Author Topic: News: Peregrines  (Read 71587 times)

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Offline Alison

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News: USA / Idaho Peregrines
« Reply #30 on: November 15, 2009, 20:34 »
Idaho: young falcon released after rehab
KLEW-TV, Lewiston




LEWISTON - His trip to the warm south was delayed a bit, but now a peregrine falcon can begin his journey.  The WSU School of Veterinary Medicine released their latest rescue, Stephens, at the KLEW transmitter site Friday morning.

"Stephens was brought in by a falconer, who had helped another person who had found him, got him in a hood and a white bandage and brought him down to WSU," said Dr. Nickol Finch of the WSU Vet School.  Stephens was brought into the Vet hospital on October 2. Doctors spent weeks nursing the injured raptor back to health, setting two bones in his wing. Finch said after four weeks of healing, and two more of physical therapy, Stephens was ready to begin his migration south. 

Stephens is just the most recent in a string of rescues.  "We tend to get about four falcons a year, and this is the first one we've released this year," said Finch. "We usually release about one a year. As of last year we've got 95 raptors, and released about 35."

Finch said the KLEW site at top of the hill was an idea place to release Stephens, on his migration path. He's expected to head to California and Finch said perhaps even farther.  "He flew the direction we didn't want him to go, but that's okay," said Finch. "He'll get his bearings and turn around and go the other way. As far as flying, he was nice and strong. The wind didn't bother him at all. It actually helped him out a little bit."


http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/70069377.html

Offline carly

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News: USA / New Mexico Peregrines
« Reply #29 on: November 14, 2009, 07:39 »
Defiance moved to Elmwood Park Zoo (Part 2)

"It's in Pennsylvania where the peregrine is still endangered," and where Palmer hoped Defiance would get not only a home, "but also a mate, and perhaps a chance to breed and help contribute to the population of his species."

Or maybe not. The prospective female procreator, Stevie (named for Stevie Nicks), died this fall, the zoo's general curator David Wood reported in a phone conversation from Defiance's new home in Norristown, Pa. But Wood said Defiance appears to be enjoying a happy "alternative lifestyle" with his new, as-yet-unnamed birdy buddy, who turned out to be a male, DNA tests revealed. Defiance gets along well with his companion, recently imported from a West Virginia zoo, in a brand new habitat they share.

"We have a donor who is very interested in peregrines, so we were able to build a whole new exhibit. Defiance is doing great and we're very happy and lucky to have him," Wood said.

Dr. Carol Calista, a Las Cruces veterinarian who works with CDWR rehabilitation efforts, termed the bird's survival 'a miracle,' Palmer said, adding that the "feisty bird can claim at least part of the credit."

She stressed that it took more than a village to save Defiance.

"It took the cooperative effort of county government in the form of Dona Ana Animal Control, two states--New Mexico and Pennsylvania--and the federal government to provide him with a life at Elmwood Park Zoo, where he can live a productive life," Palmer said.

He can also be a ambassador for his species to the more than 130,000 visitors who come to the Elmwood Park Zoo each year.


Link to original article: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-sunlife/ci_13775422
« Last Edit: January 09, 2011, 21:18 by The Peregrine Chick »

Offline carly

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News: USA / New Mexico Peregrines
« Reply #28 on: November 14, 2009, 07:38 »
Defiance moved to Elmwood Park Zoo (Part 1)

LAS CRUCES— Defiance is a peregrine falcon who lost a wing and survived agonizing ordeals before his rescue and rehab in New Mexico. Now the feisty bird, who was not expected to live, has a birdy buddy and a posh habitat in a new territory almost 2,000 miles away.

"Defiance earned his name because he defied animal control, his human care-giver, injury, starvation, infection and even death," said Jessica Palmer, a Chihuahua Desert Wildlife Rescue (CDWR) rehabilitation specialist who cared for Defiance in her Las Cruces home. Defiance was a fledgling, just 'earning his wings' when he was picked up and swept by high wind to become tangled in string or wire. As an inexperienced flyer, the peregrine could have simply miscalculated or misjudged the distance of something. Either way, he became entangled in wire, mostly barbed wire or high tension lines. He must have hung by the wing for days until the weight of his body severed the limb from his body," Palmer reports. "Despite the ordeal, it took the Dona Ana Animal Control officer nearly a full day to capture the peregrine. She gave chase with her nets and he, as his name suggests, defied her," Palmer said.

By the time Defiance arrived at her home on July 7, Palmer's evaluation indicated the bird had managed to survive for a week without food and with a life-threatening wound that was infected.

"The severing of wing near the shoulder is among the worst injuries a bird can receive. The major arteries and veins run directly between heart and lungs into the wing. Usually, the bird will bleed to death. If it survives, the presence of infection (can be) lethal, the risk of death increased since the toxins quickly spread to the vital organs and throughout the body."

It seemed unlikely he would survive the night. But Palmer, experienced in wildlife rehabilitation as well as a nurse, educator and an author of novels, sci-fi and fantasy, textbooks and nonfiction historical works, was hoping for a happy ending.

"He was provided with a warm, restful environment and given a small amount of food and water, for fear his body would reject too grand a feast," Palmer said. "When he tolerated the first meal, more food was supplied. As evening drew to a close, he had eaten well. Still, as the sun set, the death watch began. At first light he was found, still standing, with a look of defiance upon his face. As if to say: "So you thought I was going to die."

Defiance's wound was treated and he was given antibiotics, but Palmer admits that each night she "said a formal farewell, not expecting him to be alive the next day, and each morning, I found him with that same look of defiance upon his face."

The bird's survival presented its own set of problems, including a search for a home.

"Obviously he was going to live and equally obvious, he could not be released to the wild. Once it became apparent the bird would survive, verbal permission was obtained from the Federal Government to place him. The total loss of a wing usually requires euthanasia," she said, because "it may lead to severe loss of balance. Birds use their wings as much to maintain balance while standing and walking as to fly. With the total loss, the bird may fall, often sustaining further injuries."

But dauntless, Defiance "beat the odds. He learned, and he learned quickly, to tuck and roll like an acrobat. He learned to climb and he learned to jump from perch to perch."

Palmer stressed there is no warm and fuzzy bird-human love story to report.

Defiance "was neither intimidated nor impressed" by Palmer, but "tolerated" her, "as the bringer of food and human 'lunch lady.'"

He let her know that "his forbearance was conditional, every time I entered the pen, with sloshing bucket and scrub brush. Defiance would climb up to the highest perch and leap down to land on my head, shoulder or back. He would stomp around a few times to notify me that he was in charge here and I was allowed into his territory on sufferance" and then "he jumped back onto his perch and watched for any false moves."

But one of nature's fiercest predators did not attack his savior.

"Never once during this weekly assertion of territory did this creature--who could have easily ripped flesh from bone--break the skin. Never a scratch," Palmer said.

And the plucky bird was suddenly very popular.

"Competition was fierce, with six different states applying to provide a home for him. It became a choice of what was best for the individual bird and for the species of as a whole."
« Last Edit: January 09, 2011, 21:18 by The Peregrine Chick »

Offline allikat

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #27 on: November 12, 2009, 20:44 »

And there is a nest box on one of the Statesman Towers, so perhaps the birds are showing interest in it.


Now that's exciting!!!

Offline Alison

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #26 on: November 12, 2009, 20:35 »
I posted the information on this bird on the Indy site for those who had been wondering who this bird is. Laura James-Reim passed the info on to John Castrale at the Indiana DNR.

An update from Laura James-Reim:

A little bit of an update on the Terre Haute birds. Seems like there might be a love triangle going on or at least there was at one time. John said there was a report of two peregrines spotted on campus this past weekend but unfortunately no identification on either one of them. He also said at one time there were three birds spotted - 2 juveniles and 1 adult (which I think Denise may have already told us a while back). So at this point, there are 2 peregrines at ISU, just not sure at this point who they are. We may have to wait until courting/nesting begins in order to sort out what is going on unless someone can spot a band before then.

And the Raptor Center had just sent John a note about S/34. Thanks again AlisonL!


And there is a nest box on one of the Statesman Towers, so perhaps the birds are showing interest in it.

Offline carly

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #25 on: November 09, 2009, 04:56 »
Wow she is a golden girl  ;D :-*

Offline allikat

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #24 on: November 08, 2009, 21:33 »
Oh my, she is absolutely stunning!  Good luck to her.  I hope she finds a suitable mate and produces beautiful, strong and healthy chicks in a few years time... 

GOOD LUCK to all those juvies this year!  We wish for you to return one day, someday......with a mate and territory to raise your very own chicks!

Offline Alison

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #23 on: November 08, 2009, 20:10 »
The peregrine seen at the Statesman Towers in Terre Haute, Indiana, band black/green S/34, has now been identified.

She is from a nest at the Washington University Medical School in St Louis, Missouri, banded on May 18 of this year. She is one of three chicks at this nest -- two females and one male.

She is a very beautiful juvie.

Photos by Jason G. Harrison, taken in July.







More information and photos of S/34 may be found at this link:

http://world-bird-sanctuary.blogspot.com/2009/09/peregrines-in-forest-park.html

Offline Alison

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News: USA / Kentucky Peregrines
« Reply #22 on: October 23, 2009, 17:14 »
Birds of a Feather: Peregine Falcon newest resident of SWHS Raptor Club
The Commonwealth Journal / 21 Oct 2009

Her likeness appears on the Coat of Arms of the Isle of Man. She’s been the mascot for the U.S. Air Force since 1959. She’s been named the official bird of the city of Chicago. Suzuki’s Hayabusa motorcycle, the company’s fastest model, is named for her.

She has every reason to hold her head high. But on Wednesday, as a small group gathered to greet her, she acted a bit like a nervous child — fidgeting and flapping, avoiding eye contact except for the occasional inquisitive, wide-eyed stare.  She’s a Peregrine Falcon — extremely rare in these parts — and she’s been brought to Southwestern High School’s Raptor Rehabilitation facility to regain her strength and confidence so she can once again soar and swoop like the brave bird of prey she’s designed to be.

“They used to be very common in Kentucky, but the last ones died out in 1944,” explained Francis Carter, director of the SWHS Raptor program. In the 1970s, there was one around the Laurel Lake area ... but it died. I have that one stuffed in my room. ... They were extinct in this area of Kentucky for a while, but the Fish and Wildlife Department started bringing them back in the early 1990s.”

Familiar with the shape and mannerisms of the Peregrine Falcon, Carter believed she had spotted one a time or two in Pulaski County. “I thought I’d seen one in the area, but it was hard to know. ... They fly pretty fast,” she said.

Last weekend, Carter received a phone call from a man in Bronston who said he had found an injured hawk on the side of the road. Carter told the man to bring the bird to the Midway Veterinary Hospital the following day. There, Dr. Bruce Jasper checked the bird and determined that she likely didn’t have any major injuries.

“She was probably blown down by a car,” Carter guessed. “She was scuffed up above her nose and on one of her wings, and she wouldn’t fly. She was a little thin. They usually hide if they (are injured.)”

Dr. Jasper determined that the bird — which Carter identified not as a hawk, but as a Peregrine Falcon — “needed a little TLC and food, and then she could be released,” Carter said.

That’s where Southwestern High School came in. The falcon was brought to the Raptor Rehabilitation facility, where Carter and approximately 30 students will feed and tend to her for a few weeks until she’s ready to begin caring for herself again.

“The kids had never seen (a Peregrine Falcon) before, so they didn’t know what it was,” Carter said, adding that they “got excited” when they learned they had the opportunity to care for such a rare bird. I’ve been involved in raptor rehabilitation for almost 25 years, and this is the first one I’ve ever gotten,” she said.

When the Fish and Wildlife Department began re-populating Kentucky with Peregrine Falcons, they tagged the birds they released. This falcon wasn’t tagged, leading Carter to believe that she is either “a production of the pairs (released by Fish and Wildlife) in the state or she was blown in with a storm.”

While Peregrines are rare in Kentucky, they’re more common in areas north and west of here.  Students in the raptor program have named the falcon Artemis — after the goddess of the hunt and forest.

“She’s very bright and alert,” Carter said. “Yesterday she ate 180 grams of bird of prey diet.”

The rehabilitation facility receives deliveries of 1,000 pounds of “bird of prey diet” at a time, Carter said. The food contains vitamins, bone, hair, and other animal parts on which birds of prey would normally feed.  If Artemis were free, she would feed on small animals, such as squirrels, rabbits, and ducks, Carter said. Peregrine Falcons swoop down on their prey at speeds of nearly 200 m.p.h., “punching” them with their clenched claws and then snapping their necks with their beaks.

While the students are enjoying bonding with the mighty bird of prey, they’re looking forward to the day when she’ll be healthy enough to live up to her name.  Carter wants local residents to know that it’s possible that more Peregrine Falcons are in the area.

“Please don’t shoot them,” she begged, adding that finding one is nearly as rare as finding a Bald Eagle.


http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/local/local_story_294210549.html

« Last Edit: January 12, 2011, 15:39 by The Peregrine Chick »

Offline kittenface

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #21 on: October 01, 2009, 22:22 »
Well doing like TPC  and trying  B instead I found all this
2006 {B/04}
Falcon Name:  Chase
FWS Band:  2206-72066
Color Band:   
Hatch Site:  First National Bank, Lima
Hatch Date:   
Male Parent FWS Band:   
Female Parent FWS Band:   
Comments: 

2006 {B/24}
Falcon Name:  Bubba
FWS Band:  2206-84538
Color Band:   
Hatch Site:  WPL Edgewater Generating Station, Sheboygan
Hatch Date:   
Male Parent FWS Band:   
Female Parent FWS Band:  E/*D
Comments: 
2006 {B/34}
Falcon Name:  Todd
FWS Band:  2206-84531
Color Band:   
Hatch Site:  Cargill Malt Complex, Jefferson
Hatch Date:   
Male Parent FWS Band:   
Female Parent FWS Band:  82/A b/g
Comments: 

2007 {B/44} This one could be checked into maybe what with the father being B/G band
Falcon Name:  Irving
FWS Band:  2206-84630
Color Band:   
Hatch Site:  Uptown Theatre, Chicago
Hatch Date:  5/1/2007 0:00:00
Male Parent FWS Band:  b/g G/G
Female Parent FWS Band:  *4/H
Comments:  Recovered with broken wing after a month after fledging. 8/30/07 in rehab at SOAR.
2007 {B/54}
Falcon Name:  Clark
FWS Band:  2206-84638
Color Band:   
Hatch Site:  5821 N. Broadway, Irving Park, Chicago
Hatch Date:   
Male Parent FWS Band:   
Female Parent FWS Band:  b/g 5/*P
Comments: 



Offline Alison

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News: USA / Minnesota Peregrines
« Reply #20 on: October 01, 2009, 21:16 »
Falcons inhabit nesting box built by 4-Her
source: unknown / June 2009

High above Winona, atop a Bay State Milling Co. building on Second Street, live the fruits of Maggie Lubinski's childhood labor and a symbol of a long recovery for a once near-extinct bird. Three yet-to-be named peregrine falcon chicks, a male and two females, fill a nesting box Lubinski made when she was 13. The nesting pair - a female named Chicklet and an unnamed male - are the first documented falcon residents in the city of Winona.

The Bay State falcon family is in many ways a triumphant symbol of a recovery effort now transitioning to preservation. Peregrine falcons are one of the great success stories of the Endangered Species Act and efforts by environmental groups. Once nearly eradicated in North America by pesticide use, the falcons have returned with a vengeance.

"(Peregrine falcons) are the conservation achievement of the century," Bob Anderson of the Decorah, Iowa, based Raptor Resource Project.

Lubinski built two falcon boxes in 2001 when she was in eighth grade for a 4-H project, and Anderson and his crew placed the boxes on the buildings. Falcons have temporarily stayed there, off and on, but never made a home. Over the years, Lubinski and her father, Rick Lubinski, who works at Bay State Milling, checked the sites and never spotted chicks. Maggie nearly gave up hope. She's 21 now, a student at Western Technical College in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  

Then earlier this year a falcon family came. Rick Lubinski spotted the pair, and Maggie contacted Anderson.  

"I didn't believe it at first," Lubinski said.

The falcons were once on the brink of extinction in the United States. Insecticides, most notably DDT, destroyed some populations by thinning egg shells, causing fewer falcons to hatch. Only several hundred pairs existed in North America, and the falcons all but disappeared from the region.

Recovery efforts began in the 1980s when captive birds were released into the wild. Once found primarily on high natural perches, including bluff faces and rock cliffs, much of the falcon's recovery has been due to their adaptation to urban and industrial settings. Falcons have found new homes at powerplant smokestacks, skyscrapers and now the Bay State Milling building.  The bird was delisted from the federal endangered species list in 1999 but remained on the Wisconsin endangered list and the threatened species list in Minnesota.

Anderson credits the collaboration between conservation groups like the Raptor Resource Project and industry, particularly power companies, for the falcon's recovery. If not for the help of those companies, which placed falcon boxes like Lubinski's at their plants, the falcon would still be endangered, he said.

The total number of falcons in Minnesota and Wisconsin won't be known until tagging efforts such as Anderson's are done this year, but if the figures are anything like last year's, falcon fans should be encouraged. In 2008, 33 pairs hatched 93 young in Minnesota, while 28 pairs nested in Wisconsin, according to Department of Natural Resource officials in both states. The number of falcons has increased in the region nearly every year, according to DNR officials.

"We can safely say (the Minnesota falcon) population has recovered," said Lori Naumann, spokeswoman for the Minnesota DNR's Nongame Wildlife Program.

Tuesday was a reunion for Lubinski and members of the Raptor Resource Project. There were hugs and hellos and comments about how Lubinski had grown. She hadn't seen them since she joined them to tag chicks at an Alma, Wis., site several years after they placed her boxes. A crowd of Lubinski's family, Bay State Milling employees and curious onlookers watched as Anderson banded the chicks.

The month-old chicks will be named by Anderson. At least one will be named Maggie, he said


Follow-ups:

Their three chicks are Maggie (black/red 85/D), Anne (black/red 86/D) and Ricker (male - black/green H/15).

On Sept 13, 2009 Charles DeWitt photographed a Peregrine with leg bands. The right leg had a purple band. The left leg had two bands, the top was Black with white numbers 86 and the bottom was red with white letter D. The location was the Muskegon County Wastewater System in Muskegon, Michigan.

The response from the Raptor Resource Project was:
Mr. DeWitt photographed one of the birds we banded in Winona, at Bay State Milling. What a flight! If 86/D (Anne) had to get in a car and drive, it would be a 498 mile trip, although in a car, she couldn't fly across the lake.

Anne in Muskegon:
« Last Edit: January 11, 2011, 20:45 by The Peregrine Chick »

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #19 on: October 01, 2009, 20:59 »
Thanks for the links, the large photos helped to see the juvenile characteristics (vertical stripes on breast).  Not old enough to breed I would agree, but given the white and black/dark slate grey on the bird's back, its not a 2009 hatch.  Some birds retain the vertical stripes longer than others, not many to my knowledge, but your bird is just too white on the belly and too dark on the back to be 2009 - 2008 probably, I'd be surprised if earlier, those stripes should be gone ....

let me know what you find out !!

Offline Alison

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #18 on: October 01, 2009, 20:42 »
Thank you for the response, TPC! I reduced the photos to post here, and looking at them now I realize that the markings are not really visible. The originals are much larger, and in them the bird looks to me like a juvie. I've uploaded them to Flickr at their full size (click on "all sizes" to see the large size):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43115701@N08/3973463228/in/photostream/

I had also tried searching for all possible band combinations. It's a good idea to check with the CPF, so I will do that. I thought I might also check with the DEC in New York State, since they use black/green bands in some cases, with silver USFWS bands.

The original request for help with I.D. was posted by my namesake in Indiana, as a comment to a post in the Imprints section of the Rochester site:

http://rfalconcam.com/imprinting/?p=833#comments



Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2009, 20:20 »
First, from your photos, this is no 2009 hatch year bird ... 2008 maybe, some juvenile's have adult perfect plumage by the following spring (T-Rex and Trey were like that) and from your photos I can't see any remnants of juvenile characteristics in the birds' plumage.  And on photo three, where both are on the ledge, I would hazard a guess to say that "the" bird is female - not sure because the postures are different, but I think so.

But I would concur, the bird is probably an eastern bird.  You might try contacting the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, I think they have good communication with the eastern states as there birds end up in NY etc and vice versa.  I have also checked the Midwest Database for every combination I could come up with - I even tried similarly shaped letters - S = B and FWS bands ending in 2 rather than 52.  The only one I can up with is Carmen, b/g B/14 (2206-72252) wild hatch, 2006 Landmark Building, Summit County, Ohio.  No reports from elsewhere so if Jim Sullivan isn't for sure about the coloured band, this might be your girl.  But if he is, check with the CPF (they have a website) and ask them for information.  

Offline Alison

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Re: Looking for I.D. on falcon seen in Indiana
« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2009, 20:19 »
Hi Alison...I just checked Greg Septon's banding reports for the Wisconsin nests he monitors (30 + nests)...no bands matching your juvie..great pictures, though!!

Thanks, SGB! I also checked Greg Septon's Report, the RRP Report, and a bunch of other reports. I am fairly sure now that this is not a midwest bird after all. Since some of the eastern sites are using both black/red and black/green, and this year the midwest sites are using mainly black/red with some black/green, it is more difficult to tell where a juvie might be from.