09-26-2017 Fall Falcon Update
The falcons are doing well and both Kewpee and Rebecca visit the nest box daily. Rebecca has completed her molt that started this summer and she looks beautiful with brand new feathers. The male youngster, Sharib, was last seen on July 24 and then started his adventures exploring new territory. He was flying very well, but sponging off his parents for food before he left. I hope his hunting skills are as proficient as his flying skills now that he is on his own. We have not heard anything about him or his sister, Apex, so we will use the adage that no news is good news!
We ruffled a few feathers this week by servicing the parapet camera that had stopped working in early spring. Because the adults were incubating eggs and it was quite cold, the decision was made to not send anyone out to service the camera earlier this year and risk endangering the eggs / chicks or technicians. The technicians missed a very cold spring service call, and instead got a record-breaking 92o day in September! Both adults were on the scene to be sure we all knew who was in charge. After a few very close fly-bys from Kewpee, Rebecca landed close by and supervised for a bit and decided we could continue our work without their assistance. My phone was inside and I missed a photo opportunity of Rebecca standing a few feet from me! After missing a season of video feed from the parapet camera, we now have two working (and clean) cameras. Fortunately, the issue was a corroded connection and the camera itself was fine.
