Saturday, April 6th, 2013:   Started as a beautiful, cool morning, with few clouds.   Got the hawks out to weather for a couple of hours before flights started.   Flew 2 hawks in the pool area, where the local grackles started harassing them.  This kept the grackles away from guests at both the pool and beach areas.   The hawks were busy chasing the taunting grackles in the trees, the grackles were above the hawks.  Then, one hawk connected with a grackle.   She ate her meal in the tree and hung around all day.  Later in the day, hawks were all put up in the trees.  The grackles were then overwhelmed with all hawks in the area.  One could see how the hawks work together as a team.   I then started to call the hawks down that evening and realized that a second hawk had also caught a grackle.   She was a bit difficult to get down, but eventually did.  Went to see about the roosting grackle situation, but saw very few grackles.  Will start out early next morning to see the early morning grackle situation.  

Friday, April 5th, 2013:   Rain threatening, so all areas were quiet.  Flew the Harris hawks for about 2 hours prior to the rains.  Then the rains started and I kept them in their enclosures.   As I was putting the all of them away for the evening.  I happen to see the wild peregrine dive at a bird over the water just beyond the seawall at the beach area.  Falconers' luck or maybe I just have my eyes in the sky all of the time.  Photos from the area will be posted later when I figure out how to retrieve them. 

Thursday, April 4, 2013:  Humid, warm to hot and breezy, cloudy.  It was cloudy nearly all day. I set out the hawks and cleaned their enclosures  Few guests were outside at the pool area until late lunch, early dinner.  And patrols were not until later in the day.  I took a walk around the Key to see the things in the daylight.  Since my prior walks were after dark, patrolling for birds or looking for wayward hawks.   Then I flew the Harris hawks back and concentrated around the pool area.   Around 5:00 a tornado watch was posted, I looked at the radar and decided to put the birds up for their safety in the truck.   An early evening,  Got some sleep at least 8 hours for a change.  

Wednesday, April 3rd 2013:  Warm, low 80's humid.  Partly Cloudy.  Light/moderate winds.

Got the hawks out to weather and started with Tobasco by the pool.  She is my best hawk, but all business.  She landed in the tree above the wall at the pool area.  She chased around any of the grackles that harassed her.  And this seemed to work.  The other grackles came in to tease her rather than spend time looking for food form guests.   But, just as I was going to lunch, I saw the strategy of the grackles.  They ONLY take the brown sugar packets, not the artificial stuff and not white sugar.  They put the packet in the edge of the water in the pool to soften the cover, then eat the contents.  Then flew all of the others in the evening patrols on the walkway.  Back and forth.  I shifted from one hawk to the other, alternating flying them.  Tobasco was getting full, and reluctant, so her sleeping crate was  brought in.  Plus a second hawk (Mercedes) to get the competition factor started.  Tobasco, then flew to a T post then right into her crate for the evening.   

Tuesday, April 2nd 2013:  Set birds out, cleaned enclosures and straightened up the area after yesterdays rain.   I started flight patrols at lunch time around the pool area.  I flew 2 different hawks.  When I put up a second bird, Immediately I heard screeching by the pool.  I rushed over, realizing the hawk had grabbed a grackle, not what I wanted.  The grackle got away and the rest of the grackles were screeching at the hawk.  Not what I wanted to have in the daytime, especially in front of guests.  The hawk was called down and I switched to the other one.    I asked pool staff if I could walk straight through the pool dining area with the birds to deter the grackles.  I felt it depended on the response of the guests.  Some like it some are uncomfortable, I will let their opinion determine what I do.  Evening patrols started at 6:30 after documenting with photos some of the abatement activities.  I wanted to have some good photos of the birds in action, and my newly modified cage for carrying them.  There are still some grackles concentrated in areas, so I flew there, but concentrated on the walkway by the parking garage.  The grackles can see the hawks in the trees from all problem areas, and it is highly discrete.  Yesterday, when down near the park by the second circle.  The hawks just draw a lot of attention, especially from kids. I am more comfortable being less conspicuous with fewer grackles in the area.  Especially if the hawk connects with a grackle.  

April 1st, 2013.  Day started with rainy weather coming in.  I cleaned, and got the hawks out to enjoy the morning.  Then weather started to come in and I put them up.   Rain lasted for about 2 hours then cleared in the late after noon.   I then started some patrols around the pool area, but there were few guests, hence little food attraction for the pest grackles.    The cadge was further modified with pick resistant perch surfaces to prevent the padding from being shredded.  Evening patrols started around the key started at 6:30.  A few grackles were near the second circle and the hawks were flown back and forth to establish the hunting territory.   Hawks were out until 8:00. p.m.  

A good day, lovely weather, not too hot and quite busy.  I set out the birds in the morning, then started flight and foot patrols for birds around the pool areas.   Then later in the afternoon, I hear alarm cries from the hawks while I was speaking with some hotel guests.  The hawks were watching a kite being flown in the part that was shaped like a bird.  It had an imprint of a parrot on it but the shape was the issue. The peregrine falcon was making her intruder/alarm call and she needed to be put away to calm down, despite my re-assurances.    Then the kite got stuck in a tree.  I walked over with one of my telescoping poles and got it out of the tree for the residents.   The hawks I think the falcons then realized it was fake.  But the wild peregrine came in to check out what was in her territory, she stooped (dove)  the kite without connecting, apparently realized it was not real and moved on to St. Louis to land.

Evening patrols started at 6:30.   With one to two Harris hawks at a time.  The walkway by the parking garage is an excellent place to start.  The hawks get high in the trees, and can scan both the bridge and the first and second circles.  Also, they are visible by the roosting grackles.  Which I am happy to say are less and less.  I scanned for droppings from overnight roosting, and they are far fewer in numbers.