Hey, I'm new and planning on getting my apprentice license this spring, but from what I understand, I need to have a mews and weathering area built and inspected before I take the test. (The DEC info wasn't exactly clear on that.)
So, my question is since I'm planning on starting with an Am Kestrel, what is a practical size for the weathering area? I don't have a really big yard, so I need to plan things out carefully, even if that means I have to wait until I move.
Thanks. Gyre.
Ken to wa kokoro nari. Kokorotadashi kareba sono ken tadashi kokoro tadashi. Karazareba sono ken mata tadashi karazu. Ken O manaban to suru mono wa subekaraku sono kokoro manabe. Poem of KenZen Dojo: The Sword is the Mind
Post by Master Yarak on May 30, 2006 15:29:54 GMT -5
Regulations cal for a mew minimun of 64 square feet. Regardless of species. Where do you live? Yarak
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away
New York. .. 64? I think I need to mesure my yard.. Thank you.
Ken to wa kokoro nari. Kokorotadashi kareba sono ken tadashi kokoro tadashi. Karazareba sono ken mata tadashi karazu. Ken O manaban to suru mono wa subekaraku sono kokoro manabe. Poem of KenZen Dojo: The Sword is the Mind
New York. .. 64? I think I need to measure my yard.. Thank you.
In what part of New York are you located?
Central NY, suburb-ish if I had to describe this place.
jondarp said:
Also, I noticed in one of your posts that you intend to fly a kestrel as your first bird. Did your sponsor recommend that to you as your first bird?
I haven't been lucky enough to find a sponsor yet. The only person I talked with wasn't able to take on a second apprentice at the time.
As I'm scanning the forum and talking with people, I'm learning more then I have in the last six months of reading, and I know I can't manage a BOP in my current home. I don't trust these neighbors, and a decent set up would involve the better half of the yard.
After researching both birds, I'd considered a kestrel as a first bird mainly because I thought it would effect the size of the weathering area, and I would have appropriate space to fly and hunt a small bird near by. I've decided that I need to hold off until after collage, (and student loans.) And after deciding that, I'm more considering a Red tail, out of personal preference, but my future sponsor would obviously have a lot to do with my final decision. Gyre
Ken to wa kokoro nari. Kokorotadashi kareba sono ken tadashi kokoro tadashi. Karazareba sono ken mata tadashi karazu. Ken O manaban to suru mono wa subekaraku sono kokoro manabe. Poem of KenZen Dojo: The Sword is the Mind
I grew up in Central NY state and still visit my family there on a regular basis. If you decide to stay in that area after college, there are plenty of places to fly a red-tailed hawk that don't require a huge area.
I now live in Connecticut, a state without a lot of open land and I managed to have a half decent season with my first red-tail by hunting only a few small woodlots near my home.
So, you don't necessarily need a lot of room to fly a red-tail and the weight management is (I would imagine) much easier with a RT than with a kestrel. I've never flown a kestrel so I can't say for certain, but the people I've spoken with, and everything I've read, leads me to believe it can be a bit tricky for an apprentice to successfully manage the weight of such a small falcon.
Just my two cents.
Regards.
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
Post by Master Yarak on Jun 2, 2006 9:58:13 GMT -5
johndarp, I sure like your posts. That was a bargain for two whole cents. Post more. Yarak
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away
The last couple of days have been pretty hot here in So California. Today on my way home from hawking, I stopped at Home Depot and bought a misster for the weathering area. I have the shade cloth and that keeps the direct sun off the birds, but the birds still are hot and when it gets to about 95 to 100 degrees, they sit with thier beaks open. I installed the misster in about 1 hour and tried it out on the eagle. He set there and the misster didn't seem to bother him and I think it will help to keep him cool on the really hot days.
He has a very large bath tub and he gets in it all the time especially after cropping up on a rabbit. I don't think his talons need to be any sharper judging by the punctures I get every once in a while. The rehab bird needs sharper talons, but, he has a large bath tub also.
jondarp Thank you, that was very encouraging. I don't plan on moving far, and we have some pretty wild woods half hour away, and I'm hoping to find a place in there after school. right now it's just time I think.
Thanks Gyre
Last Edit: Jun 2, 2006 17:58:03 GMT -5 by Falcon Boy
Ken to wa kokoro nari. Kokorotadashi kareba sono ken tadashi kokoro tadashi. Karazareba sono ken mata tadashi karazu. Ken O manaban to suru mono wa subekaraku sono kokoro manabe. Poem of KenZen Dojo: The Sword is the Mind
I am also in the stage of aquirering a bird and what not I am planning on a red tail so is the weathering area enclosed or just open. If some one could post a picture of theirs it would help
Go back to page 4 of this section and you will see several pictures of my weathering area. Yours does not have to be this fancy, but, it will give you an idea.
8-)That does help thanks!! But what I want to know is can a weathering are just be a perch out in the open or does it have to be fenced in. Also if some one could tell be were to find blue prints online or in a book it would help. Thanks agian