"Missy" My First Socially Imprinted Falcon

This year (1999) I decided to socially imprint a Peregrine falcon. Finding a bird of the right age proved harder than I thought, but finally I collected a plump female of just under three weeks old. A bit older than I wanted but had been nicely hand reared but with a brother which concerned me somewhat. This turned out to be nothing to worry about, I had wanted it earlier but its sex could not be agreed upon. It was the prodgeny of a male Peregrine & female Peregrine/Barbary. Once home she was given the floor of the utility room and fed cut food on a saucer which she never saw appear. Within a week I had introduced wholefood. She soon found that climbing into the cats litter tray (thankfully not used these days) preferable to her own box. I am fortunate in having a cat that is not hostile to any birds I have had in the house from young pigeons to falcons. As soon as the feathers were profuse she was left at liberty in the garden which is very large and secluded. She soon developed  a relationship with feet something which is quite common with imprints, this included my long suffering Italion Spinone, she would pull the hair in between his toes if he got up she would follow him until he lay down again. If he stayed and relented she would lay down within his legs and sleep. She was by then only being fed on the lure which would be left on the lawn not too far off for her to find. She was fitted anklets a leg bell and a telephone number cable tie at five weeks as I expected her to try her wings out at this age but being an imprint she was a bit slower and this did not happen until about seven weeks old when she suddenly flew off into the village. It was time to put on a transmitter. Never did she object to anything being put on her, even when later she was cast to have her bell and transmitter mount put on her tail. Each day she was taken to farmland on the edge of the village to allow her to do whatever she wanted to. She was introduced to the kite and after three days she was flying three hundred feet to it , but without enthusiasm so I stopped it. She soon took to chasing swallows and then on to crows, which were always around until she caught one when she was fourteen weeks old only to lose it as I made in allbeit carefully. In the strugle she had been grabbed by the head and her right nare was bleeding. This did not put her off and she still chases crows and loves stooping buzzards, a real worry. Since taking thet crow they make themslves scarce when we arrive. She is a nice bird to handle, not noisey or vicious, but frustrating. She has hit a pheasent poult pointed by the dog but lost it and after all this still plays at grabbing leaves from trees and feet full of straw from the ground flying up a couple a hundred feet to then drop it. I dare say kills will start if I persivere but I have other birds to pick up now the moult is over. Even so she is a joy to watch, and enjoys standing on my knee in the garden while I sit and work. Apart from the dust created from the growing feathers with the following disapproving look from my wife Ishall do another next year. By the way she is fed in the morning a light meal with no casting, spends her day on the weathering lawn bathing, preening and watching the pigeons nesting in the tree abve her. She is flown mid afternoon onwards when she recieves the bulk of her food and her flying weight 1lb 12.5oz.

By December 1999 her weight has climbed considerably  and she is flying daily now at a fit 2lbs 1oz, although 2 is is pobably the best weight really.

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