In this Aug. 25, 2014, photo, James Fleullan holds up a treat for Hunter, a red-tailed hawk, during a training session at Oatland Island Wildlife Center in Savannah, Ga.SAVANNAH, Ga. – Training a red-tailed hawk to fly on command takes a little bit of quail meat, a few dead rats and a whole lot of patience.
James Fleullan pulled out all three recently at Oatland Island Wildlife Center. Fleullan, soft-spoken 34-year-old volunteer, positioned himself about five feet from the perch of a red-tailed hawk named Hunter. His gauntleted right hand held up a defrosted baby rat. Fleullan blew a whistle and pointed to the rat with his left hand. After a few false starts, Hunter was gulping down his first meal of the day.
It’s all about positive reinforcement.
“It’s like a dog with a ball or a cat with a laser pointer,” Fleullan said. “They really enjoy doing it.”
To make sure Hunter is focused on the rats and quail meat that serve as rewards, keepers don’t feed him the day prior to a training session. Fleullan keeps careful track of the bird’s weight before each training session. On Monday the fasting bird weighed in at a little more than two pounds, a healthy weight for an adult male, the smaller of the sexes in hawks.