Bird Cams Around the World

A note about S2, from 'Slechtvalkenliefde' Forum.
Person's name removed for privacy.

Dear Madam,

Falconry is an ancient method of hunting with birds of prey.
Man is by nature a hunter. At first they did, with bow and arrow or other primitive methods, but later they made use of other tools, such as rifles, but also including birds of prey.
Especially the peregrine, which are very suitable. It's a very cold blooded, but above all, confident bird.
The peregrine is also very easy to tame, but at the same time, the peregrine is also very quickly become feral.
The tame is reached, by offering food on hand for the peregrine.
This gives the peregrine quickly confidence in man, and is thus ideally suited as a hunting tool.
A trained and tamed peregrine may very well survive independently in nature because it is in very good condition and the hunting instinct (survival instinct) remains.
It is therefore very important that this peregrine S2, due to a falconer, made tame, so she can build a good condition in order to survive in the wild. The tame is a very gradual process and the welfare of the bird comes first. A stressed bird has no interest.
Currently she is healthy, but it lacks a good condition and we therefore can not skip this step to give her a good chance.

The peregrine S2 will not fly on a leash but she will be chasing a lure, if tame.
She is actually fooled, by the lure, an artificial prey, she can hunt, which at the last moment is pulled away through the line. She then wil again get height to start a new attack.
After a few times, she may "strike the prey", after which she will be rewarded with fresh food.
[A lure is a mechanism used in falconry. It has a pair of bird wings attached to an object which is swung round and round in a cord, for the falcon to chase.]

Thus building up a good condition, so that later she will successfully survive.
We can also then determine whether her fractions recovered well, so she can strike prey independently.
Given the age-old proven method, and experience of the falconers, we are confident that peregrine S2, safe and sound can be released.

Sincerely,

Martin Vink
VWG Gemert


Sorry for any spelling and grammatical mistakes, but I did my best.
I'm not as familiar with the English (and Dutch) terms from falconry.

Pa en OR2

continued

thank you for sharing Martin's report Ruud! I can't wait for her to take the next "step" into her recovery.

I am glad that S2 is coming along well on her way to recovery, but I could do without all the chest-thumping testosterone and the man the hunter analogy, especially when comparing hunting for survival to hunting for pleasure or profit. After all, the reason S2 is in this fix is because someone shot her with a gun.

Yes, that is a good point Elaine.

I hear ya Elaine. The word falconry has always left me with a sour taste. I guess this would have to be a part of the recovery plan for S2 though. I hope that the falconer is a kind person and feels for her plight. I am glad that they are doing everything they know to do to help her. Everytime I think of what's she's had to go through, I nearly cry.

S2 tijdelijk in dependance van vogelasiel Someren

Gemert, maandag 16 januari 2012

Nadat de Vogelwerkgroep Gemert eind 2011 had besloten om S2 pas na
het broedseizoen van 2012 weer los te laten in de vrije natuur, kwam de
vraag op hoe en waar zij tot die tijd het beste gehuisvest kon worden.
Nu S2 pas in mei/juni van 2012 voor conditietraining naar een valkenier
zal worden gebracht is gezocht naar een goed onderkomen tot die tijd.

S2 zat in de grote uitwenvolière van het nieuwe Vogelasiel Someren.
Maar die volière is bedoeld voor het uitwennen van gerevalideerde vogels
en kon niet zolang door S2 worden bezet. Ook bezorgde S2 zichzelf
problemen door af en toe in het net van de volière te vliegen waarbij ze
haar staartpennen beschadigde. In goed onderling overleg tussen het
Vogelasiel Someren en de Vogelwerkgroep Gemert is toen naar een
alternatief onderkomen gezocht. Dat werd vrij snel gevonden en spoedig
daarna is S2 overgebracht naar deze tijdelijke dependance van het
vogelasiel.

Ze gedraagt zich heel rustig in haar nieuwe verblijf waarin ze
zichzelf niet kan beschadigen. De geopereerde vleugel draagt ze goed
tegen haar lichaam en ogenschijnlijk heeft ze totaal geen last meer van
haar herstelde botbreuken. We houden nog steeds goede hoop dat S2 na het
broedseizoen haar vrijheid weer tegemoet kan zien.

Komende week zullen wij op deze site nieuwe beelden van slechtvalk S2 publiceren.

VWG Gemert

_________________________________________________________________________________

S2 temporarily in an annex of Someren

(I am not going to translate it word for word but give you the jist of the letter)

Vogelwerk Gemert decided at the end of 2011 not to let S2 out into the nature at this time. There was then the question of where to house S2 until she goes to the valkener in May/June.

At that time S2 was in the large rocovery area of the animal center in Someren but the area is also for other birds that are recovering and S2 can't stay there until she goes to the valkener. S2 was also now and then damaging her tail feathers by flying into the net.

It was then decided between Vogelwerkgroep Gemert and Vogelasiel Someren to find a larger area. One was found and she has been moved to this new temporary annex of Someren.

S2 is calm in her new housing and won't damage herself. The wing looks good as she carries it normally against her body and it looks like she has no more problem with the broken bone. Vogelwerkgroep Gemert is still positive that S2 will be successfully released after the breeding season. They hope to post pictures in the coming week.

Thanks for the report Suzanne. Hopefully the chicks at De Mortel will have fledged by the time S2 is released. I don't think I could take another fight in the nest box with chicks in there.
Edit: just reread this and realized her release in May or June is to a falconer, not back to DeMortel. I am relieved.

Gigi, so far the plans are for her to spend the summer with the falconer and then in August or September release her.

I am so glad that S2 will be we with a falconer for her trained and getting ready for release.
I think we forget that if it were not for falocners, our pergrines would not have made it back to recovery. the falconers played a major role in the recovery. Please do not think that all falocners come from the same cloth.

A falconer made it possible for my Miss Edmonotn to make a full recovery years ago and she is on Weber building now.

I am keeping positive here and if she does not come back to deMortel she will have a chance elsewhere like my Miss Edmonton. We have no control here and we cannot wish the female there now harm.(Boy, have I ever come a long way ) But you all know my heart will always be with S2.

Thank-you for keeping us informed

Well said!

The next week there will be no images from the tower. This afternoon they have removed the computer for a major maintenance and/or upgrade.
Lately the transmitter, from the tower to the school in Gemert, and the software were not working properly. They even had the Korean manufacturer of the cams working on it:

Still having problems posting on this forum, but for the record, here is my translation of the January 16 update on S2:

S2 is temporarily at an annex of the Someren bird refuge

Gemert, Monday, January 16, 2012

After the end of 2011, Vogelwerkgroep Gemert had decided to release S2 back to the wild after the 2012 breeding season. The question then arose of how and where she could best be housed until that time. S2 will not be placed with a falconer for fitness training until May/June of 2012, so there is a need to find a good home for her until then.

S2 has been in the large flight at the new Someren Bird Refuge. But that flight is intended for birds undergoing rehabilitation who are close to being released, and could not be occupied for such a long time by S2. S2 was also having occasional problems, damaging her tail feathers by flying into the net in the aviary. After careful consultation between the Someren Bird Refuge and the Vogelwerkgroep Gemert, a search began for alternative accommodation. This was found very quickly, and soon thereafter S2 was transferred to this temporary annex of the bird refuge.

She is behaving very quietly in her new home, in which she cannot do any harm to herself. The wing on which surgery was performed is in the correct position against her body and apparently she is having no problems recovering from the fractures. We are still hopeful that S2 can look forward to being free once again after the breeding season.

During the coming week we will publish new pictures of the peregrine S2 on this site.

VWG Gemert

Here is my translation of the most recent update:

The new residence of the peregrine S2

Gemert, Sunday, January 22, 2012

Things are going well with the peregrine S2.

At the moment she resides at an annex of the Someren bird refuge, which is a quiet place in the countryside.

The interior of the accommodation is constructed with bars made of bamboo canes which cannot do her any harm, and the outside of the aviary is screened by vegetation to prevent any disturbance from taking place. Feeding takes place through a small hatch through which the peregrine S2 cannot see any humans, so that she may have peace and quiet to continue her recovery. As shown in the video, she is free of stress and she is supplied with good prey. There is no longer any sign of her injured wing being held in an abnormal position. We therefore feel that she has made a good recovery, but whether this is the case will ultimately be determined when she really takes flight once again.

The expectation is that in June she will go to the falconer, and that in August she will regain her freedom.

In the Netherlands, most raptors may be kept if it can be demonstrated that they have been obtained through captive breeding and that they have a permanent, closed leg ring which has been put in place when they are only a few days old. Using a DNA profile, the origins of a bird can now be easily checked. This prevents birds which have been captured in the wild from being used for hunting or for falconry shows.

Raptors may be kept by falconers who hunt with them, but also by individuals who keep birds of prey for commercial purposes (falconry shows, fairs, etc.) and by private individuals. VWG Gemert distances itself from commercial activities, raptor shows and individuals who keep birds of prey for “fun”.

True falconers, who preserve and maintain an ancient cultural heritage, however, play an important role in protecting birds of prey in general and in their rehabilitation if they are found injured in the wild. They have the necessary expertise for this purpose.

As things stand now, it seems that the peregrine S2, through the utmost care of veterinarians, rehabilitation center staff, and your financial support, will regain her health and freedom.

VWG Gemert

And there is a video:

"We are still hopeful that S2 can look forward to being free once again after the breeding season." I hope so too. thank you for the update Alison.