Solo [Enclave] The Raptors of Wind Reach

[Cin-Cin]

TimeStamp: Fall Day 27, 512 Cin-Cin was sitting in the Enclave at a small wooden table and a thin book before her. It was labeled “Fauna of Wind Reach”. Cin frowned at its size, thinking it could be much larger. Today she was going to read about the raptors of Wind Reach. She knew of them, but she needed to know how to care for them and their behaviors. She thought maybe this small book would help. Opening it up, she flipped to the first raptor in the book, the Wind Eagle. Obviously it was first, it was the most important. She already knew a lot about Wind Eagles but it never hurt to learn more. She read on: The Wind Eagle is a dire sized eagle which the people of Wind Reach use as mounts and companions. They are known to be the top predators in these parts of Mizahar. Of course, Cin-Cin already knew that. Everyone, Inarta that is, knew that. Wind Eagles are extremely large raptors, the eagles are bonded with a rider, normally an Inarta, of their same sex. They have the typical structure of an eagle, though their plumage varies in color based on their age. Born almost black, as the birds grow older they begin to lighten up and most notably their primaries and sometimes heads tend to gain coloration above their standard russet browns and cream. Often slate blue, white, or tones of russet appear on their primaries and sometimes heads, whitening out as they age until the oldest of the Wind Eagles turn solid white. Cin-Cin knew they were colorful, but turning solid white? She had never seen a white one. They must be gorgeous… But it wasn’t their appearance Cin was looking for. The Wind Eagle is primarily a fishing bird. Wind Eagles, though known to take porpoises, small whales, and large fish also enjoy various sea lions and the occasional mountain goat or sheep. The Wind Eagles also provide food for their partners, often leaving the people of Wind Reach dependent upon their hunting to survive. They require a steady diet of protein that often equates to approximately 20% of their body weight per day. Well that’s why Wind Reach is starving! The Wind Eagles are eating all the food! 20% a day? They were already huge…Cin stopped, the scolded herself. Sure Wind Eagles ate a lot, but if it wasn’t for them Inartians would be eating much less than they were now. How could she even think something like that? Well, that was their diet. What else did this book say about them? Wind Eagles have intelligence on par with humanity. They are slow to develop their intelligence and driven by instinct through the first two to three years of their life, but once fully mature (as evident by their plumage) they can easily communicate with other sentient creatures through their natural telepathic ability. While often prone to communicating with those they are linked to and the individuals in their family groups, it is a rarer occurrence when Wind Eagles actually deem someone who is not one of their people worthy to speak too. Telepathic? Okay, that was something Cin-Cin didn’t know. Endal’s really had it good then, being able to communicate with their bonded Eagles. Cin thought to her gyrfalcon, if only she could talk to him through their heads. Oh the possibilities… There were two more sections on Wind Eagles, Bonding and Reproduction. Bonding didn’t relate to her purposed so she skipped it and went on to Reproduction. Wind Eagles start to reproduce at age ten when they normally have their first mating flight. Mating flights are intense aerial displays of skill and power in which multiple males compete for the right to 'catch' the female and win her affection. Immature birds are carefully nurtured and taken care of by the entire colony until they are old enough to fledge. Once fledged, the birds tend to take aeries of their own, but won't begin to build a nest until around age four (if they are female). Female Wind Eagles may reproduce from age ten to age fifty, and in that time frame can raise anywhere from twenty to forty offspring depending on how healthy they are. Wind Eagles hatch one or two eggs - rarely three - once every other year, though they have been known to go every three years. Rarely, though it does happen, do the Eagles decide to change mates or partners in the middle of their lives though other males often compete for the females attention during her infrequent flights. Fledgling mortality is high, unfortunately, so the colony can expect no more than half those offspring to survive unless they form a link with a human at a relatively early age and thus adopt that humans caution and knowledge when increasing their flying skills. Cin knew that not many eggs Wind Eagle chicks survived. That was something that Wind Reach had a large concern for. What she did not know was that Eagles mated for life. And although Eagles were able to produce up to forty eggs, only a few survived to adult-hood. It was sad really. The more Wind Eagles in Wind Reach, the more food. If only there was a way to ensure a higher rate of living chicks… But that was it to the Wind Eagle section, Cin-Cin flipped to the next raptor: The Red Tailed Hawk.

[Cin-Cin]

A male Red Tailed Hawk weighs from 1.5lbs to 2.9lbs while females can weigh up to 4.4lbs. Their wingspan ranges from 41 to 56 inches. In maturity they have white underbellies with a brown band across the belly. Younger birds bellies may be covered with dark brown spotting. The red tail is brick red on top and orange below. Immature birds have yellow eyes while mature hawks eyes are closer to a reddish-brown. Cin-Cin always thought the eyes of the birds were one of the coolest features. They varied so greatly in color and hue that looking at them was memorizing. The fact that they changed color throughout their life was fascinating. Completely carnivorous, the Red-Tailed Hawk preys mostly on small mammals like mice and squirrels. Rodents make up 85% of the hawks diet. In desperate timed, Red-Tailed Hawks may eat already-dead flesh. These hawks have two types of hunting strategies. Often, they scan the ground and swoop down and catch the prey with their talons or dive down from a perch and grab their meal with their curved beaks. These hawks being carnivorous was a given. Cin-Cin had yet to see a raptor eat a plant. When she did, she would know something is wrong with the world. She was delighted to see that the book detailed their hunting strategies. That was such an interesting topic that was not at all commonly discussed. Red-Tailed Hawks become mature at two years of age and mates with the same individual for life. Only when the mate dies will the hawk seek out another. To impress female Red-Tailed Hawks the male will perform aerial displays, dropping and climbing, while uttering shrill cries. Courtship flights can last up to ten minutes each. After courtship a nest of 1 to 3 eggs (depending on the availability of prey) is laid. Nests are often built on cliffs, or high trees. Cin-Cin was surprised that, like the Wind Eagles, Red-Tailed Hawks, mate for life. Was this a common trait between all raptors? Also she would have to go scout out a nest on the cliff side one day soon. Onto the next chapter: Gryfalcons.

[Cin-Cin]

Cin-Cin figured she knew most of what she could learn about Gyrfalcons, she did own one, and has for three years. But there was never any harm in learning more about her best friend. The Gyrfalcon is the largest of all the falcons. Males can weigh up to 3lbs and females 4.6lbs. They grow up to 26 inches long and their wingspan varies greatly between genders. Females have a wingspan of 49 to 64 inches and males 43 to 51 inches. This species also has a large color spectrum when it comes to plumage. From all-white to very dark, all depending on their environment they were born in. It surprised her that in almost every bird race the females were so much bigger than the males. Cin thought back to herself, she was tiny and almost everyone was bigger than her, including guys. The book doesn’t say much about their diet: Gyrfalcons prey mostly on small mammals, though occasionally take small birds, like water fowls, ducks and passerine birds. In the winter, Gyrfalcons prey on small animals on the snows surface like rabbits and mice. Cin-Cin thought back to what she always saw Try eating and added it to her diet file in her mind. She had seen him with a fish once and even a colorful lizard that she had never seen before. Gyrfalcons sure did eat a lot. Gyrfalcon pairs do not make their own nests, instead they use already built homes on cliff faces. Their clutch can contain from 1 to 5 eggs and the incubation period lasts 35 days. The chick weigh 1.8 ounces when hatched. The chicks leave the nest at 7 or 8 weeks and become independent of their parents after one season. Some Gyrfalcons may visit siblings the following winter. Cin-Cin wondered if Try had any siblings. She never say him hanging out with other Gyrfalcons, he must be an only child. Poor Try, just like Cin, no brothers or sisters. That was all the book said on Gyrfalcons… Only two more raptors left.

[Cin-Cin]

The last two raptors around Wind Reach were smaller than the others, but also more common in everyday life of Wind Reach. The first one was the Marsh Hawk. Female Marsh Hawks are larger than males, each gender, though, can grow up to 24 inches long and have a roughly 3.5 foot wingspan. Males can be identified because their plumage is much different than females. Male’s plumage is pale grey with white streak and brown bars on the tail while females are dark brown with white streaking and brown bars on the tail as well. Cin-Cin had seen Marsh Hawks before; they were quite common around Wind Reach, hunting for mice. The book underestimates their color, female Marsh Hawks can look almost golden. It’s a pretty color, and it stands out in the dull grew of the volcano. Once again the book only gives a simple explanation of the birds diet: The Marsh Hawk is a carnivore. Eating snakes, mice, rats, and the occasional small bird. Specifics include a harvest mouse, meadow vole, and waterfowls. Cin wondered how there were any mice left in Wind Reach. It seemed like all the raptors ate mice, how had they not gone extinct? Courtship of a Marsh Hawk is spectacular. A Male will dive 50 to 100 feet in the air, climb back up and repeat the process. The apex of the climb is noted by a roll before the next dive. Both of the birds in a mated pair construct the nest out of sticks and leaves, placing their nest on the ground. 3 to 5 eggs are in a clutch at one time and the incubation period is 31 days. Marsh Hawk eggs are determined by their white, and brown splotched color. Chicks will stay in the nest until learning to fly around 30 or 35 days old. Now, why would a bird put their nest on the ground? To Cin-Cin that just sounded like it was dangerous to the eggs inside. What is something steps on the nest? Like a deer, or a bear, or – Gods forbid – an Inarta? The last raptor Cin-Cin was interested in was the Merlin, or Pigeon Hawk.

[Cin-Cin]

If Cin-Cin knew anything about hawks it was that the Merlin was positively the most common predator bird in Wind Reach, besides Wind Eagles of course. Most Inarta’s, even at a young age, knew what this bird was. The Merlin, or Pigeon Hawk is a small species of falcon, although, when compared to other small falcons, it is said to be robust and heavily built. The Merlin has a body length of 10 to 13 inches and a wingspan of 20 to 26 inches. They weigh an average of 5 to 8 ounces. The male Pigeon Hawk’s color differs only slightly from the female’s plumage. Male feathers have a slate blue color and its color is brighter than the females brown color. Cin was glad to see that at least one species of raptor was basically equal. She thought it was so odd that genders could be so different, when the Inarta’s weren’t. Merlins mostly eat other small birds, but also hunt bats, insects and small rodents. Their hunting technique is to swoop down from a perch or when flying low over the ground or catch their prey in midair. Some hunting may require pursuit and often Merlin’s hide their uneaten prey for later consumption. That was a new trait, to save uneaten food for later. Almost like the Inarta’s storing food for later. Cin-Cin had seen many of these birds around the Courtyard of the Sky, swooping down, like the book said, to catch mice. These birds were a lot like the citizens of Wind Reach, with their food. Having different techniques of acquiring food, and saving it for later. Like the Gyrfalcons, Pigeon Hawks do not make their own nests. Instead they scavenged those of crows, or other hawks. Their nests usually lie on cliff edges or natural cavities. Females can lay from 3 to 6 eggs in one clutch and the eggs are incubated for 27 days, up to a total of 32 days. Merlins are mature at one year. And that was it for the hawks and falcons of Wind Reach. There were defiantly similarities between some species, but mostly the birds were so much different than each other, just like different sentient species of Mizahar.

[Invictus]

Experience Award! Cin-Cin Skill XP Earned Lore Earned Falconry +4 Text Knowledge: Wind Eagle Observation +2 Text Knowledge: Red Tailed Hawk Text Knowledge: Gyrfalcon Eating Habits of Try Text Knowledge: Marsh Hawks Text Knowledge: Merlin/Pigeon Hawk Comments Hey there Cin! Another short and sweet thread from you. I can tell you're really trying to focus in Cin's falconry, and I can't wait to see what your plans are for the future. There were a few problems I saw with this thread, though. I noticed that you were essentially copying and pasting from the Wind Eagles page of the wiki. I couldn't honestly tell with the other raptors, but if you'd like more points in the future, it would be best if you came up with your own text on the subject written in your own words. It would also benefit you if you described Cin-Cin's actions a bit more while reading the book, and perhaps expanding your thoughts more after reading each section. I felt like it was quite limited. If you have any comments or questions, do not hesitate to shoot me a PM. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more points, but hopefully this explains why. Enjoy!