Madness-- Ohio site

[Bird Crazy]

Tho I didn't witness the tragic accident I was the first one to see Unity laying dead after being hit by a car. Reading this heartfelt report I can relate to Chris and I am actually sick to my stomach thinking about it. Fly free with Unity little one...

I pictured that in my mind and it made me cry. 

[Bird Crazy]

is there any new news? 

[Kris G.]

is there any new news?  

From C&C on CMNH:

First the shots of Madness: where she was before she finally came out from underneath Hilliard Road Bridge and where I found her perched on a fallen tree. Unfortunately, she was assessed by Dr. Riggs and a slight fracture of her radius and ulna in her right wing was detected. It’s reportedly a very fixable injury, although it will delay her return to the wild and she may need to be worked by a falconer to acquire hunting skills that she never got the benefit of learning from parents.

[Donna]

So sad for Madness. Heal well young one! 

Thanks Kris

[MAK]

Speedy recovery so you are free and flying again as you should be! 

[Bird Crazy]

Speedy recovery so you are free and flying again as you should be! 

I'll second that 

[bev.]

I actually feel better that she has been retrieved. they wil fix her up and fatten her up and a falconer is the best thing for her. She will learn good hunting skills.

I finally feel confident for her

[Kris G.]

I actually feel better that she has been retrieved. they wil fix her up and fatten her up and a falconer is the best thing for her. She will learn good hunting skills.

I finally feel confident for her

I do too, Bev. 

[Bonnie]

Same thing happened a few years ago in Jersey City. One was a hairline fracture.  The bird was young and healed within three weeks.  The second was very serious, but the bird healed and was released three months after the accident.

[Kris G.]

Chad + Chris   
Tue Jul 10 2012

Laura reported that Madness has healed so well that she can’t even feel a difference from one wing to the other. She’s making short flights in the small flight cage and has been very responsive to food, showing no problems eating in captivity. So, now comes the tough thing… finding the best option for her release.

After much discussion between us, DOW, and Laura, we all have come to the agreement that the #1 option would be for Madness to be hacked out for release. The problem with this is that we don’t have a local hack tower and process in place and they are overloaded with birds and can’t take her at the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. Option #2 would be for her to be placed with a falconer, who would hunt her and release her as she progresses and shows an ability to kill consistently on her own. Laura is checking with a couple falconers who might be interested, although it’s very up in the air at the moment. The third option that it might come down to is giving Madness another shot at fostering. We decided that if this is the only option available we would release her back at Hilliard. Of course, it’s a bit of a gamble, as the time span since her injury may impede their acceptance of her as the lone juvie there, Turbo is now “hit or miss� around the bridge area, as he’s beginning to go out hunting with Titan and on his own-- he’ll be way ahead of Madness. On the positive side, we now have the ability to use a lift truck so that we can get her up closer to the nest, and “soft release� her instead of forcing her to fly from the top of the bridge without knowing where to go. As of now, we’re preparing for this option in hopes of releasing her on Monday, since time is of the essence and the lift truck need to be reserved in advance and is only useable Monday through Thursday. If this is the option that we go with, I’ll post about it right away. Chad and I will be able to be around for the beginning of the week and hopefully we’ll be able to see if there’s a problem. Of course, we’ll still take as many sets of eyes as are willing at this site… Liz, Christa, Patrick, and any others who have observed this site over the years, please post about any sightings of Turbo leading up to Monday, and let us know if you’re seeing any behaviors of concern.

Chad and I saw Turbo Sunday, and he was still food begging and chasing adults, so at least we know that he’s not getting too close to independence. It would be good to know about him, as it seems the adults are more likely to accept another juvie when they are still caring for one. In fact, I think I saw you leaving tonight, Patrick, as I was coming by for a late check (around 8PM). Didn’t stay long, but I didn’t see Turbo; did you while you were there?

So, once again, we’ll post about this and try to keep the information current here. We really want Madness to make it! Thanks, everyone for your support.

[MAK]

Fingers crossed for a good outcome! 

[Bonnie]

Same thing happened in Jersey City two years ago.  We released the fledgling with the hairline fracture about three weeks after the injured bird was discovered.  The juveniles were still being fed and the bird went off from the nestbox.  Both parents were there to greet the fledgling and escort it into the skies to be with the rest of the family.  The other bird to go down from the same hatch group had a seriously broken wing.  It was healed three months later and on Oct. 29 we released it from the nestbox.  The parents attacked the juvenile.  It was far too late for a young one to be around.  We are hopeful that the juvie made it out of town OK.

My point is that Madness should be just fine.

[Kris G.]

Same thing happened in Jersey City two years ago.  We released the fledgling with the hairline fracture about three weeks after the injured bird was discovered.  The juveniles were still being fed and the bird went off from the nestbox.  Both parents were there to greet the fledgling and escort it into the skies to be with the rest of the family.  The other bird to go down from the same hatch group had a seriously broken wing.  It was healed three months later and on Oct. 29 we released it from the nestbox.  The parents attacked the juvenile.  It was far too late for a young one to be around.  We are hopeful that the juvie made it out of town OK.

My point is that Madness should be just fine.

Let's hope-she's been through so much in her young life. 

[Kris G.]

Update about Madness on CMNH:

Laura Jordan from the MRC was able to find a location where hacking out is still done in South Dakota. Through a grant they are able to accept birds for their hacking project in an attempt to reintroduce peregrines to that area. So, Madness will be rebanded as a part of this project. She was renamed "Journey" by Laura and was on her way to South Dakota as of Thursday morning.

Journey is to be involved in the hacking project starting today (Friday). There will reportedly be cams set up to monitor her progress, so Laura hopes to be able to pass along information and possible cam views in the future so that we can all keep track.

Looking forward to having more to report here about Journey! We're all just thrilled that she will have this
opportunity, and we hope for the best for her!!


 

[Donna]

Oh my, Madness has quite a Journey!  Good news! Thanks