Comments on: Falcon Body Language http://operationdeltaduck.com/blog/2008/10/falcon-body-language/ Conservation through the eyes of a falconer Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:03:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Matt http://operationdeltaduck.com/blog/2008/10/falcon-body-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1324 Matt Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:54:38 +0000 http://rebeccakoconnor.com/operationdesertdove/?p=208#comment-1324 If you get a chance at the NAFA meet, corner Jennifer Coulson (I'll interoduce you if you don't know her) and ask about her observations of CB HH interactions in the pen. She and Tom looked at it systematically (daily obs. periods, X number of hours, standardized terms, etc) over a number of seasons in preparation for a charter in the HH book they're working on. They learned a lot of neat stuff about how young HHs are "schooled" by their parents; mainly by Dad, who is the grouchy disciplinarian. ...That sounds about right to me. :-) My take on your video below is that Sister and Anakin will work things out. Sister is bigger, which she might learn to use to her advanatage as a bully, except that Anakin (older and wiser) won't let her. He sets the parameters of her behavior by demonstrating that there is a balance of power and that he is watching her. Once she begins to bahave correctly in his view, he rouses. That startles her, which snaps him back to attention to make sure he still has things under control. Once he communicates that, she turns away and spreads her tail and seems to stretch, which is about the same as rousing in terms of indicating comfort. All that said, never take anything for granted. Tethered falcons will eat each other---even ones that hunt together every day. Ask me how I know.... If you get a chance at the NAFA meet, corner Jennifer Coulson (I’ll interoduce you if you don’t know her) and ask about her observations of CB HH interactions in the pen. She and Tom looked at it systematically (daily obs. periods, X number of hours, standardized terms, etc) over a number of seasons in preparation for a charter in the HH book they’re working on. They learned a lot of neat stuff about how young HHs are “schooled” by their parents; mainly by Dad, who is the grouchy disciplinarian. …That sounds about right to me. :-)

My take on your video below is that Sister and Anakin will work things out. Sister is bigger, which she might learn to use to her advanatage as a bully, except that Anakin (older and wiser) won’t let her. He sets the parameters of her behavior by demonstrating that there is a balance of power and that he is watching her.

Once she begins to bahave correctly in his view, he rouses. That startles her, which snaps him back to attention to make sure he still has things under control. Once he communicates that, she turns away and spreads her tail and seems to stretch, which is about the same as rousing in terms of indicating comfort.

All that said, never take anything for granted. Tethered falcons will eat each other—even ones that hunt together every day. Ask me how I know….

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