Yes, she was on my fist and she was hooded. We were walking through a field surrounded by trees on the perimeter headed towards a small river to hunt ducks. All of a sudden, in a split second, I heard the "woosh" of the hawks wings behind me and he instantly crabbed onto Sugar around her left wing and around her head and neck. We got her wing sutured up at the vets but the pressure caused swelling of the spinal cord making her loose her balance for about 2 weeks. She made a full recovery!
I had a similar deal. Just on a smaller scale. I was flying a Eurasian Kestrel and a American kestrel came in full stoop and if it wasnt for my buddy facing that direction she would have ruined my birds day. I turned and pulled my bird to my chest and the kestrel bounced off of my shoulder. Keep your eyes open.
Definately. It could have been much, much worse but she was a very strong bird and made a full recovery with immediate veterinary care and my experience as a rehabber.
Yes, she made a full recovery but it took nearly 2 months before all the swelling went away from around her spinal cord. I only got her out a few more times before she was put up for the molt.
Thanks for the comment. She's all healed now & is back to her normal self & is now up for the molt. The red-tail that attacked her was another falconers bird that was up in a tree behind us. We were making our way to a creek with ducks for Sugar & also trying to flush rabbits at the same time. I bent over for some reason (I can't remember) & as I did I lifted my fist up which gave the red-tail a straight shot at her. That is the first accident like that I've ever had in 26 years of falconry
This happened on February 17th if I remember correctly. It was just after my birthday and it was horrible. I know accidents happen but this was an odd situation where the red-tail came in from behind us and nailed her while hooded and sitting on my fist! I was stunned and my friends were freaking out. LOL She is fully healed now but it took about 3 weeks for the swelling on her spinal cord to go down so she could stand up and eat on her own without falling over.
Although it is obviously sad this happened, it is refreshing and educational for us to see the "bad" or "dangerous" side of falconry where accidents happen to the birds. Everything on the web is just of healthy birds hunting or being trained so this video ROCKS and I'm glad you put it up!
i would of never thought a red tail would even come close to capturing a falcon,but I'm reading a lot of this.
mvinci145 2 weeks ago
@mvinci145 Out of all of my years I've never heard of this happening either!
birdguy888 2 weeks ago
Did she end up ok?
StarWell101 11 months ago
@StarWell101 Yes, she made a full recovery. I was lucky. Falconers lose a lot of birds due to attacks in the field by other hawks, eagles and owls!
birdguy888 11 months ago
the video quality isn't very clear...what kind of falcon is she?
afffred 2 years ago
Sugar was a hen Prairie Falcon.
birdguy888 2 years ago
I can't believe a hawk attacked your falcon...dis she have her hood on? was she still on your hand?
afffred 2 years ago
Yes, she was on my fist and she was hooded. We were walking through a field surrounded by trees on the perimeter headed towards a small river to hunt ducks. All of a sudden, in a split second, I heard the "woosh" of the hawks wings behind me and he instantly crabbed onto Sugar around her left wing and around her head and neck. We got her wing sutured up at the vets but the pressure caused swelling of the spinal cord making her loose her balance for about 2 weeks. She made a full recovery!
birdguy888 2 years ago
glad to hear it! that hooded falcon on your fist was served like a dish! a hawk would have barely any chance of catching a falcon in the wild.
afffred 2 years ago
Very true. It was a scary situation and the first time anything like that has happened to me in 25 years of being a falconer.
birdguy888 2 years ago
Did the Redtail meet its end or did you keep it??
gymlord 2 years ago
Nope, we got it off of Sugar and let it go and rushed her to the vet. It was just over $700 for the vet!
birdguy888 1 year ago
I had a similar deal. Just on a smaller scale. I was flying a Eurasian Kestrel and a American kestrel came in full stoop and if it wasnt for my buddy facing that direction she would have ruined my birds day. I turned and pulled my bird to my chest and the kestrel bounced off of my shoulder. Keep your eyes open.
flipperisgay 2 years ago
Your bird is so lucky
spirithawk5 2 years ago
Definately. It could have been much, much worse but she was a very strong bird and made a full recovery with immediate veterinary care and my experience as a rehabber.
birdguy888 2 years ago
Yes, she made a full recovery but it took nearly 2 months before all the swelling went away from around her spinal cord. I only got her out a few more times before she was put up for the molt.
birdguy888 2 years ago
Thanks for the comment. She's all healed now & is back to her normal self & is now up for the molt. The red-tail that attacked her was another falconers bird that was up in a tree behind us. We were making our way to a creek with ducks for Sugar & also trying to flush rabbits at the same time. I bent over for some reason (I can't remember) & as I did I lifted my fist up which gave the red-tail a straight shot at her. That is the first accident like that I've ever had in 26 years of falconry
birdguy888 2 years ago
26 years...sweet!
highflydanger 2 years ago
This happened on February 17th if I remember correctly. It was just after my birthday and it was horrible. I know accidents happen but this was an odd situation where the red-tail came in from behind us and nailed her while hooded and sitting on my fist! I was stunned and my friends were freaking out. LOL She is fully healed now but it took about 3 weeks for the swelling on her spinal cord to go down so she could stand up and eat on her own without falling over.
birdguy888 3 years ago
Although it is obviously sad this happened, it is refreshing and educational for us to see the "bad" or "dangerous" side of falconry where accidents happen to the birds. Everything on the web is just of healthy birds hunting or being trained so this video ROCKS and I'm glad you put it up!
cpsinutah 3 years ago
Poor girl, when did this happen?
MorganFawnvern 3 years ago