asting a bird is a stressful interaction with several potential dangers. First, the bird herself is very fragile. Holding her too tightly or constricting the chest and abdomen will cause her to suffocate. The stress level and the position can also cause her to overheat. And if she's growing new feathers, the risk of breaking a blood feather is very high, possibly leading to death through the blood loss. This is not an extreme portrayal of the risks, these are all very possible and have all happened to very capable handlers. The risk of a handler being injured is also very likely, either by talon or beak.
Ideally you will have two knowledgeable people for this. One will stand with the bird on their fist. Ideally the bird will be hooded. And ideally she will be calm. However rehabilitators or those with difficult to hood birds may not be in this position. The environment should be cool, quiet, and well lit so falconers can accurately work on the bird. Many falconers, especially those with Accipiters, try not to talk during a casting so as to dissociate themselves from the event. Others do not think this is so necessary and don't take such steps.
There are a few points to keep in mind through this.
- Be sure not to squeeze the bird hard. Make a cage with your hands around her and hold her firmly, but without squeezing. The physiology of the bird is such that pressure across the abdomen region can actually suffocate her. Also, the bird will naturally want to struggle to free her wings.
- Be careful that she does not get a wing butt up or else she will continue struggling. It may be best to wait until the bird has no more blood feathers as there is a risk of breaking one here.
- The bird will also be trying to grab with her feet. If you can put a towel into her grasp she will not only not grab one of the handlers, but also will not injure herself.
The bird should be standing on the fist with her wings against her body. The falconer with the bird should pull the jesses through the glove so that they will not allow her to pick up her feet. The assistant falconer will stand behind the bird with a towel outstretched. When all is calm, the assistant falconer will calmly but swiftly wrap his hands and the towel over the bird's back pinning her wings against her body.
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With one falconer holding the bird on the fist, the assistant falconer will hold the bird with the towel. |
The bird will instinctively grasp hard at the glove or anything else she can reach. The assistant should have a solid hold of the bird with his hands making a sort of cage around her, not crushing or constricting her, but just restraining her. The assistant falconer's thumbs should meet across the bird's back, the index and second fingers should reach around the wings holding them to her sides. The pinkie and ring fingers should hold the thighs back so she cannot reach her feet too far in front of her.
When the bird is under control, the falconer can swing his gloved hand back towards the bird's tail. This will essentially straighten out the bird's body. The bird can not be laid chest down across a pillow.
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The bird can now be laid on a pillow, again be careful not to put pressure on her chest or abdomen else she may suffocate. |
With the bird under control, you can now cope, imp, or assess a bird's condition. If you have one thing to do while your bird is cast, you might as well do several things, such as cope, imp, and inspect her feet. Just be sure not to have her constrained for too long as she becomes more likely to overheat. An aba restraint is also a wonderful tool for casting.
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A bird in an Aba restraint.
Photo courtesy of Salman Ali. |
When done, the falconer should put the glove back on. The assistant will lift the bird up; her feet will be dangling slightly. The falconer should try to work the glove into the bird's grasp being careful not to get anything but the glove near her. Once the bird has a good grip on the glove, the assistant can release her and remove the towel. Alternatively, if the assistant cannot lift the bird, he can just let go and remove the towel. The bird will eventually stand up and can me navigated onto the glove.
When you finish, it's a good idea to end on a positive note. The falconer should place a large hunk of meat into his glove. When the hood is removed, the bird is immediately rewarded for the whole experience with a large piece of meat.
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