Words from your Secretary

 

Dear Members,

 

First off I am sorry for the delay in getting out the February Newsletter. I would like to say though with an urgent plea to all the females who are currently practicing falconry in Missouri right now is what made this newsletter possible. I had a 100% response. I would like to thank all of them for their feedback with some really nice articles. Just think if I received 100% response from all practicing male members of this club I would have enough articles for the next two years of newsletters and Journals…..

                

We had an editor a few years back ,  I want to say about 7 – 10 years ago who always had really great newsletters. The majority of the newsletters articles came from neighboring states or other states across the US. We as a club then decided and voted to have our newsletters to be of Missouri Falconers , about Missouri Falconers and from that time on that is all we have ever published unless it’s a special meet invitation or other news that is important to make our club members aware of.

                

Our next newsletter this year will be coming out in the beginning of May 2006.

That newsletter will contain the 2^nd half of Mindy Batsch’s article along with announcements from our March 2006 meet and about our summer picnic August 2006.

                

So FYI   articles for the May newsletter are DUE SATURDAY APRIL 15^TH.

 

Articles written for the summer journal are DUE SUNDAY JUNE 11^TH.  I will try to remember to send out a reminder the 1^st of June for the journal.

               

It takes time to put the newsletters together and get them on line. Everything has to be edited, then put into a certain format. This brings up the topic of photographs.

 

Some of you are taking some really good quality pictures and sharing them with the club for use in our publications, we really appreciate them and need them. These pics when sent in that have not been turned into the JPEG format , we have to take each one and change it to the printable size. Please make it easier on us and send pics in the JPEG format.

            

 

I will be the first to tell you and I know many of you feel the same way. I loathe Working on the computer. Most of it is that many of us don’t know how to work it only to a certain degree. We know that there must be an easy way to do what we are trying to do but can’t figure it out. You set down in that chair for two hours when had planned to be there only for a few minutes…. And oh’ Yeah, I need to hunt my hawk today.  I have to say that on this particular day I am not sorry I didn’t get out with my Harris’s hawk. Late morning it was only 8 degrees and it finally got up to about 11. My Harris’s is set up comfortably in one of the coldest rooms in my house.

           

So much for my article about hawking? I can vouch for Stacia Novy in her article about the Mountain Cottontails in Vernal Utah. I was there for the NAFA meet , I believe the only as treacherous hawking I have ever done was at a Missouri meet a few years back in Springfield, MO, where everything was a sheet of ice.  My Harris’s hawk caught 3 of those rabbits while we were in the hills everyday of that week in November 2005.  I felt very good about him getting the 3. The last catch my hawk was completely upside-down in the back of the rocky ledge hanging on to the rabbit. WHAT A FLIGHT !!!!!!

The Harris would take off after these things and you could tell by the way he flew he’s thinking “ piece of cake” and the rabbit would wait calmly, until the hawk was about 4 feet away and just disappear into the rocks. We would drive down the Highway and could see the rabbits sitting on the rock ledges “snickering , he he he…”.

            

But what beautiful scenery to be surrounded by hawking everyday.  It would have been one of the best NAFA meets I had ever been to had I not lost my new musket Sharp-shinned hawk there. All I can say is don’t take any chances with your shortwing if at a place where 200 other falconers may be hawking. Because at least 7-8 or more of them have the exact same frequency on their telemetry as you do.

           

Several others lost their birds at the meet as well. One day I was standing by the weathering yard and a rancher walks up to me with a closed box in his hands. The fellow said he lived about 30 miles north of there in Vernal and this hawk just came down and landed in front of him. He seen the wires attached to the birds leg and had heard about our get together. My heart started racing faster even though I knew it impossible to be my bird. When we opened the box it was a beautiful Peregrine Falcon. We were all just sure who ever it belonged to was out there looking for it at that very moment. I was very happy to know that who ever the owner was would be overjoyed when they returned to find it at the hotel.

 

Hope everyone’s season ends happily with a feeling of fulfillment.

I also hope to hear from you. Send all papers to my address below.

 

Norma Haynes

Sec/ Tres   Missouri Falconers Association

Nhaynes@kc.rr.com