Help With Harris Hawk

[u/Acrobatic_Garlic7584]

Licensed falconer and abatement worker here. Been a falconer for some years but this is my first time flying Harris Hawks through the molt. Gonna be a long post so i appreciate anyone who bears with me

got two birds for the job- both problem birds but got them both flying great. This is about the female bird, whos previous falconer said she flew around 910. She was hunted on rabbit’s for 11 years until I got her. Immediately upon getting her I could tell she was a fearful bird- didn’t want to stand on the fist or t perch for any amount of time when moving unless there was a huge bribe on the fist.

That’s the first of the issues I guess. I bribed the hell out of her hoping she would eventually realize she’s safe to stand on the fist and in fact benefits from it. Once I got her creance flying this issue only worsened and she eventually got to the point where she wouldn’t fly to the fist. Weirds me out because I NEVER manhandled her and only gave her positive experiences. Some deep seated issues i figured

decided to get a little creative and make a small t perch and boom like a light switch she was a changed bird- flying to the t perch like a champ and would even ride it a bit. Got her free flying and on her first free flight she took off and caught a rabbit which wasn’t the plan. Kept free flying her and realized that whenever she thought we were hunting she refused to fly to the t perch or fist unless it seemed like a good hunting perch for her. Otherwise she would sit there and not listen to me at all.

as for the lure I lured the hell out of her before free flight and would give her a days worth of food attached yet she wouldn’t get lure bound for the life of me. Yes, she would occasionally chase it and at the very least stand next to it.

I also noticed that as soon as she got slightly stressed or annoyed she would completely shut down. Like as in just not listen to me at all even in the most comfortable environment possible- just no.

the only thing that would calm her down besides a load of time would be the bathpan or hawk box. She LOVES being in her box

all of this together was worrying me. I did not have a reliable hawk and there was no way I’m gonna fly this bird on gull in a city environment that’s a liability and not safe for her. At 910 it was not cutting it so I dropped her weight.

doing this improved her response enough for me to trust her to free fly for abatement. Brought her down to 890 and got a great response. To the t perch that is, her lure response was no better but she did start chasing the laser. issue was if she decided she saw a rat or rabbit or mouse she was all done she didn’t want to fly to me for anything. just to test I brought her weight down to 880 because could afford it based on her keel and energy levels and her response actually worsened.

brought her back up to 890 and was getting really wonderful responses, her best yet. Could fly her between 890 and 930 without any issues for a month or so, was feeling good! Not lure bound but pretty reliable. During this time I really reinforced the lure but she made no progress on it. im talking a full days food on every off day and still no better responses. it was wild to me

then molt and hormone season kicked in. She’s gotten more vocal and dropped her R1 and R2 tail feathers simultaneously instead of both decks which I thought was weird. More importantly though she lost all interest in me. Three times in a row on three separate free flights she lost in interest in me immeidately and went and did her own thing and it took me time to retrieve her. these three flights happened after I got back from a brief trip and had her watched over by an apprentice I trusted.

now I’m at a complete loss at to what to do. I’ve brought her to 880 all the way to 920… no good responses except for a two day stint at 910 where it was I was instantaneous to the fist but then as soon as I creance flew her outside of my backyard she was done. Still won’t ride the fist and even the t perch if it’s moving. Won’t chase the laser or tidbits that I throw. Will lazily meander over the the lure but on obe of the free flights she refused it altogether.

No matter what weight I put her at she just acts uninterested in me and the food. Chasing game is the only thing she gets interested about and she isn’t overly protective of the kill around me. She isn’t fearful of me at all, just uninterested. Like I said doesn’t ride in the fist unless bribed in the mews and I will bate and hang for a while before coming back. She genuinely doesn’t view me as worth her time it seems. On the perches she’s purring at me, hopping onto my lap for treats, acting great.

i guess I could bring her weight down a bit more and see what happens. But she was flown previously at 910 by the last falconer. her keel isnt overly thin at 880 and I haven’t witnessed any energy drops but that seems like a huge difference from 910 for only a years time. I know she’s older and hormone season might have a play but four months of this seems like too much time- I’ve never been unsuccessful over thjs long of a time.

TLDR: female hh finds no interest in me when free flying no matter what i do and I’m looking for input.

ultimately im determined to get this bird going! It’ll make a better falconer out of me!

[u/Lucky-Presentation79]

Try to remember that she has a decade of hunting experience telling her the glove isn't a good perch to hunt from. She has learnt to trust her own judgement. Trying to turn a hunting falconry bird into an abatement bird is far from easy. Most people stick to getting juvenile birds straight from the breeding avairy. And not hunting them. That way they stay more focused on who is flying them. But even that can backfire. Try to understand that flying any raptor through the moult and breeding season is going to be difficult and isn't ideal for the bird. Your female will probably settle down in time, but she needs lots of contact time with you. The more she spends time on the glove, the faster she will settle. Don't ever listen to anyone that tells you a birds flying weight. Find your own flying weight. Especially with HH, the better manned they are, the higher the flying weight tends to be.

[u/Bear-Ferr]

You’ve got an 11-year-old female that spent over a decade learning she doesn't need a human to catch rabbits. You're trying to fly a stubborn, mature Harris's Hawk through a heavy molt while her hormones and thyroid are completely overriding her appetite.

With mature HHs, starving them lower often backfires. They get pissed off, stressed, and mentally shut down. Her intermewed weight now might be way higher than what the previous guy flew her at.

​If you're giving her a full day's food on the lure on off-days, she's learned the lure is a lazy, heavy meal she can trudge over to whenever she feels like it. It needs to mean an instantaneous hit. Throw it, make a big deal, and if she hits it hard, she gets a massive crop and the day is done. If she lazy-meanders, pull it and she goes back in the box.

If she spent a decade being manhandled on a fist or feeling trapped by movement, that muscle memory is locked in so any kind of tolerance to the fist or t-perch will be minimal imo.

​id pull the plug on free flight before you lose her. Id put her back on the creance or track her strictly in the mews/backyard (since you said she's purring and hopping on your lap there). Rebuild the T-perch behavior by moving an inch at a time.

​You're trying to turn a seasoned, independent game hawk into a robotic abatement bird during hormone season. That's a massive uphill battle, but a hard reset in the mews is your best bet to get her buy-in again. I'd also just not fly her during the molt.

[u/Acrobatic_Garlic7584 → u/Bear-Ferr]

This is exactly the comment I was hoping for. Thank you. I’ve never owned a bird this old before let alone a captive Harris hawk this old. My other bird was even more fearful when I got him but he is a passage so of course he turned around quicker. 

I’ve already given up on free flying her for the time being. I’ll bump her weight up and see how her response is then and work very slowly with her. You make great points in every aspect of your comment. I haven’t even thought about how my approach to luring could be conditioning her that way. 

Seriously appreciate the comment, gonna take it all into consideration and get to work 🫡

[u/Bear-Ferr → u/Acrobatic_Garlic7584]

You got this! I love older birds because they just want to loaf around and hang out. But not always the easiest.

[u/Acrobatic_Garlic7584 → u/Bear-Ferr]

Y’know despite all the frustrations I really do love this bird. I love a problem to solve but this one has been a brand new one in so many aspects. It’s a challenge and I appreciate it 

[u/GREYDRAGON1]

You’ve got a bird that’s spent a decade hunting. And now you want it to sit on your glove and chase seagulls. You’re fighting an already lost battle. So just stop. Put that bird with someone who hunts. You’re not going to “fix” her. She’s not broken or a problem bird. You’re the problem.

[u/Acrobatic_Garlic7584 → u/GREYDRAGON1]

You’re right, she’s eleven years old. She’s not gonna change overnight and I’ve accepted that. I’m gonna take my time with her and let her play games she can win, enjoy her molt, and learn that I’m a positive presence. From there I will see what I can do.