December 25, 2013, Christmas Day.
It was windy all Christmas Eve and day My husband and I could hear the furniture and tables being blown around the porch in our room. So, we weighted things down to keep them from blowing over the edge. The high winds made it too unsafe for the hawks and falcons to be set out on the beach, even in their enclosures in the cabana. So the decision was made to keep them safe in the truck and fly directly out of their hawk boxes in the evening. We walked the key to determine the roosting areas of the grackles, and found droppings in the plants and trees where they have roosted earlier. The vast majority of them are now across the harbor. It was a pleasant day for us. And were waiting for the evening flights to begin. Beach staff told us that some grackles were coming in during meal times. It is realized that even sitting on the beach on their perches serves as a deterrent for the grackles coming in to take food and bathe at the pool. The grackles now recognize us, our clothing, and even our equipment and stay away. We set out around 4:00 to start evening flight patrols. Winds were still high but we brought our two most reliable hawks when it comes to staying close to the falconers. We let one out at a time and kept her close. For her safety, we did not want her to be blown across the harbor, or worse yet, in the water. There were quite a few residents out with their families who saw us and were very interested in our work. We explained the concept and they were thankful that we have greatly reduced the mess the grackles have made over the months. Small flocks of grackles that we refer to as 'scouts' flew around the buildings, but flew back over the harbor when they saw that we were not moving. We stayed after dark to make sure the grackles stayed away that evening.
Today, (the 26th of December) it is raining and we will have to wait for the rains to stop before we can set the hawks and falcons out.
It was windy all Christmas Eve and day My husband and I could hear the furniture and tables being blown around the porch in our room. So, we weighted things down to keep them from blowing over the edge. The high winds made it too unsafe for the hawks and falcons to be set out on the beach, even in their enclosures in the cabana. So the decision was made to keep them safe in the truck and fly directly out of their hawk boxes in the evening. We walked the key to determine the roosting areas of the grackles, and found droppings in the plants and trees where they have roosted earlier. The vast majority of them are now across the harbor. It was a pleasant day for us. And were waiting for the evening flights to begin. Beach staff told us that some grackles were coming in during meal times. It is realized that even sitting on the beach on their perches serves as a deterrent for the grackles coming in to take food and bathe at the pool. The grackles now recognize us, our clothing, and even our equipment and stay away. We set out around 4:00 to start evening flight patrols. Winds were still high but we brought our two most reliable hawks when it comes to staying close to the falconers. We let one out at a time and kept her close. For her safety, we did not want her to be blown across the harbor, or worse yet, in the water. There were quite a few residents out with their families who saw us and were very interested in our work. We explained the concept and they were thankful that we have greatly reduced the mess the grackles have made over the months. Small flocks of grackles that we refer to as 'scouts' flew around the buildings, but flew back over the harbor when they saw that we were not moving. We stayed after dark to make sure the grackles stayed away that evening.
Today, (the 26th of December) it is raining and we will have to wait for the rains to stop before we can set the hawks and falcons out.
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