Sunday, August 21, 2011

Nearing Completion (for this year)

Shame on me for not blogging the past couple weeks. There has been lots going on atop the Assurant rooftop, and lots going on in the floors below. Afterall, we do have a business to run and customers to serve.

Our 2011 Peregrine Reintroduction Project starts to wind down this week. Hard to believe three months have flown by (pun intended, of course.) There are a few birds returning to the site every couple of days or so. They are hunting on their own for the most part, and with the days getting shorter, their instincts tell them it's time to start migrating soon. I think they know Blake and Ashley, the interns, left to finish their Biology degrees at university.

I recall the first arrivals on May 23, 2011. Four little fluff balls of down, two male and two female. Those fluff balls are long out on their own and haven't been seen in a long time. Yesterday was a wonderful day to celebrate a final release. Sunny, mid 70's, and one last success story to finish!

Recall in my July 27 post that Rio was injured in traffic, and had a small chance (estimated at 10%) of being returned to fly free. She spent a couple weeks at the Birds of Prey Northwest Rehabilitation Ranch in St. Maries, ID and was returned to SD Wednesday, healed and ready for release. After a couple of days of final observation in the hack box, she got her second release on freedom yesterday. Her feathers were checked, her shoulder and wing alignment checked, and after a moment of "should we or shouldn't we", the decision was made. She was ready to fly with one last command from Janie. "Okay, Rio. You are going to fly. But if you can't do it, I want you to come back."


Rio was placed in the blind, quail was set out along with fresh water in the water bath, and the roof was quickly cleared. Within a few minutes, she confidently stepped out of the blind, and walked out onto the open door. Since she'd already flown before, we weren't sure if she'd take immediate flight, or hang around. The quail proved to be a good diversion, and she spent the first 45 minutes of freedom filling her crop and drinking water. This time, however, there was no sitting on the ledge, dropping onto the Assurant sign, and sitting for a whole day. Satiated and ready, she confidently spread her wings and took to the air in a beautiful flight to the Qwest tower. Rio was on her own.


We have a week of educational programs with Pennington, taking down the hack boxes and storing them for next year, and a final report to the South Dakota Wildlife director. And lots of planning for next year!