-nerving because of all the other BOP but we will get it figured out. So this Hawk catches a pigeon in about 10 seconds. Perfect flying weight clearly, and that was it for dad! Now, all we have to do is get ourselves a HH breeder close to home. The gophers here are in need of extermination.

Any way good luck with your eggs my fingers are Xed for u!

Happy Hunting

[Evan Jamison]

Beautiful birds Chris, and congrats on the eggs!! It's good to see another falconer around too. I don't have a bird right now , but probably going to trap a merlin this fall (or a Gos if I can get my butt in gear and build a mews at the new house....). What do you hunt in your area?

-Evan

[Sevo]

Christie and Claire, Thank you for the compliments on the photos. I cant take all the credit, the camera plays a huge role in it. I have a 2 Digital 35mm Cannon cameras. One is a Canon 30D and the other is a Canon XTI silver. All I do is point and hold the button down and get lucky . Those camera are amazing. Both cameras are very nice and with a great lens you cant take bad pictures. I always give a camera to whom ever I take out to see wht kind of prespective they get on falconry. It is pretty neat to see what others find fascinating.

If others dont mind I will post pictures of falconry through out the year on here. Just flight pictures, no hunting as that may offend some. Let me know if you guys like seeing them or feel it is ok to post them. I will just keep this thread updated with egg and hopefully hatchling pictures ..keeping fingers crossed

[Kara]

All of your pics are fantastic Chris, but I really love the female Harris hawk. That combination of chestnut, white, yellow & the rich dark brown is truly spectacular.

Can't wait to see her babies!!

K~

[Sevo]

First, You are an amazing hand with the camera and second I love your harris hawk! I didnt know there were other falconers around! My dad loves BOP and we are in the right spot. There are a pair of red tails nesting not 100 yards from the house and some prarie falcons in out front window!

I got'st a story 4 ya! Before we moved 2 AB about 3 months ago, we get a knock @ the door and its a guy who wanted to train his Gos hawk to catch pigeons, and he wanted to use our indoor riding arena. We are like "SURE! As long as we get 2 watch!" Dad has always loved falconry and as it turns out, this guy is the Director of the Ontairo Falconry association! Soooo... he is setting us up with a Harris hawk out here. Its a bit un-nerving because of all the other BOP but we will get it figured out. So this Hawk catches a pigeon in about 10 seconds. Perfect flying weight clearly, and that was it for dad! Now, all we have to do is get ourselves a HH breeder close to home. The gophers here are in need of extermination.

Any way good luck with your eggs my fingers are Xed for u!

Happy Hunting

Claire, Do you have to be licensed in Canada to have a BOP? Any sort of apprenticeship required? A harris hawk is a great first bird. They are very social and docile as cats but fierce hunters. They are very forgiving and if you make a mistake with them it will not ruin the bird. You can train him to fly at night as well. I have one that is strictly a night hunter... hes my little ninja. .

Gos hawks are not for the first time falconer. They can be very tough to fly and will take your head off if you dont train them right. The power of a Gos is amazing and the speed of their flights is unmatched for such a big bird. It is great you have the chance to be able to fly BOP . Keep us posted on your first bird. If you have any questions please dont hesitate to ask.

good luck

[Sevo]

Beautiful birds Chris, and congrats on the eggs!! It's good to see another falconer around too. I don't have a bird right now , but probably going to trap a merlin this fall (or a Gos if I can get my butt in gear and build a mews at the new house....). What do you hunt in your area?

-Evan

Evan,
Thanks man.. I am pretty excited about the eggs. It has been a long breeding season for me. Dont know why its so late for these birds but I am not complaining .

That is great you are a falconer too. Not many of us around but we pop up in the craziest places.. How long have you been flying? If you need some ideas on new mews, there are some guys on the forums building them now, it might help spark an idea or 2 for you... check it out.

I love my Gos... She is in my breeding project now but she was hell on wings. I still fly her come season. You cant beat an accipiter...

Oh how i would love to trap a merlin... Great bird to fly. Good luck with trapping them both. Please keep me posted if you get one and take a lot of pictures... If you need anything dont hesitate to ask . If i cant get it, i am sure I know someone who can.

[frankykeno]

Oh how wonderful and what joy and priviledge it must be for you to work with these amazing birds! Please can you post pics of your peregrines (they are my favorite after the eagles). As far as posting hunting pictures, feel free. Members here often post pictures of snakes feeding so I see no problem if you want to post pictures of hawks doing what comes naturally to them. If you post a "warning graphic feeding pics" or something then anyone that might be put off simply doesn't need to open the thread.

I grew up with osprey nesting near our home every year. It was an amazing thing to watch. Of course we weren't allowed near their nests but it was simply amazing to sit on our dock and watch them fish every day and then see the young ones learning. Amazing how accurate they are and rarely go home to the nest without a nice fish for dinner (they outfished me many a day LOL).

[Sevo]

All of your pics are fantastic Chris, but I really love the female Harris hawk. That combination of chestnut, white, yellow & the rich dark brown is truly spectacular.

Can't wait to see her babies!!

K~

Kara,
Thank you for the kind words. I love taking pictures of them. The camera shows you things your eyes take for granted.

Ok here are two more pictures... I keep talking about how birds of prey can intimidate you.. here is your chance to see what I am talking about. The first one is a female red tail and the other is a coopers hawk. The coopers hawk is no bigger than a crow, but thinks she is a bald eagle.

Red tail


Coopers Hawk





I am ppretty excited about the eggs. Hopefully there will be another one thursday or friday. They lay every 3-4 days.

Thank you again to everyone for the great wishes and encouragement.

[Reediculous]

Kara,
Thank you for the kind words. I love taking pictures of them. The camera shows you things your eyes take for granted.

Ok here are two more pictures... I keep talking about how birds of prey can intimidate you.. here is your chance to see what I am talking about. The first one is a female red tail and the other is a coopers hawk. The coopers hawk is no bigger than a crow, but thinks she is a bald eagle.

Red tail


Coopers Hawk





I am ppretty excited about the eggs. Hopefully there will be another one thursday or friday. They lay every 3-4 days.

Thank you again to everyone for the great wishes and encouragement.

great thread.........i'm enjoying running to see your next post! i'm loving this!