Rfalconcam Forum

Buckeye - 1996-2009
I am very sad to report that Buckeye was found on a sidewalk by West 3rd and Huron Rd in downtown Cleveland this afternoon and died in transit to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. It appears that he sustained fatal head injuries. He had a long and distinguished career at the Terminal Tower with Zenith and S/W and sired many, many young.

Harvey



Buckeye Update
To follow up on my last post, this is what I know. A lady walking on West 3rd and Huron found Buckeye on the sidewalk clearly in distress and barely responsive. She covered him with her coat and contacted me at the Museum about 1:40 pm on Tuesday, 11/17/09. She offered to transport Buckeye to the Museum so that we could assess his condition and expedite his transportation to the Medina Raptor Center or Lake Metroparks Clinton Wildlife Center. When she arrived at the Museum around 2:10 pm Buckeye had already expired. I confirmed his identity by the R/K color band and notified the Ohio Division of Wildlife. We will have a necropsy performed at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo today. However it is clear that, without a mark on his body and blood streaming from his mouth, Buckeye sustained a fatal head injury consistent with a window or building collision. A necropsy might reveal if there were any underlying health issues. My examination suggested he was in good health and plumage with no sign of other conditions or injuries that might have contributed to his death.

I will be spending time at the Terminal Tower this afternoon to assess the work being done on the ledge and I will keep an eye out for S/W.

This is is a difficult time of transition for all of us falcon enthusiasts who have become so attached to the lives of Buckeye, S/W and their offspring. This is also a time of transition for S/W. It is my hope that her long term attachment to this very successful site will hold and she will recruit a new mate in the coming weeks or months.

I will keep you updated with any news.


Harvey

How very very sad for Buckeye...lots of us here have watched that cam also. RIP Buckeye, you sure were a cutie. Wow, that's 2 Ohio males in a few months. Darn buildings. :crying: :crying: :crying:

Hi Dawn,

oh no. Poor Buckeye.  :(  :'(


Annette

Here he is in 2004, protecting his eggs.  Cleveland weather at the time was 32.0°F ( 0° C), visibility  0.2 miles (.3 km), wind gust 36.8 mph (59 kph),  heavy snow, fog.  That would have been close to whiteout conditions, and it was believed that this severe weather wouold have kept SW from relieving him.

All the eggs hatched and all the hatchlings fledged.

Paul

 :(     

What a great photo Paul, thank you for sharing that with us.  It's actions like that bind us closer to our falcons, when we realize what they endure and what they will do to protect their unborn young.  They just never cease to amaze me and humble me.  Buckeye was one of the great ones and he will be sorely missed by everyone.     

 :crying: Godspeed, Buckeye

Oh no!   :(

Fly Free Buckeye.  You will truly be missed.

How awful!  Oh Buckeye.  Fly free, sweet boy. :crying: :crying:

That picture, Paul.... what devotion to their young.  Some humans cannot even compare

And bless that woman who called for assistance and covered Buckeye with her coat.  At least he was surrounded by a loving person in his last moments

Is this Buckeye the father of our Spirit in Montreal? Nicole

Nicole I believe your Spirit's father was the other Buckeye - also a very famous and much loved falcon from the Hilliard Road Bridge in Cleveland and he passed on in 2007.  

This Buckeye also had a female eyases named Spirit last year - 2008 with a band ID of S/20 from what I could find.

Now I'm not sure if somehow the two Buckeye's are not related as both nest sites seem to have some shared history in the past.  I have only known this Buckeye for 3 years so I am not well versed on his past history prior to that other than what I have read on various message boards.

It is interesting that you have Spirit, daughter of Hilliard Buckeye in Montreal as I am in Toronto and one of my girls born here in 2006 named Lara is now in Ohio on a bridge with a falcon named Rocky who was one of the last eyases born to Hilliard's Buckeye.  

It seems the falcon world is a small world after all and it's wonderful to see the offspring of those we lost live on in their descendants  :)

No, Spirit hatched at the Hilliard Road Bridge in 2004 with Hillary and the other Buckeye as parents. The Hilliard Street Bridge is also in Ohio.

Paul

 :( Poor Baby you will be missed



that picture, what a great Dad :star:

 That's very bad
 I immidiatly thought of  him protecting the eggs when there was a lot of snow. These pictures are from March 25, 2002. You can see he did it more than once.
He was the first peregrine that I followed on a webcam during the period of laying eggs and hatching.
:rose: Thanks Buckeye :rose:

 :crying: greetings Aafke

Thanks Aafke!

When I was looking through my collection of falcon pictures, I was surprised to find a 2004 date on the picture of Buckeye buried in snow that I eventually posted.  I had expected it to have a 2002 date, because I had a recollection of seeing it while we were on a ski trip in the Canadian Rockies.  I still remember my shock at seeing the picture -- it really did look as if he had frozen to death.  The weather was even worse than in 2004 -- it was 28 F (-2 C) with  39 mph (63) kph winds and severe icing conditions.  You can see that he is encased in ice and that his feathers are askew.  Still, the brave little guy hung in there and all eggs hatched and fledged.  What a great bird!

Paul

Thanks for the answer. You are right. I found that Spirit's father is dead in 2007. Spirit and Roger are still on the top of Montreal University.

Thanks Paul and Aafke for the pictures.He was an amazing bird.It's very sad..... :(
greetings carla

What an amazing little guy.  How could we not be in awe of such a strong little being. 

(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_irkEhte2F2c/SwYbwqs2kVI/AAAAAAAAB6k/H815_j1hVjo/s640/Buckeye%20Fly%20Free.jpg)

Hi Joyce,

a beautiful picture of Buckeye.  :notworthy:


Annette

 :ditto:

 Double  :ditto: Thanks Joyce

Just beautiful, Joyce! 

Paul, your memory served you well - Buckeye did incubate eggs in 2002. Scott Wright monitored (as he always has and still does) this nest. He said Buckeye sat on the eggs, covered in snow and ice, for 25 hours straight. These are cam images of Buckeye from the March 25-March 26, 2002 time (many Cleveland forum members thought Buckeye was dead).

Amazing pictures of an amazing Peregrine.  Thanks for sharing them with us and congrats on your first post Juanita.   :wave:

Juanita,

Welcome!!!  When I saw these pictures, Buckeye looked like he might be dead.  I can only imagine what went through the Cleveland watchers' minds.  What a heroic bird.   :heart: :heart: :heart:

Buckeye, believed to be one of the country's oldest and most prolific peregrine falcons, died last week after apparently striking a building near its urban nest on the Terminal Tower.

A woman walking at the intersection of West Third Street and Huron Avenue discovered the injured male on the sidewalk and called Harvey Webster, director of wildlife resources at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Webster said the unidentified woman managed to scoop up the bird and rush it to the museum. But Buckeye was dead by the time she arrived, said Webster, the overseer of the falcons' nesting box 12 floors above Public Square.

"He had a heck of a life and an incredible run during his 12 years on the Terminal Tower," Webster said.

Buckeye was 14 years old, having hatched in 1996 atop the Rhodes Office Tower in downtown Columbus. Officers with Ohio's Division of Natural Resources attached an identifying leg band on the chick before he left the nest.

As an adult, he flew north and spent two years on the Case Western Reserve University campus before pairing up with a female, Zenith, on the downtown Cleveland skyscraper.

In 2001, a second female, hatched in Pittsburgh and identified only as S/W, arrived in Cleveland and killed Zenith. She then joined Buckeye at the nest.

Between the two females, Buckeye sired 34 peregrine chicks, an amazing accomplishment for a species that was endangered for decades, Webster said.

Buckeye was getting old, but he hadn't missed a beat incubating the eggs or providing food for his chicks, Webster said.

Webster speculated that Buckeye's fatal collision might have come during an aerial battle with another male. The falcons can dive at up to 200 mph.

The males may have been battling for S/W's affections. The past weekend, downtown falcon watchers had observed S/W in the company of a new male. He has a leg band, but no one has been able to read its identification numbers yet.

Webster said Cleveland's falcon enthusiasts aren't as willing as S/W to adopt the interloper. They had become attached to Buckeye over the years, and have been mourning, he said. (sounds familiar) :(

Many Buckeye fans have been posting tributes on-line, and Scott Wright -- who dubbed him "Mr. B" -- downloaded dozens of photographs that he shot of the bird from close range.

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/news.php (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/news.php)

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/falcpix/images/hugesize3.jpg (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/falcpix/images/hugesize3.jpg)

Looks like some snow has accumulated. Crazy weather.

As many of you know, there has been some sad losses in OHIO this year, both in Cleveland and Columbus. 

The latest news as of 8/13 is that Ranger (SW's mate of 1 year) is improving.  He is able to get up and down in a small fight cage, but he does have nerve damage. Releasability is still questionable.  C&C have been following his progress and they were able to see Ranger at the Medina Raptor Center. He looked good, and was alert and responsive to movement. When food was dropped into the cage, Ranger responded immediately by flying down to get the food. However, it was clear that he wasn't using his feet to secure the prey to eat. After eating, he flew back up to the highest perch and very gingerly cleaned his beak on the perch. When he put his left foot up toward his head, his foot froze in motion, then quivered, and then he lowered it again to the perch without scratching. Nerve injuries will take a long time to heal.

On the positive side, it looks like SW has a new beau.  Attempts were made to identify the mystery male on webcam and in person, and finally this past weekend C&C identified the new male as "Boomer", C/66 from the 2008 Columbus nest site.  Juanita is amazing at providing the lineage of the Ohio falcons.  Boomer will carry on the legacy as son of Scout and Orville, and is connected to the infamous Buckeye as well.  You can check it out at  2010 Terminal Tower Falcons--Part 4 (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?55614.40).

Joyce

New update on Ranger posted on the CMNH Forum by C&C:  :clap:

Sun Sep 05 2010, 09:57
Thought we'd start a new thread about Ranger since Boomer is now with SW.

Went out to see how Ranger was doing again this past week and he has made some vast improvements! He was in a bigger cage and we watched him fly to different perches with no noticeable difficulty landing or with his balance. He was again very tuned into movement and a few times he flew from the ground straight up to the perches.

We wanted to see how he would do with a full bird (as he wasn't holding and tearing it before and Laura had to cut it into pieces to feed him), so Laura gave him two small birds. We watched him grasp and pluck both birds, tearing and eating them.

We asked Laura to let us know when she puts him into a bigger flight cage so that we could observe him again, and she decided that we could do it then. So, we got Ranger (he was quite fiesty) and when we put him on the ground in his new cage he flew immediately to the furthest and highest perch in the cage. This cage also has a camera in it, so Laura will be able to observe him and show Dr. Riggs his behavior.

We were all very encouraged, and if he keeps improving a future release is possible. As he shows continued improvement, this cage can also be expanded by opening it up to another connecting cage in the back forming an "L" so he would be able to bank and turn and fly a little further.

We will continue to post updates as we know more. Go Ranger-- we're all rooting for ya!

Thank you Kris, this news is encouraging.  :pray:

 :mbanana:   Go Ranger!   :dance1:

Falcon there

I found some good news about Ranger in another forum


As per Chad & Chris, Ranger is ready to be released this coming Sunday. Great news and I'm happy about it but nervous about him potentially meeting up and fighting with Boomer.

Ranger is ready to go!!! Sorry for the delay, Heidi-- Laura has no problem with us providing the details regarding his release, and all are welcome. We went back out today and after spending some time with Ranger we all agreed that he's ready for release. Last week he was able to capture live prey in mid-air in the flight cage, and he hasn't shown any lingering signs of the head trauma. Laura has informed the DOW and we are preparing to release him this Sunday, Jan. 23rd at Sandy Ridge Reservation in North Ridgeville around 11:00AM. These are tentative plans at the moment, as Laura still needs to secure permission to release him at Sandy Ridge. We will most likely walk him through the woods to the opening of the marsh for the release. We will post if plans change, but those interested in attending can also PM or e-mail us so that I can provide you with contact info. in case plans change. Here are some pics of Ranger from today as we fed him his quail-- he flew down to get it, then he took off from the sawhorse to eat on a perch in the back of his cage...

Oh boy, this is great but of course we worry about the fights. Fingers crossed!!

Sorry I forgot picture link

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?55842.40#post_57512 (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?55842.40#post_57512)

 goodnews: :2thumbsup:

Great news!!!   :clap:

Wonderful news!  :2thumbsup:

I read this in other forum
 

Ranger released by Medina Raptor center this morn @ 11 am Eastern.

BEAUTIFUL Chad & Chris photos are posted on CMNH.

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?55842.70#post_57596 (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?55842.70#post_57596)

 goodnews: :clap:

(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb252/Ronnies_Pets/smileys%20emoticons/biggiesmile.gif)  Great news and hopefully no battles. Be well Ranger.

Fly safely, little buddy :clap: :clap:

Has anyone heard news of Ranger since his release in January? Figured he would go right to the nest site.

sitting on 2 eggs

:clap:

2 hatched on Saturday!

First Hatches!
Two hungry chicks were begging for their first meal at 9:29 am on Saturday, April 23, 2011 (NOTE - the time stamp is one hour fast for the wide angle and overhead cameras. We're working on the fix). Chris and Chad Saladin had posted images from Friday showing a well developed pip in one egg so one hatch this morning was expected. It is not unusual for the first two eggs to hatch close together as the female often does not commence incubation until the second egg is laid.

Soo cute, can't wait for ours to hatch!!!   ;D

Little hiders!!!

Getting big!!!

I don't think there has been any news of Ranger.  Hope all is well with him!  The banding of the TT group is sometime this morning so there will be pictures and news posted as it happens.  :clap:

I thought for sure Ranger would be back after his release. Guess not. Mystery.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/05/peregrine_falcons_get_leg_band.html (http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/05/peregrine_falcons_get_leg_band.html)Banding video of the event..I love them.

There's a few videos, including an eagle banding from 2010.

That was fun! Thanks! :gum:

 Banding Day 2011
Damon Greer, Alan Lee & company from the Ohio Division of Wildlife banded the eyasses today, Wednesday, May 11. The window went up at 10:13 am and the deed was done by 10:52 am. There were two females and one male. The egg was retrieved as well. The names and band numbers are as follows:

"Savvy" Female 75/D 1687-30418
"Spark" Male 32/B 1126-14047
"Soarer" Female 76/D 1687-30335

Terminal Towers - Cleveland: SW and Boomer have an egg.  And life starts over again...

Early birdies!  :clap:

SW and Boomer's son Spark from 2011 has just been identified as the new male at Columbus seen with Durand.  He sports Red/Black 32/B on his bands!  :2thumbsup:

This makes him Scout and Orville's grandson as Boomer was their son born on the very same ledge.

It just gets more confusing! They're all related some how!!  :stupid:

Just keepin' it in the family!  :secret2:

Durand is Pigott's sister (different clutch).

anybody else hear Disney's "its a small world after all" playing? ;)

And Tracy and I were at Piggots banding as invited guests. It is a small Peregrine world. Imagine when they started only a few pairs that were released even of all the thousands of releases in Canada and the US survived to mate. It is those bloodlines that still survive today!

For those who follow SW and Boomer I have some news.  We have been observing SW for a few weeks now and she's been laying down more often than perching and Scott has posted this observation with photos today.

You can see his post here if you scroll down, it is sad news and everyone is praying she can fight whatever it is that is ailing her.

http://falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?65708.520#post_69638 (http://falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?65708.520#post_69638)

This is so sad! I hope she recovers from what ever ailment she has. Thanks for the update Carly.  :(  Sending BIG healings to her.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.652128481479594.1073741877.590679534291156&type=1 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.652128481479594.1073741877.590679534291156&type=1)


2 girls for Terminal Tower! By Chad & Chris, well Chris!!

Always such nice pics from them!  :clap:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.695414317151010.1073741944.590679534291156&type=1 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.695414317151010.1073741944.590679534291156&type=1) SW news!  By C & C

So far so good!  ;)

SW spent 10 hours laying down today.  C&C and Scott were there and they will have a report when they get home.  She just finally got up and flew off. 

(http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu342/CnCSal/th_MVI_6222_zpsf2a18c3a.jpg) (http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu342/CnCSal/MVI_6222_zpsf2a18c3a.mp4)

This third clip showed the most promise to me... SW continues to preen routinely, even while lying down and taking weight off of her left foot. Birds are known to be in bad shape when they stop preening, so it was good to see her attentive to her feather condition...

Scott has posted photos of her foot taken yesterday.

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?73750.170 (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?73750.170)

Do they know what happened to her Carly? Been combing the posts, didn't see anything yet!

That's so sad for her.  How old is SW now?

I know she's a senior! 14?

Yes, SW is 14 years old. There was no sign of either her or Boomer today, on cam or in person; Chris and Scott each went to the Terminal Tower to check on her. I can only hope she is doing okay, but I think that she does not look at all well. She is one of the great falcons . . .

I agree that she doesn't look well and her foot looks really bad.   :(

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.698613626831079.1073741948.590679534291156&type=1 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.698613626831079.1073741948.590679534291156&type=1)

Update on SW   Hope she's OK

She's beautiful-fingers crossed!  :pray:

Prayers for SW- that Boomer is helping her and that she is somewhere healing.  :(

amen  :pray:

Is this SW???? 

Yes it's her!  Just got home from visiting Quest and I see SW on cam  :notworthy: :notworthy: :clap:

ps:  Chris is on the way to the site to check on her as per Kim over at CMNH.

Oh she looks so much better!

I saw people posting pics on FB too!  Good to see her!

Chris is at the site and just posted this update to CMNH:

Thanks Kim and everyone for the info.! Made it up to see her and will observe and report more later. Talked to Scott, who couldn't make it but set me up for easy access and I'm in contact with DOW. SW is lying down on the drawbridge (as you can probably see) and Boomer is on the nest ledge far to the left. Good news is that she appears to have eaten recently (food remnants on her beak). Mostly snoozing now. I'll stick awhile and will post tonight.

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?73750.250#post_74456 (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?73750.250#post_74456)

 :2thumbsup: :clap: :thumbsup:

C&C Facebook Update:

SW returns scraped up, but alive… supplement attempt tomorrow

https://www.facebook.com/ChadandChrisOhioPeregrinePage (https://www.facebook.com/ChadandChrisOhioPeregrinePage)

Hope it works!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=699844276708014&set=vb.590679534291156&type=2&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=699844276708014&set=vb.590679534291156&type=2&theater)  Boomer tries to persuade SW into the nest!

BY C & C

That's so sweet-he must know she's injured. :heart:

Wanted to post this from the computer before I left (as I’m expecting that whatever I try to post from the phone will be basic and might end up looking like gibberish). On my way to the MRC to get the quail and meds. for SW. It will take me about an hour to get there and then about an hour to get to the TT—add in the quail prep time, parking, etc. and I would estimate that this will play out in the early afternoon. I’m planning to leave the quail whether SW is present or not, figuring that it could be okay if she’s not there because she could see it as a “food gift” from Boomer. I’ll stick around hopeful to see if she has any of it and gets any of the medicine.

I think we’re all aware that this is a crap shoot and may not be effective. We’re hoping for the best, but it’s more of an “it doesn’t hurt to try” move than anything. If she does accept and eat some, we’ll continue getting the food and meds. to her for two weeks, but we’ll know more from today if it’s worth the effort. I thought if I could give you all a general timeframe it would help with cam watching—I probably won’t be home very early, but I will post about the day and will prioritize the CMNH site and catch up on our Facebook page when I can (I certainly owe that to the long-term followers of SW and the TT site). I’m trying to keep the perspective that it will go the way it’s supposed to, but like all of you SW is heavily on my mind.   :heart:  Bless them for trying to help her!

C & C

(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/djweeds/1TT_zps8b32586d.jpg) (http://s140.photobucket.com/user/djweeds/media/1TT_zps8b32586d.jpg.html) This SW or Boomer?

I soo hope this works. I'm thankful for the effort put forth to help SW. Thanks for posting this update Donna. It's always nice to hear news of people doing good things!  :pray:

Battle Cry for SW
Updated 33 minutes ago · Taken at Terminal Tower
Didn’t see SW at all today, but judging by Boomer’s behavior at the nest I’m rather confident that there’s an intruding female challenging her. Boomer was at the tray when I arrived around noon, with a fairly full crop and snoozing off and on. Right around 1:00 he sleeked his feathers, spun around quickly with his wings out and gave the sharp “e-chip” vocalization as he visually tracked something high in the air. Although this particular call is similar to the sound the male makes during ledge displays, in this scenario it is the alarm vocalization specifically used for another peregrine intruder. We’ve mentioned this before, but this has never failed us in our years of watching… the “kekk, kekk” alarm call is used for most intrusions, but not with another peregrine. I didn’t get a good sound bite of it to post, but we have posted a clip of the call and posture on our FB page in the past if you’re interested (Posted April 21st under “Intruder Alert Vocalization” featuring Ely at the CC nest).

I went out around 2:00, but didn’t see any PFs and by the time I got out there Boomer was gone from his ledge. Checked with a hot dog vendor and policeman, but no one saw or heard anything up in the air (although there was a concert in the square, so it was a stretch that anyone would have heard it). While Boomer was gone I made the food/medicine drop. The contraption I put together needed to be modified (further to that ledge than I figured), but I was able to get a prepared swallow with crushed medicine out there about 3 feet to the right of the drawbridge that extends from the nest tray. Also, saw a tidy cast on the drawbridge right near where SW was lying down yesterday—she was moving her crop around as she lay there, so it looks like she was able to expel a pellet (which seems another good sign that she’s eating).

Returned the Greenbriar key so that the kind people from Forest City could go home and decided to wait out rush hour by watching outside. My 6:00 deadline got extended as Boomer appeared up high (didn’t see him come in), but staying longer didn’t pay off. Stayed until 7:30, but no SW, and Boomer stayed put on that high ledge (after looking like he might dive off a few times).

Going to try once more tomorrow morning to see if the swallow is gone and to make one more food/medicine drop, but if she’s not around we’ll suspend the supplementation idea and save the medicine.

Hope you all don’t mind my sharing strong feelings and opinions here, but even though we care about SW and don’t want to see her “go”, Chad and I believe that if a peregrine dies in the wild fighting and defending and doing what peregrines do it’s the way it “should” be. Obviously, we believe in helping where we can, but at this point I’ve shifted my thinking to considering this palliative care for SW: we’ll do what we can to help her to be as comfortable and pain-free as possible yet when it’s her time to go the cycle of life and death will continue as it’s meant to be.

Thanks for all of the support today, friends! I talked with Laura and Laurie a couple times and your online words of encouragement are very touching and too kind!

By C & C

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.700283006664141.1073741951.590679534291156&type=1 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.700283006664141.1073741951.590679534291156&type=1)  Lots of pics here

What will be, will be!  :heart:  Thanks for the update!  :wave:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.700908153268293.1073741952.590679534291156&type=1 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.700908153268293.1073741952.590679534291156&type=1) SW stands for "Strong Will"

Update :( or :)

I think of Lucy the Eagle who lost a whole foot and survived so maybe hers will heal also. Prayers to her!

  Looks like SW is feeling a little better!

From fb

Excellent! Falcons are tough birds.  :2thumbsup:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.707298839295891.1073741953.590679534291156&type=1 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.707298839295891.1073741953.590679534291156&type=1) Full story here

Update on SW by C & C

"I think we’re all aware of the challenges that she faces with her age, the likelihood that she’ll be challenged, and the effects of her injury in hunting and in facing challengers, but it really is special to be able to experience such a drive along with years of technique and honed skills coming together for survival sake."

   SW in flight by C

I wish her the best of luck!  :heart:

Fly safe, SW!  Such a strong, beautiful peregrine!

Got closer looks at SW today as I was able to go up inside the TT while she was at the tray. It was encouraging to see her using the injured left foot much more effectively than when I last saw her up close. Although it’s still twice the size of the other foot, she was putting some weight on it (as opposed to completely avoiding bearing weight on it previously), and she was able to stand, preen, stretch, and launch off. At one point she showed that she has had enough of her leg band, as she appeared to try to pry it off with her beak and a partially pealed back segment of the band was visible where she obviously tried to stretch it before. Too bad we don’t have a way to cut that band off for her, as it’s likely uncomfortable and restricting with the swelling in the foot and leg. Yet, once again, she’s managing and seems to be compensating for her injury. It was also clear that she’s still molting, as several interior molted feathers were in the tray and on the drawbridge and a newly sprouting tail feather was evident as she stretched.

  Looks like she is squeezing it tighter.



   :(

Stopped in yesterday for about two hours (all I could manage) SW can now put weight on the bad leg. Light was real bad with showers and very low clouds, ASA/DIN was 800 and above.

I found her after about an hour on the hotel.


She moved from the corrner of Ontario and public square down a bit toward the nest. She was sure looking like she wanted to hunt.

She ended up on one of the round cornice's of the hotel.

Boomer came to the nest and called to her and then took a nap.

Had all my upper teeth removed on Aug 12 and ended up reacting to an antibotic, did not eat much for over a week and a half, stoped the antibotic and I could keep food down. Just starting to get my energy back after nearly a week off the anti-b's. More to the story then that but thats all u r getting.

Could not make it down today, will try for tomorrow.

In the photo of SW on the hotel facing me you can see the "toe/tallon" is still swollen but that she is in fact standing on it.

I even saw he stand on the left leg and scratch with the right.

So thats a good sign I hope.

So you all know what I know.


  Look how swollen her foot is

By Scottw

Posted on the CMNH forum

Heal up there girly!  :pray:

Scott has a new report up today with more photos including a good look at the foot.

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?74549.180#post_74763 (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?74549.180#post_74763)

Carly, what's your take on this? Doesn't look too bad, she still has room between her band...a good thing! It makes me think of Lucy the eagle, who lost her whole foot and she is doing pretty good considering. Thanks

From a strictly 'amateur' (which is what i am concerning injuries) point of view - it looks better than it did a few weeks ago.  But it's still awfully swollen and the end doesn't look 'sealed' off so would she still be vulnerable to infection?  The fact that SW can stand now and put weight on her foot is a good sign though. 

Someone like Tracy would be much better able to assess her long term prognosis as she is a qualified to treat and assess injured raptors.  Perhaps because SW is using her foot every day, it will take much longer to heal than if she were in rehab and not having to defend, hunt, etc.

For the first time in many weeks, SW looks significantly better today. She is brighter, more active, and more interested in her surroundings. She and Boomer had a good bonding session at the nest which lasted for seven minutes.

Boomer waiting for SW:

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept947a_zpsa9caac6d.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept947a_zpsa9caac6d.jpg.html)

The bonding session; Boomer is on the left.

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept950a_zps5257bfad.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept950a_zps5257bfad.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept951a_zps71889fbd.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept951a_zps71889fbd.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept952a_zpsf3651c9e.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept952a_zpsf3651c9e.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept953a_zpsceb822db.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept953a_zpsceb822db.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept954a_zps5d0fc3dd.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept954a_zps5d0fc3dd.jpg.html)

Boomer left; SW remained at the nest. She has been there since shortly after 10:00 a.m., and has remained standing throughout. It is so good to see her looking better.

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept955a_zps3dffeb14.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept955a_zps3dffeb14.jpg.html)

More pics of SW; although her injured foot is still swollen, she does seem to be feeling better,

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept9100a_zps87384a08.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept9100a_zps87384a08.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept9107a_zps06d9c45a.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept9107a_zps06d9c45a.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept9108a_zps2d4347f6.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept9108a_zps2d4347f6.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept9109a_zpscf0923b0.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept9109a_zpscf0923b0.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept9110a_zpse69101f3.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept9110a_zpse69101f3.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/September%202013/clevelandsept9113a_zpsb34f9e57.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/September%202013/clevelandsept9113a_zpsb34f9e57.jpg.html)

 :clap: :mbanana: :bguitar: :yippee: :cheerleader:

That's good to hear!

From fb   :2thumbsup:

Oh, so that's what Beauty and DC should be doing.  :whistle:  :rolleyes:

Cams here have been frozen for several days now. Just read this on CMNH:

I am sorry to have to report that Harvey told me yesterday that Expedient has pulled the plug on the cameras. :-( We have been fortunate to have Expedient donate this connection for more than ten years and APK provided it for about seven years before that. Why Expedient chose this particular time and why other arrangements weren't made, I don't know. Harvey told me yesterday that he is trying to work something out with Terminal Tower to connect to their services, which happen to also be through Expedient.

Had I been given some advance warning, I would have done my best to stop this from happening. I will share any other information I get with all of you as soon as I receive it.

That's so sad for all the followers here.  :(

Just posted over at CMNH on the front page:

FYI:  Due to connectivity issues, we are not able to post updated photos at this time. We are working to solve this issue and appreciate the patience of Falconcam enthusiasts as we work to effect a solution.

As of 3/20/2014 at 1:00 pm, SW had not yet laid her first egg, though both Boomer and SW were interested in deepening the scrape. This represents the first year in recent memory where the Terminal Tower nest was not the first Peregrine Falcon nest with eggs in Ohio.

Again we apologize for the interruption in service.

How old is SW?  I also think I read somewhere that she came from Pittsburgh. Related to Dorothy? 

She is 15 years old, born in 1999 at Gulf Tower nest nest in Pittsburgh.  Her mother was Tasha, couldnt find her father's name but he was displaced eventually by Dorothy's son Louie.  (O'Connor's sister displaced Dori a few years ago)

Thanks!  So much connected history! 

As per Kim from Italy via C&C - confirmation today that SW and Boomer have 1 egg and a second on the way!!

She said they will be updating their Facebook page with the news and photos later today or tomorrow  :mbanana:

That's great, I was so worried about her and her foot! Thanks

Congrats to them!  Hope all goes well.

Report and photos went up overnight.  As always, they got some amazing shots - her foot looks fully healed and she seems to be doing just fine.  She's such a warrior!  :notworthy:

https://www.facebook.com/ChadandChrisOhioPeregrinePage?ref=ts&fref=ts (https://www.facebook.com/ChadandChrisOhioPeregrinePage?ref=ts&fref=ts)

Yup, just read it over on fb!!   :2thumbsup:

4th egg for SW & Boomer 

 :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:

First hatch this morning for SW and Boomer!  :clap:

 :2thumbsup:

YES!!!! So happy for them!  :clap:

#2 is here!!

 :thumbsup:

 :notworthy: YAY!!

Five days after the second hatch..a third egg has hatched this morning.  Little one is lying there next to his big siblings...hoping he's just exhausted from the hatch.

Wow, that's a long time in between!! Hope it makes it!

 :surprise:

Don't think the little one made it.  It's been lying unmoving in front of her for almost an hour now.

          :(

Aw, so sad!  :(

Banding Day!

 http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/05/peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded.html (http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/05/peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded.html)

Awesome pics!  :clap: :notworthy:

That is one BRUTAL mom! Makes O'Connor look timid!!  :scaredblue: Awesome pics!!

SW is quite feisty for a Senior Falcon!

I noticed in the slideshow that one of the Cleveland eyases has blue feet.

Yes Pat, last night Donna and I were talking about that. We're all yellow here this year-it was an easy way to ID Rosetta tho!  :yes:

SW was last seen on July 22nd, a new female has moved in and has been seen bonding with Boomer the past few days.

Haven't the heart to post what little is known but here is the link to CMNH and read backwards if interested.  C&C working on trying to ID new female - she has black/green bands.

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?75073.580#post_77215 (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?75073.580#post_77215)

Oh no, not her too! Like she hasn't been through enough. This is the saddest season I can remember, losing so many babies and adults. "Nature", Bah Humbug, it's not so nice anymore! I hope she is OK out there and I'm sorry!  :(

And the hits keep coming!  :crying:

Sorry to hear this news...poor SW.  :(   Hope she's OK.  I know she's up there I age..how old now? :(

15 years old.

I hope she was only displaced. I've followed her for twelve years, ever since she took over the site from Zenith.

Paul

Shoot  :(  This is so much like at the King Plant in MN this year.  Belinda (I believe 15 this year) disappeared after she started laying eggs and a new female is there.  I've never heard that anyone found her and she didn't look good this spring.  Brent was bringing her food a lot.  We realized Brent is gone too.  I keep hoping he stuck with her and they left.  We don't have band readings on the new ones, possible on the male, but none on her yet.  Belinda was the gal that killed Mae back in 2004.  Belinda was a holy terror at banding time.

http://www.sciencebuzz.org/kiosks/science-museum-minnesota/what-do-we-know-about-king-falco (http://www.sciencebuzz.org/kiosks/science-museum-minnesota/what-do-we-know-about-king-falco)

I'm so sorry about the pair from here, I've kept tabs on them for a long, long time too.  I hope they hear something. Fingers are crossed.

I hope she just left and is ok.   :(

such a difficult year  :(

Earlier last week falcon cam watchers began to notice that a falcon that looked quite different than SW was appearing on cam with the tiercel, Boomer. Checked the site to see what I could find out and it was clear upon seeing the new female that she looked nothing like SW. Right away, there was a sense that her markings were similar to the I-90 Bridge's female resident, Newton, and she had black/green left leg bands with a silver federal just like Newt. While I was up at the Terminal Tower, I did all I could think of to check ledges, roof wells, and usual perches that I know about, but I didn't see any trace of SW or this year's remaining juvie, Ruth.
As for the new female... it took awhile, as Boomer was at the nest, looking up, positioning and bowing in the tray, and using soft "e-chip" vocalizations to draw her in. After he left, she made a very brief stop on the ledge to the left of the tray. Her back was to me and either her tail or her leg feathers were in the way of the left leg bands, even as she took off, but I was able to see enough through the leg feathers to say with certainty that it is Newton (18/A, black/green).
We've posted about Newton and the I-90 Bridge site in other albums, but for some background: Newton has been a long-time resident of the I-90 Bridge site that we monitor. She was a 2002 hatch in Wisconsin and was paired first with an unbanded tiercel at I-90 and then with Bolt (a 2004 hatch from Cleveland's Bohn Apartment building). Newton and Bolt have been quite successful despite multiple relocations to different sections of the bridge over the years... they were extremely tied to the I-90 Bridge site and simply chose the spot where there was the least construction activity each year. Despite being provided two alternative nest boxes in different bridges, they chose to nest in the old I-90 span this year, even as it was being torn apart all around them. The remainder of the structure was demolished via a controlled explosion on July 12, just a little more than a week after their lone juvie fledged. We celebrated as we were able to confirm that all three PFs made it through the explosion, but it left them basically "homeless" since that bridge has been all that they have known for nesting. On 7-15 I made a follow-up check after learning there was an injured adult peregrine picked up at the site... I saw all three near the last remaining section of the bridge on the south side landing on beams just above where the injured tiercel was found.
This finding leaves open many questions, several of which may go answered. We're assuming that Newt battled with SW, although it's not definitive... Alison caught her on cam just after SW wasn't showing up on cam, so it's possible that Newt either killed SW or that something happened to SW in some other way and Newt "saw her opening" to occupy a new nest site. It's not at all clear regarding what happened to Bolt. He may have sparred with Boomer already and lost, or there may be some battling between the two tiercels yet to come. Bolt may also remain attached to his territory to the point that he'll try to recruit a new female to the Innerbelt Bridge area if Newt doesn't return to him. Further, there's no way to know if Newt (at 12 years old) will be able to hold down the TT site. One would speculate that she will be challenged during the non-breeding season. We'll just have to wait and see what transpires from here.
Since we don't know anything about what happened to her, I think I'll give it some time before putting together a tribute to SW... she has been loved and admired by many of us falcon fanatics over the years and has contributed greatly to our understanding of our area's peregrines!

Posted on FB by C & C

They've posted the updates over at CMNH with many photos as well.  Tough situation and I'm sure not easy for them as they've followed Newton and Bolt for many years and rescued their offspring over the years.

I still remember Mariah losing her long time home and seeing the photos of her clawing at the netting so I can imagine Newton and Bolt losing their home wasn't easy either.  I hope Bolt and their fledglings, SW and Ruth are all somewhere safe.

 

Regardless of what happened to SW she is a legend!  :heart:

SW's body has been found.  As per Harvey over at CMNH:

As has been surmised by her absence for the last two months, SW is dead. Her mummified body was found on an expanse of roof between the Leader Bldg and the side of the Arcade and brought to my attention by Dyann Davison from the Carlyle Development Group. I retrieved her remains and brought them to the Museum.Given the state of deterioration of the body it will be difficult to ascertain the cause of death. Laurie Graber and Jennifer Norris from ODOW have been notified and will file the band information.
Though we might suppose Newton and SW engaged in an epic duel ending with SW's hitting a building and coming to rest on the lone expanse of roof, it is also possible that there was a skirmish with the Bohn Building pair. The Leader Bldg. is very close to the 5th 3rd Building where I recovered Ranger some years back and could be the boundary between these two territories.

Link to original post:  http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?77632.0#post_77633 (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?77632.0#post_77633)

Oh that is just so sad. Poor girl. Fly free SW.  :crying:

 :crying: Fly free SW

Fly Free SW.  You will be missed.   :crying:

 :rose: :rose: :rose: :falcon2: :rose: :rose: :rose:

Poor wee lad.

I'm so glad there is finally closure as to what happened to SW.  She was a beautiful Peregrine, a wonderful mother to many and a great mate.  Fly free, SW!  :sorrow:

Well said, all.  I'm sorry it has to end this way, but at least SW is not suffering.   :(

Fly free, little one.  At least all that loved you know what has happened.  It is a small comfort but still a help

 :heart:

 :sorrow:

From C&C's FB page: 

Body of the Terminal Tower's Boomer Found: RIP to Boomer, a handsome, steady, and reliable mate and a part of the TT's magnificent peregrine legacy! As we all suspected when a new male appeared at the TT nest tray in place of Boomer this summer, Boomer met his demise. We can only speculate that he was likely killed in a territory battle, possibly having battled the current resident tiercel at the site, Stacker, who has paired with Newton since June. Laurie Graber from DOW informed us that Boomer's body was found on the Rockefeller Building, which is a few blocks to the northwest of the Terminal Tower. Boomer is deserving of a much more complete tribute, but for now we'll post this pic of Boomer when he was resting comfortably at the tray with one eye shut and one of his molted primaries propped up beside him...   :crying:

Thank you, Carly.  At least he is not suffering.  :(

Just read this on FB.  I didn't know he had been missing and another tiercel had been with Newton..very sad but glad they found him for closure. Fly free, Boomer!

Unfortunately as the Peregrine population grows there will undoubtedly be more and more takeovers and casualties.  :sorrow:

He was so close too! Glad they have closure and poor guy probably suffered a bit!! Sad!!  :( :crying:

Yet another change here.  As per C&C's update tonight, Newton has been displaced by none other than Lady Millar (formerly of Lakeshore Power Plant).  She is the daughter of Diamond who is currently nesting at our Niagara Falls site.  Her parents were the late Maverick and the late Priscilla of Canton, Ohio.

C&C's update here :  http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79657.80#post_79782 (http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79657.80#post_79782)

Thought we had an egg, trick of the light..no egg yet.   :stupid: