My roommate Jen and her fiance, Jason, have amazing hobbies -- one of which is falconry. I got to see them hunt the bird last weekend (Their dog Sierra also was a part of the hunt). Warning before I even start, the bird was everywhere so I didn't get any amazing photos. I was instructed to turn around and cover my face with my hands if she attacked me (which was apparently a very real possibility). So, I had to measure the pros and cons of being mauled by a hawk with or without my precious camera.
We took off through the woods, Jason yelling commands which I'm afraid I didn't understand; but the bird did. When he saw a squirrel, Jason would shake vines on the tree it was in and shout something that sounded like "Hyahyahya!!" which apparently meant both to hawk and dog "KILL IT!" The bird went crazy, the dog went crazy, and the squirrel ran for its life.
Sierra would wait under the tree -- if the squirrel headed down near the ground she'd try to get it.
Once Autumn got ahold of the squirrel, it was all over in the blink of an eye. At one point, she caught a squirrel in its nest and refused to return to Jason, instead eating it fifty feet up in a tree (smart bird). Sierra, Jen and I wandered off while Jason watched Autumn finish her meal.
We met some cows, who were curious about us and would follow us when our backs were turned but suspiciously stopped when we glanced back.
Look! A cow skull. See how there's no upper incisors? (oooooh vet school)
