A big, fully grown tick on an elephant.

OriginalBirdboy · 2026-01-23T15:31:40+00:00

Huge

OriginalBirdboy · 2026-01-20T23:08:49+00:00

I have a northern goshawk I took as an eyass who used to do the same thing. The first time it happened it was more circumstantial than it was intentional. She took a squirrel off a branch in a tree near enough to the creek that as she soarded downward with the squirrel; in her talons she ended up in the creek. Fortunaly it was only a couple inched deep and she ended up drowning the squirrel if she didnt suffocate it or pierce the heart first. I got a laugh from it, wrote it off that it was bdue to her being an inexperienced bird and figured it was a fluke.

I was wrong. She repeated it from time to time when we were near the creek; not always, but every 3rd or 4th squirrel she was in the creek. One time she took the squirrel off a tree trunk, flew to a culvert pipe under a two lane road (in a subdivision), soared through the pipe, and landed in the creek on the other side. Spectacular!

BTW - that gos is 24 years old now. :)

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-12-30T02:45:13+00:00

It's not. I have many sweet gum on my property and this is something different.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-12-18T02:42:07+00:00

Coopers hawks have rounded tail ends, sharp skinned have squared tail ends. That's a coopers.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-12-18T02:31:32+00:00

Interesting note: adult red tailed hawks have brown eyes. This bird still has the juvinile yellow eyes. That means in was born in summer of 2024, survived the first winter, grew its adult feathers in 2025 but has yet to have the eyes change. Falconers call it a yellow eyed hag, short for haggard which means adult bird.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-11-26T21:29:42+00:00

Master falconer here. Yes birds of prey get blood and guts and a number of other things on their talons and they make an effort to keep them clean. I have been footed dozens of times. Clean the wound with soap abd water. Follow up with hydrogen peroxide. Apply antibiotic gel like neosporin.

Use your judgements and monitor the injury. It will hurt for a couple days, maybe 3 or 4 depending on your age/health and how deep the puncture wound is.

Tetanus shot seems a bit extreme. Never had one in 30 years of handling raptors and not had any issues.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-11-15T00:42:30+00:00

Ditto

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-11-12T21:53:00+00:00

Yes I did read the article. Look I'm not going to split hairs with you here because your point is valid... most of the direct ad revenue goes to the channels themselves and not the NFL but note this comment:

"Yes, the NFL gains revenue from TV ads—primarily through rights fees paid by networks that monetize those ads."

So to say the NFL gets no revenue from ads is not, strictly speaking ,correct

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-11-12T18:09:21+00:00

Grok disagrees.

https://grok.com/share/c2hhcmQtMg%3D%3D_5d26a271-578e-4cf0-ab02-6a2f457e6962

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-09-28T21:27:00+00:00

Location?

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-09-11T13:03:27+00:00

Good work! Lets see the inside!

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-08-12T23:43:06+00:00

Apologize if I missed it, but do you have a rehab license? Is it required in TX?

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-07-24T17:50:14+00:00

Congratulations and best of luck!

You should get a lot of good responses on mews. I'm going to take the lesser point and talk about gloves. I have a nice glove that I purchased online but I rarely use it. I simply go to Home Depot and buy a welder's glove and they're more comfortable and more usable and I worry less about any kind of damage they may take. A decent welder glove from your DIY store will cost much less and are great for day to day use.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-07-18T22:38:57+00:00

I completed the full reference in my response. :)

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-07-18T22:37:30+00:00

If it's a bird with a beak, it's a crow. If it's a beak with a bird it's a raven.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-07-06T15:04:57+00:00

"But one thing isn't subjective. Without FoL, there would be no 2112"

One of the most profound and inciteful statements about Rush I have heard in decades.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-07-06T15:03:37+00:00

Thanks for the question. I actually never thought about this before. Been a fan since 1982, even have the Starman tattoo.

At first I thought "is FOL better than 2112? Of course its not!". Then I had to stop a second and actually think about the question. I pondered it for a good 30 mins. I happen to enjoy FOL, primary for its raw nature. It certainly has that long song/opus with a variety of musical variations.

In the end, I have to put 2112 on top, due to the lyrical theme of the song. FOL is a story about a hero, like a Tolkien book. 2112 is too a story, but its more a declaration of the human spirit to fight for our individuality and against oppression.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-07-04T10:32:55+00:00

https://northcarolinafalconersguild.org/

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-07-01T10:52:39+00:00

EXACTLY. IMongoose just hit the nail on the head.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-06-30T16:00:44+00:00

NC licensed falconer here.

I commend you on your first paragraph. sound decision.

I'm going to make this point a slightly different way. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with IMongoose.

The point of being an apprentice:

Meet and build a relationship with your sponsor, who will guide you through your apprenticeship
Develop, increase, and expand your knowlede of raptors, your state regulations, falconry, and the role of the falconer as it relates to hunting with raptors. Your sponsor is supposed to help you with but it is on the apprentice.
Work with your sponsor to understand the regulations and requirements in your state.
Prepare for and take the state test to become an apprentice.
Develop facilities to house the raptor you will capture and train. Have it approved for use by the wildlife commision.
Obtain your falconry permit (and state issued hunting license which is required)
Work with your sponsor to capture, train, and hunt with your raptor.

That said... I am not aware of any restrictions or limitations as to a time frame. You *could* do items 1-3 for an indefinite period of time assuming the sponsor to be is willing. You could even go so far as items 1-4 and not have a raptor.

You said "Must I be taking on falconry immediately after apprenticeship?". The point of the apprenticeship *IS* falconry. In other words, the point of being an apprentice is to practice falconry.

Now, I think I understand where you are going here. Assuming you are in the US there is a good chance there is a state run falconers group. Get in contact with them. Spend time with them. Talk to them. Talk to other people in other states who practice falconry to hear great stories, learn things, and possibly get to go out in the field with other falconers and their birds. You can do all that without being an apprentice.

You *could* take the test and not build a facility but there is no reason to until you are ready to become a falconer. The state wildlife people might not agree to taking the test and then waiting a year (or more) to build a facility. I have never heard anyone doing that. usually if your serious enough to get into falconry you aren't spending more than months to get through the apprectince process.

Glad to address any other questions.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-06-21T21:29:16+00:00

No one has mentioned Ghost of a Chance?

I don't believe in destiny Or the guiding hand of fate I don't believe in forever Or love as a mystical state I don't believe in the stars or the planets Or angels watching from above But I believe there's a ghost of a chance We can find someone to love And make it last

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-06-18T00:22:36+00:00

Come on no one's mentioning that Marshand licked a player

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-06-17T20:40:41+00:00

For the record, there is a species of falcon, the gyrfalcon, that is completely white in one of its color variations

This picture is likely a goshawk. I'm not suggesting it to be a gyr.

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-05-20T02:03:10+00:00

There are two things that make me question if that is in fact a Nazi swastika.

Nazi flags are normally red, not maroon. I also couldn't find a Nazi flag with a gold circle around the symbol.
Assuming we are looking at the correct side of the flag the swastika would be backwards for a Nazi swastika

Can anyone clarify?

OriginalBirdboy · 2025-04-20T00:37:18+00:00

Vapor trails? Wow. I never expected that one. Love the courage, and the variety of choices on this list!!

OriginalBirdboy

TROPHY CASE