Eagle Journal

Hello everyone,

Well we made it up and back from Oregon; a lot of driving but we did see some neat country. Yesterday food was withheld from both eagles, Widow and Jackhammer (JH), in the hopes that they would be ready for action today. I knew Widow would be. As far as JH is concerned, he would be real close to his flying weight, which is 8 lbs. 2 Oz’s, but just because he is at flying weight doesn’t mean he’ll come back to me. It’s almost like he needs to be reminded each new season that, yes, he is a trained bird and, yes, I’m the one who trained him, and, most importantly, that, yes, he likes being trained. My plan was to hunt Widow and, after I returned home, fly JH out in the training field down the road from my house, with a long rope on him!

My plan for Widow was this today I’d hunt her and tomorrow I’d take her out to the hills and hopefully let her soar. Unless there is a lot of wind, not much will happen the first couple of days because, Widow, just like in her first days of hunting, does not know what she is supposed to do. There is only one way to get her to soar — haul her up a hill, cast her off into the wind, and sit down and watch. Usually, eagles fly off a ways, land, and look at you. But just like eagles can’t resist chasing jack rabbits, eagles also can’t resist riding the wind. Sooner or later Widow will launch into the wind and start testing herself. She is in good condition from hunting so that will not be an issue. Once again it’s just a matter of confidence.

Today’s hunt. I went to the railroad tracks for two reasons: Widow likes it and it’s a lot easier for me walking wise. I went up and down the bank and could not get one jack to break out into the open. The second Widow would launch, the jacks would go right back in the weeds. The good thing was Widow was getting a great workout flying back and forth, up and down the bank. I then went over to the middle alfalfa field, the one with the tank in it. Nobody was working there so I figured I could hunt the area closer to the tank which I have not hunted due to the fact that Widow went brain dead every time I got close to it.  I only saw two jacks and neither were in a good spot for Widow. I called it a day, still having to fly JH and not wanting it to get too hot.

Jackhammer is my 4 year old male golden eagle. He is my falconry eagle and will not be released which is much safer for the planet. JH looks at everything he sees with one thought in mind, how am I going to catch it and eat it, be it dog, cat, deer, coyote, squirrel (both tree and ground), all species of rabbits and hares, water fowl, domestic fowl which includes chickens, geese (both tame and wild), peacocks, turkeys (both tame and wild), wild and pen raised pheasants well, you get the picture. It’s funny, after flying Widow for the past few months I had forgotten what it’s like to fly JH. He is a whole different animal I went in to pick him up off his perch and was immediately reminded that this is not Widow, the nice sweet eagle that I have been flying. JH looked at me with his crest up, back arched, standing on his toes, and was slightly turned sideways, better to strike! I started talking to him, speaking quietly hey, remember me, old buddy, old pal! There is a brief moment when I’m in no mans land as I reach out for JH’s leash and jesses. There is just enough slack in the leash that he can get me, and I know if he wants to, there is little I can do about it. I have handled dozens of eagles, and I can generally read their intentions and get out of the way, but this one is different and my senses were on full alert. I stepped closer and JH was now poised in a position where he could strike and he’d have me. If JH decided to attack, the only thing I could do is hope that he grabs the glove and not my bare arm. Once he’s locked on the glove I can step back to the end of the leash which is tied to his perch. That way he can not come any closer and do any more damage.

When I say JH is a different animal, what I’m saying is everything must be on his terms. You must earn his trust, he will not give it.  Then, once he accepts you you’re in. I remember, in his first season, I had him flying long distances to my fist, over and over, like a machine, but with a rope tied to him. The first time I flew him free he was gone. I tracked him one or two miles and each time I got close he’d fly off. Finally he was so tired he couldn’t fly. He was done and he stepped up on my fist. Shortly after that he flew off again and I chased him through a town as he flew right down the main street, over the yellow line. Cars were swerving everywhere. Picture this.you’re driving along going to work or whatever, and you see a golden eagle flying right at your car two feet off the ground followed by some nut ball running after the eagle waving his arms! I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get this bird trained. JH is imprinted so that probably accounts for 95% of his outlook on the world. He is truly something else.

I took him to the training field and with a 100 ft rope on him walked out into the breeze. JH spread his wings, flew 50 ft. and landed, and the second he touched the ground was back in the air coming at me!! I stuck out my glove more for protection than anything else really and, bang, he was there..that quick. Wings spread, mantling, he hit me in the eye and slapped me up both sides of my head with his wings. I call it wing-whipping and it’s a little intimidating, I gotta say. The whole time he had a full power grip on the glove, and my four fingers were all smashed together like a bad handshake. I was pleased to find both long, braided jesses and get his feet under control. JH swallowed his reward and relaxed just a bit, looked at me, and gave me another swat on the side of the head. Then he relaxed some more and I could see the fire in his eyes draining away.. The question is why would I fly a bird like this. Well, for those of you that have read this journal in the past you know already, for the rest, all I can say is wait and see

Hope all is well,

Joe