July 11, 2011 - Release Day

A week ago, our four young birds were covered in down and standing in the back of the hack, not sure about their new surroundings. In eight short days, they learned about urban things like a loud train whistle, fireworks, honking horns and thunder storms. They lost the down, and today demonstrated they were strong enough to be free to move outside their protected enclosure.

Rio, Amelia, and Athena were sisters, accompanied by their little brother Wild Bill. I emphasize little. Two of the girls maintained their status as the heaviest of our releases this year, still weighing over a kilogram each.

At 3:00 pm, all four had been weighed, feathers and bands checked, orange marks painted on their wings, crops noted as full (they'd been eating well) and they were judged ready to go by Janie Fink, our project biologist. All four ventured out of their hack box when it was opened. A late afternoon release plus rain showers helped keep the birds from trying to fly too quickly and getting into trouble. But it didn't take long before they were hopping to the ledge of the building to look out at the horizon and look down the straight vertical seven story drop below them. The anticipation and watching is much like having kids! Same sort of worries: Are they eating enough? Will they stay where I can watch them? Do I know where they are going? Don't stand so close to the edge! When Amelia slipped off the ledge to the rooftop, there was a gasp or two from the observers.

Little Wild Bill isn't wild at all. He is a calm, sweetheart of a bird. He has sleek, dark feathers and a lean body. While his sisters are quite vocal in expressing themselves, he quietly watches and observes. Yes, I am head over heals enraptured with this raptor.

"He's not a pet. He's not a pet. He's not a pet."

We still have a number of free flying birds from previous releases hanging around the area. Lucky Linde, Kanoa, Vito, Hope, and Sky were all observed on the rooftop today. They flew in shortly after the newbies were released to the open hackbox; almost like a welcoming committee or coming out party for debutantes. One thing is certain: they may be fond of the quail being provided to fill their crops, but they certainly don't like humans being present. They seem to appear from nowhere when the hacks are being refurbished with food, circling above the rooftop and verbalizing their dissatisfaction with distinctive screeches of warning.  

Our final falcon arrived from Colorado Springs yesterday. Bolt is a 30 day old female fluff ball full of vinegar. With lightning speed, she managed to draw blood on a couple of the handlers when they banded and weighed her. It will be about 10 days before she will be ready for release.  You can observe the difference in appearance these birds take on in a short period of time. Check out the webcam, and see Penny in the left box at 55 days old, and Bolt in the middle box at 30 days old. Their proportions, feathers, and coordination are very different.

Again, if you have questions about our birds or the project, we welcome you to post below or email Janie Fink at Janie@bopnw.org.