Bird Cams Around the World

Thanks Coriena for catching that little juvie, so cute. I haven't been able to look at the cam lately, knowing that S2 will never come back. I'm sure that will change in the spring as I want to see Pa raise a family again as he does it so sweetly. It was so hard watching him sit on those eggs for so long last time, and the other really sad things as well. Hope for only good things here.

I think we can all move on now and look forward to spring at DeMortel.

I agree Gigi. ALTHOUGH I am still pining in my heart , as at all our other sites, we move on , but we never forget the tender moments of those who have been there before.

In order for these wonderful raptors to succeed they all need our support and they all touch our hearts in some way, just differently.

I can not tell You, he ore she seems to me unbanded

Livestreaming was shut down for a while,

I feel the same way Bev.

The webcams on the tower will be down for a few days. VWG took the computers out for maintenance.

Thanks DEF. We would have all been panicking! Now they can have a little alone time!!

Nice Ruud. Good to see them spending time together.

poo, do not want drama this year. I hope Pa does not get challenged. the loss of S2 is enough and what happened to 2 OR was too much for me.

I am still hoping 2OR survived

That is not a falcon in my opinion, but a (dumb) pigeon.

Hope you are right DEF. I heard what I thought was a crow early in the video.

"Miep", of VV, kwam ná 2OR, is ongeringd.

Thank-you Gerrit

nice to see them.

From the VWG Gemert site:

Silence

Gemert, Monday, November 26, 2012

Following the death of the peregrine S2, it has been very quiet on this site for some time.

Our disappointment was, and is, very great; she was so close to being released, and then she died suddenly. We were in total disbelief when we learned what had happened to the peregrine S2 in the final phase of her return to the wild. After a successful stay and rehabilitation lasting almost a year with one of our (expert) members of VWG Gemert, under the responsibility of the bird refuge at Lierop/Someren, we must also accept that despite all our best efforts we were not successful in restoring her freedom to her. We hope that you will understand the resulting silence on this website, but we also understand that you still have many questions.

Meanwhile, the autopsy report is here, and the peregrine S2 was taken to a taxidermist for assessment. In view of the serious damage to her body caused by maggots, it is not possible for her to be set up in her entirety. We now have the possibility to see whether we could still allow her preparation in an appropriate manner, with deep respect for the bird and in a way which would be particularly aesthetically pleasing.

The peregrine would be transferred to a museum/institution so that information on the persecution of raptors, the work involved in the protection of birds, and the history of the peregrine S2, supported by all the image material, could be seen by a wide audience. If this is not possible, or if it would detract from the memory of the peregrine S2, then we will lay her to rest at the tower of de Mortel. We will look into every possibility quite deliberately, thoroughly and with great respect, and will make sure that the peregrine S2 receives the attention and the destiny which she deserves.

The shooting and the death of peregrine S2, and the persecution of raptors in general, strengthens our resolve to continue with our protection work. We thank you for your support and sympathy in this situation, and hope that 2013 will be a successful year for peregrine falcons at the de Mortel tower.

Necropsy on S2

Very brief summary:

The comprehensive necropsy report showed that there were no significant particulars on macroscopic inspection and microscopy (cytology and histology). The conclusion is that there was nothing wrong with the bird. Additional staining and examination were conducted, but here too nothing extraordinary was found. The bird was killed by maggots and the waste materials thereof. Unfortunately, maggots also invade healthy individuals, which is what happened here.

Source: Necropsy report and veterinary pathologist.

Webcam images

In anticipation of the potential return of the peregrine S2, we carried live images via Ustream, the implementation of which necessitated daily time from the webmaster; for reasons which are hopefully understandable, we stopped doing this. Perhaps we will begin this again at the end of January or the beginning of February 2013. A few weeks ago we took the computer from the tower for major maintenance, so that in the spring of 2013 you will hopefully once again be able to enjoy the images. This year we will reinstall the computer at the tower so that you will be able to see the refreshed still images and follow the peregrine Pa and his new mate.

Sincerely,

VWG Gemert
Martin Vink