Just got back from a bird of prey experience day and must say, if anybody gets a chance, do it. Over the course of the day I got to fly owls, falcons, hawks and eagles to my hand and it was a true priviledge to do so, but in the afternoon I got to 'hunt' a Harris Hawk where five of us got to spread out across a series of fields and fly this magical bird to and from each other. Brilliant. Not really a bike thing I know, but I needed to tell someone. Oh no, wait... One of the geezers on it from London had just bought a CB1000.
Place called Yarak, just outside Cullompton. Fancied doing it since I was a kid and my parents and my sister got it for me for my 50th last year and this is the first chance I've had to go. Weather was dodgy and you have to handle a lot of giblets but when something that can take a young Roe deer swoops out of the air and grabs your wrist with inch and a half long talons and all you feel is a nudge, especially when you go eyeball to eyeball with those incredible eyes that have got ten times the rods and cones than human eyes and all you can see is a beak like molegrips with a razor blade in it...What a rush.
Hi kpone, yea beautiful creatures for sure, would love to handle them, the nearest I can come to that is my African grey, totally love him, 3 yrs old now and his eyes can see into your soul! Lol
Yeah and he carries very similar weaponry. A mate of mine's got one and twice now they've had to have their 12 stone Newfoundland stitched up because he tried to get friendly with the grumpy bastard. Funnily enough Giv', they had all of them there, in the LSD room.
Had a hawk experience myself years ago, a great day out. Especially the Harris hawk. Had a Tawny owl myself for a while, but he was a grumpy , lazy git , nearly had the in laws eyes out. Got stolen from front garden in the end.
Sounds like a cracking day out ken. Done similar with my kids but not as full a day as you. And giv lol love the pics
Here you go guys. A Chilean Blue Eagle 12" away from my left eye. The look on my face isn't fear, by the way. I'd spent all morning holding these monsters at arm's length and this baby is 6.5 kilo's. It was getting hard work.
fine looking thing. and the bird :wub: amazing looking thing. looks like it wants to rip your eyes out :haha:
Funny you should say that, it crossed my mind once or twice too. This is the one they reckon could take a young Roe Deer, and they've got two Golden Eagles that dwave her. They don't let you hold it for long because even through the gauntlet it cuts off the circulation in your hand. I asked whether they ever had any problems with foxes breaking in. Apparently they've never found one, or bits of one.
