Entered to game!

The term indicates that your hawk is given a chance to catch its intended prey species. This is ideally in such a way that it does not know that it was arranged.

Today was to be Orrin's introduction to birds. In watching him I do not believe that he had ever hunted birds before. This country is over run with Mice, Voles, and Shrews. With that kind of abundance there is no need for an agile raptor like a Kestrel to exert itself by chasing birds. Both Tami and I have been catching Starlings that have been helping the chickens with their food. Being an invasive species there are no restrictions on killing them. They are perfect in that they are heavy enough that he should not be able to carry one very far, and tough enough that he would be quite busy trying to subdue it. After catching Starlings, any thing else is a piece of cake.

The Starling was handicapped by clipping the flight feathers off of one wing. The Starling is then unbalanced enough that it cannot fly well enough to escape, but it can still fly. Tami had earlier placed her used Christmas tree out in the middle of a hay field by the house and baited it with chicken scratch.  (The intent is to lure Sparrows out to a place that Orrin could have a chance to catch them before they get to cover.)  We walked out to the tree, I kicked it and tossed the Starling out. Orrin watched it a bit and then took off with more serious intent than I had witnessed from him ever before. He caught the Starling on the edge of the ditch that runs through the field. They struggled and fell down into the ditch.

 As you can see, the boy knows which end carries the threat. I was pleased to see that he had it pretty well subdued, but he was still in a fight, and with the Starling on its back, could not kill it. Starlings use their feet to fight with as well, and being on its back he could not get past the stabbing beak to break its neck. Tami moved in to the front and grabbed the Starling, bringing them up out of the ditch.

It looks a bit awkward, but he is not about to let go of his grip on its neck, and is using his wings to help him balance.

All the time he was trying to sever the spine to kill the Starling. Tami had already broken the Starling's neck, but Orrin's system was running full of adrenaline and he wasn't taking any ones word for anything.

We spent the rest of the day letting him eat all he could hold of the first warm meal that he has had since he was caught on the trap. Tami and I discussed her observations and every other situation that she could think of while he ate.