Widow 5/9/08

May 9, 2008

I went up to the mountain just to give Widow a short flight ..

After calling her to the fist a couple of time she went up and out of sight. For two and a half hours she stayed up over the area so high I was not able to see her. Clouds rolled in and she was, according to my receiver, over the top of the storm. My last signal was coming from the north and very faint which would indicate that she was a long ways away. I drove out in that direction, covering the general area as best I could. If this was to be Widow’s last flight with me I knew her condition was high enough that she would be fine. I did, however, want my $200 transmitter back. As the sunlight faded I drove home with a heavy heart, not wanting to end my relationship with Widow so suddenly.

Next morning..

By 8 am I had already fed the horses and scanned the area with my receiver with no signal. Our ranch is on top of what is called a bench and gives a great view of the valley and mountains. The plan was that after feeding the rest of the birds I was going to start driving around looking for a signal. Cordi and I were talking near my truck when I turned on the receiver again and suddenly got a strong signal. Widow was close. I tracked her into a huge canyon along the Malheur River with steep cliffs on one side and the river on the other. The signal was strong one minute and would fade to almost nothing the next, indicating Widow was moving. I realized that she must be on top of the mountain that overlooks the river. I found a way up and began to climb the very steep hill, all the while looking for snakes. I was about half way up to the top when I heard the rushing sound of a stooping bird and, BAM, Widow was on the lure! She had indeed been on top of the mountain and thankfully she saw me before I had to climb any farther.