FORT WAYNE PEREGRINES
On or about March 6, Jamie joined Moxie in the nest box high atop the Indiana Michigan Power Center Building! The two went about preparing the scrape for their precious eggs. On March 15, Moxie laid the first egg, the second on March 16th, then she sneaked two more eggs in sometime between the 17th and the 21st! Peregrine f
alcons typically lay between 2 and 4 eggs, and the incubation period averages 33 days. The female does most (about 2/3) of the incubating, but the male will take over while mom goes for food. Keep watching!
WHICH IS WHICH?
Now that both birds are here and incubating, you might be wondering how to tell Moxie and Jamie apart. The differences are several.
First,
female peregrines are larger than males, so Moxie will be the larger bird. That works if they're both together, but what if - as often happens - you only see one bird at a time? Well, the
second
way to tell Moxie and Jamie apart is to look at the small strip of feathers between their eyes, right above the yellow part of the beak (the yellow part is called the "cere"). Moxie, the female, has a faint white stripe of feathers that runs between her eyes, right above her cere. Jamie does not have this.
Third
, the tops of females' heads are flatter than males'.
Finally
, one of the distinguishing characteristics of peregrine falcons is their head coloring. Peregrines look like they're wearing a "hood," with sideburns. Moxie's hood is slate gray; Jamie's is closer to black.
There you have it. Happy falcon watching!
A Note from Indiana Michigan Power
: As in previous years, when the peregrine chicks are old enough, Indiana Michigan Power will host an event where each chick will receive its lifetime identification band from the DNR. Kim Sabrosky, I&M's Director of External Affairs, has indicated that current health circumstances could require the event to be very different from previous years.
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CHEETAH LIVES! . . . IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI
Soarin' Hawk received an email from Elaine Kampmueller that falcon watchers in Grand Rapids, MI were finally able to ID which of our 2014-hatched males was nesting in Grand Rapids. They've known since 2017 that they had one of our 2014 males from the sideways 'R' on the top band, but the bottom band was just a pale pink, with no letter or number visible. This year, the sideways P became visible, and a search in the Midwest Peregrine Society database revealed it to be Cheetah! He has been in Grand Rapids since April 2017, and as of March 2019 is partnered with female Blk/blu A/20 from Wheatfield, IN.
This is not the first connection between Fort Wayne & Grand Rapids nesting peregrines. Fort Wayne had "Will" from the Grand Rapids Kent County Courthouse nest in 2013. He was named by John Castrale in honor of John Will, who helped organize the release of peregrines in Grand Rapids in the mid-1980s. Unfortunately, John Will died in early 2016, before the Indiana birds found their way there.
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“Once a child recognizes the chickadee's call,
their heart will never stop listening for it.”
-
Nicolette Sowder
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On December 22, 2019 Soarin' Hawk volunteer Ron S. received a call from the Site Manager at Gene Stratton-Porter Park in Rome City, IN. She stated that one of the volunteers, John L., found an injured red-tailed hawk hopping on the ground with a possible injured wing. Ron drove to the site, where John had the bird under a fishing net. Ron took the bird to our ICU, where volunteers Jillian and Jeanette medicated and hydrated the bird.
The next day, Dr. Funnell's exam revealed a fractured wing. The wing was immobilized to encourage healing, then the hawk received physical therapy to help him regain full movement. After a little over a month of physical therapy, he was ready to begin practice flying, or "creancing," in which a bird is tethered to prevent it from escaping prematurely, and its flight capability is evaluated after flying a specific distance.
Finally, on March 2, 2020, after almost three months in our care, this beautiful hawk was ready for release. He was returned to Gene Stratton-Porter Nature Preserve to continue his life in the wild. Long life, little one!
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WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!
From Annette:
"
Thank you for the excellent presentation at the Koinonia Nature Preserve Saturday evening. I was talking with one of your volunteers, Danielle, about a live eagle cam I follow in FL. She was interested, because the eagles had lost not only an egg, but also a live birth this season. However, the have gone on to lay a second set of eggs, even though the season is close to ending. She asked me to send her the cam link. Can you pass it on to her? It looks like a real estate link, but it’s actually the link for the eagles, thank you!"
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A SPECIAL NOTE FROM GIGI,
OUR VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Soarin' Hawk's Volunteer Orientations have been put on hold due to the COVID-19 virus. Watch for the next date on our web site, Facebook page, and in the newsletter! In the meantime, c
heck our volunteer page
to read about the opportunities available.
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WHAT HAPPENED TO FEBRUARY AND MARCH'S "RESCUES OF THE MONTH?"
February's
Cooper's Hawk'
s
recovery is progressing. He is still with a local falconer.
March's
Red-Tailed Hawk
has been moved to our rehabilitation facility. He is blind in one eye, but is finding food in his cage. He will begin practice flying soon, and will be evaluated for possible release based on how he does.
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NO WORDS NEEDED (EXCEPT MAYBE "UH-OH!")
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CELEBRATING YOUR GENEROSITY
Thanks to March donors!
M. Densel, K. Forrester, FrontStream, L. Hincks, A. Zepke
Thanks to this month's fishers for Jefferson!
J. Polka, Tim
Thanks to all the people, contractors, and suppliers that made our new campus possible!
AEP/Indiana Michigan Power, Allen County Building Department, Allen County Department of Planning Services, Allen County Highway Department, Atomic Water Solutions, Brooks Construction, C E & M Inc., Collier's Comfort Services, Dave E., Engineering Resources, Evergreen Remodeling, Fox Contractors, Glosson Food Equipment, Hixson Sand & Gravel, JA Plumbing & Electrical, Leo H., Meyer Building, Midwest Perma Column, Midwest Truss, MKSTD & Associates, Neighbors along Lima Rd., Niff-Tone Distributors, Northeastern Realty, Pinpoint Directional Drilling, Pro Tect Electric, Speedway Construction Products, Town of Huntertown, YB Normal Woodworking
Thanks to the donors who give each and every month!
L. Dearing,
Bob Rohrman Subaru of Ft Wayne
, S. McInnis
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We were able to rescue this beautiful red-tailed hawk that got stuck in the grille of a car, thanks to donations from folks like you. Won't you make a donation now so we can help others like this hawk? No contribution is too small!
Your donation is tax deductible.
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