Biggio

Pigeons beware

2009-01-21T06:04:00.003-06:00

Well I took Biggio, my Harris out hawking for pigeons at night. One less pigeon in this world today. Got it under an overpass on the highway. Was not sure how he was going to do as we have never hunted in the dark. We walked up the concrete to where most the pigeons were and when we got close they started leaving. Biggio just kind of watched and I guess did not know what to do with all the commotion. He started to chase but not till they hit the dark night sky, so I did not let go of the jesses. I turned around to look for more and yep, one left on the other end. I let Biggio focus in on it and sure enough he figured out that was the same thing that just made all the mess before, he took off after it and the pigeon bolted, but to late. Biggio took it to the ground. Now the part that excites me the most. He did not try to carry. He has been doing that, and I have been working on it. I let him pull feather for a bit while I connect the leash, than covered the pigeon with a small towel, threw the lure to the side, he stepped off the pigeon. I let him eat the meat on the lure, than stepped him off onto the glove with a tidbit. Than put him in the hood. Just like it is supposed to go. Glad to see this bird is working out.

Frustration

2009-01-20T06:16:00.002-06:00

Well I have not posted in a while because nothing really to talk about. The last few times I have been out Biggio is just not co-operating any more. I have gone out by myself most of the time and trying to keep Biggio under control has been a real chore. He sees birds and starts acting crazy and that is not good while driving, by the time I get him under control the slip is gone. I try to hold him down, does no good, try to put my hand over him to hold his head down, no good. I thought maybe he was to low so I raised his weight. Went car hawking in Saginaw with Kylie driving, and multiple slips, still acted stupid when he saw birds, but when I slip him he would pull off most of the time. I just do not know what I am doing wrong. Going again today, so hopefully we will do some thing right today.

Pissing me off

2009-01-09T16:21:00.002-06:00

Well I am upset about two things. One the damn grackles are roosting on base now. The one or two slips I get are along the roadside on the perimeter of the base. The other thing is Biggio's carrying problem. Yesterday I found one slip and he nailed a female. This worried me because the only thing he has gotten before are males and he tries to carry with them. Sure enough as soon as I stepped out of my truck, he carried. I was next to a 5 lane road and he carried to the parking lot on the other side. Thankfully no cars were coming. I got over there and when I approached him he carried to the other side of the same parking lot. I pulled out the lure and was swinging it as I approached him the next time and he allowed me closer. I put the leash on the jesses and let him pluck feathers for a bit. I than covered the grackle with a towel and offered the lure. he hesitated but step off onto the lure. I than stepped him off the lure with hesitation to the glove for a tidbit. I put him in the giant hood and went home. When I got home I left the leash on him and threw the grackle on the ground and he dove off my glove but than tried to carry. He kept bating and after a bit calmed down and I messed with him and the grackle the whole time he ate. I let him finish it than he jumped to glove for a tid bit than put him in the mews.
1-9-09 700 grams 1 grackle

Looking good

2009-01-06T21:15:00.003-06:00

Well I am pleased with him today. I had to drive like crazy and fast to find any grackles. They moved from where I usually find them. I eventually found them out by the air base. It appeared most of them are roosting in base housing which I can not get to. I drove all around the base perimeter and I found a group on the side of the road outside the base. I drove by and Biggio nailed a very large male. By the time he got it under control he was next to a fence where there was a big dog on the other side. Biggio let me move in and put on the leash no problem. I do not know if this was because he was more worried about the dog than me, or if he is finally getting it. I covered the grackle and tossed the lure and he stepped off nicely. After he was done with lure I stepped him off on the glove with a tidbit. We looked around and did not find any more. On the way home I noticed pigeons circling along side an overpass that I have noticed before. I circled back and they had landed under the overpass. It is a low overpass and not very traveled, so I thought it would be a nice learning session for Biggio and myself. I drove to the side of the road under the overpass. Biggio was really watching them. So I thought what the heck, I rolled the window down and he took off after them. The all escaped but he tried. Next time I will go for a different tactic. I pulled out the lure and he came and traded off good.
1/6/09 715 grams 1 grackle

Still in training

2009-01-01T18:34:00.003-06:00

Well we have been doing pretty good car hawking. it takes a lot of slips to get one, but I do not know if it is because he is still learning or me, probably both. I am still trying to figure out the speed and release time and technique. He needs to learn, for one thing to stop acting crazy right before I release him. It sure makes it hard to drive while hawking.
The other day I gave him a sitting slip at a duck pond in the park. He took off after them but they all went in the water before he got there. He flew up to a tree and started eying an Egyptian Goose. He flew down and grabbed it and it jumped in the water. I took off running over to where they were and Biggio was fighting the goose and the goose was fighting back. About the time I got there he was almost submerged and he let go and the goose took off. I swooped Biggio up and I carried him to the truck. It was about 38 degrees that day so I held him in front of the heater vent for a while.
Today I saw a flock of Canadian Geese at a school practice field. They were to far to car hawk so I put Biggio on the glove and walked towards them. When I got about 25 yards from them they started to move off so I threw Biggio in their direction and they took flight. One of the geese took off and flew right into a fence, and Biggio got to him and pulled feather but it got away. I am really starting to like this bird.
1-1-09 675 grams and another grackle

another one in the bag

2008-12-22T08:20:00.002-06:00

Well we went car hawking again. I do not know if my timing, or his timing is off, but we had a lot of misses. Some way off and some barely missed. He gets excited and try to fly way to soon, so I do not know if because I hold him, it throws him off, or if I am letting him go to early or late, or my speed is off. Car hawking alone is really hard. Any ways, we did get one and he traded off it to the lure, but did not want to let go of the lure. Had one more slip, and he did not want to come to glove, so I figured he was getting full on tidbits. Called him to the lure and went home.
12/22/08 730 grams 1 grackle

He finally figured it out!

2008-12-18T19:47:00.002-06:00

Took Biggio out car hawking today. A place I found that had a decent amount in a subdivision. It is real hard to car hawk by yourself but we are getting the hang of it. He missed the first two slips. The first slip he just missed sliding across the parking lot. The second I just wanted to see how he would react with them in a small tree right outside the truck window. I thought when he left he was going after the birds, but he just flew to the tree than waited for a tidbit. Than he just missed the next slip. He was starting to act up. Not sure if it was frustration, or excitement. He nailed the next slip. It was about 5 grackles scattered in a front yard. He nailed one that tried to fly right at him. He traded off reluctantly, and after wards I was not sure if I should have let him eat on it. He did try to carry it off. The very next slip was about the same amount in between the road and a fence. He got the next one right on top with out it even knowing what hit it. He tried to carry off again, I don't know what I will do if it gets a smaller bird. I was able to get to him and put the leash on. He traded off onto the lure, than onto a tidbit on glove. I got a rabbit leg and let him eat on it pretty good. Than put him in the giant hood and went home.
12/18/08 725 grams 2 grackles

Car hawking is not as easy as I thought.

2008-12-15T14:30:00.002-06:00

It was a very windy day. I took Biggio to Fort Worth and Noel drove for me as we car hawked him. He was chasing good, but he never made contact. He was flying back to the window for a grackle leg. One time we flew him he was on the opposite side of the truck, so when Noel turned the truck around so we could fly him back to the window we could not see Biggio. I jumped out of the truck and started whistling and holding up my glove. Noel pulled out the receiver and we could tell which direction to look. I grabbed the lure and took off in that direction. I could see his movement direction by watching the grackles flushing out of the tree. I whistle and swung the lure and he came to it. It was just about sundown so we called it a day.
The next day I took him out by myself and the winds were still heavy. It is even harder doing this alone and the chases were not as good. I am not sure if Biggio is playing with the grackles or if he is just not figured out how to fly out a moving window and grab them. We got home that night and I tied him out to the weathering and through in a whole grackle.
12-15-08 705 grams

First time car hawking alone.

2008-12-11T06:42:00.002-06:00

Well I figured it was time to give it a shot since this was the main reason I got him. After putting Abby in the box I got Biggio out and we drove around the park. I spotted a pool of water where there were grackles and sparrows. I pulled up to the pool, lowered the window and Biggio flew out the window and dove at the birds, but I think I did it wrong and he missed. I called him down to the lure and we drove to a wal-mart and tried again with the same result. It was about sunset now and I could not find any more on the ground. I was hoping he would have been about 20 grams lighter.
12/10/08 750grams no kills

Maybe still to heavy

2008-12-07T09:28:00.002-06:00

I took him out to a field where I knew there would be bunnies, had to drive 2 hours to get there, but you do what you have to. Plus a chance to see friends. Got to the field and put Biggio up. He was fallowing great and he chased all the slips I gave him except two. Rode the t-perch great. Most of the chases were long tail chases. He just could not get to them in time. Later that day we had a male grackle baggie for him. Staked out the grackle, pulled up next to it and rolled the window down. He watched it a bit, than Kylie was positioned outside to take pics and she moved foward to get the grackle to flop around and it worked and Biggio flew out the door and hit the grackle. Did not seem that interested in eating it though, and was slow to get off kill onto large tidbit on my glove. Finally did and Noel felt his keel and told me he is still to fat. So I am going to lower him 30 more grams and try again later.
12/5/08 750 grams no kills

Second free flight

2008-12-04T19:58:00.003-06:00

Went to another field today where there were rabbits last year. I had Abby's telemetry with me this time so was more comfortable. I took him out of the box and put him up a tree. I started beating the brush. I was very pleased to see him following me. He would not only follow, but would fly a tree or two ahead and always watching me. We went for 1 1/2 hours with no slips. There might have been one. Biggio took off after something, but I could not tell. He got close to ground and pulled off. The thing I was impressed with was he never stopped following me. I called him twice to the glove with a tidbit just to reward him for following. When the sun was about to go down I pulled out the lure and put a good amount of meat on it and called him in and he hit it immediately. When done put a tid bit on my glove and he jumped right up releasing the lure. I put him in the box and went home.
12/4/08 no game 750 grams

Biggio's first free flight

2008-12-04T19:43:00.003-06:00

Monday I took Biggio out to a field where i knew there would be rats just so I would know the first flight would be productive. I was worried because I could not get my telemetry to work, but so a certain person did not call me chicken, I fly him any ways. I hooded him and took him where I knew the rats were. I struck the hood and he flew into a tree close by. I immediately started looking for rats and he watched. As soon as I flushed one he nailed it. I traded him off. The next couple he missed. The next one he had to chase pretty good and got it. As son as I made in he took off. He did this un till he flew far enough I could not find him. After a lengthy search I got to him. Hooked up the leash and hooded him and went home.
12/1/08 730 grams 2 rats

Good to the lure

2008-11-23T08:34:00.003-06:00

Out at the Pecan orchard after hunting Abby, I put Biggio on the creance. He flew great to the glove at 50' plus. Two times flew a differant direction, but when I walk closer would jump up on the glove. Ended with a good lure response.
11/22/08 788 grams

Still to fat.

2008-11-17T09:01:00.002-06:00

Well after he did good Thursday I thought he would do even better Sunday. He lost even more but absolutely no response, none. So put him in the hood and will try again today.
11/17/08 785 grams

First Creance Flight of season

2008-11-13T12:23:00.003-06:00

Well I took Biggio for his first flight on the creance. I set up the creance at 30' because I was not sure how he would do and did not want him to be able to fly at a further distance in the wrong direction due to obstacles. I hooked him to the creance and struck his hood. Walked 10' held up glove and whistled and he immediatly came. I put him back on the perch and walked the 30' and held up glove and whistle and again immediate response. I did this often. Aproxamitly 15 to 20 flights. The only slow response was once after I called him to the glove and I mistakenly was about 2' to far. I was able to get my glove under him before he landed on the ground, but the next time took a few seconds longer to respond. Also the few times I called him to the glove with out a tidbit, the next time would take a few seconds to respond. Other than that I am pleased. He still has some weight to loose. I only gave him 30 grams today of grackle. I have been feeding him 50 grams every 3 days but at the end of the three days each time he ends up at the same weight. So I will try 30 grams this time. If that does not work, than I will crop him up sunday on the lure.
11/13/08 821 grams.

still moving ahead

2008-11-11T09:58:00.002-06:00

Took Biggio to work again, getting more used to me. Left unhooded most of the day, and not much bating. During lunch took Lady and Biggio to feild again and had Lady retrieving ball while holding Biggio on fist. Gradully getting used to dog, but not there yet.
We got home, and I weighed him and had him flying to glove for a tidbit about 20 times. He is easy to handle with food, and lets me mess with him a lot. Hope to try him on creance Thursday.
11/11/08 820 grams

Well I got him and here are the pics.

2008-11-09T19:02:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple of pics of my new bird Biggio. I was given him by my sponsor. He is a 5year old, passage tiercel Harris Hawk. He was at 900grams, he is down to 830 grams and really not to crazy about me yet. I can run my hand all over him with no aggression. He jumped to the glove tonight the length of the leash 3 times for a grackle leg. Good looking bird, I hope he does well and I hope I do him justice.

Bolg for my future Harris Hawk Named Biggio

2008-09-27T10:11:00.003-05:00

I am getting a male Harris's Hawk as soon as I receive my General Permit. He will be named Biggio after my favorite Baseball Player. Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros. Never seen a player with more heart, and love for the game. Gave it his all in every situation. I hope my bird will do the same. I have attached a picture of a Harris Hawk, this is not my bird.