Rock House Fly- In!

Each year a bunch of our friends gather for an unofficial Kolb airplane fly- in here at the house. It is a good time visiting and flying the spectacular terrain that Eastern Oregon is blessed with. This year we decided to have it in late June in the hopes that the weather would be a bit better. It was a nice thought, but as usual for this year the wind was a bit of a problem. Everyone managed to get in without any problem.

 
The group has expanded a bit, with  a visitor from Hawaii and even one from Australia. At peak we had 20 people here. The wind was howling and one sustained wind peaked at 41.7 MPH. One of the guy's parked his truck and trailer to block as much of the wind as he could. His plane was hovering with both wheel off the ground. Finally the wind subsided, but much too much to enjoy any flights, so a road trip was in order for the rest of the day.

 The scenery in Leslie Gulch is pretty spectacular, and wildlife is prolific so every one had a great time.

 After dinner we all gathered around the camp fire to shoot a few bulls and tell stories.

 Finally we got a break from the wind and there was a mad scramble to get our planes out to fly.

 Besides the light sport type, we also had 3 GA planes. The dirt ( Rocks ) runway did not suit them as well as the Kolbs, but we worked around it.

 I had a chance to borrow a drift video camera, and found that the quality was much better. I promptly ordered one.  https://vimeo.com/44828465

Cow Camp Candy drop and Flight to the Alvord!

It has been a while since I have posted, mostly because the weather has been terrible and I have done little that hasn't been necessary for survival. We normally have a "Fly-In" for our Kolb friends each year in May. The weather is usually nasty most of the time, so this year I thought that we would put it off until the 23rd of June in the hopes that the weather would moderate a bit. So far the decision has been one of my better ideas.

John Hauck arrived Thursday from Alabama with a four day flight, and two weather days. Not bad, it took him eleven days last year to get here in May. A little bit of rest composed of naps and hot tubs and he was soon feeling a lot better. Today promised to be a quiet day for the wind, so we decided that it was time to fly.

The Stoddarts from the ranch next door, have been up to Cow Camp for at least two weeks branding this years calves. All of them must be worn to the bone with all the work, and I am sure the kids are feeling it as well, so I decided that a Candy drop might be just the thing for the kids. I spent a bit of time last night tying 9 or 10 Hershey bars to one of my bandannas for a parachute. That way they could find it and they wouldn't be crumbled up when they got them. I used to make parachutes like that when I was a kid. Should work, I reasoned.

The morning wind slowed around 8 AM and John and I took off for Cow Camp. As we approached we could see that we had gotten lucky and had caught them before they had left for their gather. I buzzed the camp to decide where I wanted to toss the bars. I made another circle and tossed them out at about 100 feet. I was pleased to see the bandanna open up just off the wheel. I had timed it perfectly and the bars landed just by their tent.

We then headed on to the Alvord by straight line. As I topped the last hills I could see a herd of "Wild Horses" all in a single file heading down the hill.

The winds were surprisingly calm and smooth, and we soon approached the Desert.

This year has been a dry one and there was very little water on it at all. The only places where it held water was where the creeks flowed into the desert.

After a low level flight around the edge of the Desert and a check of the Hot Springs John wanted to land. We set down in our last campsite from 2005. The air was dead calm and really quiet since we were the only people on that side of the lake bed. John wanted to do some touch and goes to reacquaint himself with the altitude. After shooting 6 or so landings, we both took off for the house. As I flew across the Lake bed, John continued doing touch and goes all across the 6 miles of flat lake bed. He said that he did about 10 and with his bigger engine still kept up with me flying at 70 MPH level.  We flew out through the Sand Gap and over Coyote Lake ( about a mile across and just as flat). John did another five flying across that.

There was a bit of a tail wind coming across the desert, but the wind at the house was only 3 MPH. We flew 1.6 hours and had as good a flight as I can ever remember.

Here is a video of that flight.  https://vimeo.com/44174932

Air time on the Owyhee!

The weather and wind finally came together to make a great day here in Rome. It was much too nice to work in the garden or the other things waiting for me to do. So I rolled out Dart and checked the batteries in my video camera and took off to get a better look at the Owyhee canyon. The picture above is where Crooked Creek flows into the Owyhee. The river is brown and a bit higher due to the recent rains and snow melt.

There were at least three groups of rafters camped at various spots on the River. The season this year is going to be quite a bit shorter than normal and especially last year. There was so much rain last year that they rafted well into July. It is about done right now this year.

The air couldn't have been better. No haze at all and even shooting through my lexan windshield they are still decent photo's.

Chalk Basin is next from Rome when going North (down river) Pretty interesting scenery to say the least.

Here at the end of Bogus Creek and basin, the river goes back into the enclosed cliffs. John Hauck and I fished the pool where the river goes into the higher cliffs. There were so many Bass that it took no time at all to fill our limit.

The cliffs get a lot bigger and more imposing from this point on. I did not get any pictures due to the shadows and the fact I was a bit busy looking at everything.

The Bighorn Sheep did not disappoint me, and were at their usual spot. I did not want to get close enough to take the picture that I would like. So I used my Telephoto and decided to accept the photo no matter if I would have liked to get closer. If they are "pressed" at all they run to the cliff edge and dive over. No matter that they are Bighorn Sheep and are comfortable on Rock faces that would have me peeing down both legs, I just cannot push them into evasive action.

The flight lasted 1 hour and 36 minutes. I burned about 5 gallons of fuel and traveled 91 miles.

http://vimeo.com/41261611    Will take you to an  short HD  clip of the flight.

Friday, April 13th

Jasper has apparently decided that this is his home. Depending on his successes he is either close to the house or at least visible in the distance. He will allow me within 10 feet or so to him before he moves to a more remote perch.  The other day Karen and I found him inside the Chicken pen, sitting on the doorway of the house. Apparently he had gone in after a Sparrow, and was either waiting where he would have the advantage if one came in to eat, or he had forgotten how to get out. I believe that he was waiting inside on purpose. He was quite well hidden, and appeared to be content with where he was.

I went back to the house to get a thawed Starling, but when I went inside with him, he flew to the far corner and began to Kak in alarm at me. He was in the wrong corner to get out, so I pushed him to the side that he would be able to get out of the wire. He crawled through the wire and flew up to the power line. I tossed the Starling into the horse corral in front of him as I left. I watched and he flew down and got the Starling.

A few days later I made another trip up the runway spraying weeds, and saw him sitting on the fence bordering the runway. He paid no attention to me at all. On my trip back, I noticed that he was sitting on top of the house that I had put up for him. Since then in the evenings he can be seen sitting on the roof of the Kestrel house. I cannot say if he is going inside at night or not, but at least he is using it. I can only hope that a female will wonder by and think that he has a viable nest site.

He has actually been spending more time here around the house lately, and it obviously supplies most of his food. After all it is the local feeding spot for everything from Sparrows to Mice. I have noticed at least one molted feather under the power pole by the house. He is in no way bothered by either us or the dogs, but he does maintain his own space. Yesterday he was sitting on the Chicken pen in the morning and the evening, but he didn't seem to be all that hungry, so I did nothing, figuring that if he was really hungry, I would be able to tell from his actions.

It was a bit cool this morning when I went out to feed. Josie let me know that my live trap had Mice in it. I picked it up and found that I had at least five Mice in it. I flipped one out for Josie to play with. She took it to the middle of the runway and driveway to play with it. She still wants to play rather than kill them. I noticed that Jasper was sitting on the fence at the top of the runway. I yelled and waved my hat at him, tossing it up in the air, as I had done when we were serving him bagged game. He did not come in my direction, so I put the trap down and let the Chickens out. When I looked up, he was no longer on the fence. I looked around and saw that he had been sitting on the rock jacks by the gate. He then flew to the top of the hanger. I got another Mouse out and tossed it in the air towards him. He took off and rather than come towards me, he was flying full speed at Josie. Josie was sitting down watching me. Jasper zipped behind Josie within two feet, snatched up the Mouse without slowing down a bit and flew to the rock jack.

I called for Josie, and she turned to pick up her Mouse. It wasn't there! She had no idea that Jasper had stolen it, without her realizing it. She ran all over the area with her nose to the ground, and just could not believe that it wasn't there. I finally got her to come over to me and get the one that I had tossed. Everyone was happy, and I had my first laugh of the day.

This is not the first time he has taken one of her Mice. Josie was playing with one that I had tossed for he, when Jasper showed up on the power line. Josie had wallowed it to the point that it was quite content to just sit still and endure. Josie saw me and came to me, leaving the Mouse humped up and not moving. Jasper swooped down, picked it up and flew to the corral gate to eat it. As I have said more than once, the boy is smart! Hopefully he remains alert and agile as well.

Jasper Update.

Well it has been 8 days and an update is due, since I am sure most of you are wondering how his readjustment is coming along.

It appears that he might just claim the place here as his "Territory". He has not been loath to help himself to the Sparrow population, and I have seen him many times with a Sparrow in his feet. He seems to like to eat twice a day. A Sparrow in the morning to start the day out right and a Mouse from my live trap in the evening. He seems to have little desire to take on the Starlings or Black birds that are helping themselves to my Chicken food. A smart move to my way of thinking. Both are dangerous without immediate help.

I would always see him in the morning if I got out early enough, gone through the middle of the day and then back again in the evening to hunt the Sparrows and Mice that live here. The weather has been moderate as far as the temps are concerned. The winds however have been howling, but that is not a problem with a Kestrel. He can handle the wind better than most of his prey species.

Tami finally got enough of a pause in the hectic schedule of the Ranch to come over to see him. I called her when he showed up, but it took her a bit to get her kid crew fed, and when she got here he was not to be seen. I had noticed the day before that when I had done some shooting, he showed up. I had been trying to eliminate some of the ground Squirrels that seem intent on carrying off as much of my Layer mash as they can, mouthful by mouthful. He has been hanging out on the fence line some times, but he was nowhere to be seen. I got out my 22 and began shooting at the Pigeons that were flying overhead. Nothing! Tami and Grace loaded up to leave and as soon as they started the car, I noticed him sitting on the gate post.

I checked my live trap, and found that the only Mouse in it had managed to kill himself by tripping the trap from the inside and getting caught in the mechanism. I gave it to Tami and she waved it calling him. He flew over to her, hovered over her hand, but did not land. He flew instead to the top of the Hanger. Tami called again and tossed it to the ground in front of her. He flew down, picked it up and flew to a post by the gate. We watched him, discussing how pleased that she was to see him. About that time he flew to the rock jack that anchors the fence, and cached it, flying back to the hanger.

I got a dead Starling that I was intending to give to the Harris Hawks, and gave it to Tami. She again waved it calling him, and he again hovered over her fist, almost landing. He flew to the front of the tractor, watching her. She again tossed it to the ground and he flew down to it. He immediately started trying to break in to the brains. I think I have mentioned a time or two that he loves the brains on the birds that he catches. After eating a while, he attempted to fly off with the Starling, but could not as it probably weighs as much as he does. We watched him eat until duty forced Tami to go home. I went out later to see what he had done with the Starling, but could not find it anywhere. I am not sure where or even how he managed to drag it off, but the only thing left was the remains of the head. I checked later to see if the Mouse was still cached in the rock jack and it was. The next morning when we went to town, it was gone, so we knew what he had for breakfast.

He is of course getting a bit more independent each day, and more used to feeding himself. I tried with three mice that I had caught yesterday to give him. He was content to watch them run to cover each time without making any attempt to catch them. He is not concerned with me or my presence. He only stays high enough that the dogs do not pose a problem to him. I am able to walk within a few feet of him, without him feeling the need to move.

Two days ago I noticed that I needed to spray some weeds that were beginning to come up in the runway, and as I approached the wind sock, I saw a bird fly to the front of the sock. I drove up a bit further to where I could see and there was Jasper sitting on a bar inside the wind sock. The mystery of where he has been spending the night is now solved. The little rascal is sitting inside, dry and out of sight each night. I went back to the house and called up plans for a Kestrel box on the computer. After I finished it I fastened it to the windsock pole. Hopefully he will begin using that and even better find a wandering female to nest there.

I had thought that he might wander off, but there is the faint possibility that he might stay here. The thought causes me great pleasure. I had first thought that the "Hack Tower" might provide a home for him, but two Barn Owls have moved into there, so the windsock is the next best.

I just finished my morning chores and found Jasper sitting on the corner of the Chicken pen. I closed the gate behind me and went to my Starling house trap that was currently occupied with two Starlings. I took one out, wrung its neck and tossed it out to the open area by where he had been sitting. Nothing! I took the other out and did the same, tossing it a bit further out. Still nothing. I looked around the corner and he was just sitting there watching them flop, but showing no interest at all. I picked up the dead birds to feed to the Harris's and went to my Mouse trap. (It is a repeating trap that can catch up to 10 or more mice at a time.) There were four of them in there, and they were quite hyperthermic, so I reached in and tossed one out in the open area in front of him. Nothing! I did so with the other three, and he still didn't move. At that point I was convinced that he was in no danger of starving, so I turned to go. I noticed him turn with a bit more interest, then he apparently decided that he might be able to hold another mouse or he decided to cache it.

All in all, it has worked out much better than I could have hoped for.

Spring has come to the High Desert!

Spring has indeed come to the High Desert of Eastern Oregon. The calendar has officially decided that it is spring. The hours have changed to daylight savings time. Not sure why, but it is not my place to ask. Already darkness has retreated to 8 PM. Our winter this year has been the gentlest that we have experienced in Karen's and my entire lifetime. We have had 2.4 inches of moisture since early November, but the rainy season here is still to come. The months of April, May and early June often have the worst weather of the entire year if you discount the cold of December.

March has been the windiest that we have experienced. The wind has been unrelenting, and hitting as high as 59 MPH. The average temps have been climbing steadily, and the migrants are returning to their summer homes. Killdeer are hunting worms in the lawn that is now beginning to green up. The Say's Phoebe has returned to claim his home under the back porch. While watching the Red Tail Hawk, that is determined to bring off a clutch of young from the telephone pole down by the creek, I saw a flock of Swallows in flight over the house. Of course I am not immune to the promise of spring either, as I was  rototilling the garden. The daytime temps are in the 60's when the spring storms have made their way into Idaho and points East.

Since it is Spring, it is time for Jasper to have the freedom that we promised him when we first held him in our trembling sweaty fingers. He has held up his end of the bargain, and now it is our turn to honor our promise.

A pretty forlorn little guy!

I find it a bit amusing that many of our falconer acquaintances do not understand why we are releasing Jasper. I can only guess that their definition of falconry and the apprentice program is different than the one that Karen, Tami and I believe in.

It is true that Falconry, and the goal of Falconry, is to hunt wild game with a raptor. It is not merely the possession of a hawk. Most people are content to have a hawk that will actually kill wild game. I require something more. I want to learn to understand better the processes that enable a raptor to hunt with a man.

Now the goal of apprenticeship is not the same as that of Falconry. In a nutshell it is to learn the art and the process required to train a raptor to be able to hunt with a man or in this case a woman. It is to learn the nuances of the raptor mind. It is to learn their language, so that they will be able to catch any species of raptor and guide it to a hunting partnership. One cannot do that by keeping the same raptor, no matter how good or successful it is, throughout the entire 2 year apprenticeship. Any sponsor who is content to give that kind of effort to his or her apprentice is cheating them of knowledge. One time, does not make you an expert, no matter the circumstances.

Sponsorship is basically "paying it forward". In most cases someone took the time and energy to impart to the current crop of falconers whatever knowledge that they had gleaned through out the years and raptors that they have handled. There is also a "protection" feature to it as well. It is the opportunity to instill a set of ethics that ensure that falconry is treated with the respect that it deserves and requires to exist in a society that is ever more "politically correct". It ensures that the raptors in our care are treated and cared for in a responsible manner. It is our duty to impart as much knowledge and understanding as they can in the two year period that the apprentice is bound to them. That is not done with one raptor. Tami will have handled and trained a minimum of three Kestrels by the end of her apprenticeship this coming November. She will be ready to go with confidence to the next stage of her falconry career. She will have learned weight control. She will have learned how to care for and keep in flying condition a raptor, and she will have an understanding of how to enter a raptor to wild game. She will also have learned about the quarry that she will pursue, how to set up the hunts, and the limitations of both her raptor and the game that it hunts. She will also be able to impart and improve on what I have been fortunate enough to teach her, and through her efforts be able to "pay forward" once again the joy of Falconry.

I basically had no sponsor. I met my first genuine Falconer on the day that my Kestrel, that I had purchased from a guy advertising in a LA newspaper, caught her first Sparrow. I didn't have long to learn from him as we soon moved to Oregon, but one of the things that he said that  burned its way into my mind was that "Raptors are a gift from the Gods, and it was our duty to return them to the wild in as good or better shape than when we took them".  Of course in those early days, captive bred raptors was only an unfulfilled dream. That has of course changed and the entire equation has changed with it, but it is still my pleasure to be able to release a raptor back to the wild from which it came. I admit that I try to instill that rather romantic notion in those that I have sponsored. In many ways my path was much more difficult, and my arrival to this point has been due to my hunger for understanding.

We have waited until this date to release Jasper. Tami has been fattening him for his readjustment to the wild. We are releasing him here at the house, since the resident Kestrel has returned to the ranch. If we turned him loose there, a fight would of course ensue, and that is his rightful territory. Jasper has done most of his hunting here at the house, and if he decides to stay, I can supplement his diet as he requires. I seriously doubt that he will need any help, as I have rarely seen a better hunting Kestrel than him. I also doubt that he will stay long. I do not know what pressures his intensifying hormonal levels will put on him. I am guessing that he will make his way to Rome and the area around the Owyhee that had been his home before we came along.

Just in case you are curious, I gave Tami the option of keeping him for the summer. Primarily to see what she would do. She did not disappoint me, when she said that she would miss him, but wanted him to have the opportunity to be free.

Its here, Jasper's first day of freedom!

 

After some false starts we managed to cut his Jesses, and he was sitting on the fist free. Finally he decided that he would make another try to get to the Chicken house so that he could hunt. His weight before Tami brought him over for release was 124 grams. That was about 15 grams more than when we caught him, so he was in no danger of starving to death any time soon.

 

 http://vimeo.com/39102952

 

He flew to his regular perch by the free chickens, and then chased a Sparrow over to the other pen. I went inside to see if there was any that I could flush. The Sparrows had all vacated the premises as soon as he had flashed up over the rock fence into sight. I was keeping an eye on him to see what he was doing, and after a bit, he started jumping up and down on the post, grabbing (footing) all over the top to the point that he fell off. He then went to the next post and was doing it there as well. Karen thought that something was the matter with him for a bit, because he was acting so strange. Tami and I could see him better and both of us were cracking up watching his joy at not having all that weight on his feet. I can't actually say that he "moon walked", but he threw almost every other hip hop move in there that he could think of.

 

We retired to the hanger to sit down and watch from there to see what he was going to do. He flew around a bit and spent at least a half an hour harassing the Black Birds that were landing on the Chicken pen.  When he tired of that he flew to the free range chicken pen. Then he flew to the ground and started playing with a chicken feather. After a bit he jumped up on the water pan for the chickens. Then he jumped in the water and started bathing. Tami was amazed as he had never bathed the entire time that she had him. He would drink water off her finger, but refused a bath. The Pigeons thought that was a good idea and wanted in as well, but didn't trust him.

When I went out to pick up eggs and put things up for the night, he followed me to the captive pen. There was a Starling inside the pen, so I pinned it in the corner with Jasper's help and took it outside for him. I tossed it for him and he caught it on the ground. They were fighting pretty good, so I got down and went in to him. I broke the birds neck and backed off. He plucked on it a bit, then the next time I looked he had flown up to a near by fence post and was eating it.

 

I am not sure where he spent the night. I went out this morning to do my chores, looking for him all the time, but did not see him any where. As I was walking back to the house, he flew by me from the area of the free range Chickens carrying a Sparrow. He flew up on the power lines, then from there to a bit easier spot to eat his breakfast. We were all so very pleased with the little rascal that we could have burst without too much effort.

 

Karen and I had to go to Boise, and did not return until about 7PM. We flushed him off the drive way gate as we drove in. I went out to do my evening chores, but did not see him. I also noticed that the normal flock of Sparrows and Black birds were not in much evidence either. The thought crossed my mind that it would be real nice if he stayed. As I went to the free range pen, I checked an automatic mouse trap that I had set outside the door. There were 5 mice in it, so I called Josie and gave her one to play with. I thought I saw a flash across the Sun, but couldn't find anything. I was standing in the drive waiting for her to maul hers to death, when I saw Jasper sitting on the fence watching. I tried calling and waving my hat to him, but he ignored me. Finally I reached in and grabbed one of the Mice. I called his name and waved the mouse. Off he came and I tossed the Mouse. It stopped still and he couldn't find it. He flew up on the hanger roof, so I walked around and herded the Mouse towards him. As soon as he saw it run, he swooped down and snatched it up, flying back up on the roof to eat.

 

As long as he stays, I will make sure that he has food if he needs it. If he decided to stay here, I could save enough Chicken food from the hordes of Black birds that normally empty my feeders, to ship in food for him. 

Jasper and Sparrow

Tami, Isabel and Thayen came over this evening with Jasper. He had finally got back into his flying weight range after an apparently exceptionally plump Starling that we had given him on his last outing. The Starling are on their swing back north after spending the harsher winter months in the land of thawed french fries. Last year I caught over 600 in less than a week, and have been feeding my hunting hawks on them ever since. Tami is stocking up as well and in the process saving at least some of her chicken feed for the intended recipients. We also keep a few fresh ones alive for the days that the wild population outsmarts us. The plump one that Jasper had eaten was one of those. It is a bit amazing how soon these Starlings lose condition after being caught. Tami feeds them well on Cat food, but they apparently loose quite a bit of muscle. Jasper caught this one with little effort on his part. Well that is if you don't count the fact that he crashed into the ground at least twice in the pursuit, giving Tami a serious case of the giggles. This time I asked her to bring at least three fresh caught ones for our "just in case" scenario.

When they arrived the Starlings were lined up on my Chicken house. As soon as Jasper opened his wings a cloud of Starlings and Sparrows hit the sky getting as much distance between them and the ground as they could. As he streaked across the ground, I saw a Sparrow take refuge under one of my trailers parked by the outside Chicken house.

Jasper was working the captive pen, and getting a few chases but nothing would give him an even chance. I decided that I would try to get some video this time rather than try to take pictures. We were checking the rock wall by the chicken pen when he abandoned us to try for a Sparrow by the outside pen. We all trekked back to see what he had found. By the time we got there he was sitting on the back of the outside pen and had cornered one behind a tool box stored there. I started the video as Tami rousted the Sparrow out of the hiding spot. The Sparrow flew under the dog house and on out, but Jasper didn't see him leave and went under the house looking for him. He finally came out and took a perch on the Dog house, then up on the Hawk house thinking the Sparrow might still be hiding there. Tami got him on the fist and we moved to the back of the outside chicken house to see if Karen could flush one in our direction. One did come to the escape hole, took one look and bolted past Karen out the front door. Jasper gave chase, but lost him in the corral. Tami called him to the fist and we went to check the Sparrow that I had seen hiding under the trailer. Tami went on one side and I started kicking the trailers on the other. The Sparrow flushed and Jasper soon put him into cover under my old Ford PU. Tami came up just in time to force the fleeing Sparrow back under the truck. Jasper went back after him, and chased him around the tires a couple of times with the Sparrow screaming at every turn. Tami was bending over to look under the truck when the Sparrow decided that it wasn't such a good place to hide after all. The Sparrow came up over the hood of the truck scratching and flying for all it was worth. When it saw Tami it hesitated just a bit and Jasper caught it by the radio antennas. They were going quite fast and they both slid over the edge. Thayen watches all the chases and does his version of trying to help. He came thundering up waving a stick about the same time they slid over the edge so Jasper continued to a farm disc parked by the truck. He is so used to Thayen and every thing around him that he seldom pays attention to any of the mayhem that usually occurs during the mayhem of a hunt. That is of course the key to successful hunting hawk. He can then focus on the prey rather than worry about the people.

 He sat on the disc and finished killing the Sparrow. Tami walked up and offered him a Starling leg. When he looked up and saw her and her offered fist, he jumped to her to eat the offering. If you will notice he is eating the leg and holding the Sparrow in his left foot. Next to bird brains he likes the skinned offerings the best.

http://vimeo.com/36971119

The above link will take you to the video of the hunt.