RICHMOND, VA ~ 2009

REENIE · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 5:57 pm **Posts:** 19893

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR PICS BONNIE! NOW I KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO NOT BE THE FALCON WATCHER AND BE THERE IN PERSON. THANKS TO ALL FOR BEING THERE AND KEEPING US INFORMED, ESPECIALLY IN THIS HEAT! SOMEHOW I ALWAYS KINDA FORGOT ABOUT THE HEAT WHEN I WAS FALCON WATCHING. NOTHING ELSE SEEMED TO MATTER. NOW IT TAKES ALOT TO GET ME OUT IN THE HEAT SINCE THERE ARE NO JUVIES FLYING AROUND

ALMOST FORGOT, SAW THIS ARTICLE ON THE INTERNET FROM THE OTHER DAY.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/ ... 08/286498/

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:18 pm **Posts:** 64406

I'll tell ya what...ya miss 24 hours and you miss a lot!!!

to the wonderful pictures, Bonnie and Barb!!! I just love those of our girl climbing the lights!!!

:toast

to Steve and DGIF, Barb and rehabbers, Bonnie for driving so far to help out.

RichmondMike...so glad you and RC got to go down....tell the truth, you were just as impressed with the rescue story as chris!!! :lol:

...and

everyone for the great coverage last night and today!!!!

Barb and Bonnie...I want to see pics of you guys in your "uniform"!!!

Ninna · **Posted:** Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:32 pm

I first want to thank everyone for all your time and efforts keeping everyone informed of the on going events. But, I really want to thank DGIF for being so open this season and informing us every step of the way of what to expect. I remember being so frustrated in previous years not knowing what was going on, like it was a big secret. Those years DGIF really took alot of flack (and they derserved it) from devotees who really needed to vent.

It seems to me that this year there were a few anxious moments but DGIF came through and kept us in the loop and in a very timely manner. THANK YOU DGIF!!!! :happysun

Again thank you everyone for everything!!! :yip

Ninna

Bonnie · **Posted:** Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:06 pm

SBG, this is the closest you are going to get to seeing us in our uniform:

Here is Golden Girl (Ethel) before she got into trouble. Harriet is just below on the Dominion sign:

And here she is just in front of us. She was exhausted, but then recovered and flew off to a low building to the east. This was the first time today that she got into trouble. Later, she almost crash landed on the top of the Dominion building. She later flew safely and strongly off to join her siblings on Riverfront Plaza.

Lucy playing with the Christmas lights:

And next I will explain how the ice in the bottle worked to release the latch on the door and pull it open. A string was put into a bottle of water. The water was frozen with the string in the middle. The end of the string was attached to the weight. Thus, when the ice melted, the string was released from the bottle by the weight that also pulled open the door. :hahah

Catbird · **Posted:** Wed Aug 19, 2009 10:36 pm

Thanks for the pictures, Bonnie. I love the hat, and I love the fact that Lucy appears to really like the Christmas lights.

Thanks again for making the drive there for the fledging and for keeping us so well informed of what's going on.

Joanne · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 6:42 am

Geee, I didn't recognize it as a hat! I thought it was a backpack! Thanks for the great coverage and the courage to withstand the heat.
I just go outside to fill birdbath, hummer feeder and p/up poop in dog pen! :lol:

obxbarb · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:10 am

It was a great two days with the falcon watch. Bonnie has gone home, and I will go down this afternoon to check on them. When we left a storm was coming in, and the kids were practicing flying around their home building. They are flying very well, even with the gusts of wind from the storm. The girls are bigger than either parent, and Ethel is really big. She keeps on flying, practicing with her very big wings. She obviously is enjoying herself...she didn't sit still long yesterday afternoon. Lifting off from her low post yesterday and moving around to higher levels wasn't difficult for her, which is of course a good thing. Ray was very proud of his birds. The article from yesterday is attached. Be sure to check out the slide show. Bonnie is in a few of the pics with her straw birding hat (I stayed behind the camera

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/FALC20_20090819-210606/287081/

Beth · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:22 am

Wow Barb, thanks so much for the link ...

You and Bonnie are the BCAW celebrities!!!

You guys did a great job with the heat and the long hours!

Catbird · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:30 am

Barb - Thanks for the update and the link to the story and slide show. That's wonderful that both you and Bonnie were mentioned in the paper . . . and it's even more wonderful that all three fledglings are doing so well with their flying! I'm just thrilled to see and hear about this great success.

P.S. I can't help but think that having the cage there for 3 weeks really helped the kids strengthen their wings and practice their flying in a safe environment, without the danger of taking off too soon or getting blown off the building by wind. I guess we can thank little Arnie for that (and DGIF, of course) - If Arnie hadn't fallen to the ground and the cage hadn't been installed, who knows what would have happened.

catwoman · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:30 am

Beth wrote:

Wow Barb, thanks so much for the link ...

You and Bonnie are the BCAW celebrities!!!

You guys did a great job with the heat and the long hours!

I agree!

SusanE · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:45 am

Barb, thanks for the link to the article. Wonderful. Oh, and thanks, Bonnie, for the explanation of how the ice bottle works -- very clever!

Beth · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:48 am

Catbird wrote:

Barb - Thanks for the update and the link to the story and slide show. That's wonderful that both you and Bonnie were mentioned in the paper . . . and it's even more wonderful that all three fledglings are doing so well with their flying! I'm just thrilled to see and hear about this great success.

P.S. I can't help but think that having the cage there for 3 weeks really helped the kids strengthen their wings and practice their flying in a safe environment, without the danger of taking off too soon or getting blown off the building by wind. I guess we can thank little Arnie for that (and DGIF, of course) - If Arnie hadn't fallen to the ground and the cage hadn't been installed, who knows what would have happened.

I agree with you Catbird...Thanks DGIF :!:

catwoman · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 8:00 am

Forgot to mention that I really enjoyed your photos, Bonnie! Thx!

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:18 pm **Posts:** 64406

I just had to pull this section out of the article....OUR CELEBS!!!!!!

One of the volunteers, kindergarten teacher Bonnie Talluto, drove seven hours from her home outside New York City.

The opening of the pen meant Talluto was almost assured of seeing the majestic birds take wing. "This is a sure thing," she said.

Barbara (obxbarb), a Hanover County wildlife-rehabilitation expert, said thousands of people around the world have been watching the Richmond falcons on a webcam that the game department set up.

(Barb) said other webcams soon will take her interest far beyond Richmond. "Australia will start to hatch in a little while."

Beth · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 9:25 am

Update from the VDGIF Wildlife Biologist
Thursday, August 20, 2009

After a morning in which it appeared that all three chicks were beginning to master basic flight skills, Female AD/03 continued to have some challenges yesterday. She again made multiple attempts to alight on banks of glass windows on the building surrounding the nesting area. Predictably, she was unable to find purchase and would lose altitude - eventually finding a perch within about 4 stories of the ground. This process was repeated twice during the course of the afternoon. In each case DGIF staff and volunteers were able to locate and monitor the female until she flew off to a higher perch. The fact that she was able to recover in each case and eventually regain altitude gave us increased confidence in her abilities.

We were able to observe the adults utilizing food to help teach their young birds. The female adult would use a food tidbit to tease the young into the air - where she would lead them on an extensive flying lesson before dropping the food on a ledge. As we closed the day yesterday evening all five of the falcons were accounted for. This marks the end of our official "Falcon Fledge Watch". DGIF staff will continue to periodically check on the area and we continue to receive reports from observers with "high-rise" vantage points in the area. In fact an observer reported that as of 8:30am this morning all five falcons were in view.

Our thanks to the many building managers for allowing us access and of course to our volunteers for dedicating many hours in the Richmond heat.

Updates will be posted to the blog as we receive any reports of significant events.

posted by VDGIF Wildlife Biologist at 9:42 AM

Bonnie · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 11:53 am

Made it home in record time. My aerie is just fine. I am so glad to hear that the birds were seen and OK this morning. The slideshow of the birds (not me) was wonderful. Barb and I stressed Bird Cams Around the World over and over, but Rex didn't put it in. And I neglected to get a picture of Barb on the ground in the bushes, covered with ants feeding her three rehab finches. She would have killed me at that point and I would not have had a place to sleep. But you guys get the picture.

I crashed before giving her a big, goodbye HUG last night. And we were both engrossed in our posts on our computers. She is one terrific lady. Richmond and the peregrines are lucky to have her. And so is this forum.

obxbarb · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:07 pm

Thanks Bonnie...it was great having you here. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed your company. I was sorry to see Rex didn't mention the forum too, after all the times we mentioned it. Maybe one day we'll get a few more from Richmond, or even Virginia, now that we are easier to find! RichmondMike and I would sure like the company.

obxbarb · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 6:39 pm

I went down from 4:30 to 6:00 today. It was very quiet when I first got there. Didn't see the parents on their usual perches either. So I went down to the river on the bridge, and there were all three juvies. Two on the south side of the east building and one on the west side.

One of the parents flew through, and the kids were up and flying. One followed the parent very high, doing big circles and screaming. Flight training for sure! The parent left quickly and everyone settled back down. One juvie followed the parent over to the Federal Reserve building across the street and stayed there. Another was right over me.

Everyone is flying beautifully. When the juvie came back over from the Fed building, I thought it was a parent. I think it was Arnie, and the girls are together.

A parent flying. There was high flying and stooping, and food delivery at the end of my visit.

catwoman · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 6:56 pm

Great news, Obxbarb! So glad our babies didn't get into trouble without humans there to watch out for them during all their hours awake! Sounds like they are enjoying themselves to the max!

Thanks for the pictures--so glad to see the kids again!

SusanE · **Posted:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 6:57 pm

Thank you so much obxbarb! Great photos! :flowers

Bird Cams Around the World

RICHMOND, VA ~ 2009

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