The Numbers Fade
I've always been a numbers person. Flying micros has done little to cure me of it. Our 2026 micro season wrapped up at the beginning of August— a first. I'm still analyzing calculations, comparing them to previous seasons and squinting through my readers to make sure I haven't missed drawing some major conclusion.
I do this every year. If I were using a chalkboard, the side of my left palm would be covered in dust from hours of scribbling weights, burn rates, metabolic curves, daily head counts and other gibberish in an effort to solve all of my falconry problems as if they could be reduced to simple mathematical equations.
They can't. I know this, but some of our seasons have been defined by numbers. I remember seasons where the biggest lessons were discovering the average burn rates of healthy falconry birds of each species we were flying. Numbers. Numbers. Numbers.
Numbers are foundational, but inevitably, there will come a time someone asks about a number we'll struggle to recall. The numbers fade. The experiences stick. The return on our investment is the memories we've managed to make.
Season by Goals & Milestones
Our goals have been less about numbers the last few seasons, but we aim to take game every time we go out. 100 head of game each micro season is still a benchmark, too. This season, we lost count most weeks and almost missed the 2x intermewed passage kestrel's 200th career head milestone. The shift in focus is a good thing. Our season in goals and milestones looked like this:
Goals Achieved
Take at least one head of game with an intermewed passage Cooper's hawk.
Take at least one head of game with all three birds in the same day.
End the season on our terms (when the slips dry up); not as a result of injuries.
Still be hawking at least one bird in August. The Cooper's hawk took her last head of game on August 2nd.
Milestones Reached
Ally the 2x intermewed passage kestrel hit 200 career head.
Tina the 1x intermewed passage Cooper's hawk hit 100 career head.
Season by Numbers
Just because we don't use the numbers as the determining factor of success anymore, doesn't mean I don't still keep track. This season we flew three birds: Ally the 2x intermewed passage kestrel, Tina the 1x intermewed passage Cooper's hawk and Deb the (as it unfortunately turned out) hag kestrel. Even seasoned falconers make mistakes.
The Cooper's hawk struggled with a foot injury and missed the entire month of May and June. The hag kestrel was slow to get going and keep going at a healthy weight. Still, we only hawked her 13 times and took 14 head of game. She wasn't a total loss. She just wasn't a falconry bird. We released her in great condition. She yakked her brains out as she climbed to the first thermal and drifted out of sight.
It was little Ally who carried our season just as she's done two seasons before. At three years old, her drive is as strong as ever. She'll still make poor life choices if left to her own devices. She'd take 5+ head every day if you'd let her. We've learned there is a wear and tear factor with these little falcons though. I want Ally to be around as long as possible, and both my hawking partner and I have done a good job balancing her drive with her physical condition the last two seasons.
For the bird nerds and mathematicians, here is our team's 2026 Micro Season by numbers.
Tina: 1x Intermewed Passage Cooper's Hawk
Trap Weight: 666g, Empty Crop, 5 Keel
Average Flight Weight: 431g
Days Hawked: 21 (March 19-August 2)
Took Multiples: 11x
Season Head Count: 37
Career Head Count: 127
Ally: 2x Intermewed Passage American Kestrel
Trap Weight: 122.4g, Empty Crop, 3.5 Keel
Average Flight Weight: 88.5g
Days Hawked: 40 (March 26-June 28)
Took Multiples: 26x
Season Head Count: 66
Career Head Count: 239
Deborah: 2026 Trap Hag American Kestrel
Trap Weight: 125.4g, Small Casting, 5 Keel
Average Flight Weight: 91.0g
Days Hawked: 13 (April 18-May 10)
Took Multiples: 5x
Season Head Count: 14
Career Head Count: 14
Season in Experiences
As my hawking partner and I approached our 400th head with micros in just three seasons, we didn't mention it. Instead, we recapped what we learned about Coops that tail chase, prophylactic medical routines for accipiters, managing hormonal changes in aging kestrels, the importance of extra manning with the intermewed passage Coops, the importance of carrying a live pigeon even if you think you'll never need it, that a healthy accipiter at weight rarely misses and you'll be surprised at how rarely you use said pigeon, about cutting your losses in the first 24 hours of trapping if there is even the slightest doubt about a bird working out... words... not numbers. Words and experiences.
I continue to be proud of the work we put into improving our falconry, but this season, I'm thankful for the veteran flights I saw Ally take. I'm thankful for the feeling of surprise and awe when I saw my first five-lined skink in West Virginia. I'm thankful for getting to share good falconry with a younger generation. I'm thankful for the reel of memories the little team was able to make.
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