Tag Archives: moult

Summer 2018 Update

Summer 2018 Update

It has been a long time since an update and a post of any significance to this blog, or for that matter, to any other social media outlet.  With the propensity for articles, pictures, sound-bytes, and posts to go viral, I never know when these adventures will get singled out by someone who has a polarizing opinion on the subject of Falconry. You just never know what is going to set someone off that will forward the post throughout the interwebs and have some warped opinion come out on the other end of it. With my experience with other falconry forums, NAFA Directors, and facebook trolls, I’m leery of posting anything remotely attackable. So, I’ll provide an update to a few choice projects and leave this here as a historical record of this summer. 

Birds

The moult for the summer is in full swing for both Sabre and Vesper.  Daily chores continue to include keeping the mews clean and getting the birds some perch / air time out of the mews.  Feathers continue to drop steadily and new feathers are growing steadily.  Both birds are going through a wonderful transformation into their adult plumage and it is a privilege to witness up close. 

Mews Update

Kelly and I continue to build a new mews for the birds with Vesper as the eventual habitant.  In addition, we expect to install a second chamber onto the first. It’s not an ideal setup, but we are making it work as best we can with the space and materials available. By the end of the summer, there will be room for 3 birds and the deck will be clear of the current mews. 

Club Activities

As a continued participating member of the MHC, the spring Apprentice Workshop was a huge success, pulling in folks from around the state.  With the help of other falconers, the instructional team that puts on the workshop is top-notch with great stories and informative slide shows.   The Summer picnic is coming up at the end of July, so we’ll all meet again for another day of falconry fun in Lansing this year. Later on in the summer, we’ll go back down to Lake Erie Metropark for HawkFest. Then the trapping gets going and all of the fall falconry and hunting events is in full swing.  

 

-C

August Moult

August Moult

Cedar’s moult is progressing nicely this summer as the warm months continue to bless us with great summer weather.  Cedar is doing very well, enjoying her mews and attention that she gets when we are out working in the yard.  I got this picture the other day to show off her “Big-Girl” feathers.

June Moult Update

June Moult Update for Cedar

Summer is usually the quiet season for Red-Tailed hawks in Falconry.  The main focus during the warm season is to stay fat and happy, and to grow new feathers for the fall.  This is especially important for young juvenile Red-Tailed Hawks that are gaining their namesake feathers for the first time.  Keeping a hawk well fed through the summer months ensures that the feathers grow full and healthy in preparation for the next hunting season.  Cedar continues to enjoy her time out on the perch and has a couple of red-tail feathers just starting to come in.  More updates as the summer months progress.

 

Moulting Update for September

Moulting Update for September

Well, here we are at the end of September.  Hunting season is just around the corner and Tahoe’s feathers are in prime condition for another hunting season.  I recently sent this photo to a friend of mine who remarked: “Wow, is that the same bird?” and the answer of course, is “yes.”  Tahoe has moulted all her feathers and the process seems to be complete. There are less feathers in the mews this week and the only feathers that constantly appear are the small, white fluffly down feathers, which seem to continuously shed anyway.  She is quite magnificent now with her dark wings, bright tan-orange front, and her stunning red tail.

Looking forward to a second great hunting season!

-ChrisM

Moulting Update for August

Moulting Update for August

We are armpits deep into the dog-days of summer now, pulling to the middle of August.  It’s been a warm season with lots of activity in the backyard garden for Tahoe.  Her moulting process continues to be a delight to me as her colors continue to change and enhance her appearance.  She is beautiful! Her new coat of fresh clean adult plumage is in perfect condition and she looks exceptionally darker than she did as an immature hawk.  Her red tail really stands out and certainly the most noticeable feature of her adult plumage.  Her red tail is mostly full, with a few feathers left to grow in to their full length.  You can notice on the back feathers and the secondaries in the wing, the contrasting colors that her new feathers have against the old ones. I’m super excited for the onset of the fall hunting season to see what she has retained from last year, and to watch her continue to develop her hunting skills back on the wing for her favorite quarry.

-Good Moulting!