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Bandarai — Taco
Published: 2014-04-20 16:05:49 +0000 UTC; Views: 1097; Favourites: 98; Downloads: 0
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It's been over a year, and I still miss you like crazy.You were my very first harris hawk, and to this day, the one I cherish most.
I'll never forget how much of a pain in the ass you were sometimes. Refusing to come to my glove because you were too busy mousing, and you getting really pissed off when you missed the game - so you'd take stand in a tree for like 10 mins and hold everyone up.
You always managed to get food on top of your head, too. I had to cast you up so many times to get you clean...but you never cared.
I miss flying you after work. I miss watching you pester the innocent ducks and moorhens down at the lake.
I miss your happy little croaks in the morning as I picked you up to weigh you. You were my pride and joy in life, just as you are in death.
Oh, the stories I still tell people of you. And always will.
I wish it didn't end the way it did. I'm so sorry there wasn't anything I could do for you. Thanks for everything, little one.
I love you
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My little 'bandy-legs', Taco, who sadly passed away last year.
He was donated by a gent who couldn't take care of him anymore...or didn't want him. I'm not really sure, to this day.
Maybe one day it'll stop hurting enough to give him a fitting tribute, and not just some 30min speedpaint.
Before I buried him, the boss took off the ID ring from his leg. I carry it with me everywhere I go...so I guess he's never really left me.
Artwork © bladebandit
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Comments: 37
So sorry for your loss
Taco is gorgeous and this is an awesome tribute to him
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Thanks so much for your kind words
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Do I spot another falconer?!
Gotta love these wolves of the sky. <3
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Haha, you do indeed! Are you a falconer too? o:
They certainly are amazing. I have such a soft spot for harrises.
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Yes! I've been licensed and flying in the USA since 2007; both hawks and falcons. c: Through education and rehab efforts, I've also gotten to work with a variety of eagles (bald, golden, tawny, long-crested, white-tailed sea, bateleur, others), owls (eeos, american and euro barn owls, saw-whets, screeches, tawny owls, barred, ghos, snowies, etc) , vultures (egyptian, hooded, black, turkey, etc), retired Air Force peregrines, and other related species!
Harrises are certainly a blast, aren't they? <3 My soft spot is for squirrel-crashing Red-Tailed Hawks.
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That's pretty awesome! I work at a bird of prey centre in the UK...we don't do rehab, we're more about education and letting the public into the world of falconry. We run experience days for the public to have a go at flying and handling birds. c: But we also do visits to schools, residential homes, and county fairs too. c: It's a bix of a mixture.
Neat! We work with those kinda things too. Tons of owls, hawks, falcons and buzzards. <3 I've been lucky enough like you to have handled and flown a load of those species. That's a grand collection of eagles to have experience with! I've worked with bald, golden, bateleur, white-tail, steppe, african fish, and a steller's. Long crested is a new one to me, though! That's so cool o:
Am super jealous though of the vultures. We only have turkey vultures. c: Waaay before I started working, the centre had a white backed, a ruppell's and a king (!!!) vulture. They were all sent to breeding programs, and I'm still sad I never got to work with them. On the plus side, we recently hand reared an Andean condor for a breeding program. He got sent to Belgium last month. ;_; I really miss him, but I can at least say I worked with a condor and have the awesome photos for memories
They certainly are. Gorgeous birds. <3 Ahh the ol' red-tails. I've literally just started training my first of those, had the little one for about a week now. He's a nervous little lad. But we'll work on that.
I appear to have essay'd. Sorry. ;;
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You sound amazing omg
Bateleurs and Goldens are my favorite; never gotten to work with steppe, african fish or steller's sea eagles! Long-crested eagles are actually quite small!
The center that I interned at just obtained a ruppell's, I believe! 
Awwh awesome! Best of luck with the Red-Tail!!! We trap them here during migration, and passage wild ones are amazingly fun to fly. UK falconer friends say they don't allow trapping there?
(Pffbt I love essays omg)
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It's super fun. <3
They're pretty cool! Our bateleur is an imprint...he actually loves cuddles. We can all snuggle our heads right up to him. (Apart from a couple of the men, who for some reason, he hates? Eh, he's a bird whio likes the ladies I guess.) But man, they are SO pretty. Their beautiful faces and gorgeous head feathers.
Ohh man, super awesome! Get lots of photos, they're beautiful <3 Wow, so cool! And yeah, I know right?! Huge! We had our condor until the age of 3, so when he went to his breeding program, he still looked like a baby in his juvenile plumage. But he was a giant. Wingspan must have been at least 10ft. Crazy!
Thank you! I might need it.
That's super cool! ;_; Do you ever trap mature, or just passage? o: Yeah, UK law doesn't allow trapping, but it does allow captive breeding. ^^ So all the birds we get at our centre are either rescue (ie, ex-pets that people don't want :c), home grown (bred in our centre), or bought in from breeders elsewhere in the UK/Europe. Many birds!
I am glad because I essay lots with birds. >>
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Eeee! The Bateleurs I've worked with are captive-bred but I'm unsure if imprinted or just parent-reared and socialized. Ours sometimes "bark" and show territorial displays. x3
The African Fish sounds AMAZING! 
Aww wow! Our female Condor still has juvie feathers, too!
We usually trap passage birds, or take eyasses from the wild. There are only a few species I know of that can legally be taken as haggards, which are American Kestrels and Great Horned Owls. I've trapped and flown kestrels, but both of my kestrels were passage-year, so I'm honestly not too familiar with how passages compare to haggard birds overall. I've been told haggards are harder to train/set in their ways (late-trapped passages are also more set in their ways, etc), and that GHOs need to be taken before their eyes change, as eyasses.
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That's neat! I love that 'bark' as you describe it. Ours also makes a call a bit like an eider duck....it's a kinda 'ooooh' noise. Adorable.
Yeah! I heard they take at least 10 years to mature. I guess the exact amount varies with individuals. c:
Ohh that's neat! So cool to know how differently other places work!
Yeah, I've heard that (depending on species) an eyass or passage are the easier sides to train and work with, but you can potentially see more aggression with certain species. And much more vocalising too! Also heard that haggards are GREAT to have, because of their level of experience in the wild, but are more difficult to train. But, alas. It's been illegal in the UK for at least 30 yrs. So I guess I'll never know. :c
With regards to the GH owls, I've never trained an owl that I've not hand reared...but I have heard about that. Apparently owls are a real pain to get up and going if they've not been trained from a youngster.
It would indeed be very interesting to see how they compare. Do you release the birds after you've worked with them? I know some people that do and some that don't. o:
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If you ever get a chance, stick around some Tawny Eagles-- they really bark!!
I've noticed that eyasses and passage birds tend to be more malleable, almost coming across as "docile," for lack of a better word. And yes, haggards are great because of their skill and experience level! On a somewhat related note, many falconers here participate in "hacking" so that their birds get "real world experience" hunting and flying on their own, and you can really tell the difference between a chamber-raised/imprinted/or socialized bird, and one that has been hacked!
My owl experience is in mostly education and rehab; I've handled/flown several species of owls and assisted in the socialization of a Tawny Owl. Weight-managed and flew several of them, including flight birds such as barn owls, and also create-trained and manned a Snowy, and worked an exhibit line with two snowies.
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I'll have to! That sounds awesome. o:
Ahh! I've heard of and read about hacking. I'm pretty sure some falconers here do it (Especially in in Scotland) but it's just not something appropriate for where we live. Not quite the right land. :c
Ohh indeed. Owls are lovely, don't get me wrong. But I'd never have the patience to actually hunt with one! 
Ohh, that's real neat. Might come across something different! I'd love to try my hand at a sparrowhawk one day. Mate flies one, she's a little cracker - emphasis on little! But she packs a real wallop. Takes on corvids ad=nd small rabbits. Crazy!
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Your European sparrowhawks remind me of our Coopers Hawks/Sharp-Shinned Hawks. c: Funny thing is, here, another name for the American Kestrel is "the Sparrowhawk", so some people get it confused with the European sparrowhawk!
As far as owls go, I'd like to try one someday! I know there was a falconer out in the western US who was flying one at jackrabbits with moderate success, and I've been told that some people have had success hunting with EEOs and Snowys. We'll see! For now I'll stick with what I know. Maaay end up turning over to the dark side and flying a Cooper's or Gos in a few seasons. I'm a general-level falconer currently, and can get my master's license in a few years, which means even more species will open up to me (including eagles!). Decisions decisions!
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Ahh yes! I've never worked with those before. One day!
That's really interesting! It can be a bit of a pain when totally different birds have similar names. Just to confuse people, I think. It's like the whole hawks/buzzards/vultures thing!
Ohh neat! Yeah, I've heard of people using those and GHOs too. I still don't think I would have the patience. x_x Closest I've gone to 'hunting with an owl' was when I was training a barn owl in our local field. We both spotted a mouse, and a snuck up real sneaky to see if I could slip her on it. Lo and behold, she got a nice big treat. It was cool to watch as well! (Or maybe it was because it was in the middle of summer and I missed hawking season so bad. 
That's just super cool. ;_; Hope it goes well! I think when you're a falconer, you never really stop learning. Anything new is always fantastic fun.
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Aww that's awesome! I've worked with european and american barn owls for education/propagation/rehab, but that's about it.
And I totally agree with you! In America we have the apprenticeship program, and although the state says I completely my apprenticeship years ago, I'm still, truly, a learning apprentice in this wonderful form of hunting. <3 And will be always, even when I hold a master's license someday!
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What a sweet story... ;.;
Sorry for your loss, dear...
How old was he? He sounded like a real character bird.
Also, for a 30min speedpaint it looks really lovely. The face, the warm colors, the glittery background...
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Thank you so much for your kind words, love.
He certainly was a character! He was only about 7years old when he passed. No age at all really. :c
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Aw, that's even more sad then...
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This is an incredible picture. I love all the details!
So sorry for your loss. Losing animals is hard.
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Thank you ever so much, your words mean a lot ;_;
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Beautiful realistic rendering, you're so pro at so many different animals! I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend here, he's beautiful and it's a beautiful tribute to him too.
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Thank you so much, hun...I'm so glad you think so. He was incredible.
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So beautiful and a wonderful memory piece for a wonderful Bird! x
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Hawks are so beautiful. I'm sorry for your loss, he sounded like an incredible bird. :c
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They certainly are, and he certainly was. Such a privilege to work with
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Harris' have the biggest personalities I've seen in a raptor...
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I agree...I love them. I've worked with a good number of them now, and each is always different.
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This is a very sweet tribute to an amazing sounding bird. I haven't gotten my first bird yet, but I can only imagine how strong the bond is.
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Thank you so much
He was such a character. Great to be with every day...you really do develop a real level of trust between you.
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You're welcome!
I am so looking forward to that bond!
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This is just really sweet and a very awesome bird
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Thank you very much.
He really was awesome
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