Widow 6/2/08

June 2, 2008

Rain has been the order of the last few days. Cordi and I have spent some time looking for different areas to fly Widow and have found some interesting places. But, for today, I went back up the mountain with the water tank to let Widow stretch her wings. The sky was filled with big puffy clouds, warm, 70’, with a 12 mph breeze coming from the north perfect conditions.

As I sometimes do, I wired her up, undid her leash, and pulled the hood while she sat on the perch in the back of the truck. Then, with Widow off flying, I can put on my vest and snake gators while she looks for a thermal. I also had a pheasant with me to serve her when she got into position. I was fishing out my gators in the back seat when I glanced up and saw that Widow was already almost a pin dot directly over the truck. I’d say that was good position!

I quickly finished and walked out on the point that overlooks the valley below. This point that I go to is at about 4,000 feet. It’s not the tallest mountain around but high enough for training purposes. Widow was right overhead and at least a couple of thousand feet up so I launched the pheasant out in the direction of the open valley. Luck was on my side. Widow was so high I am sure the pheasant did not see her and it flew into the wind which took it out into open air. Instantly Widow was in a full stoop, wings tucked up against her body. The only question was would the pheasant stay in the air long enough. Out the pheasant flew and down came Widow in a stoop that took my breath away! Coming in with speed I am sure she had never tried before, I think Widow momentarily lost sight of the pheasant because she did a falcon-like pitch up and I could see her looking side to side. She locked back on the pheasant and hit the jets, closing fast on the now freaked out target. Down it raced to the ground; a race that Widow was clearly going to win! Just seconds before the pheasant reached the ground Widow arrived with extreme attitude and bounced the pheasant into the ground where a slight ground chase ensued. I say slight because the pheasant was already finished from the blow Widow had delivered. What a flight! She makes it look so easy. Still not the midair grab but we are inching closer.

Widow went back up 4 more times, ending with the last flight when I called her in from well over a mile out and who knows how high up. I could just see her as a dot in the sky.