Falconry: AGGRESSION! What to do when your bird foots you
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
- This falconry video discusses general aggression and gives three proven techniques to safely remove a birds talons when you have been footed and the bird will not let go. This is a rare occurrence, but falconers, biologists, rehabilitators and bird banders all have this happen once in a while. These techniques will serve anyone well who is unlucky enough to end up feeling the full force of a raptor's talons.
Ben, I feel confident your videos help the raptors by the educating both falconers and non-falconers alike. Thank you for posting the videos. I'm learning a lot about the sport of falconry and birds of prey from you.
Scott thanks Scott!
I hope I get to a point in my life that falconry is possible. Finding someone who does this in my area - let alone a sponsor - has proven difficult. I sort of gave up at least until I have some more freedom to travel to a sponsor for an apprenticeship. I appreciate your videos!
If you're from where I think you are (roughly) then I definitely recognize the issue. I live on the coast of Lake Huron in Michigan, near Thunder Bay, believe it or not. It's not as sparsely populated as where you're at, but there was only one falconer within 100 miles of me, and I was very fortunate that he took me on as an apprentice.
I don't know if you'll ever get to read this, but you might have luck if you get to know the folks in the Ontario Hawking Club. Go to their meets and their intro to falconry class (yes, it's a long drive, I don't know what else to say, but face to face is vital to meeting a sponsor). Talk to everyone you can, listen to everyone you can, and try to make friends even if you're not an outgoing person. You can't be the only guy in Canada who lives outside of a metro area and who wants to be a falconer - they may have a solution for you. Not being able to be in touch physically with a sponsor would be far from optimal, but with video conferencing, email, text, and voice you can get questions answered quickly and communicate at a distance far more effectively than used to be possible.
Holy crow!! this is more exiting and educative than animal planet!!
Thanks Ben, your videos about falconry dangers keep me bitting my fingernails everytime I watch them
You know what they all say, "No pain, no gain!". Now, I didn't say "oh I just want a hawk to stick its talons into my skin"! But everything that happens in Falconry is always a learning experience! Learning about how a hawk reacts is a key detail to realize my own mistakes! I would just keep calm the whole time. And heck, I'll even pretend I'm asleep! You presented everything extremely well! I was almost predicting this video was going to happen from the "feeding off the fist" video.
Hey mr. Woodruff,
I just wanna say thanks for all this falconry videos you uploaded in this short period of time. They are a real joy for me as an upcomming falconer and helped me sooo much understanding these wonderfull species a bit more. Thank you for your service!
(Sorry for my bad english, I'm german.)
falconry nerd thank you! I am grateful that these videos are helping . I will keep posting more 👍
Agreed.
The very first bird I trapped, a male redtail, footed me solidly in my index finger. I heard three separate clicks as the talons hit bone. Luckily he didn't hold on, and the infections weren't too bad.
That’s the truth right there! Usually agression is a reaction not an action by the bird… well explained. Greetings from a fellow falconer from Germany! 👏
Great video. Very good information. I've worked with a number of aggressive Harris Hawks over the years and I've managed to curb/redirect/extinguish about 95% of their aggression.
Thanks for share a deeper approach to raptors psychology; I'd like to see a video about the imprint; there are too many things that can go wrong with a young raptor and prevent them is the best way. Kindest regards from the DR.
Carlos Suarez thanks I will probably do a couple on imprints. Stay tuned and I’ll get some out.
@@benwoodrufffalconry great!!!
How about a video on steps for retraining after the molt.
Wow. just found your videos. I love them. I have my mews built, a sponsor secured and waiting to take the test. I LOVED the psychology and thought process behind your Spiral and Stomp video. Traditional and Good are not always the same. I like the psychology you bump that up against
GREAT vid Ben!
Nice video
Great info! More Goshawks! 😀
thank you ben that was some very useful advice. To be honest i highly agree with your point about the owls. we have steppe eagles and big owls like eagle owls and brown wood owls, and if one of them is going to foot me i've would rather have the eagle although they look much more intimidating
i was once footed by a ferruginous through my own stupidity,trouble was it was in my left hand which i had just had 2 fingers removed through an accident,she footed me well and truly,i will never forget the pain,it was 20 minutes before she let go her one talon went straight through my palm but it was my fault so i could not blame the bird in any way.
Way back when I volunteered in wildlife care, I was chatting with one of the Rehabbers, talking about "crazy rescues" and the like, she told this one story where a person rescued a Great Horned Owl off the road, hit by a car, etc. But the problem is it squirmed out of the towels it was wrapped up in, in the back of the person's car. (they didn't have a box or container, I mean, who thinks of that, right?). Anyway, the rehabber met this person, opened the back of the car, and went to grab the GHO. And the GHO understandably was pissed and managed to grab the rehabber. Hard. So she ended up having to pull the bird out, attached to her hand, and sent the person on their way, horrified, and then sit in her own car for a good length of time, until the owl suddenly decided to let go. Another (huge) GHO earned the nickname "Satan" and was scary to handle because it apparently "knew" how to grab backwards, so all the SOP of typical raptors that grab forwards and out did not help in this particular case. (we) were so relieved to finally release that owl!
I remember being told a number of times, it was never a question of IF, but WHEN you would get footed or bit/jabbed (ie a Heron). Although I was very lucky I had some close-calls but didn't have to extricate talons out of myself. I -did- happen to have a big female Red Tail Hawk bite me on the hand (as I was trying to secure its head), clamped down on the webbing between my thumb and finger, and I still don't know how the beak didn't break through my skin, or get nerve damage. I felt that in my hand for weeks. Learned a lot of respect and to always be on your guard, yet calm, because they will indeed react to anxiety and panic.
This video was really interesting.
Thanks for sharing.
Ben, would you consider a video on how to retrain a bird to the hood after it has developed negative feelings towards the hood?
Telayna Wong yes I can try to do a video like that in the next few weeks
I have a little tips to get off the sticky foot.
Is being calm down and then put the hand down to the ground and throw a lure, or tidbit like the way we trade off.
They are quickly let go.
I do rehab with raptors in Australia and I find your videos very educational. Could you do a video on starting the taming process for a large raptor like an eagle? thanks and keep up the great work.
I may soon be taking on a rehabilitation eagle from an organization temporarily, and training it in hunting with it for a period of time in preparation for it’s released into the wild. Eagles get so out of shape so easily and if they are released back into the wild without proper conditioning, it is possible they will not be able to hold their own and compete in the wild. That is why this program has been set up. I am not yet sure if I will be doing this, but it is very likely. And if so, I will share videos on how the process works.
Thank you for posting this, Ben!
I recently got a young great horned owl to add to my educational demonstration team, and I have really been struggling with his aggression. He's been biting hands hard enough to draw blood, attacking legs/feet as people go by, flying at my head, etc. I have been looking for any advice at all on how to curb this aggression as it only started recently, so I am so glad to have found a video addressing aggression issues. I will see if I can determine the causes for his outbursts and how I can work to distract him from reacting in that way. If you have any other thoughts on this situation exactly, or advice, I would be glad to hear it!
Cheers!
keeping the intangible cultural heritage going👍👍
Great troubleshooting videos!!
Thought you had gotten some new editing software since the videos were full size for a bit but this one has the black border again.
Metrzan sadly, still dealing with extremely old software. Once I can upgrade to better software and hardware, you see a big bump in production values 👍
Hi, thanks for your amazing videos. I'd like to know if the aggression also has something to do with the moulting period? I'd appreciate it if you make a video on the moulting issue, and about the behaveior we should have towards our birds of prey! Thanks
A video on the different protein levels of food and why certain birds do better on a richer diet
Great info. There is a similar action called "earthquake" that I was told to use with Parrots. If they are biting/nipping and you need to change their mindset phytologically, while they are on your hand, raise your hand up and down by 1-2 feet and it will usually make the parrot focus on the need to extend its wings to maintain balance and they usually lose focus on whatever they are doing that you do not like. I'm not sure if this would work with a raptor though?
Did this guy tell me he had a eagle with a rage addiction?
Yeah and the thought of it terrifies me! lol
Good evening, sometimes a bird of prey uses a beak at the beginning of maining to pinch you. by the right hand that approaches him and touches his chest. So just bend your fingers down and give him the back of his hands and the predator tries to catch you, but he fails, you must not squint your hands. After some time, it will cease completely.
If he catches you with his feet, follow Ben's advice. The problem is if you are alone and you allow one talon, then it is deeper against. Therefore, first pull out his thumb and underlay it with a pen and then the first finger and underlay with a pen and then the next.
This only happened to me twice in 12 years both times I was alone and as bad as it hurt and bleed I was successful in just staying calm and waiting it out and the bird released within five minutes.
Ben, Another great, informative video. One technique you didn’t mention that I’ve seen in a number of printed sources is squeezing the hawk’s head in order to get it to release. I’d be interested in your thoughts on that idea. Thanks!
Can you do a video about broad winged hawks
Davis Leo I have not flown one myself. But I can give the basics on biology. I can try to make one later in the year. They are closely related to the roadside hawk of Latin America (Rupornis magnirostris) and I have a friend who has flown them. Let me see if I can put together a video.
@@benwoodrufffalconry my friend
Forty five years ago I was asked by local fish and game officer to take a great horned owl in with a concussion.
Short story that bird hated me.
That was cool as I wasn't going to keep it. I got careless one day and her back halex went through the web of my thumb and forefinger. I was just a kid, but remained calm and waited for her to pull it out. Strangely very little pain.
She decided she wasn't hurting me and backed it out.
Her decision. I believe that if I had made any attempt to remove it I would have been a bloody mess.
I finished feeding her and put her away. Then went to medicine kit and squirted antiseptic cream through the puncture wound. That is important !
The owl never recovered and was euthanized and taken to a taxidermist. It is still on display in a science lab.
A fraction of a second carelessness and she got me. Had I freaked out, it would have been way worse.
Thanks for the video !
Ben; regarding the 'ratcheting' tendon system: it it possible, or probable, that one can damage the bird's tendons of bones, while removing the embedded talon, for example, by moving the talon/toe too fast, or too hard?? this sounds like a very tricky, very painful situation, and probably very difficult to maintain good self-control!
Lohi Karhu it is possible, but unlikely that you would damage their talons and tendons in this way. If you did it very fast it might, but their grip is so strong that it naturally forces you to open them slowly. I have never had. Bird get injured from this. But it is good to be slow and careful.
@@benwoodrufffalconry thanks, sir...i've loved these birds since i was a 'kid', but never managed to work one into my life :-( so, learning about them is a pretty good alternative.
If grabbed and latched onto could you just pitch a lure? I subscribed great video I hope to get into hawking this year.
Marlin .Kerby in some instances that can work. But often they are in such reaction mode, that they won’t let go. But it definitely can work if they are just being aggressive over food, for example if you rushed a goshawk on a kill too quickly and they leave the kill and bind to your leg, in that same instance your idea of presenting the lure would work just fine 👍 good luck on your falconry pursuits. I hope you can get into it this year!
@@benwoodrufffalconry yes sir, thanks for the reply. I'm learning all I can
Marlin .Kerby it is a process for sure, you never stop learning in falconry. No matter how long you’ve been doing it, you keep learning new things
I used to raise and fly Harris hawk. With time she started to attack my glove free hand soon as I reached to her, when I wanted to grab jesses to finish flying, or even to touch her, after she ate a bit of food from glove. It soon became too hard for me, she would do it on any occasion. Did you ever work with such cases? Being patient didn't help, neither no reaction to that. I used to reach out to her with a hand covered with a blouse but it was horrible, painful and heartbreaking. She didn't attack men, but she did attack my boss who is a woman.
This info is awesome and horrifyng. I think ill start with a kestrel now instead of a red-tail.
on the exam...it sys squeeze their head as the last resort. does this work ben?
Do you no what is a broad winged hawk
Davis Leo are you referring to the Broadwinged hawk with the scientific name Buteo platypterus? If so, I worked with them briefly for education, but have never flown one for falconry. So I don’t have experience in that area. But I could definitely do one about their biology.
Hahah oh it's a little bird.. I'm training 2 little owls. When those little guys grab you, believe me it hurts like hell!
I'm getting used to working with birds of prey and will get a falcon when i'm ready. Can't imagine the pain.
Also working with ravens and those beaks are way scarier. No matter what, they will bite eventually and even when it's playfull, blood will flow hah! Still love those boogers.
Lately my kestrel has become agressive. I have to say that she cant fly because covid 19. Why is this happening?
pau masia normally aggression is somehow connected with food. So if you are stuck and kept from flying because of the virus, your kestrel probably has pent up aggression that normally gets let out when you fly and hunt, and now does not thane that outlet. So I would try to find creative ways to do some lure flying indoors to help channel that aggression away from you and towards an object that can represent prey. There is also the possibility that your kestrel has its hormone levels out of regular balance because if breeding season. I wish you the best of luck and hopefully things will smooth out.
My harris hawk have a bad habit, when we went to hunting, he would easily distracted by the oil palm fruit.
She will keep looking for Oil Palm fruit to eat.
Any advice/suggestion on how to curb this behavior?
Can I have two questions please ? Can a black-kite be trained to hunt ?
Do you have a ornate hawk eagle?
"he's gonna go cry his wee eyes out on his HUGE pillah!"
Lol rage seems like he has some personality
If a person was in a zenn like state but didn't try to remove the talons how long can you expect them to hold on?
There are a lot of factors such as why the bird is grabbing you, if it has a foot on the ground or not, if you accidentally got tangled in with food or not, if the bird is an imprint or not….. too many factors to give just one answer. But in many instances they would hold on for hours.
@@benwoodrufffalconry Wow. Incredible. Thank you for what you do.
Kindly ask them to let go
Hi Ben and thank you for your very informative video(s). I'm not likely to ever own a bird of prey, I'm just interested in them and always have been. I have a question. I suppose it's a slightly ambiguous one, but anyway.. I'm interested to know just how strong the grip is of some of these birds of prey that you fly. I was once told that if a Peregrine Falcon decide to tighten its grip on my fist, it could quite easily break my fingers if it was of a mind to? Is this an exaggeration or is it quite accurate? If it's accurate, then it would probably give me some idea of just how strong the grip of a Golden Eagle, for instance, would be! Many thanks in anticipation of your reply.
Ash Stubbings falcons do have a strong grip, but rely more on diving speed. Hawks and eagles have much more powerful grips. At the right angle, a large red tail could break a finger. Eagles definitely can. Estimates typically put female golden eagles at having around 1,000psi of crushing grip in their feet!
lost my left eye over a mhh was my foult tho
Explain why you can't discipline a bird of prey.
I had a female redtail grab me on the nose, pagan what a bird to Hunt she would and did put goshawks and h.hawks to shame hunting,down side was she was viscously aggressive 🇨🇮
My hawk foots me and throws away its treat away. Is that normal?
Awangku Harith any time a hawk is footing you regularly, there is something in your process that is probably generating that behavior. I would analyze the process and try changing the role of food to see if it will alter the aggression
Hey Ben where are you from. I'm looking for someone to appreciate with here in london, ontario.
umair khattak I am in Utah. Let me see if I can track any good sponsors up your way
@@benwoodrufffalconry I'd really appreciate it. I've learned a lot of stuff from your channel. And love the content.
Def got footed in the face by a RT once. Felt like I got punched lol. It was my fault and it was all good and we kept hunting no problem