June 8, 2010 --- Peregrine falcons Packard, Harwell and Martha were officially welcomed to the county and tagged for identification on June 8, 2010 by Macomb County Board of Commissioners Chairman Paul Gieleghem and representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The names were chosen by Gieleghem to honor both Macomb County and Michigan’s culture and history. They give a nod to the Packard Motor Car Company, which based its Packard Proving Grounds in Shelby Township; the iconic “Voice of the Detroit Tigers” Ernie Harwell; and Martha Griffiths, the first woman chosen to serve as Michigan's lieutenant governor.
The falcons were weighed, checked for health issues and tagged for identification by DNR wildlife biologists, who will be able to track their age, origin and travels by the numbered tags.
The falcons were born May 12 to Hathor and Nick, who apparently find Macomb County a fine place to raise their young --- this is their third set of offspring since 2008.
UPDATE: Harwell and Martha go to "Rehab" June 16, 2010 --- Harwell and Martha were found on the ground near the Macomb County Administration Building (across the street from their nest on the 11th floor of the County Building) this morning. They both appeared to be uninjured, and according to the DNR, they just didn't have the wing strength to be out there flying around on such a windy day! As a result, they were take by the DNR to a "rehab" facility in Detroit for about a week, where they will be checked and allowed to develop some strength in their wings under a controlled environment. They will then be returned to their nest and to parents, Hathor & Nick. Brother Packard is being monitored, and is still flying around the County building.
2010
UPDATE: The Return of Harwell & Martha June 29, 2010 --- Fresh from a stint in a "rehabilitation" program to get their wing strength up to par so they can contend with flying conditions, Harwell and Martha have been returned by the DNR to their nesting area in Macomb County. The pair was released atop the county's Administration Building on June 28 to be reunited with brother Packard and parents Hathor and Nick. For photos of the homecoming, click the 2010 Falcon Picture Gallery link at the left of this page, and scroll down.
How cute are they?
http://macombcountymi.gov/peregrine/2010_photos.htm More pics here.
If I posted this before, I can't find it. Oh they are cute.
