THE FORUM

29-Mar-24, 07:16:55 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Note: The views expressed on this page are not necessarily those of GVAS or Rfalconcam.
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1] 2 3 4   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Great Spirit Bluff Falcons  (Read 27569 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Donna
I'm Falcon Crazy
*

Like Count: 1650
Offline Offline

Posts: 25,377


<3 FLY FREE "CHARLOTTE" <3


View Profile
« on: 17-Jun-13, 10:17:41 PM »

OMG, 3  babies fell 600 feet. They don't know why but something must have been wrong.  I started watching the videos but just can't. This is tragic!!  crying  May have been insects bothering them.

Not sure if any survived but someone had mentioned maybe 1

here's the link if you want to watch. 3 separate videos.

Maybe someone can make sense of this horrible tragedy.

http://www.ustream.tv/greatspiritblufffalcons  scroll til you see the video links. I feel sick!  heart  

They have been searching for them but now it's too dark and they hope the parents will help locate them. They were a week from fledging.

From FB: Just found this

The team is done searching for tonight. To the best of my knowledge there is no search planned for tomorrow, as sometimes, it's better to try to let the parents find them, and care for them. The chances of finding the remaining three falcons were much greater when the search first began, than as time went on and they fell deeper into the underbrush below. We remain hopeful that Michelle and Travis may settle down now that the search has stopped, and possibly find the other three falcons if they survived the fall, and continue to feed them, but the odds are not very good for that to happen, per Bob. The falcons were about 10 days away from fledge.

One male eyas, Jonathon, was found and is considered to be ok. Bob does not want to risk putting the falcon back in the nest box, so Jonathon is being taken to the Red Wing Grain nest box, to be augmented/fostered into a nest box there where there are two other falcons almost the same age. This process has been successful in the past, and this is what Bob feels is best. While we continue to hope that Travis and Michelle can find them, we understand that may not happen. The nest box at Great Spirit Bluff was sprayed for insects tonight with a spray that is harmless to raptors, and has been used many times in situations where the insects were causing an issue. Bob still feels strongly that the falcon reactions today, is a result of the insects, possible causing additional agitation or restlessness for them. As Bob stated before, he has never seen this happen in all of his years dealing with Peregrines.

Thanks, everyone, for all your words of support at this difficult time.

~ RR Mod ~
« Last Edit: 17-Jun-13, 10:34:29 PM by Donna » Logged

Kris G.
Never Leaves 'Puter
*********

Like Count: 166
Offline Offline

Posts: 7,473



View Profile
« Reply #1 on: 17-Jun-13, 10:23:18 PM »

If you watched the video, the eyasses were constantly shaking their heads and scratching themselves like they were being bitten continuously.  It was so sad to see them fall.  Sad
Logged

Donna
I'm Falcon Crazy
*

Like Count: 1650
Offline Offline

Posts: 25,377


<3 FLY FREE "CHARLOTTE" <3


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: 17-Jun-13, 10:36:40 PM »

If you watched the video, the eyasses were constantly shaking their heads and scratching themselves like they were being bitten continuously.  It was so sad to see them fall.  Sad

I watched the first seconds of the 1st video, started crying and stopped it. Can't do it!  crying
Logged

MAK
Glued to Keyboard
*

Like Count: 486
Offline Offline

Posts: 10,975


Nature Rules!


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: 17-Jun-13, 10:50:02 PM »

Very disheartening and sad to see.   Sad
Logged

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
-John Burroughs
Penelope99
Juvie
*****

Like Count: 18
Offline Offline

Posts: 296



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: 17-Jun-13, 10:52:41 PM »

Me too!!! I have watched them since many days. I liked this site with forest's noise and other birds. Terrible!
Logged
Donna
I'm Falcon Crazy
*

Like Count: 1650
Offline Offline

Posts: 25,377


<3 FLY FREE "CHARLOTTE" <3


View Profile
« Reply #5 on: 18-Jun-13, 06:47:32 AM »

http://raptorresource.blogspot.com/2013/06/great-spirit-bluff-falcons-intervention.html  Newest blog of what happened.  Sad
Logged

Braveheart2665
Juvie
*****

Like Count: 18
Offline Offline

Posts: 262


Freyja Always in my Heart


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: 18-Jun-13, 06:55:22 AM »

terrible tragedy so glad Johnathon is ok & will be fostered
Logged

Follow me at Thebraveheartfiles.blogspot.com
glothom
Fledgling
****

Like Count: 5
Offline Offline

Posts: 108



View Profile
« Reply #7 on: 18-Jun-13, 04:15:00 PM »

This morning at least 2 eyas were heard calling. Possibly all 3. And the parents were flying in with food to feed them. It is still possible all of them are okay. Only time will tell.
Logged

glo...
Donna
I'm Falcon Crazy
*

Like Count: 1650
Offline Offline

Posts: 25,377


<3 FLY FREE "CHARLOTTE" <3


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: 18-Jun-13, 04:22:30 PM »

This morning at least 2 eyas were heard calling. Possibly all 3. And the parents were flying in with food to feed them. It is still possible all of them are okay. Only time will tell.

Now that's a miracle!!  pray
Logged

Kris G.
Never Leaves 'Puter
*********

Like Count: 166
Offline Offline

Posts: 7,473



View Profile
« Reply #9 on: 18-Jun-13, 09:57:48 PM »

This morning at least 2 eyas were heard calling. Possibly all 3. And the parents were flying in with food to feed them. It is still possible all of them are okay. Only time will tell.

Now that's a miracle!!  pray

                 ditto

               
Logged

Donna
I'm Falcon Crazy
*

Like Count: 1650
Offline Offline

Posts: 25,377


<3 FLY FREE "CHARLOTTE" <3


View Profile
« Reply #10 on: 19-Jun-13, 10:00:19 AM »

http://www.ustream.tv/greatspiritblufffalcons  Oh I can hear them right now on cam!! Screaming!!  There is hope!
Logged

Donna
I'm Falcon Crazy
*

Like Count: 1650
Offline Offline

Posts: 25,377


<3 FLY FREE "CHARLOTTE" <3


View Profile
« Reply #11 on: 21-Jun-13, 12:52:47 PM »

By now most of you are aware that all four young falcons jumped from the nest box at Great Spirit Bluff on June 17th. They were approximately 10 days away from fledging. Searchers were only able to find one of four falcons. Bob evaluated Jonathon, a male, and decided to augment/foster Jonathon into another nest box rather than risk having him jump out again. He chose Red Wing Grain as the new site, since the two young falcons there are about the same age as Jonathon. We fostered Jonathon on the morning of June 19th and he seems to have adapted quite well to his new surroundings.

We chose not to continue the search after the first night. Like many young animals, the falcons either hide or try to scurry under cover when they hear threats approaching. We didn't want to drive them so deep in into the undergrowth that Michelle and Travis couldn't reach them. Since then, we have heard the young falcons calling from the area below the nest box, and we have witnessed Michelle and Travis carrying what appears to be prey down below. We hope to see the young falcons at the nest box or on the ledge again, but only time will tell.

We have received numerous questions regarding the nest box at Great Spirit Bluff. Is it a safe box? It is. In the Midwest alone, over 1,000 falcons have been produced at nest boxes that use this design, which provides shelter from the weather and perches for sitting. Netting under the boxes is out of the question, since the falcons would snag their talons, and holes or venting in the side of the boxes to let in wind would also let in rain and snow.

Absent external stimuli, Bob has never seen young falcons jump from a nest box or cliff as they did at Great Spirit Bluff. He believes that insects caused the young falcons to stampede from the box. Just a few weeks ago, 17 of 20 adult whooping cranes in central Wisconsin deserted their eggs due to black flies, as reported in the Wausau Daily Herald. http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20130525/WDH01/305250345/Black-flies-endanger-whooping-crane-nests

Please refer to this blog post for more information about insects, intervention, and fosterage: http://raptorresource.blogspot.com/2013/06/great-spirit-bluff-falcons-intervention.html

Although we knew the gnats and black flies were bad, we were unable to intervene earlier, since that would most likely have caused the young falcons to jump before they had developed their flight feathers. In short, the risk of injury or death was higher if we went to the box than if we did not. This was an unusual and unfortunate situation. We haven't seen it before and we hope never to see it again.

To view the Red Wing Falcons, click on this link, and then choose Red Wing Grain Falcons from the left side and click on that link: http://www.farmyou.com/falcon_cams/index.html. This cam may not always be available, since it has limited bandwidth.

A big thank you to the Howe family for responding so quickly, climber Dan for last minute assistance, and the staff of Red Wing Grain for letting us foster a falcon into their box on very short notice. Bob made a difficult decision in a stressful situation, but he made it in the best interests of Jonathan, who is thriving in his new home.
Logged

~Sage~
Juvie
*****

Like Count: 38
Offline Offline

Posts: 360



View Profile WWW
« Reply #12 on: 23-Jun-13, 01:40:07 PM »

I'm so glad to hear it's working out for Jonathan! Now he has a chance. Those poor babies getting eaten like that and mom didn't know what to do for them when she went into the nestbox and all the babies were screaming for her to help.
Logged

MAK
Glued to Keyboard
*

Like Count: 486
Offline Offline

Posts: 10,975


Nature Rules!


View Profile
« Reply #13 on: 26-Jun-13, 08:33:02 AM »

UPDATE:  yahoo  Great news from Great Spirit Bluff site-2 of the Spirit Bluff jumpers have fledged and have been seen flying around the nest!!!  Update brought to you via Donna who is away from her computer for the day and asked me to post this wonderful news.  thanx

http://m.ustream.tv/recorded/34938053/highlight/375429?rmalang=en_US …
« Last Edit: 26-Jun-13, 08:49:21 AM by MAK » Logged

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
-John Burroughs
patsy6
I'm Not Addicted
********

Like Count: 52
Offline Offline

Posts: 3,104


Dot.ca and a 2015 eyas


View Profile
« Reply #14 on: 26-Jun-13, 08:36:00 AM »

FANTASTIC NEWS!!!! Thanks to Donna and MAK for sharing.   2thumbsup 2thumbsup
Logged

Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now. Give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees, please! - Joni Mitchell
Pages: [1] 2 3 4   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines

Sponsored By

Times Square
powered by Shakymon