07-22-2025 Falcon update

Dot is still doing well in downtown Kalamazoo. We have seen her catch food in mid-air that Rebecca dropped for her.  The adults have a sequence of training that they do with the juveniles.  First step is flying with food and enticing the juvie to chase them which improves their stamina and speed.  Then they transfer the food to the juvie in mid-air, which is a skill that the youngsters need and also trains them to fly and land with something in their talons.  The next step is dropping the food so that the juvie needs to catch it.  So, Dot has been doing well in her training program. She  has also been seen chasing a flock of birds, but squawking the whole time, which takes the element of surprise out of the hunt!  It’s all a learning curve, so she will catch on. In the meantime, the adults are keeping her well-fed.

Dash was placed with a falconer and has done very well.  Once a young raptor is flying well and starting to hunt, they may be transferred to a hack tower.  The tower is used as a soft release where food is supplied and the birds can acclimate to the area.  The cage can then be opened and the birds can come and go from this as a home base. Food will continue to be supplied until the young bird can hunt successfully.  Dash was spotted flying strong five miles from his hack site, so it sounds like he is doing quite well.