Anyone else like watching hawks hunting ?

[cupid stunt]

I found a great way to watch them hunting on a daily basis without going anywhere.

First thing you need to do is build a pigeon loft. Mine cost $150 to build. Second thing is to get some Birmingham Rollers, I got mine for nothing. They breed easily and most pigeon fanciers are happy to give them away

Birmingham Rollers don't go anywhere apart from up, high up !

That brings the hawks in, it matters not where you live, you will certainly see fast and exiting action.

You will lose a lot of pigeons at first but that's ok, its natures way of weeding out those that don't make the grade.. Only the best will survive and breed.

I have had hawks and falcons crash into my legs when chasing my pigeons, they often use me as cover to escape certain death.

Here's one hiding after a lucky escape,

Here's the Goshawk it escaped from 10 minutes earlier, a nice mature male.

This is what I throw at the pigeons to make them fly. It's very scary.

Here's a coopers hawk that crashed into my legs, I could easily have caught it. An immature female.

Here's a jack Merlin. Merlins are small but lighting fast.

This is just a small sample of the birds that hunt my pigeons..... It's falconry without the hassle.

 

[ShooterwithNoName]

That's awesome, I've watched quite a few hawks snag snakes and smaller birds over the years here in my yard. I feed the birds and by defualt: the hawks.

They are wicked hunters no doubt. Cool post for sure.

 

[KZP]

I only see them once in a while. Watched this one eat a small mole. Took him a few drops to catch him.

 

[Snipe260]

Pidgeonlivesmatter!

 

[cupid stunt]

That's awesome, I've watched quite a few hawks snag snakes and smaller birds over the years here in my yard. I feed the birds and by defualt: the hawks.

They are wicked hunters no doubt. Cool post for sure.

Get some roller pigeons and take you hawk watching to a new level.

I kept hunting hawks for many years, this is just as good.

 

[cupid stunt]

I only see them once in a while. Watched this one eat a small mole. Took him a few drops to catch him. View attachment 7016307

Nice picture That's a Red Tailed hawk They can catch things as big as jack rabbits if they have to.

 

[cupid stunt]

Not my picture but I just has to post it. It's a female sparrowhawk attacking a Jay

 

[cupid stunt]

Here's one of mine. It's a Gyr x Peregrine I bred on a Canada goose. His name was Buster, Buster blood vessel. He killed himself crashing head on with a snow goose

 

[ShooterwithNoName]

The majority of the hawks I have around the house are red-tailed variety.

 

[cupid stunt]

The majority of the hawks I have around the house are red-tailed variety.

Where do you live ?

Red tails catch snakes without a problem, but small birds are almost impossible for them to catch.

 

[Snipe260]

I used to bushog on a big plantation in the fall. Prob 800 acres. Soon as I would get there with the tractor the tree lines would fill up with hawks. They would come down and get rabbits rats and snakes as they were running from bush hog! Coyotes would also follow me around. It was cool to watch the misses, the drops in mid air and the catches!

 

[cupid stunt]

I used to bushog on a big plantation in the fall. Prob 800 acres. Soon as I would get there with the tractor the tree lines would fill up with hawks. They would come down and get rabbits rats and snakes as they were running from bush hog! Coyotes would also follow me around. It was cool to watch the misses, the drops in mid air and the catches!

I know exactly what you mean, it's the high mid air acrobatics that makes the roller pigeon flights so spectacular, After un unsuccessful stoop the pigeons climb to avoid another, and the hawk or falcon will climb hard to get above them for the another attempt. Sometimes the flight can go on for 30 minutes or more.. My main problem is that I get a pain in my neck from looking directly up for so long. I'm thinking of investing in a recliner.

They fly or they die.

Found this on youtube..

 

[Spblademaker]

We have sharpshinned hawks in our area. They love hunting the bird feeder on the back hill.

 

[Snipe260]

Lot of guys do falconry out west! Hunting with the perigines. Dogs point. They turn loose the falcon, then flush the birds. Pretty cool. I’ve seen hawks take a bobwhit quail out of the air !

 

[stello1001]

Definitely something interesting, there are so many hawks in my hunting lease area and it's always a pleasure to observe them. Great post!!!

 

[Snipe260]

Me and dad were trolling for bass awhile back and he had about a pound bass skirting along the water and a bald eagle tried to get him a few times. Cool to watch!

 

[cupid stunt]

Hunting hawks were

We have sharpshinned hawks in our area. They love hunting the bird feeder on the back hill.

Sharpshins are great little hawks, I have flown the English equivalent. They are small but mighty. Here's an old one eating a sparrow in my yard last year. His dark red eyes shows his age.

last year.

 

[cupid stunt]

Lot of guys do falconry out west! Hunting with the perigines. Dogs point. They turn loose the falcon, then flush the birds. Pretty cool. I’ve seen hawks take a bobwhit quail out of the air !

It was my life for many years, then I realised I could take it no further. I sold my breeding birds to another breeder ( I hated selling them anyway ) and released the rest. Sometimes they don't want to go, they prefer captivity. I missed having them around, now I have loads again thanks to the roller pigeons.

 

[Kadams1563]

This is awesome. Kinda twisted but awesome.

They don’t even know what they are being put in for. Hunger Games type stuff haha.

I know a guy local to me that does falconry?!? I think that’s the word maybe not. He has several hawks and other predatory birds.

They are fun as hell to watch but this dude is a loon so I don’t show too much interest.

I have two grey looking hawks that nest in my trees every year. Last year they had two babies. Pretty cool to see them just show up one day.

 

[cupid stunt]

There's some first class flights in this video, Peregrines and Goshawks. Goshawks mainly from about 7:00 onwards

The pigeons are as jumpy as can be, they know they are about to fly for their lives. Victory or defeat, raw nature.

 

[ShooterwithNoName]

Where do you live ?

Red tails catch snakes without a problem, but small birds are almost impossible for them to catch.

Live in WV, nowhere special just surrounded by a lot of woods. I've only seen one catch a snake once. It tangled with it for a few seconds but took it out pretty quick. Only birds I've seen them hit were actually turtle doves. Not really a small bird but smaller than the hawk.

 

[cupid stunt]

Live in WV, nowhere special just surrounded by a lot of woods. I've only seen one catch a snake once. It tangled with it for a few seconds but took it out pretty quick. Only birds I've seen them hit were actually turtle doves. Not really a small bird but smaller than the hawk.

Nice. I think you have seen Goshawks or Coopers hawks hunting, maybe both.

 

[Strykervet]

Got hawks but more eagles here. Swore I saw a falcon or two. But they're fucking the place up, turning large fields into warehouses, etc., so like when they cut all the trees down and the deer left, birds will too when the rabbits, coons, mice and rats and moles and all the other small terrestrial animals leave. Just collapses and ecosystem.

So prior to that, it wasn't uncommon to see a bald eagle or a golden eagle on a power pole or in one of my tall trees. Neighbor saw one dive in on a rabbit and said it must have had a nine foot wingspan! Said it was HUGE. So yeah, I like watching 'em when they're around. When one is around, all the animals around get excited, spread the message and hide! Supposedly one lives in one of my trees or the neighbor's. There have been some massive nests found.

I think the eagles are really cool though when they do their thing. I saw hawks a lot as a kid growing up but never saw many eagles until I came to WA.

I also love the Stellar's Jay and have one that live in the back yard. Like a bigger, bluer super blue jay! Beautiful bird, a hunter, does a song and dance number to mate that's kinda cool.

 

[cupid stunt]

I think the eagles are really cool though when they do their thing. I saw hawks a lot as a kid growing up but never saw many eagles until I came to .

Me too, a friend of mine took this picture of a wild Goldie in Scotland a couple of months ago. that really is a vertical stoop.

There's a lot of Bald Eagles where I live but they are not a hunting bird really, that's why they are never used for falconry.. More of a vulture in a tuxedo than anything else.

 

[FatBoy]

Got hawks but more eagles here. Swore I saw a falcon or two. But they're fucking the place up, turning large fields into warehouses, etc., so like when they cut all the trees down and the deer left, birds will too when the rabbits, coons, mice and rats and moles and all the other small terrestrial animals leave. Just collapses and ecosystem.

So prior to that, it wasn't uncommon to see a bald eagle or a golden eagle on a power pole or in one of my tall trees. Neighbor saw one dive in on a rabbit and said it must have had a nine foot wingspan! Said it was HUGE. So yeah, I like watching 'em when they're around. When one is around, all the animals around get excited, spread the message and hide! Supposedly one lives in one of my trees or the neighbor's. There have been some massive nests found.

I think the eagles are really cool though when they do their thing. I saw hawks a lot as a kid growing up but never saw many eagles until I came to WA.

I also love the Stellar's Jay and have one that live in the back yard. Like a bigger, bluer super blue jay! Beautiful bird, a hunter, does a song and dance number to mate that's kinda cool.

Same shit is happening here. We had (have?) A Golden Eagle that used to hunt the hay fields off medical center and I24 in Murfreesboro. Huge bird, looked crazy sitting in top of a 6' round bail. Now, that field is fuckihg Chevy and Honda dealerships. The deforestation for subdivisions and the selling of the 100-200 acre farms for the same is destroying middle TN.

As to hawks, we have a LOT of red tails. I actually came up in one that had killed a juvenile raccoon. I have never seen a hawk kill anything that big, it was impressive. I had a Paragrin take a starling off the phone line right above me while I was washing my car. I could see him about 600 yards out and remember thinking it was cool beciase we dont see them often. 3 seconds later I hear this starling screaming and I look up as the falcon is flying with it gripped tight in one talon. Poetic, as the fuckers shit oll over my M3 every time I wash it.

We had a lot of young red tail struck by cars this year. I840 was littered with dead birds. Sad...

 

[cupid stunt]

Huge bird, looked crazy sitting in top of a 6' round bail.

The big ones are females.

 

[Rthur]

In recent years the raptors have increased in our area.
Namely Bald Eagles as the newest.
Fairly common now.
Red Tails, Eagles, Cooper's Hawk, Night Hawk, Kestrels and more I can't identify.
Owls including GreatHorned as well.

R

 

[Jefe's Dope]

 

[Ric O'shay]

Interesting thread. Love the power of a winged predator.

 

[MtnCreek]

Me too, a friend of mine took this picture of a wild Goldie in Scotland a couple of months ago. that really is a vertical stoop.

View attachment 7016546

There's a lot of Bald Eagles where I live but they are not a hunting bird really, that's why they are never used for falconry.. More of a vulture in a tuxedo than anything else.

We have ospreys here that dive like that. Damned impressive to watch them dive like that into the water and come out with a fish. Size wise I don't know how it compairs to that golden, but they're a lot bigger than a red tail hawk.

 

[cupid stunt]

In recent years the raptors have increased in our area.
Namely Bald Eagles as the newest.
Fairly common now.
Red Tails, Eagles, Cooper's Hawk, Night Hawk, Kestrels and more I can't identify.
Owls including GreatHorned as well.

R

The name night hawk is misleading. Night hawks are not raptors.

 

[MtnCreek]

Btw, after this and the motorcycle thread, I no longer think you're a stupid cunt.

 

[uncle_smokey]

I'm in a pretty sweet location where on one side of the hill there are bitchin red tail's and osprey's on the other. I grew up watching the red tails, so I dig them more, but those osprey's are pretty awesome when they are out hunting near the beach.

The last time I was out playing golf (my other ridiculously expensive hobby that I suck at), we were on 13 which is a hard dog-leg left. When we were rounding the bend, an enormous red tail swooped down and snatched a fat ground squirrel up like 15 yards from us. Best part is it brought it up into a large oak tree right by us and I could hear the momma feeding her babies up in the nest. I may have doubled that damn hole, but that bird hunting was well worth the price of admission that day.

 

[NineHotel]

We follow the raptors around here too (Colorado front range). Lots here for sure. Baldies, goldens, lots of different hawks, some falcons too. Prairie Falcons in the cliffs at Red Rocks are pretty easy to spot too. I'll post some pics when I get some files moved around on my computers.

 

[niteshooter]

Nice videos. Haven’t seen anything like that in a while in my area. Mostly they follow the farm machinery to catch the displaced rodents.
A few months back a little red tail kind landed on my suppressor cover while sitting up in a deer tripod stand. Just heard wind and wings come up behind. Thought it was a dove at first split second until I turned my head and mad eye contact.
Then we both had that oh shit look and he swooped off to another tree.
Didn’t see any deer but took solice in the fact I could sit still enough to fool a sharp eyed hawk.
Closest I’ve ever been to one.

 

[THEIS]

Hi,

@cupid stunt
You ever make it to the International Falconry Festival in Abu Dhabi when you were breeding/handling your own?

Sincerely,
Theis

 

[cupid stunt]

Hi,

@cupid stunt
You ever make it to the International Falconry Festival in Abu Dhabi when you were breeding/handling your own?

Sincerely,
Theis

I never went but shipped many birds out there. Here's a tribrid I kept back for myself at 7 weeks old, she's a real powerhouse.

 

[Dougie308]

I found a great way to watch them hunting on a daily basis without going anywhere.

First thing you need to do is build a pigeon loft. Mine cost $150 to build. Second thing is to get some Birmingham Rollers, I got mine for nothing. They breed easily and most pigeon fanciers are happy to give them away

View attachment 7016262

Birmingham Rollers don't go anywhere apart from up, high up !

View attachment 7016265

That brings the hawks in, it matters not where you live, you will certainly see fast and exiting action.

You will lose a lot of pigeons at first but that's ok, its natures way of weeding out those that don't make the grade.. Only the best will survive and breed.

I have had hawks and falcons crash into my legs when chasing my pigeons, they often use me as cover to escape certain death.

Here's one hiding after a lucky escape,

View attachment 7016275

Here's the Goshawk it escaped from 10 minutes earlier, a nice mature male.

View attachment 7016276

This is what I throw at the pigeons to make them fly. It's very scary.View attachment 7016277

Here's a coopers hawk that crashed into my legs, I could easily have caught it. An immature female.

View attachment 7016280

Here's a jack Merlin. Merlins are small but lighting fast.

View attachment 7016281

This is just a small sample of the birds that hunt my pigeons..... It's falconry without the hassle.

My son and I were fortunate enough to see both a big Redtail nail a rabbit literally 20 yards in front of us and bald eagle snag fish from the Black River in MO closer than that.

 

[dave300]

I find it incredibly interesting, more so the lack of any protection on your own hand?
Cool thread.

I never went but shipped many birds out there. Here's a tribrid I kept back for myself at 7 weeks old, she's a real powerhouse.View attachment 7016958

 

[cupid stunt]

I find it incredibly interesting, more so the lack of any protection on your own hand?
Cool thread.

That falcon thinks she is the same species as me, they don't hurt their own. She is what's known as a sexual imprint. when imprints are sexually mature they will only want to have sex with people... Her father had sex with my hat three times each day during the breeding seasons.

This is her father, a Peregrine from England.

Her mother, an arctic Gyrfalcon X Saker falcon from the middle east.

 

[FatBoy]

Alright, you got me. That is some cool shit right there. Not sure about the falcon jizz, but you seem to have the under control.

 

[cupid stunt]

Alright, you got me. That is some cool shit right there. Not sure about the falcon jizz, but you seem to have the under control.

 

[cupid stunt]

How Literal Fuck Hats Saved the Peregrine Falcon

https://www.theawl.com/2017/10/how-literal-fuck-hats-saved-the-peregrine-falcon/

 

[Ric O'shay]

Just when you thought you heard everything. "The three-man falcon handjob" and the "fuck hat".
I guess some facts are stranger than fiction.

 

[cupid stunt]

Just when you thought you heard everything. "The three-man falcon handjob" and the "fuck hat".
I guess some facts are stranger than fiction.

The three man hand job is a sorry affair, it's rape and shows poor management..... I have never done that to a falcon, all my inseminations were done voluntarily.

 

[cupid stunt]

The correct way to inseminate the females is shown at 2:56.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_l3EyvM-UA

 

[Mike 556]

Have quite a few Bald eagles around the upper Delaware river. Watching them take fish is amazing.

 

[StrayDog]

I get to watch Osprey hover then dive for fish--that never gets old!
Here's another local photograph attached that sums up life.
Really enjoy birds of prey.

 

[jrhtx]

I saw this guy out the bathroom window. I can't believe he(?) stayed around for 5+ minutes while he finished off the mocking bird and let me get a lot of photos. I was about 20 ft away and he was very unconcerned about me taking the pictures.

Wish I knew if there was something I could do to draw them to to ranch. Maybe they would kill some of the gophers.

 

[Badfinger]