I had a female Cardinal smash into my window once. Dazed itself pretty good so I got my old finch bird cage out of storage and put it in with some sunflower seed and water, put a blankie around the cage and brought it in the house. The next morning it was good as gold and off it flew when I opened the door to the cage. My favorite backyard bird!

  OK some snow!

http://www.nisource.com/enviro/falcon.asp Falcon cam

What beautiful pics this am with the sun shining on the falcon

I would have done the same thing Carol! Thanks, a touching story!

  Your right, good news! Thanks

[The Operation Migration team is starting this year’s journey with heavy hearts as only days before the scheduled take off one of the star cranes of the class was found dead in its pen.]

http://www.operationmigration.org/crane-cam.html Operation Ultralight is once again under way

The reintroduction of the whooping crane via Operation Migration has turned ten as the 2010 class took off from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin on Friday.  Operation Migration has raised whooping cranes at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center since 2001 and then trains them to migrate from Necedah to their winter grounds at either St. Marcks Wildlife Refuge near Tallahassee, Florida or Chassahowitzka National Wildlife near Homassa, Florida

Whooping cranes learn the migration from their parents, but these chicks are raised by handlers.  Operation Migration teaches the new birds to migrate by teaching them to follow them in an ultralight airplane.  Once they are taught the first time they are then capable of making the migration on their own.

The goal of the organization is to create a second colony of whooping cranes in Florida.  The only naturally occurring population of whooping cranes lives in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park and migrates south to their wintering grounds in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. This colony consists of approximately 250 birds.  The fear is that if a disaster happens to this colony like a ferocious storm or maybe a disastrous oil spill (hmm that could never happen) the majestic whooping crane could go the way of the passenger pigeon or ivory-billed woodpecker and become extinct.

The exciting aspect of the migration for Chicago bird watchers is they have several opportunities to witness a fly over.  The migration skirts the Chicago area and they have stop overs at three locations within a two hour drive of downtown.  The organization posts a fly over location at each stop and encourages visitors to witness the cranes in formation as they follow the ultralight.

The stops near Chicago are in Winnebago County, Lasalle County, and Livingston County.  Check their in the field report section for updates.  Those not interested in making an early morning rural Illinois adventure can follow the cranes on the crane cam.

They took off on the first leg of the trip on Friday although it was a little chaotic as several birds choose not to follow the plane and had to be carted to the next stop over.  The Operation Migration team is starting this year’s journey with heavy hearts as only days before the scheduled take off one of the star cranes of the class was found dead in its pen.  
 
A good way to console the Operation Migration team is with your financial support.  It is possible to donate any amount of money on their website and they also have fun ways to give by becoming a mile marker.  A mile marker means that the sponsor has pride in knowing they made one mile or a half or even a quarter mile of the trek possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7yBXG-kIZ4 Found this on youtube....is it the same?

Yes it is :-)  Isn't it pretty ? 

It is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7yBXG-kIZ4 Found this on youtube....is it the same?

CONGRATS JOYCE & MAK..Beautiful Quest and a lovely poem! You guys ROCK! She looks amazing and I knew you'd get a good pic of her. 

Aug 3, 1492     The Niña, Pinta and the Santa María sail from Palos, Spain.
Aug 12    The ships reach the Canary Islands and stay there until Sept 6.
Sept 9    Sailing westward, the ships loose sight of land at nightfall.
Sept 30    Ships complete 3 weeks travel with no sight of land. This is the longest journey made with no sight of land.
Oct 7    A mistaken shout of "Land Ho" brings great disappointment.
Oct 10    Sailors are on the point of mutiny, but agree to sail on for 2 or 3 more days.
Oct 12    Columbus discovers America when land is sighted. He goes ashore on San Salvador (Watlings Island) in the Bahamas.
Dec 24    Columbus' flagship, the Santa María is wrecked off Cap Haïtien.
Jan 16, 1493    The Niña and Pinta begin their homeward voyage. Columbus is aboard the Niña.
Feb 8    The 2 ships are hit by strong headwinds.
Feb 12    A storm threatens the Niña.
Feb 13-14    The 2 ships are separated by the storm
Feb 15    The Niña arrives at Santa María island in the Azores and waits 10 days before leaving without the Pinta.
March 3    The Niña arrives at Lisbon and stays there 10 days.
March 15    The Niña returns to its home port, Palos. The Pinta arrives there a few hours later.
 

Ya just never know where you'll find Sam

He likes that Poland Spring water box.

[wnyfalconfan (Joyce):]

wnyfalconfan (Joyce): You should have seen me lifting this antique 10 lb tripod with camera while trying to get Quest flying in the sky.  Lots of silouettes.

Link:
http://twitter.com/wnyfalconfan/statuses/27048063787

Impressive Joyce! Thank you!

[wnyfalconfan (Joyce):]

wnyfalconfan (Joyce): Quest came off the tower, flew in our direction, came right over us, checked us out, & went back to the tower. She recognized the long lens.

Link:
http://twitter.com/wnyfalconfan/statuses/27047038683

Of course she did, she's seen it a zillion times... . Good goin you 2.

[wnyfalconfan (Joyce):]

wnyfalconfan (Joyce): Cloudy day, but our spirits are high.  Whoo Hoo! We can see Quest's antenna with our binocs.  She is on the tall tower with satellite discs.

Link:
http://twitter.com/wnyfalconfan/statuses/27046752712

WAY TO GO Joyce and MAK!!

[WanderingFalcon (Carol P.):]

WanderingFalcon (Carol P.): A&B on FCT. Top and middle arm.

 

it's the 11th!!!  Will Archer go?

This is where I see the antenna, the black line. Can't draw a straight line as I am a lefty but use a righty mouse! 

As soon as you did the red circle, it was visable - went to Joyce's and there it was plain as day.  Go into your settings, mouse, and reverse your buttons.

Um, I can't use a lefty mouse, that's the problem. I write, bowl and eat lefty....everything else is righty...like I said... Ed's the same, he writes lefty, uses a mouse lefty but does everything else righty.