Mews/weigh Room For Sparrowhawk

[Accip74 7,112]

Aggressive hunters spars the pit bull of the hawks great on magpies good luck with her you imprinting

Yes mate I'm imprinting....

[Accip74 7,112]

I've always wanted a spar for maggies an blackies. Never really fancied a Harris or that tbh an was always told spars are real difficult to keep so have never bothered. Keep us posted mate

It's the daily attention to detail that really counts mate & for that you need time......that's why it's only now I've been prepared to try a spar ;-)

 

.....& then after all your best efforts, you need a large dose of luck to get safely through a season or two. I'm not selling it well, am I ? Haha....

I need a good challenge like this & involving the kids in the imprinting process will fun during the summer....;-)

[Accip74 7,112]

last year i heard some rattling up a hedge,thinking it was a rabbit i sent my deerhound x in.poked my head in and she just caught a sparrow hawk.it must have been injured.she brought it back dead.shame i like all b o p.

These things happen mate when you're in the field. A male Harris I had took Tawny & Little owls by accident, it's just unfortunate that's all....

[Mr Wilkes 3,066]

Lovely set up... keep us posted

[gnasher16 30,531]

 

 

I've always wanted a spar for maggies an blackies. Never really fancied a Harris or that tbh an was always told spars are real difficult to keep so have never bothered. Keep us posted mate

It's the daily attention to detail that really counts mate & for that you need time......that's why it's only now I've been prepared to try a spar ;-)

.....& then after all your best efforts, you need a large dose of luck to get safely through a season or two. I'm not selling it well, am I ? Haha....

I need a good challenge like this & involving the kids in the imprinting process will fun during the summer....;-)

Pretty much same advice i had from few diff folks mate, i will have one when i got the yhe time to do it justice but as of now ill leave it till then an do it properly haha

 

Same thoughts i had just that tomorrow never comes i think it must be one of the most rewarding ways of hunting that there is its almost like 2 complete opposites come together with a common goal i did a few falconry courses and spent a couple of days out with folk but id imagine its quite a unique relationship between man and bird id love to have the time,patience and knowledge to give a bird....one day.

[Guest vin]

great set up mate.

 

I flew a female spar for the last half of a season some 20 years ago now.. I got to tell you.it was one of the best bits of sport I've ever had.

 

Bushing up for blackies and the odd partridge was how I spent my mornings and loved every minute of it..I never had a dog at that time to find me any game and that made it even more challenging.

 

I managed 1 partridge (very lucky it must have been half fecked ) and a couple of blackies. . . But I never did any of this drive by shooting them out of the car malarky etc etc..Today its a different game.

 

good luck with your venture.

 

I will deffo do it again myself when I have the time. . .that's the tricky bit.

[Accip74 7,112]

great set up mate.

 

I flew a female spar for the last half of a season some 20 years ago now.. I got to tell you.it was one of the best bits of sport I've ever had.

 

Bushing up for blackies and the odd partridge was how I spent my mornings and loved every minute of it..I never had a dog at that time to find me any game and that made it even more challenging.

 

I managed 1 partridge (very lucky it must have been half fecked ) and a couple of blackies. . . But I never did any of this drive by shooting them out of the car malarky etc etc..Today its a different game.

 

good luck with your venture.

 

I will deffo do it again myself when I have the time. . .that's the tricky bit.

 

Cheers Vin

 

I spoke to my breeder last night & he's got 7 females sitting on full clutches. The clocks ticking now.......;-)

[ginger beard 4,653]

a couple of people have mentioned chasing black birds,is it really all there capable of.?i was thinking rabbit,pheasant and that sort of stuff.

[Accip74 7,112]

a couple of people have mentioned chasing black birds,is it really all there capable of.?i was thinking rabbit,pheasant and that sort of stuff.

You're talking about 8-9oz bird mate, so pheasant & rabbit aren't on the menu, although it does happen, especially with first season young birds ;-)

The Blackbird is the purists traditional quarry & very difficult to catch. In the uk you can get a quarry licence to fly Blackbirds & may be given a 50 bird limit, which is rarely met, unless the falconer has great set-ups for Blackbird flights. Apparently they will give some of the most spectacular flights, but some falconer's may never actually catch one!

 

Typically you'll be catching magpies more often & plenty of various other small birds, maybe partridge, sometimes crows etc....

Edited May 23, 2017 by Accip74

[ginger beard 4,653]

didn't know that.cheers.

you say magpies and crows,i thought they'll be tougher than a pheasant or rabbit.i think i read on here that a goshawk will only take crow's after a couple of seasons if at all.

exciting stuff to do anyhow.look forward to seeing some photo's when you can.

[Accip74 7,112]

didn't know that.cheers.

you say magpies and crows,i thought they'll be tougher than a pheasant or rabbit.i think i read on here that a goshawk will only take crow's after a couple of seasons if at all.

exciting stuff to do anyhow.look forward to seeing some photo's when you can.

All the corvids can be dangerous for any hawk mate, but I'm talking about strength & weight. The sparrow hawk is just no match for the average rabbit or cock pheasant.

 

Goshawks can take crows easily if they want, males & females, but it doesn't mean they will. Males can be put off by a good pecking or a mobbing by other crows, when one is caught or they may never be interested like my male wasn't. But there is plenty of good crow hawks out there!

All depends on entering, circumstances etc..... There's no 'givens' in this game, as I've found out.....;-)

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Will that shed be very hot inside mate and hold the heat too without a flight .I've only ever had a Harris that was easy really and loose housed flying free .Best of luck with the hawk and keep us updated .Do sparrowhawk man better when bow tied and tied inside.

[Accip74 7,112]

Will that shed be very hot inside mate and hold the heat too without a flight .I've only ever had a Harris that was easy really and loose housed flying free .Best of luck with the hawk and keep us updated .Do sparrowhawk man better when bow tied and tied inside.

Fair comment as it stands mate, but I will be cladding over those dark sheets with natural finished boards, which will help with some of the heat retention. The entrance door is at the back, which as well as having a solid door, will also have an inner sliding door in fine mesh, so this will create a nice air flow during summer days......beside this, we are in very open spot here, it's windy 300 days a year! Haha.....

 

Regarding the manning, I shall continue the imprinting process from about 20 days old, interaction throughout the day, eventually tied down in various ways.......A swing perch right outside my house, a bow on the lawn & a loop perch up on a shelf in the mews.

For the moult next year I will more than likely add a small outside pen to the mews as an extension for free loft weathering.

 

Cheers....

Edited May 26, 2017 by Accip74

[ginger beard 4,653]

i guess it varies but how many hours a day does it take to look after a b.o.p in everyday care.?

[Accip74 7,112]

i guess it varies but how many hours a day does it take to look after a b.o.p in everyday care.?

Hard to answer, but on non-flying days no more than a dog. It's just routine stuff. When you are hunting you are going to need at least 2hours+.

The challenge is finding the time to hunt routinely. If you can't get out every week with a dog, then the dogs behaviour isn't necessarily going to fall apart, but if you can't get your hawk out & killing routinely, then things can start to backtrack.....especially with accipiters.

 

It's the best I can answer really mate.