Two years ago today we picked up our darling from her breeder in Hessen, and our lives were changed forever.
I still
think back to those first days of sitting quietly in her mews as she was
secured to a bow perch near her bathing pool and a few toys, letting her get
used to me and earning her trust. Once or twice a day I’d try to entice her to
stand on my glove to eat a thawed and tasty chick.We succeeded on Day 4.
She’s not
just a darling, of course. She’s a fierce hunter! During her second hunting
season she expanded her prey spectrum to include beyond crows (her main prey),
pigeons, magpies, a duck and 2 Egyptian geese! We’re looking forward to seeing
what prey presents itself this season.
Kaya is now
two years old and in her third flight, as we say in German (
zwei Jahre alt
und im dritten Flug). “In her third flight” means that she’s in her 3
rd
hunting season. To be fair, the season has started but we haven’t yet because
Kaya hasn’t finished her molt yet. She’s still growing new feathers but we’ll
start her with some light training on the creance (
Langfessel, a long
light leash) this week. I am really looking forward to getting started again. I
like to think she will enjoy more action again as well and the chance to refill
her freezer with new meals.
I'll finish this Gotcha Day post with a photo dump from the past year with Kaya and what we've been up to.
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| Sitting on her favorite bench |
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| Upside down head, trying to understand what she sees |
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| First hawking success of the season |
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| Manteling over her kill to guard it |
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| Vacation accommodations |
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| Another success |
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| On her favorite bench in the setting sun |
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| During a falconry meet near Freiburg |
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| Floofed up on a cold day standing on her pillar |
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| Winter crow |
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| Time for a poo sample |
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| This is called a "warble" - a double wing stretch |
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| First visit to the veterinarian, in the waiting room |
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| At an expo - some of the PR work we do |
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With saker falcon Smilla at our favorite local restaurant's
Mittelalterliches Bierfest. |
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| Playing in her mews with pine cones |
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| Bad hair day after a rain shower, which she loves |
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| Riding in June |
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| More PR work at a Jägerfest in Böblingen |
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| Another Jägerfest, this time in Freudenstadt |
Our adventure continues! We look forward to each new day with Kaya and hope for another successful and healthy, injury-less hawking season.
Until next time...
