Daily Care

Success with goshawks, as with other short-wings, depends upon frequent contact between the falconer and his bird, comfortable housing, and good food. These three topics can be considered to constitute the care of the trained hawk. Japanese falconers are, of course, not uniform in their procedures, but the following instructions represent the methods of several successful and experienced persons.

Carrying the trained goshawks is essential to its feeling relaxed on the falconer's fist. Every day the hawk is carried for about two hours in the morning and two or three hours in the afternoon. If she is flown throughout the period of the molt, carrying remains part of the daily routine. In Japan, as in Europe and America, hawks are carried on the left hand in contrast to the practice of other Oriental falconers who carry their hawks on the right fist. The origin of this difference is undoubtedly ancient and obscure, but there are two common explanations. In the early history of hawking in Japan a falconer was accorded a rather high position, even though he may have come from an ordinary family, and falconers were among the few persons permitted to carry a sword. Thus, in order to wield his sword (in defense of his lord's hawk), the falconer's right hand needed to be free. A second explenion is that the falconer needed his right hand to handle the bird's leash and his horse's reins. (This carries the interesting implication that falconers elsewhere in the Orient are either left-handed or ambidextrous.) The first explanation is generally accepted. Only in the presence of the Emperor did Japanese falconers carry birds on the right fist.

In Korea, China, and Taiwan falconers carry the hawk on the right hand. Trained gosses are not only given an abundance of weathering on the fist, but carrying is done in a carefully prescribed manner. At first the falconer learns to walk with an egg between his left elbow and waist. thus avoiding a transverse movement of the left arm which tends to tire a hawk. In addition the step with the left foot is shorter than the step with the right, consequently there is less of a lurch to the left side of the body. In this manner, the fist becomes a reasonably comfortable perch and, if the hawk sits erect with her feathers puffed out, she is at home and relaxed.

The food for gosses is usually birds, and the best and most readily available food is the domestic pigeon. The pigeon is cleaned so that only the flesh is given to the hawk. The meat is cut into small pieces and placed in the food box, and the food box is tapped with a finger or the lid before giving any food to the hawk. The flesh of one pigeon is sufficient for one day. Sparrows are also excellent but require much more time to prepare. Horse meat is sometimes fed to goshawks but it lowers the bird's condition and the legs become dull in color. In recent times, falconers of the Royal Household feed gosses on pigeons and wild ducks.

Goshawks are sometimes given their daily food alive. In this case a live pigeon on a creance is offered to the bird and she binds to it in the air. The hawk eats meat, feathers, and small pieces of bone which the falconer breaks for her. If the hawk is not to be flown, she is fed a live pigeon in the morning, and a casting can be expected by the following midday.

Falconers in Japan do not weigh their hawks but judge condition from the breast muscles, hardness of the abdomen, and mutes. In healthy birds, mutes are black and white, any other color indicating an abnormal condition. (Green mutes indicate merely a lack of food in the gut.) The fullness of the breast is a direct measure of the bird's past nutrition and health. The abdomen is generally hard in birds in high condition, the hardness perhaps being due to the amount of fat deposited about the viscera in this region. The general appearance of the feathers and the bright yellow color of the feet are signs of health familiar to all falconers. The various indications of yarak, so carefully observed by Middle Eastern falconers, seem to go unnoticed by Japanese falconers who nevertheless fly their birds with great success. Signs of yarak are probably unconsciously sensed.

The color of the eye received particular notice by Japanese falconers in the past and old scrolls frequently contain a long series of differently colored eyes which represented hawks of special ability or vice. One volume of the Arai books is devoted to the significance of eye color, but modern falconers attach no importance to these variations.

It was, in the past, the general practice of Japanese falconers to rely upon sparrows for the staple diet of goshawks. Sparrows are either netted or caught by bird lime. The amount fed varies among falconers and also among individual hawks as well: some advise feeding five to seven sparrows per day and others recommend ten to twelve. Even on the day of hunting, a gos is fed one or two in the morning before going afield. Small birds are not prepared in any special way but generally the intestines are removed. If feathers or fur have been ingested, a casting is expected the next morning, and food is not given until the casting is found. Chickens and ducks are also fed.

With the exception of quarry with fur or feathers, food is given from the food box. This is variously shaped and any small wooden box seems to serve very well. Some falconers prefer a box with a sliding lid and this is useful when one wants to offer only part of the contents at a given time.

Sparrows are netted with the delicate black nets, kasumi-ami or mist nets. Against a background of trees or shrubs, these nets are virtually invisible and by setting one or several across a strategic area, sparrows can be driven into the nets by several beaters. The falconer can take advantage of the small birds' dislike of raptors and tether a trained hawk and smear a number of nearby perches with bird lime. As open sparrows come to scold the pegged hawk, they are certain to use the set perches and soon a meal is fluttering, stuck to the limed stakes. A weasel is also used in the same fashion to lure small birds. Bird lime (tori-mochi) and nets (kasumi-ami) are still readily available in bird shops in Japan.

Goshawks and hawk-eagles are treated in the same manner during the molt. Both are loose in an airy shed, the structure of which in the may be carefully prescribed as in the case of the hawk-houses of the Royal Household. In the roof is an opening through which enter sunlight and rain alike. No particular attention is given to hawks during this period except to provide an abundance of food and fresh water daily.

Goshawks are put up for the molt at the end of the coot season, approximately the middle or end of June. For a week or ten days the bird is kept in a lowered condition and then placed in the hawk-house. It is kept there for the summer and fed generously with fresh rich food. Usually the molt begins after a week or so but the onset is variable. Japanese falconers assert that the major wing feathers are dropped in thirty-three days and the train (tail feathers) molt occupies forty-five days. The entire molt takes five months. When the molt is completed, the beak and talons are coped, and the bird is treated the same as a newly-trapped passage hawk.

In hawk-eagles the annual change of feathers is a long, slow process, and during this period the hawk must be fed an abundance of good food in order to provide sufficient nourishment for the growth of the new feathers. There is no other activity for the hawk during the summer months. The bird is loose in the hawk-house and provided with plenty of fresh air and with water for bathing and drinking. Late in April, the wing primaries and the tail feathers are cut off rather near the base. This has the effect of quieting the bird and she is likely to be calmer during the months of the molt.

Proper quality and quantity of food are necessary for the growth of a strong train. If the food is insufficient in any way, the margins of the tail feathers will be undulate and the feathers will break easily. When the molt is complete, about October, the diet should be reduced. If by any chance the amount of food is increased at this time, the hawk may drop some of its new tail feathers and the molt will be prolonged. Thus, a shortened diet in October not only terminates the molt, but begins to condition the hawk for hunting.

The kumataka is left alone throughout the molt. Great care must be given to see that children do not go near the hawk-house when birds are there for these hawks are very fast and deadly. Also, kumataka will attack domestic dogs and cats if the falconer is not careful to prevent their coming next to the hawk-house.

As a rule, hawk-eagles are rather free of diseases, and with good care, their accidents will be few and minor. The falconer must always provide his bird with good food and clean living conditions. The hawk-house, as previously described, will enable the bird to exist in good health and comfort for many years.

One must exert extreme care when first reclaiming his newly-trapped hawk-eagle to insure that he does not reduce its condition too much. The first few days of captivity are especially taxing to the condition of this wild king, and the falconer should be very judicious in withholding food during this initial period. The period of the molt is likewise a time when the hawk may be out of sorts. Whatever the organic difficulties of the kumataka, they probably have resulted from a faulty diet. In the summer the food must be fresh and in the winter the meat should never be given chilled.

Usually birds take very good care of their feathers. If they hurt their wings, they lose a great deal of the vitality and spirit, realizing that in their feathers lies their strength. Frequently the feathers of the wings and tail are damaged; such is the strength of the dive after quarry. Sometimes hawks lose or break feathers, but if the damage is slight, it will not bother their flight and repairs are unnecessary. If a feather is just bent, some egg white on the broken part and a small stick tied on the underside of the feather shaft will effect a good repair.

When striking or diving at prey, hawk-eagles may sometimes injure their wings. If such an injury does not heal, a blister may form, ultimately causing the bird's death. If this type of injury occurs, the falconer must lance the blister, allowing the air and fluid to escape, and then keep a medicative solution on it morning and evening. Take aomatsuba (a kind of pine) and aogiba (an herb) leaves, mix them together, add some vinegar, and squeeze the juice. This medicine will speed the healing of the injury. In this situation, give the hawk plenty of good food and place the bird in a dark box in order to keep it from exercice and movement. Water should be available at all times. This is the recommendation of Mr. Kutsuzawa.

The health of the trained hawk-eagle depends upon three things: of first importance is the falconer's love for his hawk; secondly is the method of rearing; and thirdly is the kind and amount of food.

Sometimes, from an insufficient amount of food, the hawk will become too weak and then special care must be taken. At this time the best food is a bird's heart, fed in very small pieces. A small piece of meat is placed in one end of a long (about fifteen inches) tube, and inserted in the hawk's mouth. A short puff will propel the food into the bird's esophagus where it will be swallowed. Keep giving food that way every day, in small but frequent meals, not giving one big meal at once. Gradually the meat is cut into larger pieces, until about the size of a walnut at which point the bird should be able to take the food itself and in a week the bird should be restored to vigor although not full strength. No casting is given if the hawk is not quite strong.

The proper kind and amount of food is of paramount importance in the success of all kinds of hawking; and, because of its large size, the kumataka is in a class by itself. One must constantly observe the food of this hawk and not only the daily signs of appetite. The life of a trained kumataka is divided into two periods: from autumn until spring when the bird is hunting and requires special, careful feeding; and during the warm months of the year when it is molting and requires a different sort of dietary.

In the mountains or some wild country, one may usually find sufficient wild creatures to feed a hawk. For hawk-eagles a great variety of freshly killed animals will serve: frogs, rats, snakes, rabbits, and birds are all good food. One must, of course, avoid all salty food. In feeding poisonous snakes, the heads should first be removed. House cats are premium food for hawk-eagles but one must save occasional females for future stock. It is very useful to raise a few rabbits which may be used when other food is difficult to obtain. It is not necessary to feed the bird a definite amount of food every day, but by judging the bird's condition, one may estimate the food needed for the next day. If any fat is on the food given during the hunting season, the amount of meat given is reduced. For example, ten pieces of lean meat are roughly equivalent to seven pieces of fatty meat. Although fresh food is certainly best, these hawks will eat meat that is even partly spoiled, so feeding is really not a great problem. When it eats a large meal, a kumataka will ingest feathers, fur, and bones, and two days later regurgitate these undigestible materials as an oral, compact casting. The hawk should not be fed again until the casting is coughed up. Casting material is not usually fed, however, and seldom during the hunting season.

On some occasions, when hunting in the mountains, for example, it is sometimes desirable to preserve food. One method is to place the meat in a container and keep it deep in a spring. Another satisfactory way is to bury the meat under pebbles in a cool running brook.

During the hunting season, the food box is filled. If the meat has been kept under water, it has been in a plastic bag, but nevertheless it is rather wet. It is in some contact with creek water and is, to a degree, equivalent to washed meat. If a rabbit or cat is to be fed, it is first cut into large pieces, removing the legs from the body. The meat then placed on a clean rock and hammered until the bones are broken into fine pieces; the color of the bone marrow should still be red. The large pieces of meat are then cut into portions the size of a man's thumb.

At the tender growing age these birds must be given lean meat with no bones, about a quarter to a half pound of meat, three times a day until the feathers are completely grown. At approximately three months of age almost any type of food is suitable. By September, at which time the young hawk is full grown, he is given living animals, for by this means he will learn to recognize living prey as food.

When the hawk is molting, it is left loose in the hawk-house, and given an abundance of fresh, rich food. During this period, it regains the strength spent while hunting. Beef and horse meat are fine items for the diet of a molting hawk-eagle. The bird is not handled in the summer, and to feed it, one simply places the meat on the floor of the hawk-house.

As the hunting season approaches, gradually decrease the amount of food, and especially so just before taking the bird afield for hunting. During the hunting season, the kumataka should have hare and other easily digested food. The falconer must be most attentive and sensitive to the condition and appetite of his bird, for this determines in a large measure the success in pursuit of game. This is one of the most difficult parts of hawk training and certainly one of the most important.

One must learn to judge the lowering of his bird's condition. In early October, take the bird from the hawk-house and put jesses on it. At this time note the condition of your bird and if it is high, keep the bird without food for about twenty days. After this fasting, give the bird about five to seven ounces of lean washed meat; place the meat in water in the morning and give it to the hawk in the evening. Next, feed the bird the same amount of washed meat five days later and repeat this ration three days later; this third feeding should be of rich tender meat. Drinking water should be offered every other day. In the cold night, take the bird up from the box, hold it on your fist, and warm it by the fire. Also, if the sun is warm, place the bird outside.

When the hawk was first taken from the hawk-house, after a summer of rich food, one can feel a hard lump in the abdomen. At this time the stomach is full. During the fast, this lump lowers in position; it finally disappears and the abdomen is then completely soft like a piece of cotton. At the same time the flesh on the breast becomes lean and the sternum can easily be felt. The color of the tongue is also an index of condition. During the summer, when the hawks are rather high, the tongue is completely pink, but as the condition is lowered in the autumn, the tip of the tongue becomes grey, and gradually the grey spreads to the rear during the winter. Also the voice becomes somewhat lower in pitch as condition is lowered.

With the increase of hunting condition, the mutes gradually become greener. If the bird is an eyass in its first year, it can be trained during the fast, but if the hawk is older, the fast is not interrupted with training. If hungry, the hawk (an eyass) will cry frequently during the evening training sessions. The brightness of the eyes and position of the wings will also indicate condition. When the bird is first taken from the hawk-house, one must determine the hawk's condition, whether medium or low, and if the hawk is not in high condition, it will not require a twenty-day fast.

One must be very cautious in dieting the bird for hunting. When the bird is flying to the fist and to the stuffed rabbit, watch its speed and strength in diving, and feed it for the next day according to its strength. The usual ration is five to seven ounces of good washed meat, but this amount may be varied according to the power of the hawk's flight. This is given after returning from the field; the meat is placed in warm water to take away the chill. From five to seven ounces is about seventy per cent of a full crop. If the bird is quite low, this may not be enough to sustain strength for hunting the next day, but if a full crop is fed, then the hawk may not be sufficiently hungry to hunt. In such a case, seventy per cent of a full crop plus a raw egg is fed. The entire egg (white and yolk) is mixed thoroughly with the meat. The egg gives strength without reducing appetite. For a male, the amount is about five ounces and for a female about eight ounces. If a bird is overfed, it will fly in a half-hearted manner and may play with the quarry and may not return to the falconer; but if it is not strong enough, its dive will not be effective, and after failing to take its quarry, the hawk may take stand in a tree. It must then be brought down with a lure (stuffed rabbit skin).

Throughout the hunting season, hawk-eagles are occasionally called to the lure and fed on the fist. Usually it is not necessary to weather these birds as they are flown almost every day during the hunting season. If, for any reason, it is not possible to fly a bird for several days, it is placed in the warm winter sun for an hour or two in the morning. In the summer, ample fresh air and sunlight enter the hawk-house, and no outside weathering is needed. These hawks bathe frequently in the summer, but a bath is not offered during the hunting season.