Kaya's falconer

@amiimschwabenland

I am a falconer, an immigrant (US in Germany), a mom to adult children and a Harris hawk, wife of a German, a teacher, reader, and hobby photographer.

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Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· 11d

Kaya got tired of my nagging and "dropped" her final 2 tail feathers yesterday and today. We took her for a few flights on the creance (lightweight leash) this morning, and although she allowed herself to be convinced to fly 9 times about 9 meters, she wasn't exactly enthusiastic. 😅

All 12 molted tail feathers from a Harris hawk fanned out on a rug. The base and tip of each feather is white, and between that is dark brown. Some of the feathers are tagged with the date the bird "dropped" the feather and started growing a new one in its place.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· 12d

Kaya hanging out on her yard perch while her falconer #2 cleans her mews. She's checking out a Rotmilan (red kite) soaring seemingly a few miles above her.

A brown and bay Harris hawk with a white tail tip and yellow feet sitting on her bow perch in her yard, looking up into the sky.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· 21d

I gave a group of exchange students a tour of Tübingen today, which ended with a Stocherkahnfahrt (that's our group in the boat). Tübingen has Germany's only round-about for bikes! 😅 And in a new park I also found a bubbler!!! For those not from Wisconsin, a bubbler is a drinking fountain. 😉

The Neckar river at Tübingen with a punt boat on a beautiful sunny day. The photo was taken from the bridge over the untroubled waters.

A yellow box-like cube with a stream of drinking water shooting out of it in an arc.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· 23d

Just inside our front door. 🙂 I was an admirer of Dürer for quite a while and bought these after my visit to Nürnberg and his house/museum in the 90s. I didn't know about the Ampelhäschen. Cool! 😁

Two framed paintings hanging on a wall. Both are from Albrecht Dürer, a German artist. The top painting is a tawny owl and the bottom is a field hare.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· 24d

Kaya got a BIG meal today, which she couldn't even finish. She kept the rest in her fist and just sat there. Since she had also dropped a long wing feather, I went in there to get it lest she poop on it. This photo is her telling me to stop looking at her leftovers. 😅

A Harris hawk sitting on a branch perch in her mews with her back to the camera and her wings slightly spread out to cover the food she's holding. She is looking over her right shoulder at her falconer, who is taking the photo, and being clear with her body language that she - the falconer - should bugger off.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· 27d

And sometimes she tosses her pine cones. 😅

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· 27d

Kaya was feeling attacky the other day and had a go at her toys: a frayed knot, pine cones, sticks, and a cushion.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· 27d

I'm still reading this, picked up a week ago. It's good!

The cover of the book "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet", by Jamie Ford

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· 28d

I was trying to remember where I've heard that before ("wo die Liebe hin..."). Of course! The beautiful story of Ingo and Poldi! 🥹 These are actual photos, not AI.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jul 9

Tail feather #9 (of 12) fell today. Kaya won't be ready to begin her diet & exercise regimen until mid-August, but the molt is moving along. From the feather drop to the feather being grown out ("hard penned") takes about 7 weeks.

A mostly brown Harris hawk on her falconer's glove looking down at her tail feather that she dropped that morning, which her falconer is holding.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jul 4

And this one today. The estimates end on June 21, and we had a good week to go after that in the latest heat wave. It started to get better on June 29.

An article from a German newspaper wizh the headline "the Southwest has the most heat-related deaths" in Germany, with an estimated 260 deaths.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jul 4

This was in yesterday's paper.

An article from a German newspaper with the headline "already 800 heat-related deaths" in Germany this year. That is an estimate.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jul 1

Visited a falconer friend today, who lives close to Schloss Lichtenstein. Wilma (the 6-week-old little owl) remained unimpressed. #notmysteinkauz P.S. "Little owl" is seriously the English name for this owl breed, athene noctua.

A Steinkauz (little owl) sitting on her falconer's hand with a hilltop castle and a partly cloudy sky behind her.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 29

and I was legimately expecting the guy to say "...get divorced." But he said "...have children." Oh, right. It could also go that way. 😂🤭 2/2

The Black Forest Playmobil figures again, this time standing on a black table with a blurry Harris hawk behind them looking up as if she's rolling her eyes. Behind the hawk are some roses on a trellis and a bush.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 29

Playmobil has a special edition "Schwarzwald Marie" who wears the Bollenhut with red balls. She got hitched last week & now wears black balls and her husband is "Schwarzwald Hannes". Yesterday on the radio: "Now that they're married, in 2 years or so we can expect them to..." 1/2

Two Playmobil figures dressed up in traditional Black Forest outfits. The female on the right wears a Dirndl and carries a bouquet of red flowers, and the male wears a black hat & coat and carries a trumpet. Behind them is a Black Forest hotel.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 27

20 years ago today on the lawn of Glengorm castle on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. 😊 His mother is a McDowell, of the MacDougall clan, therefore the tartan. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

A bride and groom with their two witnesses and the registrar who is marrying them. The group has their backs to the photographer as they focus on the ceremony. They are standing on a grassy lawn near a large hedgerow of rhododendron with a blue sky and the sea and hills in the distance behind them.

A bride, seated at a small wooden table about to sign the marriage document, and her groom, standing behind her with his left hand on her shoulder. They are outside on a grassy lawn near a large hedgerow of rhododendron with a blue sky and the sea and hills in the distance behind them.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 25

At our local Edeka today!! 👏🏻

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 22

An interesting ad following the meme about Starmer. 😂 20 minutes after I took this screen shot, my husband told me Starmer resigned, which I'd suspected based on the meme. At my first glance, though, I thought the head of lettuce was part of the meme. 🤭

A meme showing British PM being kicked out by the Downing Street cat, and under that is a Lidl ad showing a head of lettuce.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 20

The guy we hired to redo our bathroom (and coordinate the other Handwerker for the project) hand delivered his bill this morning, 2 wks after completing the job, & stayed for coffee. His final bill is LOWER than his written estimate. I've never heard of such a thing, & we were already very happy!🥳

A remodelled master bathroom with a walk-shower.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 19

A bit more than half finished with this one. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson. No, not _that_ Outlander. I read that other one in 2006, before it became a series.

The cover of the novel "The Outlander" by Gil Adamson, showing a winter scene with a woman leading a horse toward the viewer.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 13

It's a blustery day! Kaya sat out in the yard for a bit while her other falconer cleaned her mews, but now she's in the sunroom where it's calmer and quieter and she can relax on one leg. 🌬️🦅

A Harris hawk on her yard perch partly in the sun with her wings out. Her two tail feathers that are growing in are visible, as they are still just a bit shorter than the tail feathers she has not molted yet.

A Harris hawk on her yard perch partly in the sun crouching with her wings out.

A Harris hawk on her yard perch partly in the sun with her wings out and looking at the camera. Behind her is the neighbors' garage, a patch of bushes, and her mews.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 12

Glennkill, by Leonie Swann, the German book on which the new movie "Sheep Detectives" is based. This is my 5th attempt, as I'm not a fan of crime novels. But my former exchange student, who gifted me this book 18 years ago, and I are seeing the movie on Wednesday!

The cover of the novel "Glennkill," by Leonie Swann.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 10

Just arrived in the mailed today - postcards we ordered of one of our favorite photos of Kaya. 😍 I actually still write and send postcards! 😅🖋️✒️ But these will also be for giving away when we do PR work with her.

Six fanned-out postcards of a Harris hawk sitting in a tree facing right but looking back over her right shoulder.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 10

Sounds perfect! I can almost guarantee you will see eagles. 😁Lots of common buzzards as well, of course. On our last trip there, 1st day, we walked from Glengorm to the coast and saw 3 eagles on the way. Sat in the hide for hours watching WTEs, deer, buzzards, seals... Have a fabulous time! 🫶

A juvenile white tailed eagle soaring overhead. The photo was taken in September 2019 on the Isle of Mull in Scotland.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 10

Since I'm not patient, I'd love to know your plans! 😅 What you've planned to do/see. We spent our time there walking and observing/photographing nature. I highly recommend the Glengorm coffee shop, and then a walk from there out to the coast! We always stayed at Glengorm, which is now for sale! 🙁

The Steadings at Glengorm castle & estate on the Isle of Mull in Scotland, where the Glengorm coffee shop is located on the ground floor. On the upper floor on the right side is a self-catering flat where we've stayed several times.

Loch Na Keal on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 9

We've got a similar theme going on in our kitchen today. I'm baking a chicken, and I've made "strawberry cheesecake in a glass" for dessert. It's glorified yogurt via the Thermomix, but delicious! Congratulations on the end of the semester! 🥳 Hope it was a good year!

Two small glass cups filled with a layer of ground butter cookies on the bottom, then a Quark-mascarpone-strawberry mixture, and topped with chopped strawberries.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 9

21 years ago a student of mine painted a picture for me with the last line from that passage, which is so meaningful. The painting hangs in my house and I reconnected with her a few years ago. ❤️

A student painting of a mountain and the moon. The text along the ridges of the mountain reads: "And when you have reached the mountain top, then shall you begin to climb."
From the Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 9

I loved reading through the responses to this question! There are many such books for me, but this one tops my list. The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 8

This is little video of her under the roof enjoying being wet. On a blistering dry day we'll sometimes set the sprinkler up, but that she doesn't like - only natural rain.

Kaya's falconer@amiimschwabenland· Jun 8

What does Kaya do during a rain storm? It was briefly very windy, and pouring down with thunder and lightning. She loves the rain and had herself a little shower. Then she flew to her perch under the roof to dry out.