Every type of falconry presents its own set of challenges. I say this often, but one thing all falconry has in common is the challenge it presents to falconers when they wish or must travel for an extended period. Unforutnately, it's not as simple as "feed the cat for me and grab my mail."
Some birds and setups are inherently easier for the traveling falconer than others. For instance, leaving my red-tails for a long weekend during the molt has become a fairly simple process thanks to my current mew setup which features feed chutes for each bird and (so far) a tangle-free leash system. Wireless security cameras also allow me to check in on them while I'm away for short periods. All of these things make it possible for even the novice "pet sitter" to feed the red-tails pre-portioned feeds so long as they don't mind handling dead rodents.
Kestrels, however, make me nervous. I've never left a kestrel for more than a day, but in two weeks, I'll be doing just that. Part of my success with kestrels can be attributed to my ability to be with them most of the time, even in the off-season. They're monitored in person and on camera several times throughout the day. I'm constantly walking up and checking their leashes, their hardware, their anklets, their furniture. Not only will this be the longest I've been away from any of my micros, but both of the kestrels are also on new (to me) bow perch setups.
It comes as no surprise then that I was relieved to see one of Matt Mullenix's new posts on this exact same subject. I also chuckled at the divine timing with my four-day trip on the horizon. I use the same bow perch and hookup Matt uses, so his post was basically a review and run through of what I'll be experiencing two weeks from now.
Ally, the smallest of the two current female kestrels here at the house, on her Mountain State Falconry Supply Kestrel Bow Perch.
Sally, the largest of the two current female kestrels here at the house, on her Mountain State Falconry Supply Kestrel Bow Perch.
With Matt's blessing, I'm sharing his post below. It's a testament to the intentional design of this kestrel bow perch setup. A perching system that keeps a bird healthy and safe in the absence of constant supervision is a system that is sought after by any serious and respectable falconer. This is one of those perching systems.
from Matt Mullenix
Septmeber 29, 2024
posted on Falconry Fundamentalists
There’s no better test of a system (and none worse on the nerves) than discovering how it behaves when no one’s looking.
For obvious reasons, falconry is not possible in the absence of the falconer. Yet when we travel for work or tend to unexpected events, sometimes the systems that run our falconry have to run themselves for a bit.
That’s when a good system earns its keep.
I hate leaving my hawks in anyone’s care (I hate leaving them, period) because I know if disaster strikes, that person will feel terrible, and it would probably not have happened otherwise.
With small hawks, that goes triple.
I just got back from a work trip that was longer than I prefer and then a day longer with weather delays. In all, Coco had to manage on her perch alone for a full week.
That’s a very long time to leave a small hawk by itself.
Not to worry: She was fine. Feather perfect and perky. Leg scales intact. Her weight was right where I’d left it.
I was pleased, but not surprised.
My wife is a willing and experienced bird feeder, and I portion the amounts ahead of time for her convenience. I check and oil all the gear before go. I leave mostly redundant instructions about hawk care, and I peek occasionally on the two web cameras trained on the bird.
But without a good perching system, none of that is enough. A hawk’s home base has to be safe. Every part of the system has to work 100% of the time. There’s no margin for error when everyone at the house is gone for eight hours a day, and the falconer is gone for a week.
The kestrel perching system I’ve relied on for decades is shown below. This is just how I found Coco this morning (after changing her paper for tasteful presentation).
It’s a perch and tether of exactly the same dimensions as the one shown in “American Kestrels in Modern Falconry” (published by Western Sporting), but this one is made by Mountain State Falconry Supply. So now my old one is a travel perch, and this is the new home base.
Matt's female American kestrel Coco, upon his return from a recent trip.
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