The Red-tail & The Falconer - Oct. 29, 2011

This is year two of my nephew Pat's apprenticeship as a falconer. This years hawk is a young male Red-tail and much different from last years easy to get along with female though Pat and the hawk appear to have come to some sort of mutual understanding (the hawk no longer bites his hand every time he goes near it..:)

We were hoping to jump some ducks on the marsh this morning but nothing doing, the ducks were few and far between. This is Pat with the hawk on a painters pole to give it a better view of the many creeks that bisect the marsh.

The hawk tends to fly from the raised perch, heading for a nearby stand of trees.

Pat uses tidbits as bait to get the hawk to come back to his glove. Here's the hawk coming in.

and then with the reward for coming back.

Hoping for some action in one of the creeks.

It was a beautiful morning on the marsh with little wind and non of the impending snow.

After letting the hawk fly for the last time Pat brings him in to the lure which has a large portion of food on it, it's a magnet for a well trained hawk and Pat's done a great job with this years youngster.

As if asking... More please....:)