Head for the skies!

Well it was so great that I was so excited that I tried to post last night but the system wouldn't let me.

Potter and Spotty were my favourites. Potter was a gigantic Steppes Eagle and Spotty was a spotted (no, surely not!) eagle owl. Spotty was my favourite. She wasn't as awesome as the hawks and buzzards and falcons, but she had so much more character. She actually seemed to like being sweet-talked and responded to Allan and I and stayed with us much longer than with the other two people who were on the day with
us.

Here's a pic of spotty:



In the morning we flew six birds, having them land on our fist when the falconer put some shredded chick on the glove. You don't want to do this if you are a die-hard vegetarian - having a chick's leg put into your hand is probably not going to make your day! The harder you could hold the chick-bit, the longer they stayed as they tried to get it.

Spotty stayed once it was gone though. The biggest hawk we flew was a naughty one. They can't let dogs into the centre now because she has attacked a labrador in the car park! (In theory, birds of prey are afraid of dogs because they are their only predators.) And on a demo one day she ignored the lure and caught a fox instead and they had to prize it out of her claws before she ripped it to shreds in front of a bunch of holidaymakers!

We also flew a Kestrel (I had no idea they were so tiny! Only about 8 inches tall, But so attractive too). We didn't fly Potter (the Eagle day is £250 :-0 ) but we saw him on his stand. He had "attitude" :-) You wouldn't want to pick a fight with him. I can't imagine what having him land on your arm would be like. The big bad buzzard that we flew landed with a crunch!

In the afternoon we went walking with a pair of Harris hawks which had been taught to hunt rather than fly in demonstrations. It was a bit like walking a dog - we walked along and they flew after us. Sometimes they flew away, but then they came back again. It was good but not nearly as much fun as the morning had been.

I absolutely thoroughly recommend the morning session if you can get to Junction 20 on the M6, or if you are ever on holiday in Cheshire or North Wales. It's definitely worth a trip. And no, hawks and owls don't get bird flu - it should really be called poultry flu! A bit like horses and camels don't get foot and mouth.

After yesterday today has been, well, less than exciting. It is back to winter again, snowing, and all I have done is school. Tia is being over-fed to keep her weight on and she was pretty upitty to ride for the first 5 minutes, refusing to stand still for a second. But she calmed down pretty quick when she realised that tantrums weren't going to get her anywhere, which bodes well for when she is fit enough to event. When that will ever be, who knows!? Even my dressage is in doubt right now, because we won't be able to get the lorry out if it stays like this. At the moment, she is going to have to be the most naturally talented jumper that the world has ever seen if she is to make Bradwall with the amount of training time we have left now! Don't hold your breaths.

C