December 22, 2013:
A close call for one of our best birds. I was flying both around 5:00. There were very few grackles in the area, but I wanted to see if I spot the wild peregrine again. I let the two hawks out of their boxes. and they both flew immediately into the palm trees. The younger one flew to a light post, but I started hearing the other one struggle. I realized that she was stuck in the palm tree. She had chewed on her nylon jess that I had just put on that morning. The shredded jess threads were like the loop part of a velcro strip and was caught up in the palm leaves. I immediately called Security at the hotel, and informed them of the danger to the hawk. What seemed like forever to me, but was likely not even 10 minutes later, Engineering brought a 20 foot extension ladder. I am a poor climber and one of the hotel guests immediately went up the ladder, shook the palm leaf she was on and she came free. She flew to a tree, was checked out, (she was ok, just shaken up) and kept in for the evening. The residents and guests were happy to see that she was ok. I showed them the chewed jess and the reason why it got caught in the palm leaf. My great thanks to hotel staff and the guest who helped get the hawk back safely.
I was also told that there were quite a few grackles across the key at the parking garage by the park. So, I brought both birds on the bell cart with the extended perches. When I started shining the flashlight at the trees, and sending the youngest hawk up.. The grackles moved. I then followed them with the hawk on her t post, that she rides readily. WIth the flashlight, the t post, I followed the movement of the grackles up and down the road and the dispersed and were much fewer in number. I called the hawk down and had another good day.
A close call for one of our best birds. I was flying both around 5:00. There were very few grackles in the area, but I wanted to see if I spot the wild peregrine again. I let the two hawks out of their boxes. and they both flew immediately into the palm trees. The younger one flew to a light post, but I started hearing the other one struggle. I realized that she was stuck in the palm tree. She had chewed on her nylon jess that I had just put on that morning. The shredded jess threads were like the loop part of a velcro strip and was caught up in the palm leaves. I immediately called Security at the hotel, and informed them of the danger to the hawk. What seemed like forever to me, but was likely not even 10 minutes later, Engineering brought a 20 foot extension ladder. I am a poor climber and one of the hotel guests immediately went up the ladder, shook the palm leaf she was on and she came free. She flew to a tree, was checked out, (she was ok, just shaken up) and kept in for the evening. The residents and guests were happy to see that she was ok. I showed them the chewed jess and the reason why it got caught in the palm leaf. My great thanks to hotel staff and the guest who helped get the hawk back safely.
I was also told that there were quite a few grackles across the key at the parking garage by the park. So, I brought both birds on the bell cart with the extended perches. When I started shining the flashlight at the trees, and sending the youngest hawk up.. The grackles moved. I then followed them with the hawk on her t post, that she rides readily. WIth the flashlight, the t post, I followed the movement of the grackles up and down the road and the dispersed and were much fewer in number. I called the hawk down and had another good day.
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