Harrisburg, PA Falcons

[Donna]

  Annette...nice pics.

[Donna]

 Recent News
• 6/7/2010 :: Fledgling Update The two males fledged yesterday from the ledge. From all accounts, the white banded male fledged first at around 9 AM. The red banded fledge took his first flight later in the afternoon. They ended up on the ground, were rescued and placed on the roof of the building. On their second attempt they landed on low rooftops near the Rachel Carson Building from which they will try again. The goal for the fledglings now will be to return to the ledge. There are two teams of watchers keeping an eye on them.

The blue banded male taken for treatment has recovered to the extent the rehabilitator would like to return him to the ledge soon. Thanks to the weekend watch and rescue crew for rescuing the fledglings on their first flight and briefing DEP staff on these happenings this morning.

• 6/1/2010 :: Blue-Banded Male Update This afternoon, officials from the Game Commission successfully retrieved the blue-banded male falcon that was taken by a wildlife rehabilitator for treatment. Upon recovery, the falcon will be returned to the ledge. The other two eyasses were treated as a precaution and returned to the ledge.

• 6/1/2010 :: Update about Blue-Banded Male At the time of banding, signs of the trichomoniasis (trich) infection were observed in the blue-banded male. The eyas was treated with the recommended dose of antibiotic by the Game Commission's Art McMorris. Trichomoniasis is a fairly widespread infection in young raptors. After careful observation, and in response to public notification that he is not responding well, the Game Commission has decided to retrieve the eyas so that it can be re-examined and, if necessary, treated more extensively off-site by a veterinarian until he is ready to be returned to the nest. The other two eyasses, which did not show signs of trich, will be re-examined as well. Infections, parasites and other maladies are a "fact of life" in wild animals, and we are fortunate that we can give this peregrine the benefit of medical attention.

[Donna]

    
Recent News Title
6/11/2010  ::   Fledgling Activity
From yesterday's after hours watch and rescue reports, white took two flights last evening. Today he is perched high on a nearby building. Red has visited the ledge often and continues to investigate rooftops throughout the city. These two fledges should begin their flight/hunting lessons soon.
6/10/2010  ::

  The Latest on Blue
Blue will not be released to the ledge this week. Yesterday, his weight was 510 grams. The wildlife rehabilitator would like to get his weight up to 600 grams before considering the release. In addition, his feather development is delayed. We'll keep viewers updated on his progress.

6/9/2010  ::   Fledgling Update
White has remained on the ledge since he was rescued from a boxed in low rooftop yesterday morning. The adults are withholding food from him at this point so that he'll take flight again. Then, many of the food transfers will take place in flight. Red is on top of a nearby building. He's been taking some good strong flights the past two days. Blue should return from wildlife rehab tomorrow or Friday to be released on the nest ledge.


6/8/2010  ::   The Latest News
Red had a good flight from the roof and is on the nest ledge now. The rehabilitator would like blue's feathering to develop a little more before release. We're planning to return blue to the ledge Thursday or Friday of this week.

[huddiecat]

Thanks for the update!  While in Syracuse this past weekend we were all talking about the status of blue.   Do they know why his feather development is delayed, or is that relatively common?
Suzanne

[Donna]

    
Recent News Title
6/16/2010  ::   Blue
Blue has gained a little more weight; he now weighs 540 grams. However, he is also being treated for parasites and a secondary protozoan infection. Because of these conditions it is best to keep him in wildlife rehabilitation. The more time that passes, the less likely it is he'll be released to the ledge. If later, he does recover fully, he may be released at another nest site where nestlings are fledging later. If he does not develop 100% strength and vitality he may remain in captivity for educational purposes.


 Poor baby.

[MAK]

 

[Donna]

    
Recent News Title
6/24/2010  ::   Update on Blue
The infections/parasites are gone. He's improving daily.

He will not be released here at the Rachel Carson Building-he's not ready. Feather development is still slow and weight is still down. He's not preening, so his flight feathers are slow to come in. Eventually, we would like to release him, but there is no guarantee he'll fully recover. If he does, the release may occur this Fall or Spring of 2011. He will get flying and hunting lessons while in rehabilitation. 

poor little guy....guess he'll be in rehab for a while.

[MAK]

Bummer.

[Donna]

Recent News Title
7/9/2010  ::   Live Streaming Video to End
On Friday, July 16th the streaming will end. The still image capture will continue to be available on the Falcon Page.
7/9/2010  ::   Falcon Cam Will Be Down
The Falcon Cam will be down on Tuesday, July 13th in the morning. Viewers should be able to watch the live Falcon Cam in the afternoon.
7/8/2010  ::   Update about the Fledges
Both of the adult falcons have not been seen for several days, which indicates that the fledges have dispersed from the area accompanied by the adults. Soon, the adults will return to the ledge, and Falcon Cam viewers will see them more frequently. Their return will indicate that the fledges are completely independent.

6/30/2010  ::   Fledgling Update
One of the fledges spent several hours resting on the ledge today. With a close camera angle we were able to get a good look at him and he looked fine. The adult male was perched above him on one of the camera housings. Now, they are out together, engaged in flight/hunting lessons. Earlier today, the adult female was spotted doing the same with the other fledge. Blue's condition continues to improve although not at the pace we would like to see. All in all Rachel's falcons are doing fine.

[MAK]

 

[Donna]

7/21/2010  ::   Blue Band Loses Battle with Trichomoniasis
Due to the trichomoniasis infection, blue lost weight and became more susceptible to secondary infections. He had intestinal parasites, which cleared up with medication, and other secondary infections. He lost weight, and never returned to his weight at the age of banding. His feather development was retarded, and he was not preening himself properly. All of these are the consequences of the initial trich infection. It is indeed a nasty disease. As a result of these conditions, euthanizing became the necessary course of action.


He's been in rehab since June 1st. Poor baby.

[MAK]

 

[Annette]

Poor falcon baby.

[Donna]

Posted over at CMNH...so sad for mom.


"It's confirmed. There's a new, unbanded adult female falcon here at the Rachel Carson State Office Building. No info. about previous female.
about 5 hours ago via web from Penbrook, PA"

and

"A large, unbanded young falcon has been around the ledge last couple of days. May be female. Keep watching. www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon.

Harrisburg. No sign of Mom. Lil Dad and a new female were seen together (and photographed) by ground observers this afternoon at the nest box.

[huddiecat]

Just received this email:


• 9/14/2010 :: There's a New Female in Town! For the past two weeks there has been a lot of activity at and near the nest ledge. Recently, a new adult female falcon has been seen bonding with the male. The origin of this female is unknown as she is not banded. Email information from web viewers indicates that the resident female is no longer at the ledge. An employee at the Amtrak Station across the street reported seeing a dead falcon near the rail line. No carcass was found there.

The resident female has probably defended the nest ledge from challenging interlopers in the past. One could speculate that at 12 years old, she could no longer fend off younger, stronger females seeking out nesting territory. Any information that web viewers care to share would be appreciated. For now, we have set two close camera views at the nest box and perch for observation purposes.