Good to see ya Hawk50. I freeloft so I don't have much input about tethering but I have to ask, have you tried freelofting? There's a couple of good threads right above this one that discuss it.
I've teathered my red-tails, and I use kangaroo leather anklets with kanga leather mews jesses, which are attached to a sampo swivel, which is attached to a button leash.I then use the falconer's knot to tie the leash to my bow perch, which is in the middle of the chamber in my mews. I usually leave about a foot or a foot and 1/2 of leash for the bird to move around on. This gives the bird enough room to hop from his bow to the bath pan and back comfortably.
Just my little input
Bridget
"Falconry is not a hobby or an amusement; it is a rage. You eat and drink it, sleep it and think it. You tremble to write of it, even in recollection. It is as King James the First remarked, an extreme stirrer up of passions." --- T.H. White
For the people that tether in a mews. How are you securing your birds inside the mews? Do you have photos of your method?
I tether all my falconry and program birds. They are leashed to a rotating ring perch (or block) which is centered in the mews so wings don't brush any wall. Wall-to-wall thick-backed grass carpet is installed under the perch so talons won't dull on gravel. Carpet edges are fastened to the ground with 12'' nails w/washers so it won't move, flip over, bunch-up during bating. Bath pan is positioned within leash range, but not within the bird's preferred bating area.
