Remember when I said we pack in as much as possible when Chantel and Barry visit? Well, here is day two of their February visit.
Out in the country that is Harnett County, in the town of Lillington, there is a little place called Hawk Manor. Chip and Somer run an awesome outfit educating the community about raptors, or birds of prey. I first found out about Hawk Manor several years ago when I happened upon a presentation at the facility (https://www.groupon.com/deals/hawk-manor-falconry). Sara and I are up for most everything, so let’s go!! We had the best time. It was supposed to be a two-hour presentation, but Chip is so passionate about the birds that he will keep sharing his passion as long as anyone will listen. We were there for easily 3 hours. At the end of the presentation we were able to handle a bird, letting it fly onto our arm. Turns out Chip offers “falcon hunts” as well – you take several of the birds out into the woods and follow them around as they hunt squirrels or other small animals. It’s amazing to watch!
If you are looking for a fun outing for the day, check them out. You won’t regret it! http://www.hawkmanorfalconry.net/
Look what I caught, ma!!!
The birds are kept at “flying weight.” Just the right weight that they are hungry enough to hunt, but not starving. Chip has the exact weights down for each bird to the point he knows exactly how many grams of food needs to be provided based on air temp!! In order to keep the birds coming back to Chip (I mean, these aren’t domesticated animals. The only reason they tolerate him is because he provides them food…), the birds aren’t permitted to eat what they catch. Instead, the prey is removed and the bird is given small pieces of food from Chip as a reward. The dead squirrel (once confirmed dead – not fun when your “dead” prey wakes up in your bag!!!) is taken back home and stored for future use – either to feed the family, or to feed the birds outside of hunting season.
After a job well done, the bird is rewarded with several whole mice.
The bounty for today
Doesn’t everyone’s freezer look like this???
Awesome pictures! So sorry I missed this one. The one thing I wanted to mention is that Chip is so good with kids. He really engages with them at the presentations and they leave so excited about the birds. Chester loves going on the hunts and getting to run around in the woods with Chip and the birds.