Meet Zac

I should have been well warned.  Zac's favorite activity at 15 months of age was chasing birds.  Sigh.  It was so easy back then, before he started catching them...

                        
                     A mere 15 years later, he's moved on to a red-tailed hawk.


I'm not sure where it began, but it encompassed many hours of internet research, many hours of poring over falconry publications, and many hours of drawing plans for and building a hawk mews.  Not to mention the state-required test taking and building inspecting.

       This is where Ruger lives when he's not  .ahem.  in our house...Incidentally, Zac has acquired some new cleaning skills.

So, each day when the weight of the bird is just right, Zac takes him out and "flies" him, or takes him out into the woods to hunt. 

It still amazes me that this not-so-long-ago wild bird will return to his glove.  Zac assures me that he's motivated purely by the ease and  predictability of food appearing on the glove, but it's obvious that the bird knows him, and ultimately chooses to come back, and I am .amazed.   Way to pursue your dreams, Zac!