Hanging Out with the Hawks: Pt. II (of III) The Harris Hawks!

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Meet the Harris Hawks! Click to enlarge. Please stay tuned to my next post (pt. III and maybe IV) to watch all the hawks in flight, what a sight!
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Here’s a sneak preview of them launching off! It was amazing to call them back to glove!

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We flew two Harris Hawks who usually hunt cooperatively in groups of 2-6, enabling them to catch larger prey like jack-rabbits.

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Harris Hawks are native to the southwestern United States, Chile and Argentina. The silver device you see on the hawks leg is a telemetric tracker in case the hawk were to get lost while flying.

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They are a highly social bird and are frequently trained by falconers.
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These hawks are working hawks who chase seagulls away from posh beachfront hotels in San Diego. Their presence alone is enough to scare the seagulls away.

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We flew them, watched them search, and called them back to hand!

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What a thrill! No wonder this has been the ancient art of kings and queens.


In fact, The earliest records of falconry date from Mesopotamia in 2ooo BC!

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When I returned to The Holler from my time with the hawks, the red-tails flew closer than ever before, enabling me to get some good shots. Do you suppose they smelled the hawks on me? Who knows? All I know is that hawks are very clever birds and I love them!
Cheers to you from Hawk Holler!