Hazel's First Free Flight

But here's what led up to it. Four bagged starlings in 6 days got her cued in on starlings as food and slowly bringing her weight down did the trick. On Friday I gave her a baggie at 102.1g and she was pretty lazy about it. She made a couple of fly bys but didn't show that she wanted it that bad.

Yesterday she was down to 100.5g and she hit it with clear intent, no messing around. When we walked out and she first saw it she bated toward it but I wasn't ready yet. She was still on the creance and would have gotten herself tangled around a pole. So once I got to where she was safe to fly it took her several seconds before she launched. So with that performance a light bulb went off and I marked 100g as her hunting weight. We'll continue to adjust as we go after wild game and maybe she can get her weight up as we build a better relationship hunting.

So, with that, I had her at 100.1 this afternoon and took her out in the yard to feed her with tidbit flights. She did very well, immediate response, and when I tossed her from the glove she just hovered and wanted back on, even landing on my head once. I figured this meant she was ready so I unclipped her and we made several more flights from different perches in the yard. I also had her coming to the lure several times. She's still a little flighty with me coming to her on the lure but she knows the lure is her friend so that's a good start. She also hits the lure in the air now where she hadn't before today. Guessing that without the encumbrance of the creance she felt more able to maneuver to the lure. (Baron free flight at 36 days, Hazel at 33)

Oh, an update on her eye. The day after I posted about her eye she was fine again. No more lid closing. No more squinting. *whew* I closed the window that looks into the garage but with a light on she still bates at the bars of the other one that faces the wall. I'll have to close that one off too so she just can't see out and then she can have her light without hurting herself. Silly bird.