Some good friends of mine have a New Year's Day party each year. It's a good time with a lot of food and friends.
Their son is going to be married soon, and his girlfriend is a falconer. Her bird of choice is a red tailed hawk. She was there for the party, and I got up close and personal with this bird of prey.
Alesha has a license to keep this bird...who's name is John Wayne. She has a special box that he travels in. At home he has a large shed in which he freely flies around. When he's outside she keeps him tethered unless he's hunting.
Yesterday she took JW out for some rabbit hunting. I'm sorry I missed that.
This isn't a pet. Even though Alesha has raised this bird since it was four months old, the bird doesn't show any affection towards her. It's purely a working relationship. Alesha does this for fun and sport.
JW hunts down rabbits and then Alesha gives him meat for treats. The bird doesn't eat the rabbit. It's kind of like how a dog looks to it's owner for a treat when it knows it's done something good. Alesha keeps the rabbits to trim and clean for JW's food when he isn't hunting.
The daylight was quickly fading when I took these pictures. I found out that great horned owls are big predators of the red tailed hawk. JW sensed the day was ending and was getting eager to get back into his box. I kept the photo shoot to a minimum because the bird was really starting to get upset.
Red tailed hawks are a common sight around Cedaredge. So are great horned owls, golden eagles, and many other types of hawks. Bald eagles over winter in the area, too.
For more information on the Cedaredge and Delta County area, please give me a call.
I've lived on Colorado's Western Slope for over 26 years. I love this area and all it has to offer, and I enjoy sharing what I know about my home. As a REALTOR®, I also love to share my expertise in this area as well. If you need real estate information for Montrose County, or Delta County, Colorado...please give me a call.
