Just a note to finish my tweets from last night.  My phone was giving me problems.

At approximately 8:40 pm, Kathy and I were getting ready to call it a watch.  Dan had left a little while before that.  Joyce drove by after spending the day helping with the fledge watches in Buffalo.  She stopped and we all got to chatting.  We knew that Beauty was up on the nest box perch, but had not seen DC for quite awhile.

At 8:49 pm (I checked the cameras), DC flew in from the east carrying prey to the nest box.  Beauty moved out to grab the food to feed the eyases and DC took off.

Now we had just been wondering where Dot.ca spends his evenings.  We may have that answer now.

After dropping off the food, DC flew towards the OCSR and slipped up into the elevator shaft.  We may have an answer to the question, where does DC spend his evenings.  Very close and within earshot of the nest box.

Here is a picture of the food transfer at 8:49 pm.

I had tweeted that pic out last night just after it happened. The kids were really restless when they saw Beauty come in...started kakking up a storm-you could watch them tracking her with their eyes before she landed. Beauty came up to the box without food, the kids quieted down, then she sat perched on the first perch looking out for what I thought would be food coming in. A few minutes later, the kids eyes started tracking something in the sky, Beauty went off screen, food exchange took place out by main cam and she returned to the NB to feed. It's wonderful to see the teamwork this year between Beauty and DC!

Nettie (facing back wall):  I don't know them; I was hatched in the wrong nestbox!

Lunchtime!

Nor'easter (center) to Tesh (center): "I deserve the biggest lunch because I went all the way out to the far rail.  Tesh: "I deserve the biggest lunch because I'm the biggest eyas.  Nyah-nyah!" Beauty: "Kids, please don't fight."  Mercury (left, facing camera):  You silly doofusses...I already ate all the lunch."  Nettie (right, facing wall):  "Dear Lord, make them stop!"

 

Sadly, they found one of the fledglings deceased last night.  Fly free, little one.

From the IndyStar:

The body was found in a Downtown Dumpster, she said, and through some investigation volunteers — known as falconheads —learned that a parking garage attendant found the body and disposed of it.

That's not how James-Reim would have liked to have seen the body treated, she said.

"Maybe this could be a teachable moment," she said. "If anyone Downtown would ever encounter a dead falcon, they should call DNR (the Indiana Department of Natural Resources), particularly if it is a banded bird."

Details of how and why Schatzi died likely will be forever unknown, James-Reim said.

"The volunteers had not seen her all day yesterday or today," she said. "The weather has not been ideal as far as the rain, but any theories on how she died would just be speculation. I am just sorry for the falconhead community. We didn't have a success this year, (but) we just hope for next year a better outcome."



             

Just saw on FB:

It is with tears as I type, but Schatzi's body has been recovered. I will post more later.


Fly free, little one. 

  KrisG

Since our access is from the back of the box instead of the front there is the possibility of the babies going over the edge. We decided to leave them alone for this year, learn everything we can with this current set up and evaluate all aspects for next year.  from fb

That splains it! Good call!

Several sites in Buffalo have back accesses and have never had problems during banding. I've seen some places put boards in front to block kids while someone takes them out the back.

Posted on FB that for the safety of the chicks, they won't be banded.  No reason given what the safety concern is. 

Congratulations to all that submitted these awesome names!  Also, many thanks to those that voted!

 

Good names but disappointing that more don't participate.

Sorry to hear this news. Such a beautiful place for nesting...have wondered what was going on with your birds.

More poop on the main cam.

Hoping it's just rain...

I had deleted that earlier from here...I thought rain too but who knows with this group! 

Utica banding this Monday...announced on FB! 

Sorry... no audio due to computer setup and I sped up the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVLyt7j3FP8#ws

Great feeding video! Don't know if the little guy on Beauty's right got much though. Thanks!

Video of Polly and Algo's eyas, Samantha!

Échangeur Turcot / Turcot Interchange (Samantha) 07/6/2014

Sad news...they just found one of the fledglings dead on a building. Fly free, Jet.