FALCON FLASH
Dateline: Cleveland, Ohio
May 7, 2012
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Thanks to falcon fan Bobby for the great file videos and today’s pictures. The file photos of SW attacking the window is courtesy of Scott Wright.
To watch the falcons live go to: http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/news.php
Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams and for the stills.
It's a girl!!!!! SW and Boomer’s eyass was banded today by the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the biologist determined that she is a female. Because peregrine falcons were on the List of Endangered Species for 30 years and because they are still rare, the birds are banded so that they may be tracked and studied in the future. Our thanks to the Ohio Division of Wildlife for their care of the peregrines during the time that the species recovered from near extinction.
First, the window of the skyscraper opened, and SW and Boomer were very worried as a human stepped into the nestbox and took their eyass. Notice the plastic “falcon shield” that the biologists use to protect themselves from powerful peregrine talons.
The angry parents flew at the human who stepped out onto the skyscraper ledge and grabbed the eyass.
Don’t look down, humans! This is a view from the window ledge.
Here is a video of “chicknapping” at SW and Boomer’s nestsite taken several years ago showing the angry parents doing a series of divebombs at the biologist taking their chicks from the nest:
The window was closed and the eyass was brought into a conference room inside the skyscraper. There is always an audience of falcon fans present who are lucky to watch the banding.
Here she is getting her band.
We don’t have video from this year, but in the following video showing SW’s eyasses being banded several years ago, you can see what takes place each year. Ohio Department of Wildlife biologist Damon Greer is checking for the sex of the eyasses. They are VERY noisy:
After the eyass was banded, she was returned to her nestbox on the ledge.
Yikes! Look how much she has grown! SW and Boomer are feeding their “one and only” very well! In the following picture taken from the FalconCam several days ago, you can see her full crop. You can also see how she stands on her feet. At first, an eyass "walks" on its tarsi (heel bones). Later on, it will begin to walk on its toes, as adult birds do.
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