Diary Calendar
August 15 - Sept...
August 22nd
On Tuesday the Le Tour birds were exercised for the first
time after the Antigonish race. For the first 2 days they
were reluctant to fly but with a little flagging I still got 30 minutes of
flying time out of them. By Thursday they were easily flying 45 minutes in
the morning. On Saturday morning they were let out in a light rain and
flew easily for 50 minutes. This morning they were very anxious to
get out. Soon as I opened the door they flew out of the loft and
disappeared for 20 minutes. When the birds returned they flew high and
strongly around the loft for about 15 minutes when a goshawk flew over the loft
and then started circling and rising up beneath the birds. The racers took
this all in stride and flew away for another 10 minutes without panicking.
The goshawk flew off to the east. Oddly, even the stock birds in the
aviaries did not panic over the sight of the hawk. They just remained in
the aviaries and did their own thing. The birds remained flying to the
hour mark, landed and trapped in an orderly fashion without incident.
The
birds' physical appearance and droppings indicate that they have recuperated
well from the last race. Their appetites and behavior suggest that they
will be ready to race again in a couple of days. So I have tentatively
scheduled the next race from the Canso Causeway (400 km) for Tuesday, August
24th . The long range forecast indicates excellent weather for the next
week throughout the Maritimes. Below is the weather prediction for Port
Hawkesbury which is on the Cape Breton side of the causeway.
Currently
|
Today |
| Sunrise: |
6:14
|
| Sunset: |
20:01
|
| Moonrise: |
13:34
|
| Moonset: |
22:58
|
|
|
5 Day Forecast
from
Environment Canada
|
Sunday
|
Sunday night
|
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Rain ending |
Cloudy periods |
A mix of sun and cloud |
Sunny |
Sunny |
Sunny |
|
|
Low 12°C |
|
Low 17°C |
Low 14°C |
Low 11°C |
|
High 22°C |
|
High 23°C |
High 21°C |
High 19°C |
High 22°C |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 26th - 30th
By
the second day after arriving from their tough 8 hour flight from the Canso
Causeway (400 km) the vast majority of birds were back to normal. On
Thursday the birds were let out for their first exercise period since the race.
They disappeared immediately and returned about 15 minutes later. Two
groups could be seen flying around the loft. One small group was circling
quite low and looking anxiously to
land. The other group flew quite high and landed after 30 minutes.
That afternoon the birds were treated to a bath. On Friday and Saturday except
for a small group of less then dozen birds the rest flew for a good hour.
On Sunday the birds flew for 45mins. Because of heavy rains on Monday the
birds were kept in. Stage 8 from Sydney/Glace Bay is tentatively scheduled for
sometime during the Labor day
weekend. I am confident that the birds will be ready for this challenge.
The weather remains the question.
September 1st
This morning Le Tour birds received their last exercise period around the
loft for this season. When let out at 7:30 they immediately disappeared
for 30 minutes. A handful of birds arrived a few minutes earlier and
trapped immediately. The rest remained flying for another 20 minutes.
Unless there is a dramatic change in the weather the birds will be basketted
tomorrow for the last race of the Le Tour series - Glace Bay. Good luck to
all.
September 2nd
Due to the postponement of Stage 8 the Le Tour birds were exercised
around the loft today. This morning all but 2 birds flew vigorously for 50
minutes in strong gusting winds. They were also exercised this evening and
flew very strongly for almost an hour in the same wind conditions. This is
the best I have ever seen them fly. Hopefully this is an indication of
their preparedness for the last race of the season.
September 3rd
Hopefully this morning's exercise period was the last for the Le Tour
birds. They were exercised at 9:00 and immediately disappeared for twenty
minutes. It was overcast and on the verge of raining. They returned
20 minutes later and remained aloft for another 20 minutes in a light drizzle.
Trapping went smoothly and quickly.
were reluctant to fly but with a little flagging I still got 30 minutes of
flying time out of them. By Thursday they were easily flying 45 minutes in
the morning. On Saturday morning they were let out in a light rain and
flew easily for 50 minutes. This morning they were very anxious to
get out. Soon as I opened the door they flew out of the loft and
disappeared for 20 minutes. When the birds returned they flew high and
strongly around the loft for about 15 minutes when a goshawk flew over the loft
and then started circling and rising up beneath the birds. The racers took
this all in stride and flew away for another 10 minutes without panicking.
The goshawk flew off to the east. Oddly, even the stock birds in the
aviaries did not panic over the sight of the hawk. They just remained in
the aviaries and did their own thing. The birds remained flying to the
hour mark, landed and trapped in an orderly fashion without incident.
