30/08/97  Picked up from Southampton. Put in aviary, siting next to bow perch. Not eating.  
31/08/97 Same  
01/09/97 Ate one chick  
02/09/97 Ate one chick, still not sitting on perch  
06/09/97 Eating well but still not sure of perch.  
07/09/97 At last, she's sitting on the perch  
12/09/97 Did not feed today, start manning tomorrow  
13/09/97 
 
Picked and put on fist, did not bate once !. Managed to weigh her. Sat outside for 1/2 hour with chick on fist. Looked at food but not ready yet. 2lb 1 1/4 
 
14/09/97 Same 2lb 
15/09/97 Same, "licking her lips", maybe tomorrow 1lb 15 3/4
16/09/97 Still not there yet, looking interested  1lb 15 oz
17/09/97 Very close, manned for an hour. 1lb 15 1/2
18/09/97 
 
Same as yesterday, very tense, I think I need a double thickness glove.  Must be there soon 1lb 14 oz 
 
19/09/97 
 
Still not ready. Melvins bird Tarra (see pic above) is a full sister of Furn. She was 1lb 12 1/4 oz before she ate off the fist, after 8 days. Blake went 10 days. 1lb 13 1/2 
 
20/09/97 Still not there 1lb 12 7/8
21/09/97 Same  1lb 12 1/2
22/09/97 
 
 
Manned for 1/2 an hour as usual, still not interested, put her on bow perch with chick and hid. When she started eating rushed out and picked her up. She continued to eat almost immediately, ate two chicks. There at last. 1lb 12 1/4 
 
 
23/09/97 
 
Ate 3 chicks on fist, manned for an hour, walked around garden. Only bates when going back into the Avery. 1lb 12 1/2 
 
24/09/97 Same as yesterday 1lb 13 1/2
25/09/97 Tried to get her to jump to fist, no go. She will step onto fist. 1lb 13 3/4
26/09/97 Jumping a couple of feet to glove. Manned four a couple of hours 1lb 13 1/2
27/09/97 
 
 
Flying 15 feet to fist, very good but wont let go of glove when truing to get her back on the flying perch, hangs on with one foot. Tried picking up off bow perch with food, still bates every time 1lb 13 
 
 
28/09/09 Flying in garden 1lb 13 5/8
29/07/09 Flying in garden 1lb 14
30/09/97 Picking up off bow perch well, flying in garden 1lb 13 1/2
01/10/97 Flying in garden 1lb 13 3/4
02/10/97 Flying well, let her free in avery 1lb 14 1/4
03/10/97 Tried her in travel box, ok. Did not feed much, going out tomorrow 1lb 13 3/4
04/10/97 
 
 
Out in the fields at last. Trouble getting her into the travel box but eventually managed it. Slow on the first flight but did well after that, coming full creance length.Still holding on to glove with one foot.  Went for a walk with her on fist with Melvin and Tarra. 1lb 13 1/2 
 
 
05/10/97 
 
 
Out again, flew once on the creance then let her go. No problems, coming out of trees etc. Not really following on but flew without being called twice, landed on the ground. A bit slow while a horse and rider were going past. Very good. 1lb 13 
 
 
06/10/97 Really good. Following on, trying to soar. Only problem is the sticking to the glove 1lb 13 1/8
07/10/97 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Not so good. Flew with Melvin and Tarra, no problems. Tarra was a bit high so Melvin continued with her on the fist. Furn was following on well, then she circled in front and put in a great stoop at some rabbits, I ran over but she had missed, she darted into a double, thick hedge over a small stream, looking for the rabbits, and there she stayed. She was there over 40 minutes, and it was getting dark. I was waving doc around, throwing them, etc., not even looking. She kept scanning for rabbits. then she put a foot up ! I just couldn't get her attention. I desperation I tried to climb up to her, she then shot out of the hedge to a tree. I climbed out, called her, and she came first time, bur veered off when she was about a yard from me and landed in another tree. She stayed the for a couple of minutes, then came down to a doc. I cant believe she needs to come down, I was going to put her up!  1lb 13 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
08/10/97 Wet and windy, and it gets dark to early, only flying weekends now. 1lb 13 1/2
10/10/97 Started off well, a bit windy but copping well. Started to slow up. Ended up refusing to come to a full chick. Then just took off, went with the wind and disappeared into the distance. Tracked her down and eventually she came into the fist. Still hard to believe she's too high but she's not responding well 1lb 12 1/4
12/10/97 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Following on well, went into a wood, called but she wouldn't come down, kept catching glimpses of her circling above, then no sign of her, couldn't hear any bells. Got the telemetry out and the signal was just in front of me. Went to climb over fence back into the woods and there she was at my feet on a rabbit. Got out a chick to reward her but as I offered it to her over the rabbit she let go! I managed to hang on to it, dispatched it, got her back on. Covered rabbit and she came of well to the chick. Fed her up on the fist and gave her the rabbits head when we got home. Entered but still not obedient. 1lb 12 1/4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18/10/97 
 
 
Got the weight all wrong,started ok but soon started to squabble with Tarra. We separated but then she just turned off and wouldn't come in. Eventually got her in to a full chick, too high now to fly tomorrow 1lb 14 
 
 
25/10/97 
 
A lot better, no fighting. Following on and coming in well. Saw a couple of rabbits but she was out of position. Had a long stealth flight at some wood pigeons. Later Tara had a hare.  1lb 12 1/2 
 
26/10/97 
 
Very good, trying for everything. Had a rally good go at some crows but they were flying rings round her. 1lb 12 1/4 
 
29/10/97 
 
 
 
 
 
Been out exorcising everyday this week, copping with wind well but coming in to the fist a bit fast! I have been taking the dog out to try and get her going as well but today Furn took her out twice, fortunately no damage was done to either but the sight of Velvet running round in circles yelping with Furn attached to her head has me worried. I wont be taking Velvet out again (at least for a time) but I'm also worried how she will react to other dogs. On Saturday (25/10) she flew over to some dogs but thought better of it and veered off 1lb 12 1/4 
 
 
 
 
 
30/10/97 Going well, caught her second rabbit 1lb 12 1/4
1/11/97 A good day, didn't catch anything but had some good flights at pheasant 1lb 12
2/11/97 
 
 
 
Out with Melvin and Tarra (as usual) and Gary with his female, Kate. Gary had his ferrets so I had to fly from the fist as, although Furn has a ferret run in her aviary she still looked like she wanted to get at them. Didn't have much luck with the ferrets, Furn had another good chase after crows. Saw 4 Hares, Tarra hit one but was kicked off. Tarra and Kate both had a rabbit each 1lb 11 3/4 
 
 
 
08/11/97 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Out with Melvin and Gary. Very windy. Loss sight of Kate and Furn in a wood. When we found them they were on the ground locked on to each other surrounded by (their) feathers. Separated ok but on inspection one of Furns eyes was half closed and there was blood in the corner of her mouth. Took her straight to the vet ( Neil Forbes) who found that a talon had entered behind the eyelid and come out through her cheek, miraculously missing her eye. She also had a puncture wound under her neck. Neil gave her shot for shock and pain relief and I have eye drops and antibiotics to give her three times a day. Could have been worse but its put me off flying with Gary/Kate ! 1lb 13 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Furn healed within a week, flying well now. I seem to have fallen behind with this, I don't expect anyone reads it anyway so I think I will stop.

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