EVE'S DIARY 2011 - 2012 her 4th season

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Mon 19th Sept 2011

Eve has a deck feather 2/3 down, reduced her food this week and getting her to come to the glove for food

Sat 24th Sept 2011

Eve has been feeding well from the glove the last couple of days. Went in the aviary with a quail as she was eating I grabbed both her legs with my right hand, jessed her up and bowed her out in the garden while I cleaned out the aviary and removed all the perches. Eve's weight was 2lb 13oz

Sun 25th Sept  2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 12.5oz. Bowed Eve out in the garden for the day. Offered her 2 chicks on the glove but she wouldn't eat

Mon 26th Sept 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 12oz at 7pm. Took Eve out in the travelling box and went round the school fields with the lamp. Offered her 2 chicks, she ate the 4 legs then wouldn't eat anymore.

Tue 27th Sept 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 11oz at 6pm. Sat with Eve on the glove for 30 min's offering her 2 chicks. She didn't have a bite and bated a few times.

Wed 28th Sept 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 10oz at 6pm. Sat with Eve on the glove for 30 min's offering her 2 chicks. She ate both after 15 min's.

Thu 29th Sept 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 11oz at 6pm. Sat with Eve on the glove for 30 min's She ate 2 skinned and gutted chicks straight away. More settled today

Fri 30th Sept 2011

Gave Eve a chick. Going to Scotland stalking for the weekend. Fog, no wind and rain all weekend didn't see a single deer.

Sun 2nd Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 10.5oz at 5pm. Gave Eve a chick and manned for an hour

Tue 4th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 10oz at 7pm. Gave Eve a chick and manned for an hour

Thu 6th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 9.5oz at 6pm. Eve flew length of the garage for a gutted chick

Sat 8th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 9.oz at 4pm. Eve flew 5 yards then 10 yard in the garden for 2 gutted chicks after she had settled down, she has never liked the creance stick.

Mon 10th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 8 3/4oz at 6pm. Eve flew half the length of the the garden 4 times for 2 gutted chicks, not instantly.

Wed 12th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 8oz at 6pm. Eve flew full length of the the garden 3 times for 1and a half gutted chicks, not instantly took too long on the 4th attempt so I gave up and manned her for an hour.

Fri 14th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 7oz at 8pm. Took Eve to Tomas's field with the lamp, put her on a post with the creance on and couldn't get more than 20 yards from her before she came. Decided to risk it and see her response to rabbits. She went for the first one we saw but lifted up at the last moment. She caught the second rabbit she went for but it was an easy one that ran in front of her. Fed her a back leg as we headed back to the car. Manned her for a couple of hours when we got home.

Rabbit 1 (Lamp 1 Day 0 )

Sun 16th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 7 1/4oz at 8pm. Took Eve lamping with Vanessa to Tomas's field. Eve had 6 long flights but jibed at the last moment. She then chased one through the trees and caught it after a 70 yard flight, it then dragged her 20 yards to cover. Fed her a back leg as we headed back to the car. Manned her for an hour when we got home.

Rabbit 2 (Lamp 2 Day 0 )

Tue 18th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 7 1/2oz at 8pm. Took Eve lamping to Latham field.  Poured down as soon as we got out of the car. Eve had 4 flights but the rabbits dodged her at the last moment, Eve re-chased but wasn't really trying. Gave her a couple of ounce of rabbit . Went to Phil's after that and fitted a tail mount.

Rabbit 2 (Lamp 2 Day 0 )

Thu 20th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 7 1/4oz at 8pm. Took Eve lamping with Vanessa to Shrimps.  Eve had 8 long flights at rabbits but wasn't really trying she caught the ninth creeping through some grass. Gave her the back leg as we headed to the car.

Rabbit 3 (Lamp 3 Day 0 )

Sun 23rd Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 6 3/4oz at 11am. Took Eve to Raymond's for an hour, strong wind.  Eve response was good from fence posts but when she was up in the trees she ignored me a few times staring at the cover which is still very thick. Just gave her tidbits when I called her.

Rabbit 3 (Lamp 3 Day 0 )

Tue 25th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 6 1/4oz at 8pm. Took Eve lamping with Vanessa to bumpy road, no wind at all.  Didn't see many rabbits. Eve caught 2 and missed one due to being attacked by a short eared owl. Her response was a lot better tonight. Gave her a back leg from the second one on the way back to the car

Rabbit 5 (Lamp 5 Day 0 )

Thu 27th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 6 1/4oz at 8pm. Took Eve lamping with Vanessa to Fircloughs, no wind, slight drizzle.  Just got back from Inverness so just wanted a quick catch and home. Put the lamp on and saw a rabbit 100 yards away, directly behind it 80 yards further was a fox. Eve took off and caught the rabbit after a short chase and as the rabbit squealed the fox started running over to them.  I took off like forest Gump shouting and the fox stopped 10 yards off Eve and the now pinned rabbit. When I got 20 yards from Eve the fox turned and bolted. Fed Eve the back leg.

Rabbit 6 (Lamp 6 Day 0 )

Sun 30th Oct 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 12pm. Took Eve ferreting with Vanessa to Raz's, sunny day. The cover is still really thick, there was only one bank we could ferret. The first rabbit jumped from a hole right in front of Eve and she just dropped onto it. The second one got 10 yards before Eve caught it. The 3rd that bolted made it to another hole just before Eve got their. The next rabbit that bolted ran through the hedge at top of the banking, which runs the full length of the banking. Eve chased the rabbit but stayed on the warren side of the hedge. After 100 yards the rabbit nipped back through the hedge trying to make it to a hole and Eve slammed in to it. Fed Eve the heart and lungs from each one and a back leg as we walked back to the car.

Rabbit 9 (Lamp 6 Day 3 )

Tue 1st Nov 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 6oz at 8pm. Took Eve Lamping with Vanessa to Raz's, slight wind. Eve caught the the first rabbit she went for but she must have got kicked because she didn't seem to try that hard on every other rabbit she went for. She had about 7 more flights and nearly had hold of 2 of them and was re-chasing but I could tell with how much effort she was putting in that something was wrong. She normally returns straight to the fist after a miss as well and she wasn't tonight. Fed her a back leg.

Rabbit 10 (Lamp 7 Day 3 )

Thu 3rd Nov 2011

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 8pm. Took Eve Lamping with Steve, strong wind. She had a lot of flights at rabbits but Eve didn't seem to be trying at all on the long flights, she would pump for a bit then glide. She caught 3 but they were close easy flights. Going to drop her a bit more. It could also be there are a lot of rabbits about she's picking her slips. Fed her the pluck from each one she caught.

Rabbit 13 (Lamp 10 Day 3 )

Sat 5th Nov 2011     Scotland stalking for the week

Got to the forest at 3.30pm after dropping everything off at the cottage. Shot a deer 200 yards as it went dark near the holiday cottage. No wind and frosty

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 8pm. Took Eve Lamping round Sheila's farm. No wind, ground was saturated and a full moon hence we didn't see much. Only had two slips, Eve managed to catch the second.

Rabbit 14 (Lamp 11 Day 3 )

Sun 6th Nov 2011    

Frosty morning and a warm sunny day. Shot a Roe 400 yards out feeding in a field. Didn't see anything else all day.

Mon 7th Nov 2011   

Frosty morning and a warm sunny day no wind. Spotted 3 roe feeding on a hill a mile away. Stalked them but grouse were getting up all around us and the deer had gone by the time we got there. Twisted my knee jumping over a fence and struggled to walk.

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 3/4oz at 8pm. Rested my knee gave Eve a couple of ounce of rabbit

Rabbit 14 (Lamp 11 Day 3 )

Tue 8th Nov 2011    

Because of my knee we spent all day in high seats. Didn't see anything in the morning. In the evening we spotted a Roe on the new plant at sunset but it was too far to shoot.

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/2oz at 8pm. Took Eve Lamping near the tip. Slight wind Eve caught the 3rd one she chased. It was the biggest rabbit I have seen, I thought it was a leveret at first. Fed her a back leg as we walked back to the cottage.

Rabbit 15 (Lamp 12 Day 3 )

Wed 9th Nov 2011    

Only stalked in the evening, the only deer we saw was in the headlight of the car as we were leaving the forest

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 3/4oz at 8pm. Took Eve Lamping went near the tip again. Clear night no wind almost full moon. The first rabbit Eve went for got to a hole just in time. As Eve flew back to me she flew into a steel wire guide line on a telegraph pole and knocked herself out. She had a couple more flight but the rabbits were to close to cover for Eve to catch.

Rabbit 15 (Lamp 12 Day 3 )

Thu 10th Nov 2011    

Stalked from 7am to 5pm didn't see any deer clear sky no wind and full moon last night

Fri 11th Nov 2011    

Stalked from 7am to 5pm, the only deer we saw jumped across the road in front of the car and into the forest as we were driving back to the cottage after dark.

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/4oz at 8pm. Took Eve lamping, windy night and raining. As soon as I put the lamp on we saw a rabbit, Eve chased it and the rabbit headed to a stone barn, just as Eve went to grab the rabbit the rabbit ran vertically up the wall and somersaulted over her back as Eve hit the wall with both feet. Eve pushed away from the wall with her legs and carried on chasing. The rabbit then ran under a 5 bar gate with Eve on it tail. I thought Eve would hit the gate but at the last second she threw her self up in the air as the rabbit turned and went back under the gate into the field and headed back toward its warren. Eve turn in the air like a falcon does and nailed the rabbit after 30 yards. Best flight of the season so far. Didn't take long after that for us both to be soaked so I fed Eve up on the rabbit and called it a night.

Rabbit 16 (Lamp 13 Day 3 )

Sat 12th Nov 2011    

Came home from Scotland with 2 deer. Full moon and clear skies during the week meant the deer only came out after dark, fed all night and disappeared back into the forest before light  : (

Sun 13th Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 1/2oz at 8pm. Took Eve lamping to Fircloughs. Strong wind clear skies and full moon. Had a lot of long flights into the wind. Caught one as it jumped into a hedge then caught another almost straight away in the middle of a field. Fed her the pluck from both. Twisted my knee again  :(

Rabbit 18 (Lamp 15 Day 3 )

Mon 14th Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 1/2oz at 8pm. Took Eve lamping to Latham fields with Vanessa. She didn't have much food last night so

I wanted to feed her up on a kill. Strong wind which covered the noise of us standing on the fallen leaves slightly. Had half a dozen 80 - 100 yard flights but the rabbits disappeared into cover just before Eve got to them. Caught one in a bunch of nettles after a 100 yard flight. Fed her a full crop from it.

Rabbit 19 (Lamp 16 Day 3 )

Wed 16th Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 3/4oz at 8pm. Took Eve lamping to shrimps with John, slight wind. Had about ten short flights but most of rabbits disappeared before Eve got to them. She caught 3 then it started to rain.  Fed her the pluck from each one and the bits in my bag

Rabbit 22 (Lamp 19 Day 3 )

Fri 18th Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 2 1/2oz at 7pm (too low). Took Eve lamping to the bumpy road , strong wind. Picked Sean up and then the car cut out 100 yards from his house. AA came out and took my car back to Sean's then to the garage on Saturday morning. Went lamping in Sean's car. Eve really tried on the first two rabbits she went for but the flights ended in bushes. She then caught the next three rabbit but only got them on their back ends and got dragged about a lot, after eating the plucks she also struggled to let go of the rabbits when she was going for the trade off pieces. Both are signs of her weight being to low. The last rabbit drained her energy completely. She had 6 more flights but her accuracy was terrible, she did try to re-chase but was running more than flying.  When we got back to the car we went on a grass field to feed her up on a rabbit from my bag. We saw a rabbit, Eve put in a good effort and caught it. Gave her a full crop from it.

Rabbit 26 (Lamp 23 Day 3 )

Sun 20th Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4oz at 8pm. It was a bit foggy, haven't got my car back yet and I've got a cold so fed Eve a few ounce of rabbit.

Rabbit 26 (Lamp 23 Day 3 )

Mon 21st Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/2oz at 7pm. Took Eve to Fircloughs lamping no wind at all. Didn't see many rabbit but the ones we did see Eve was only putting in about 60% effort to catch them. One rabbit was running down the side of a chicken wire fence and had nowhere to go and Eve flew onto a fence post and watched it. Her weight has shot up 2oz over the last couple of days and although she's at a good flying weight because she has gone up so much she isn't that keen to hunt. She kept landing on the floor as she was coming back to me as well ? Gave her a few bits of rabbit.

Rabbit 26 (Lamp 23 Day 3 )

Wed 23rd Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 1/2oz at 7.30pm. Took Eve to Shrimps lamping with Sean, strong wind. Eve was like a different bird tonight. Only saw 1 rabbit which she caught until we started to head back to the car on a different route. Eve caught another 3 then I let Sean fly her while I lamped. She caught another two. She got each one round the head tonight. She grabbed one just as we got back to the car but by that time the lamps power was just like a torch, don't know what happened but the rabbit managed to get away. Fed her up on one from my bag.

Rabbit 32 (Lamp 29 Day 3 )

Fri 25th Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/2oz at 8pm. Took Eve to Burstip lamping with Liam, light wind. Had a few flights but Eve was picking her slips managed to get 2 fed her the pluck from each on.

Rabbit 34 (Lamp 31 Day 3 )

Sun 27th Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 1/2oz at 7.30am. Took Eve ferreting to Fircloughs with John, strong gale force wind. Eve got blown down wind as soon as I got her out of the car and I had to get the telemetry out. Didn't bolt a single rabbit in 2hrs so we headed to Raz's. The last set of holes on the banking produces a black rabbit and Eve caught it. Another rabbit bolted as I was rewarding Eve and went back in the warren. We had to wait 40mins for the ferret to come out. I couldn't hear the clicks on the ferret locator to find it position properly because the wind was that strong. Fed Eve up and called it a day. 

Rabbit 35 (Lamp 31 Day 4 )

Mon 28th Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/2oz at 7.30pm. Her weight is on the going up side but I wont be able to fly her until Thursday so I went lamping to Fircloughs, strong wind. Eve had a few long flights but wasn't really trying. She caught one after a short flight then we didn't see anymore rabbits. Fed her up on the one she caught earlier.

Rabbit 36 (Lamp 32 Day 4 )

Wed 30th Nov 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 3/4oz at 8am. Cant fly her until tomorrow night so I gave her 2 gutted chicks.

Thu 1st Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3oz at 7.30pm. Went to bumpy road lamping with Vanessa. No wind at all, too quiet. The only rabbits we saw were 100 yards away and sat on their holes. Eve had a few flights but it was 45 min's before we got our first rabbit. We circled back to the car and got another rabbit after 20mins, it put up a good flight and somersaulted with Eve holding on. She ended up on her back but she didn't let it go. It was still a while to the car so after rewarding her with the pluck we carried on. She had two more flights before nailing one just before we reached the car. Gave her a full crop from it.

Rabbit 39 (Lamp 35 Day 4 )

Fri 2nd Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 7oz at 9pm.She'll be too high tomorrow fed 1oz of rabbit

Sun 4th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 1/2oz at 10.30am. Went ferreting to the River, cold windy day with heavy rain and hale showers. Tried 3 warrens but none of them looked well used and we didn't bolt a single rabbit. At one point Eve spotted a pheasant and couldn't get to it due to brambles. She followed it but we failed to re-flush it. We then tried Raymond's the warrens there were full of leaves. Bolted one out of the big warren but it went 2ft and dropped down another hole. Tried near the pond, bolted one rabbit but Eve and I were on the wrong side of a tree sheltering from the rain and only saw the rabbit when it reached the hedge. By this point we were both wet and fed up so we headed back to the car. Couldn't fault Eve today, following on and coming when I called perfectly, pity we didn't see more quarry. Fed Eve the bits I had in my bag.

Rabbit 39 (Lamp 35 Day 4 )

Mon 5th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 1/4oz at 7.30pm. Went lamping to Burstip with Vanessa, cold and windy with heavy rain and hale showers. Tried the grass fields first, everywhere was waterlogged. As soon as the lamp went on the rabbits scarpered, Eve had one chase but the rabbit got through a gap in the fence a split second before Eve crashed in. We then tried the rough land as it started to rain. Eve had 4 flights but the rabbits made it to cover well before Eve got their. As we headed back to the car we got battered by a heavy hale storm. We waited in the car for the storm to clear then tried Fircloughs on the way home. We sneaked up on a field and lamped it, a rabbit bolted from the middle of the field and Eve took off, It was a great chase and Eve did really well to catch it being wet. As she hit it the rabbit flipped over taking Eve with it and she landed on her back on the wet muddy floor, she didn't let go though. I gave Eve a full crop from it as it started to rain again. When we got home I washed her down and then dried her off with a hair dryer, she was caked in mud.

Rabbit 40 (Lamp 36 Day 4 )

Wed 7th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 3/4oz at 7pm. Went lamping to Shrimps with Vanessa, dry but gale force wind and a full moon. Eve missed the first rabbit she went for and got blown down wind as she threw up in the air to turn back to me. Had to get telemetry out but found her after a couple of min's. In a hour we had 4 chases, each rabbit turn into the wind and Eve had no chance. Had a quick look at Raz's from the road on the way home but didn't see anything. We then stopped at Burstip and Eve caught the first rabbit we saw just as the lamp started to die. Gave her a full crop from it.

Rabbit 41 (Lamp 37 Day 4 )

Sat 10th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 1/2oz at 8am. Went for a walk round Smiths, slight cold wind. As we walked down the track a rabbit bolted from a pile of logs I kicked and Eve caught it, I gave her the pluck as a reward. Eve chased a couple of pheasants and a rabbit but couldn't get to them due to the brambles. The shoot  started next door and Eve went off after a pheasant that came our way but landed in their wood I quickly went over and got her, as we headed back to our permission I came across a Fellow deer with no head ? With the shoot going on I decided to fly Eve from the fist on the grass field. We bumped a hare and Eve hit it on its back end and got kicked off. As we started to head back another hare got up and this time she got a head grip. Sat down and fed her up on it for 30 min's then it poured down.

Rabbit 42 (Lamp 37 Day 5 ) Hare 1

Mon 12th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 1/2oz at 7:30pm. Went lamping to Fircloughs with Vanessa, rain and  very strong winds. It was a horrible night so we sneaked up to the first field hoping to get a rabbit quickly, feed Eve and get home. When the lamp went on all the rabbits were at the far end of the field and they darted off straight away. We didn’t see any on the other two fields so we headed to Burskip.  Eve had 2 flights but when they turn into the wind Eve had no chance. She caught the next one she went for so I fed her up on it and headed home.

Rabbit 43 (Lamp 38 Day 5 ) Hare 1

Tue 13th Dec 2011    

Went to the Cheshire Hawking club meeting. Auction night.

Wed 14th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4oz at 7:00pm. Went lamping to bumpy road with Vanessa, light winds. Missed the first rabbit we saw then caught the next 4 on a row. The full moon started to come up and the rabbits became scarce so we headed back to the car. Had two more slips, Eve grabbed one as it dropped down a hole but she couldn't keep hold. The other got to cover before she got to it so I fed her up on one she caught earlier.

Rabbit 47 (Lamp 42 Day 5 ) Hare 1

Sat 17th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 3 1/2oz at 9:00am. Went ferreting to Fircloughs to try out a new ferret, light cold winds with rain and sleet showers. Missed the first 4 bolted rabbit due to Eve being so wet and the rabbits running through thick bushes and brambles. The 5 rabbit bolted along the hedge line and Eve caught it so I fed her the heart lungs and liver, Going the lakes tomorrow don't want to give her too much. Very happy with the new ferret  : )

Rabbit 48 (Lamp 42 Day 6 ) Hare 1

Sun 18th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4oz at 7:00am. Went ferreting to Barry's with Vanessa, No wind sunny cold day. The farmer has filled all the warrens in the middle of the fields so we ferreted the hedge rows. We had 4 rabbit in the bag which the ferrets caught before we bolted a rabbit. The first one to bolt ran down the sheep wire fence and nipped under a stile just as Eve went to grab it . Eve hit the stile full whack. She caught the next one as it was jumping through a 6 bar metal gate, the momentum of the rabbit caused her to get slammed into the gate as well but she didn’t let go. The two that bolted after that only got a few meters from the warrens before Eve crashed into them. By now the sun had melted the snow on the grass and Eve was wet and struggled on a couple of long flights to catch up to the rabbits before they made it to another warren. As we headed back to the car Eve took off after a rabbit running along a hedge and caught it. I fed her up on that one. Got 11 altogether the ferrets nailed 3 each :)

Rabbit 52 (Lamp 42 Day 10 ) Hare 1

Tue 20th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/2oz at 9:00pm. Went lamping to the river after I got back from Edinburgh. Slight wind and it hadn't stopped raining all day. After 10mins we saw the first rabbit 60 yards off, it dodged Eve at the last second and Eve landed in the long wet grass. She did re-chase but the rabbit got to cover. After another 10mins we saw 3 rabbits running to their warrens on the other side of a valley. Eve took off and caught up to one just as it reached a pile of brambles. They both disappeared into the cover and I heard the scream. Great flight considering how wet Eve was and the distance she flew for it. Gave her a decent size reward from it and carried on, by now Eve was soaked through to the skin. Saw a couple more rabbits and Eve went for them but after 20 yard she was changing her mind and coming back to the fist. Fed her up on the rabbit back at the car

Rabbit 53 (Lamp 43 Day 10 ) Hare 1

Thu 22nd Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 3/4oz at 8:00pm. Went lamping to Burstip. Windy but dry. Went on the grass field first. The first two slips we had were brilliant long flights and ended with two rabbits in the bag. We then tried the rough field, Eve chased a rabbit down wind and slammed into a small bush going for the rabbit at top speed. There was a loud thud, when I got over to her she had hit a large bolder in the bush. She seemed ok. Didn't see anything else so we stopped at Fircloughs on the way home. Eve chased a couple of rabbits but didn't seem to be trying. Gave her half a crop from a rabbit she caught earlier and called it a night.

Rabbit 55 (Lamp 45 Day 10 ) Hare 1

Sat 24th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 11:00am. Went ferreting at Raz's after I dropped a bottle of whisky off at the farm. Windy but dry. Eve caught the first rabbit that bolted. As I put the ferret down the next hole Eve flew across to a garden that backs on to the farmers field. I didn't see what for? she came back as soon as I called. 2 more rabbits bolted but made it to nearby holes before Eve got to them. A man appeared in the garden were Eve had been and 6 chickens came out from under bushes and followed him. Eve's head was bobbing like mad, luckily a rabbit bolted and took her mind off the chickens. It got to another warren though and she went back up a tree. She got the next one that bolted a few seconds after, I fed her up on it and called it a day, didn't want to risk adding a chicken to her kills. 

Rabbit 57 (Lamp 45 Day 12 ) Hare 1

Mon 26th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 at 10:00am. Went for a walk round Smiths with Vanessa. Windy but dry. A pheasant shoot was going on in the next field, 3 pheasants flew over and landed in our wood. Eve slammed into a cock. I decided to go somewhere else as there were pheasants flying all over the place I didn't want Eve flying near the shooters. Went by the river, Eve got hold of another pheasant but couldn't keep hold then she caught a rabbit in mid air as it ran off the edge of a steep bank. 

Rabbit 58 (Lamp 45 Day 13 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1

Wed 28th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 11:00am. Went for a walk near the river. Gale force wind. Eve went for half a dozen pheasant but either couldn't get to them because the cover was too thick or couldn't keep hold of them. Just gave her a few rabbit tid bit.

Rabbit 58 (Lamp 45 Day 13 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1

Thu 29th Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 oz at 7:00am. Went ferreting to Barry's with Phil and Vanessa. Strong winds and showers. Eve chased the first five that bolted but just as she got to them they nipped through the sheep wire and Eve crashed into it at full speed. She then dropped on a pheasant and when I got to her she was stood griping a massive pile of feathers. Eve got the next rabbit just as it  reached another warren. We got a few with the ferret then had a cracking 100 yard flight straight across the field. After that the wind got too strong to carry on, it was blowing us over! Got 7 rabbits altogether. Gave Eve a good feed back at the farm.

Rabbit 60 (Lamp 45 Day 15 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1

Sat 31st Dec 2011    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/2oz at 9:00am. Went for a walk round smiths. Slight wind and showers. Eve dropped on a rabbit in brambles. Then went for a couple of pheasants but the cover was that thick I couldn't even get in to flush them and I did try my legs got cut to ribbons on the brambles. At one point Eve's bell got caught in a fork on a branch and she was hanging by her tail. She managed to free herself as I climbed the tree and then had a strop on with me for a while as if it was my fault. She missed a rabbit in cover as we headed back to the car.

Rabbit 61 (Lamp 45 Day 16 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1

Sun 1st Jan 2012    

Alf dropped off a roe deer for me to butcher that a friend had hit with his car as it jumped out on him near the Plough pub. Only damage to the meat was a couple of broken ribs that had punctured its heart.

Mon 2nd Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/2oz at 10:00am. Went for a walk round smiths with Vanessa. Very strong wind but dry. Took a ferret but we could only find rat holes. Eve had us all over the place chasing pheasants, had to get the telemetry out twice. She hit a couple but couldn't keep hold of them. We bolted a massive Hare on the grass field but it took off into the wind at full speed and left Eve standing. We had a little walk down the river and Eve caught a rabbit sat out in brambles. Fed her up on a back leg as we headed back to the car. When I gutted it the rabbit was in very early stage of pregnancy.

Rabbit 62 (Lamp 45 Day 17 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1

Tue 3rd Jan 2012    

Fitted new anklets, the old ones have stretched and the ring was dropping inside them.

Wed 4th Jan 2012    

Heavy rain and gale force wind all day and forecast for the next few days, everywhere is saturated so I fed Eve up.

Fri 6th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 8:30pm. Went lamping to bumpy road. Gale force wind and full moon behind thin clouds. Eve's struggled on the first 4 flights, as the rabbits turned the wind hindered her manoeuvrability. She caught two where it was a bit more sheltered but still turned the rabbits 3-4 times before catching them. She then chased one that ran under a 3 wire fence.  The bottom wire  hit Eve across her crop and she spun round  it like a Catherin wheel and knocked out a big pile of feathers. We headed back to the car. She seamed ok and had a couple more flights but wasn't really trying.

Rabbit 64 (Lamp 47 Day 17 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1

Sun 8th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/2oz at 8:00am. Went Ferreting with Vanessa, Steve and his HH to Strong's. Light wind and heavy drizzle throughout the day. As we ferreted Eve flew across two fields and nailed a rabbit. The next one that bolted ran up hill and Eve caught it after a long flight just as it nipped through sheep wire. After that it started to rain and it wasn't long before both birds where wet. They chased about 8 more rabbits but struggled to catch up to them. A few rabbit didn't bolt just popped there heads out and went back in and we got three with the ferrets. We did a warren on the side of a hill, the ferret was if for half an hour and showing 10 foot on the finder eventually it went to two foot and I started to dig.  When I got to the ferret I felt in the hole to see if I could find a rabbit, I found  a vertical tunnel which went deeper than I could reach, I think the ferret went down it and couldn't get out? Called it a day after that, we were all soaked and coved in mud.

Rabbit 66 (Lamp 47Day 19 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1

Tue 10th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/2oz at 7:00pm. Went lamping to shrimps. Very strong wind, full moon but cloudy.  We headed out to the marsh section, the wind was blowing straight into our face, we saw a lot of rabbits which ran across us to cover about 30 yards in front of us but Eve struggle to catch up to them with the head wind. She caught two that we managed to get down wind of. We made our way back in the sheltered section I went this way because Eve's a pain on the glove with the wind on her back, blowing on her tail effects her balance. Managed to get 3 more rabbits with ambush flights. Gave her a full crop on the 5th. Found a rabbit full of liver fluke when I gutted them at home

Rabbit 71 (Lamp 52 Day 19 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1

Liver fluke

Thu 12th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 7:00pm. Went lamping to Fircloughs. Dry with no wind. Didn't see a single rabbit until the 3rd field, Eve chased it to cover but didn't crash in (too high for that). She then caught a mouse after she chased it between 4 clumps of weeds :) We then saw a rabbit take off from the middle of the field and Eve took chase. The rabbit dropped down a gear and left Eve but Eve also picked up the pace and nailed it after a superb flight. Didn't see anything else until we got to the barn were I spotted something move 70 yards off between two drills. Eve set off after it and when she got 30 yards from it a little owl took off and Eve took it in flight. Managed to get Eve off it and release it.

Rabbit 72 (Lamp 53 Day 19 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1                                                             Mouse 1 Little owl :( 1

Fri 13th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/2oz at 7:00pm. Went lamping to Carform with Sean. Cold with no wind and pitch black. Saw lots of rabbits. Eve had 4 long flights and caught 4 rabbits. After she caught it took a few minutes to get her breath back before she would chase again. She also caught a mouse running between clumps of grass and it went down in one. We could have caught a lot more but i didn't want her to get too much food. Back at the car after 30 min's.

Rabbit 76 (Lamp 57 Day 19 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 1                                                             Mouse 2

Sun 15th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5oz at 8:00am. Went ferreting to Strong's with Ste and Vanessa. Sunny frosty day with very light wind. Didn't bolt a lot of rabbits. The ones we did were good flights got 3 and 3 with the ferrets. We also got a partridge that flew into a rabbit warren, I put my hand down the hole and as it flew out of a different hole Eve caught it. Both birds chased a hen pheasant all over the place before Eve caught it on the railway line. Gave both birds a full crop.

Rabbit 79 (Lamp 57 Day 22 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 2 (Hen 1 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Tue 17th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 6 1/4oz at 7:00pm Didn't expect her to be so high with the frosty weather. Went Lamping with Daz and Pete to Carform, light wind. Eve caught the first rabbit we saw 20 yards from the car. After that she was picking her slips and wasn't trying that hard when she did chase. I expected her response to be like that at this weight . Eve managed to get one more and we headed back to the car to give Daz and Pete's birds a go. Gave Eve the pluck from each rabbit and a few tidbits.

Rabbit 81 (Lamp 59 Day 22 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 2 (Hen 1 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Thu 19th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 3/4oz at 7:00pm Went Lamping with Vanessa to Carform, Gale force wind and showers. Eve had lots of flights on the open fields but the rabbits were dodging her at the last moment and with the wind being so strong Eve struggled to turn quick enough and the rabbits headed off into the wind. She managed to get 2 then we headed to the field behind the woods. Eve went for a rabbit but it nipped into a bush just before she caught up to it, another rabbit appeared 10 yards behind it and she caught that one. We then headed back to the car and spotted a rabbit creeping through brambles. Eve crashed in and grabbed hold of it but the rabbit got free and bolded off into the wood, Eve managed to free herself from the brambles and chased after it and caught it, great flight! Fed her up on it and called it a night.

Rabbit 85 (Lamp 63 Day 22 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 2 (Hen 1 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Sat 21st Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 6 3/4oz at 8:00am Too high plus its gale force wind.

Sun 22nd Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 11:00am. Went to Smiths for a walk with Vanessa, very strong winds and showers. The only thing we saw was a rabbit in a massive heap of brambles which were too thick for Eve to penetrate. We went by the river but a lad on a crosser was going through the wood so we didn't see anything there until we reached the far end. Eve chased a squirrel and had hold of it  to but it managed to get free and took one of her Jessie's with it when it bit the button part. Eve then dropped on a rabbit hiding in thin brambles, gave her the pluck.

Rabbit 86 (Lamp 63 Day 23 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 2 (Hen 1 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Tue 24th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/4oz at 7:00pm. Went to Raz's lamping, showers and no wind. Had 2 flights, the first made it to cover before she got there. The second did a summersault as Eve went for it, she then turned it 4 times before it made it through a sheep wire fence and to its warren. Went to Shrimps hoping for a bit of a breeze off the sea to give Eve a bit of lift. As we left the car it started to pour down, it didn't take long before we were both soaked. We Managed to get a couple of squatters as they bolted. Then I spotter a rabbit running to cover, Eve missed on her first attack and being so wet I thought no chance now. As I followed the rabbit with the lamp Eve reappeared and nailed it as it jumped a stream and they both landed in the shallow water. After her reward I called it a night. Fed her the pluck and pick up piece from each rabbit she caught. Eve was covered in silt and sand so when we got home I showered her and dried her off with the hairdryer.

Rabbit 89 (Lamp 66 Day 23 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 2 (Hen 1 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Eve when we got back to the car

Thu 24th Jan 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/4oz at 7:00am. Went on a field meet with the Cheshire Falconry Club. Started off ok Eve caught a rabbit and a pheasant in the first wood. She caught a rabbit in the 2nd wood then three birds slammed into a squirrel, when I got there Eves foot was the highest up its body and the squirrel had its teeth sunk into the front and back of Eve's tarsus just above the foot causing a 7mm and 4mm wound :( it wasn't bleeding, I applied some F10 gel. We then had to wait for somebody to find there bird as it poured down for half an hour. In the next wood Eve dropped on a cock pheasant just as I got there another HH slammed into Eve's back and was footing her. It wasn't going for the pheasant at all, Eve let go of the pheasant to defend herself, it also got a slap from me. After that Eve wasn't herself. We headed back to the car for dinner then went to a different area in the afternoon. Eve was staying on her own away from the other birds, she had a couple of chases but didn't catch anything. Gave her a full crop.

The vet Richard Jones was on a call and wouldn't be back until after 5pm so it meant me hanging around for 2 hours and hitting rush hour traffic so I went to my local vet for antibiotics. They gave me Synulox pal drops and told me 2.5ml's twice a day for 5 days £35. I gave her the first dose which seemed a lot of liquid so I checked on the box and it said for 1kg (2.2lb) cat/dog the dose should be 0.25ml's twice a day. Spoke to the vet who said go off the box dosage the sticker they put on must be a mistake and the high dose I gave to Eve might give her diarrhoea. Got a message when I got home saying that the 2.5ml dose is correct and they hadn't give me enough. So I spoke to Richard, he confirmed that 2.5ml is correct, birds metabolism is higher than animals and need more. Wish I had gone to Richard Jones in the first place. Cost me another £15 for another 15ml bottle :( wont be going to that vets again!

Rabbit 91 (Lamp 68 Day 23 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 3 (Hen 2 Cock 1) Partridge 1

For the last 6 days Eve has been resting to let her wounds heel. She had 2 skinned and gutted chicks in the morning and one at night with antibiotics and vitamins. On the cold nights she stopped in the travelling box in the house.

Thu 2nd Feb 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 7:00pm. Went to Fircloughs lamping with Vanessa. -5 deg and no wind. Eve missed on her first flight and hit the frozen ground hard. That might have put her off a bit or her weight was a touch too high because the next 4 long flights Eve had, she caught up to them but wouldn't crash in. She chased the next one into the barn, 2nd time this has happened but again Eve got spooked out when we went in there and started bating. She caught one that we got close to on the far edge of the field. Fed her up and called it a night. She spent the night in the house in her box. 

Rabbit 92 (Lamp 69 Day 23 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 3 (Hen 2 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Sat 4th Feb 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5 1/4oz at 11:00am. Went for a walk round Smiths for an hour. Freezing cold and no wind. She chased a couple of pheasants but had no chance. Had a look for hares on the bottom field but we didn't see any. Eve followed on perfectly all the time we where out with out a single tip bit to bribe her. Gave her an ounce of rabbit when we got back to the car.

Rabbit 92 (Lamp 69 Day 23 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 3 (Hen 2 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Sun 5th Feb 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5oz at 3:00pm. Went ferreting to Raymond's with Vanessa for an hour. Warm sunny day.  The 1st warren produced 4 rabbits, the first one ran out into the field and Eve caught it 20 yard from the warren. The second to bolt went into another hole and Eve got it by a back leg just before it disappeared. 2 more bolted but reached the next warren before Eve had seen them. Got a good bolt from the 2nd warren we tried, the rabbit ran down a thick tall hedge and Eve chased but was on the opposite side to the rabbit. As Eve came to a gap she nipped through and grabbed the rabbit just as it went through sheep wire but she didn't keep hold. Eve  instantly went up a tree and was scanning the reed bed were the rabbit had gone in. As I started to walk through the reeds the rabbit broke cover and tried to cut the corner of the grass field and Eve caught it. Fed her up on it as we walked back to the car. The doe had young in :( going to put Eve down for moult when I hit 100 bunnies.

Rabbit 95 (Lamp 69 Day 26 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 3 (Hen 2 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Tue 7th Feb 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 4 1/2oz at 7:00pm. Went lamping with Mike to Fircloughs. Cold with a light wind. When I got her out of the aviary I noticed blood on her foot, the bite wound had opened up again. Cleaned it and sealed it with wound powder. Eve had 3 long flights about 200 yard but didn't get close enough to crash in. She then caught one behind the barn. Didn't see anything else. Fed her up back at the car!

Rabbit 96 (Lamp 70 Day 26 ) Hare 1, Pheasant 3 (Hen 2 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Just fed Eve the rest of the week, didn't want to put any pressure on her foot. If I didn't have plans for Saturday I would have put her away for moult.

Sat 11th Feb 2012    

Eve's weight was 2lb 5oz at 10:00am. My plans with Steve were cancelled so I went to Smith's. Dry cloudy day with light wind. Eve crashed into two pheasants in thick brambles but couldn't get at them. She also went for two rabbits but the brambles were too thick she managed to grab one but couldn't keep hold. We than circled the grass field looking for Hares but didn't see any. I decided to cut the corner of a stubble field and head back to the car. A big Hare got up 30 yards in front of us and Eve took off after it and after chasing it another 30 yards they both disappeared down a hill. I had started to run as soon as Eve took off and got to the top of the hill quickly, there I saw Eve 10 yards down hill gripping onto the Hares head and back leg. Gave her the heart lungs and liver from it which filled her crop, she couldn't get any more in. Great end to the season 9lb Hare : )

Rabbit 96 (Lamp 70 Day 26 ) Hare 2, Pheasant 3 (Hen 2 Cock 1) Partridge 1

Fitted the aviary with perches, removed the tail mount and free lofted Eve. It been a great season considering I only started flying her properly in mid October. Going to start dropping her weight at the beginning of August this time

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