Indy Falcons

[Donna]

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1655837207701 A precious video, hope it works

[Donna]

You are lookin’ goooooooooooooood!

What a difference a week, a couple of days, a day or even an hour makes with this little one - well, not so little – anymore.

Can I honestly I tell you I had huge doubts we’d ever get to this point?  Okay, thanks for letting me tell you.

We are at the stage where it looks like pin feathers are starting to come in.   The awkward stage where gangliness and the 1920′s racoon coat look are so popular with a 2-week old or so falcon chick.  The belly looks like an expanding rubber balloon and the feet jut out in front of the chick to provide the balance it needs.

I don’t know if we have a male or female yet.  It’s hard to say when you don’t have siblings to compare it to.  We should know at banding time.

Meanwhile, devoted KathyQ and Kinney care for their little one with so much TLC.  One pic shows KathyQ feeding it and the other shows Kinney spending just a few seconds of quality time with it.  I wonder if the chick will ever want to leave the Market Tower Falcon Bed & Breakfast – personal one-on-one service of food delivery and cuddling.  I also know the little one must be doing very well as I would bet that it is the one responsible for the new poo curtain.

[valhalla]

 

[MAK]

Right on! 

PS

[Donna]

http://blogs.indystar.com/falconblog/2011/05/24/feisty-fit-and/ New update and pics

It's a girl and her name is Phoenix!

I can tell you she looked very good and didn’t appear to have any “bugâ€� issues.  John always dusts the chicks for mites, but there didn’t appear to be any on her.  Her feathers are coming in very well and Amy K. (John’s assistant) said she was very strong.  Amy always has the fun job of keeping the chick still while John bands and draws blood.  That means trying to keep still an angy, talon-jabbing falcon chick who doesn’t like the situation at all.

Richard Kinnett was able to briefly hold her and he declared her “heavy.â€�  Hey, I have no doubt since she gets fed so darn much by KathyQ!  But that’s okay – I know she’ll slim down.

[valhalla]

Of course she's feisty -- she wants to watch the Indy 500 today!   

[Donna]

Phoenix had to be rescued tonight off a planter along Illinois street by Circle Center mall. She's okay and going back up to 31st floor of Market Tower.

(This was last night), good thing they had night watchers

[MAK]

 

[Kris G.]

Phoenix was lost but has been found on AT&T building-18 floors up, is flying and doing well!   

[Donna]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_bbIRfIT5g# Phoenix

[valhalla]

I don't know what it is with the Indy Falcons, but this happens pretty frequently. 

[Donna]

Dining With the Ks  Kathy Q & Kinney

I thought this was so interesting that I wanted to share this info with all of you falconheads.  Thanks to super-duper prey-snooper, Amy, we have a “digestâ€� of the prey that was found in the nest box.  At the time of the banding, Amy and John conduct a clean sweep of the contents of the box and Amy has spent time analyzing and identifying what was there.

Here’s her summary.  If you think this might be too morbid, don’t read on.  But this is nature and this is the way the Ks survive:

“Here’s a list of 21 prey species I’ve identified from the remains we cleaned out of the Market Tower box at chick banding time this spring:

Least Bittern (bill)
Green Heron (bill)
Sora (5 legs)
American Woodcock
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
 
I’m still working on identifying all the remains from a few more boxes, but so far Market Tower has the most diversity out of all the boxes (but also MT had the largest quantity of remains, so this is not too surprising)�

Thanks to Amy for the pictures you see in this post laying out the evidence.

As we have seen throughout the years, KathyQ and Kinney are good providers for themselves and their families.  I think it is most interesting to have such a deep look into their world.  Thank you Amy for all your hard work.




And the Ks are still around, been seeing them in the box off and on all summer so far.  I have no word on Phoenix – remember the old falconhead axiom, no news is good news.
 

[MAK]

Wow they get more of a variety to eat than I do!!! 

[Donna]

I have never heard of a Sora, so I googled it.



A small, secretive bird of freshwater marshes, the Sora is the most common and widely distributed rail in North America. Its distinctive descending whinny call can be easily heard from the depths of the cattails, but actually seeing the little marsh-walker is much more difficult.

Kathy Q or Kinney caught this?? A Green Heron too!! Oh and they got a Cardinal!!!

[Donna]

One at nest with some snow!