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January 4, 2012
More on that Rescued Raptor
Tyson Trish, The Record photojournalist who took the pictures of that rescued raptor I posted about last week, sent along two more images that are illuminating/sad.
As Rick Wright (no relation) surmised from the photo in the original post, the raptor had jesses, which means that it was a falconer's bird.
The reason it had to be rescued was… it was a falconer's bird.
Tyson writes:
"There was a foot or two of leather straps hanging off the clips (jesses) — that is what got caught in the tree. When they rescued it, it was hanging upside down off with the straps caught on a branch."
Time to rethink the length of jesses — at the very least?
(Thanks, Tyson!)
Link to original post is here.
Tomorrow: The raptor from another angle, helpful IDing this bird?
Still need input on why the bird's feet are light blue…
3 comments
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Thank you, William Streeter. This was very helpful. I think the mystery is solved. Falconry is a whole ‘nother world for me.
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The bird is a gyrfalcon or gyrfalcon hybrid cross. As Janet T said immature (first year)gyrfalcons have bluish legs and feet as well as a blue colored cere (the fleshy area above the beak which houses the nostrils or nares). Threaded through the grommet in the leather bracelets around the legs are the nylon jesses. The jesses are attached to a swivel. The swivel is attached to a leash which can be used to tether the bird to a perch or wrapped around the falconer’s glove for safe handling. From the picture of the bird hanging it looks as if she escaped with her leash still attached. The leash, not the jesses, got tangled up in at tree, luckily in a populated area where she could be seen, rather than in an isolated area. She got lucky, as did her falconer.
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I believe immature Gyrfalcons have blue feet.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gyrfalcon/id/ac
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3 comments
Jim Wright
Thank you, William Streeter. This was very helpful. I think the mystery is solved. Falconry is a whole ‘nother world for me.
William Streeter
The bird is a gyrfalcon or gyrfalcon hybrid cross. As Janet T said immature (first year)gyrfalcons have bluish legs and feet as well as a blue colored cere (the fleshy area above the beak which houses the nostrils or nares). Threaded through the grommet in the leather bracelets around the legs are the nylon jesses. The jesses are attached to a swivel. The swivel is attached to a leash which can be used to tether the bird to a perch or wrapped around the falconer’s glove for safe handling. From the picture of the bird hanging it looks as if she escaped with her leash still attached. The leash, not the jesses, got tangled up in at tree, luckily in a populated area where she could be seen, rather than in an isolated area. She got lucky, as did her falconer.
Janet T
I believe immature Gyrfalcons have blue feet.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gyrfalcon/id/ac