I often find myself comparing Carson to other Red-tailed Hawks I have worked with at former jobs. When she crashes into the wall as she leaps on her food, I think, "gosh, you're overzealous just like Ruby." Or when she calmly steps onto my glove without hesitation: "you're as cooperative as Dakota!"
Then I need to remind myself that Carson isn't Ruby or Dakota. In fact, I know Carson much better than the other birds. I worked with Ruby for just 10 weeks and Dakota for 2 years. I have known Carson for four and a half years now. In that time, she has trained me just as much as I have tried to train her and we have grown in our trust and respect for each other.
Carson isn't an amalgamation of other birds. She is unique; she's just Carson.
(As an interesting side note, one thing that all three of these hawks have in common is the odor of their travel crates. It's a mild smell that seems to be unique to this species. I can't say why, but it is one of my favorite odd animal smells!)
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