I am so sorry to hear that Beauty has been found injured. I hope that her injuries are not serious, and that she will be able to make a full recovery. I am sure she will be well cared for. Please post updates as soon as possible.

[The new residence of the peregrine S2Gemert, Sunday, January 22, 2012]

Here is the new update which goes with the video:

The new residence of the peregrine S2

Gemert, Sunday, January 22, 2012

Things are going well with the peregrine S2.

At the moment she resides at an annex of the Someren bird refuge, which is a quiet place in the countryside.

The interior of the accommodation is constructed with bars made of bamboo canes which cannot do her any harm, and the outside of the aviary is screened by vegetation to prevent any disturbance from taking place. Feeding takes place through a small hatch through which the peregrine S2 cannot see any humans, so that she may have peace and quiet to continue her recovery. As shown in the video, she is free of stress and she is supplied with good prey. There is no longer any sign of her injured wing being held in an abnormal position. We therefore feel that she has made a good recovery, but whether this is the case will ultimately be determined when she really takes flight once again.

The expectation is that in June she will go to the falconer, and that in August she will regain her freedom.

In the Netherlands, most raptors may be kept if it can be demonstrated that they have been obtained through captive breeding and that they have a permanent, closed leg ring which has been put in place when they are only a few days old. Using a DNA profile, the origins of a bird can now be easily checked. This prevents birds which have been captured in the wild from being used for hunting or for falconry shows.

Raptors may be kept by falconers who hunt with them, but also by individuals who keep birds of prey for commercial purposes (falconry shows, fairs, etc.) and by private individuals. VWG Gemert distances itself from commercial activities, raptor shows and individuals who keep birds of prey for “fun�.

True falconers, who preserve and maintain an ancient cultural heritage, however, play an important role in protecting birds of prey in general and in their rehabilitation if they are found injured in the wild. They have the necessary expertise for this purpose.

As things stand now, it seems that the peregrine S2, through the utmost care of veterinarians, rehabilitation center staff, and your financial support, will regain her health and freedom.

VWG Gemert

[S2 is temporarily at an annex of the Someren bird refugeGemert, Monday, January 16, 2012]

My translation of the most recent update on S2: she has been moved once again. I understand the reasons behind this, but I think it is very stressful for her to have been moved so many times.

S2 is temporarily at an annex of the Someren bird refuge

Gemert, Monday, January 16, 2012

After the end of 2011, Vogelwerkgroep Gemert had decided to release S2 back to the wild after the 2012 breeding season. The question then arose of how and where she could best be housed until that time. S2 will not be placed with a falconer for fitness training until May/June of 2012, so there is a need to find a good home for her until then.

S2 has been in the large flight at the new Someren Bird Refuge. But that flight is intended for birds undergoing rehabilitation who are close to being released, and could not be occupied for such a long time by S2. S2 was also having occasional problems, damaging her tail feathers by flying into the net in the aviary. After careful consultation between the Someren Bird Refuge and the Vogelwerkgroep Gemert, a search began for alternative accommodation. This was found very quickly, and soon thereafter S2 was transferred to this temporary annex of the bird refuge.

She is behaving very quietly in her new home, in which she cannot do any harm to herself. The wing on which surgery was performed is in the correct position against her body and apparently she is having no problems recovering from the fractures. We are still hopeful that S2 can look forward to being free once again after the breeding season.

During the coming week we will publish new pictures of the peregrine S2 on this site.

VWG Gemert

Love the video of the third owlet hatching!

Preening the owlets:

         

The two owlets:

      

         

I hope the juvie will visit again and perhaps be identified.

The pics of Quest today are from the CPF site:

   

[Mississauga, Ontario]

Mississauga, Ontario

From the Canadian Peregrine Foundation:

The resident pair at this nest has been Infinity, born in 2008 at the Statler Tower in Buffalo, and her mate Eternity. In November Infinity was found injured after a collision with a building, but made a remarkable recovery and was released.

Now there is bad news from Mississauga; Infinity is missing. I hope she is safe somewhere and that she will turn up soon.

Two Days at MEC Infinity is gone . . . the rogue is back!

January 10, 2012 - Mississauga - Executive Centre

Tracy Simpson Reports:

I don’t even know how to begin this report as so much has happened the last two days. I guess the beginning is best.

I decided on a recon mission yesterday of the GTA west end sites. The “dynamic duo� at William Osler were out hunting. At Brampton, there was no one home. My last stop was MEC. When I arrived, I found the female to the right of the nest box on MEC 1 and the male sitting on the corner of MEC 1 two ledges to her right. Something was really odd. This female was extremely uneasy and looked over her shoulder every 30 seconds or so.



This was not the Infinity that I had come to know. The male was unconcerned, sitting on the corner digesting a rather large crop. The female leaned forward to stretch and I couldn’t see the bands that would have indicated that this was Infinity. The bird took off after 15 minutes and headed over to MEC 4 and landed on the Jevco sign. Having watched this site closely over the last few years I have never seen Infinity sit on that sign, EVER. A moment later, off she went to the east with a distinct purpose. There was no chase or challenge, just a swift exit. I knew I had to come back and confirm what I believed I was seeing.

Today Frank and I arrived at the site just before 11:00am and found a single bird on the south side of MEC 2. We were able to confirm right away that this was the male we call Eternity. We left him on the building and went in search of a second adult bird. The male took off of the building at 11:45am and headed across the street to the Morguard building, landing on the “D� He has a stash up there that he begins to eat. Frank and I head over to the building and watch him eat, getting photos of him on the sign. After 10 minutes, he looks up and stares back at the MEC buildings and begins to call. Out of nowhere from behind MEC 3, a female fllies in and joins him on the sign briefly. He takes off with the food and heads back over to MEC 3, disappearing on the north side with the female following. Frank and I race back to MEC 1 where the two adults have finally settled. The male was sitting on the Symcor sign and the female was on the south corner eating the food that the male was carrying.



The female looked very familiar. This was the interloping rogue that was present at the site when we brought Infinity back from rehab for release. She continued to eat the food while the male quietly watched from the sign. By 2:00pm, both birds had taken to the air and there was a great deal of flying displays, mostly by the female, for the next 45 minutes. We left the site with the male sitting on the southeast corner of MEC 3 and the female still aerial displaying around all 4 buildings.

It is unknown where Infinity is or what has happened here. Did she migrate? Will she return in the spring? After a meet with security, we know that no injured bird has been found on the grounds of any of the MEC buildings. We will have to wait and watch this site closely as spring approaches to know the final outcome. Wherever Infinity is now, all of us at CPF wish her good winds and blue skies and we hope to see this beautiful female again one day.

The pictures below are from both yesterday and today of the adults present at MEC.

   

Thank you for the update on Stormin and Haven, Frank!

As Carly mentioned, the peregrine known as Miss Edmonton (banded black/black M/07) successfully raised chicks while wearing a transmitter, at the University of Alberta nest site. In 2005 she raised three chicks:

 

In 2006 she successfully raised four chicks:

   

In 2007, she lost her nest in a bitter territorial battle with a new female. She was badly injured, but recovered and was released. She attempted to take back her nest several times, but was not successful.



She now has a new nest at the Weber building in Edmonton; this year she and her mate raised three chicks.

I am glad that Gordon Court was able to remove her transmitter in 2010. She winters in Colombia, and the transmitter did seem to delay her return in the spring.

Kat, thank you so much for the updates on Quest and Kendal - they are much appreciated!

Donna, thank you for the great captures of Quest - it's great to see her! She looks beautiful.

[Dead falcon is Maverick]

Very sadly, it has now been confirmed that Maverick is the peregrine who was found. He was a wonderful mate and provider, and a great father to all his chicks. He leaves behind a very impressive legacy, and he will always be remembered.

Dead falcon is Maverick

ODNR confirms identity of dead falcon

CANTON —   A state wildlife official has confirmed that Maverick is the dead peregrine falcon that was found in downtown Canton.

Maverick, who has fathered falcon chicks since 2003 on a ledge at Chase Tower in downtown Canton, was discovered earlier this week along the side of the road.

After The Repository notified the Ohio Department of Natural Resources about the dead bird on Wednesday, Damon Greer, assistant wildlife management supervisor with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said the falcon appeared to be Maverick.

Greer said later that the information on the two aluminum bands attached to the falcon matched with Maverick.

“It looks like he’s got some head trauma from probably running into a building,� he said. “And he’s also been run over.�

“... From my estimation, what I would guess probably happened is he probably got in a fight with another bird ... and then he probably hit a building.�

 Peregrine falcons were removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999 and were downgraded to threatened on the Ohio endangered species list in 2008.

The ODNR tracks about 18 peregrine falcon nests in the state.

http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x1819712849/Dead-falcon-is-Maverick?img=2

[January 3 update]

NX seems to be making good progress:

January 3 update

NX was anesthetized on the morning of January 3 for another set of radiographs.  Dr. Miranda reports that the avulsed piece of bone in NX’s injured shoulder is healing and appears to be reattaching.  While NX’s left shoulder still appears to be “droppedâ€� a little on the radiograph, Dr. Miranda is pleased with NX’s range of motion and how that shoulder feels.  The boney changes in the humeral head appear to be unchanged from prior radiographs.  The veterinary team will continue to monitor on future x-rays.  NX’s eye injury is also resolved – Dr. Miranda says that the vitreal fracture in NX’s right eye has healed.

After recovering from anesthesia, NX was moved to one of the Center’s “C-pensâ€� – a small outdoor enclosure for raptors that are not quite ready to be moved into a flight pen.  Enclosures in this complex measure about 8’ x 16’ and are large enough for birds to hop and flap to different perches, but are not large enough for flight.  At this point, the Center vet and rehabilitation staff do not want NX to over-extend her healing shoulder and wing by flying.

NX is scheduled for another set of radiographs on Monday, January 16.  Pending satisfactory radiographs, she will then be moved into a flight pen.

[Peregrine falcon found dead in downtown Canton]

Very sad news from Canton, Ohio; it seems that we may have lost another of the great tiercels. A peregrine has been found dead in Canton, and it is believed that this is Maverick, the long-time resident male at the Canton nest. Banded black/green R/R, Maverick was the son of the great Bandit of the Rhodes Tower in Columbus, Ohio, and his mate Katie. After the death of his mate Priscilla in 2009, Maverick raised their chicks alone. In 2010, he found a new mate, Mystic, a 2008 daughter of Hillary and Titan at the Hilliard Road Bridge nest in the Cleveland area. Maverick is also the father of Matrix, the resident male at the Columbus nest in 2011.

Maverick is on the right in the photo below.



Peregrine falcon found dead in downtown Canton

CANTON — A dead peregrine falcon was found downtown on Wednesday afternoon. And it may be the carcass of Maverick, the father of falcon chicks in the city since 2003.

“I believe ... that may be Maverick,� said Damon Greer, a state wildlife official, referring to the falcon’s bands and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources database. “That’s not good news, but he probably would (have ended up) being replaced by another adult male ...

“They usually don’t die unless one of the other falcons kills him,� said Greer, assistant wildlife management supervisor with the Division of Wildlife, part of the ODNR. “That’s sort of the way the falcon game works, unfortunately. Maverick was getting pretty old, and I kind of expected that it wouldn’t be too long before he was replaced.�

Since 2003, falcon chicks have been hatching downtown each spring.

A Repository photographer spotted the dead peregrine falcon around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday while returning from an assignment.

The raptor was found along the side of the street near the sidewalk in the Fourth Street and Court Avenue SW area.

The Repository notified the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Greer said he would be researching the band information to determine the raptor’s origin.

According to the ODNR, peregrine falcons generally keep the same mate from year to year. However, if a member of the pair dies, the surviving falcon will accept a replacement mate as soon as a week after its mate died.

Maverick was born in 2000 in Columbus. Peregrine falcons may live to be 12 to 15 years old.

Maverick has two aluminum bands — one from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and another from the ODNR — for tracking and identification purposes.

In May, four falcon chicks hatched in a nest on a ledge on the 14th floor of Chase Tower at the Canton Club at Market Avenue and Tuscarawas Street.

Maverick and Mystic were the parents. Priscilla, who previously had mated with Maverick, died in 2009.

State wildlife officials banded the four peregrine chicks — three females and one male — as part of the Peregrine Falcon Management Program.

http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x1569737054/Peregrine-falcon-found-dead-in-downtown-Canton

The Gentoos have chicks; the penguin in front has two.

         

[December 28 update]

A new update on NX today; it sounds encouraging.

December 28 update

The veterinary team caught up NX this morning to remove her body wrap — diagnostic intern Katie reports that NX continues to remain very feisty. Dr. Miranda removed the body wrap and was pleased with the extension of NX’s injured wing.  She left “bumpersâ€� [protective bandages] on NX’s carpi [wrists] to protect the injured area on the right carpus and to prevent any injuries to the left carpus, now that NX is free to flap that wing.

Dr. Miranda would like to keep NX inside until the next set of radiographs next week — but if NX becomes too jumpy and active indoors, the veterinary team will move her to a small outdoor enclosure.

And an article about NX:

http://www.northernnecknews.com/?p=428