Thursday, December 29, 2011















Hello Everyone,


Lookout is still in Honduras on Rio Patuca. As of tomorrow, he'll be in Honduras for two months. The red dots in the closer image represent some of his movements on 12/26-27/11. Click on either image to enlarge. Thanks for following!


John and Dale


Thursday, December 22, 2011















Hello Everyone,


Lookout is still in Honduras on Rio Patuca. He has been on and around this river for almost two months. Could this be his wintering area? It is starting to look like it. You can click on either image to enlarge. The single red dot on the wider shot is Lookout's position on 10 p.m. December 21st. The closer image shows his flight paths around the river. We'll have more information in a few days, so come back and watch this birds amazing journey. Thanks!


Dale and John


visit our website at www.soarsouth.org

Thursday, December 15, 2011


















Hello Everyone,


Lookout is still on Rio Patuca, about 40 miles inland. He seems to be doing well and has now been in Honduras for over six weeks. So far, he seems to be doing everything right and we are always anxious and hopeful the next time we get data from him. We will post more as we get it. By the way, click on any photo to enlarge. Thanks!


Dale and John


Friday, December 09, 2011

Lookout on the Rio Patuca and just little more inland
























Hello Everyone,


Lookout continues his winter and his first migration on Rio Patuca in Honduras (click on either image to enlarge). He is now about thirty miles inland and apparently this river has all he needs for now. In addition to the native bird population, he has a lot on North American migrant songbirds in the area. Plenty O pickings abound! We are just happy that we get readings from him as he continues his life's big journey. We have more data in a few days. Thanks!


Dale and John



visit our website at http://www.soarsouth.org/

Sunday, December 04, 2011

Lookout is still on Rio Patuca, but he has moved...a little























Hello,

Lookout is still on Rio Patuca in Honduras, but he has moved just a little. He has followed the river a little inland...about ten miles. Click on either image to enlarge. He apparently still has great hunting and habitat so it will be interesting to see if he continues to stay in the area. Keep following and thanks!


Dale and John




p.s. Where is Doris, our fearless, intrepid leader, this week and for the next few weeks?


December 4-8th- Lake Mineral Wells State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/lake_mineral_wells/




Friday, November 25, 2011

Lookout and Rio Patuca-one month now
























Hello,


A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all! The latest on Lookout has us thankful that he is still doing well. He has been in and around Rio Patuca for a month nowand we are very happy with this information. We have included a wideshot and a real closeup of Lookout's location. All of the lines are of his recent flight paths. He probably sits in a tree by the river and waits for an unsuspecting victim to cross and "Hello!" Seems to be a good working plan! We'll keep watching and hopefully, you will as well. Thanks!


Dale and John


visit our website: http://www.soarsouth,org/

Monday, November 21, 2011

Rio Patuca-Lookout's vacation paradise

























Hello Everyone,


Lookout is still living the tropical life around Rio Patuca. He has been here for nearly one month now and seems to have all that he needs. The two images on today's blog entry are of a wide shot of the coast of Honduras and a closer shot. Click on either to enlarge. On the closer image, one can see all of his flight lines over the last week. The red dots represent his activity from 11/20-21/11. The upper most red dot was from 3:00 p.m. on 11/21. Let hope that he continues to do well. We will have more reading in a few days, so check back then and often. Thank you for following this amazing young Peregrine's first migration!


Dale and John



visit our website at http://www.soarsouth.org/


p.s. We recently (about one month ago) were interviewed on our local NPR affiliate station WUTC about the Peregrine Falcon Release Project. If you want to listen to the interview, go to: http://wutcana.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/7714/

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Lookout is still around Rio Patuca



Hello,

As you can see, Lookout is still around Rio Patuca. He has been here for several weeks now and must have a great source of food. We're sorry that it has been a few days since the last post, but we are currently having trouble uploading the info from Google Earth directly to this blog. The image you see is more or less a "photo" of his current location. You can click on the image to view it in a larger format. By the way, in the far right corner of the image, check out the way "Caribbean" is spelled.

In some other news, we will be in Nashville this weekend at the Cheekwood Botanical Garden http://www.cheekwood.org/Public_Programs/Wild_West_Weekends.aspx We have a program at 12:00 p.m. CST. Come early and see the presentation before us. Dr. Charles Preston of the Draper Museum, Cody Wyoming, will be doing a presentation at 11:00 on the Golden Eagle. It should be a very informative program.

Speaking of programs, where is our fearless, ageless leader Doris Mager? She is currently in Texas for her annual tour of the Texas State Parks. This week, she is at Ray Roberts State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/ray_roberts_lake/ and will be there through this weekend, with a side presentation at Johnson Branch. Thanksgiving week, she be over at Fort Richardson State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/fort_richardson/ for several presentations. Doris continues to amaze and inspire us at the ripe, young age of 86! To schedule a program with Doris, give her a call at 828-506-8106.

We hope to see you somewhere and if you wish to schedule a program with Dale and John, call 706-657-3278, e-mail s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com and please visit our website at http://www.soarsouth.org/ Thanks for visiting!

Dale and John

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Lookout and Rio Patuca-a great combination!

Hello,

This post still has Lookout around Rio Patuca. Like he did in southern Mexico, he has found a great spot and doesn't really need to move. Still, it is great to see that he is active and doing well. Follow along, for in a few days, we will have more readings. By the way, this Sunday, November 13th, we will be at Cumberland Mt. State Park http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/CumberlandMtn/index.shtml near Crossville, Tennessee. Our presentation is in the Recreation Lodge at 2:00 CST. Come early if you want a seat! Thanks!

Dale and John
http://www.soarsouth.org/









Monday, November 07, 2011

Lookout and Rio Patuca

Hello,

Here is the latest data on Lookout. He is still around Rio Patuca. He has found a good place for a while, but who knows, the next set of readings may have him farther down the coast. Thanks for checking!

John and Dale
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com
www.soarsouth.org





Friday, November 04, 2011

Lookout still likes Rio Patuca



Hello There,

Lookout is still in the same general area around Rio Patuca. He is just a few miles inland. He obviously has great hunting there and some good weather. Pretty soon, the rainy season will be upon the area. What will he do next? Keep following!Thanks!

John and Dale
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org








Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Lookout is still in Honduras around Rio Patuca

Hello Everyone,

Lookout the Peregrine Falcon is still in Honduras and is around the Rio Patuca. He has an affinity to rivers and this riparian habitat offers plenty of hunting possibilities. There are a lot of migrant birds in the area and a river offers an opening in the forest/jungle for a bird such as Lookout to set up an easy ambush. Will he stay here for and extended period like he did in southern Mexico? We will see...

John and Dale
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org






Saturday, October 29, 2011

Hello Everyone,

Lookout is still in Honduras. Apparently he didn't suffer any ill effects from Hurricane Rina. Will he move down the coast or stay in the same area? We will see in a few days. Thanks for following!

John and Dale
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org

p.s. Just a reminder...we are at Rock City this weekend, October 29th and 30th for Rocktoberfest. Our programs are at 1:00 and 3:00 EDT on both days.




Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Lookout is still in Honduras, but Nicaragua may be next

Hello,

Lookout is still in Honduras, but may be pushing down to Nicaragua. He has Category 2 Hurricane Rina directly to his north and this may force him to move south. He seems to know how to avoid these storms and we sure that he'll get the heck out of the way. Our next readings may have him far down the coast of Nicaragua and perhaps beyond that. We'll see and we wish him well on his first migration!

John and Dale

p.s. We are honored and happy that Rock City (www.seerockcity.com)has asked us back for the final weekend of Rocktoberfest. We will have shows at 1:00 and 3:00 on Saturday 10/29 and Sunday 10/30. Visit our website at www.soarsouth.org







Saturday, October 22, 2011

Lookout is now in Honduras!



Hello Everyone,

The intrepid Lookout continues his fantastic journey and has made it to Honduras! If you look at his arcing flight path, it'll show you the relatively "short" (compared to the Gulf crossing) overwater flight to the sunny shores. However "short" the flight might be in comparison to the Gulf flight, the last leg of this sortie was 95 miles non-stop! We continue to be impressed with this amazing bird! Keep following!

John and Dale

p.s. We are at Rock City this weekend for our final shows at Rock City this year. Come join us at Rocktoberfest (www.seerockcity.com) for our shows on Saturday October 22nd at 1:00, 3:00 and 4:30 and Sunday at 1:00 and 3:00.

visit our website at www.soarsouth.org



Thursday, October 20, 2011

Lookout has made it to Belize



Hello,

As we had thought in our previous post, Lookout has made it to Belize. It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here. Looks like a beautiful place!

John and Dale
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org

p.s. We will be at Rock City for one more weekend for their Rocktoberfest Celebration www.seerockcity.com Showtimes are: Saturday October 22nd: 1:00, 3:00 and 4:30 EDT and Sunday 1:00 and 3:00. We thank Rock City for a wonderful year!







Monday, October 17, 2011

Lookout still moving eastward

Hello,

Lookout's still heading east. He is now less than 150 miles from the coast of Belize. Perhaps he'll be there when we get our next set of readings. Stayed tuned....

John and Dale





Friday, October 14, 2011

Lookout's still tracking east

Hello All,

The latest data still shows Lookout moving east. He is still associated with riparian habitat that most certainly attaches a multitude of birds. At this rate, he is an easy day's flight from the coast of Belize. Will he keep moving east? Maybe next time we will see him closer to the Caribbean. Stay tuned...

Dale and John

p.s. join us this weekend at Rock City's Rocktoberfest (www.seerockcity.com). We have presentations on Saturday, October 15th at 1:00, 3:00 and 4:30 and Sunday at 1:00 and 3:00. It is supposed to be a great weekend for weather. We hope to see you there!






Monday, October 10, 2011

Lookout is still moving east

Hello All,

We have gotten some additional readings from Lookout. He is still on an eastern path. This move may have been weather related since yesterday there were some large thunderstorms in the area. Or perhaps he was following a flock of tasty birds. He is now southeast of the spicy sounding town of Tabasco. Where he goes next, only Lookout knows for sure. Thanks for following!

John and Dale
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org



Sunday, October 09, 2011

Lookout's lateral move

Hello Everyone,

Lookout is still in the same area, although he has moved laterally to the east. Perhaps he has discovered yet another source of food. Thanks for checking and keep following the progress...

John and Dale

s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org

We have one more weekend at Rock City for Rocktoberfest, October October 15th and 16th. Programs times are: Saturday, 1:00, 3:00 and 4:30 p.m. EDT and Sunday, 1:00 and 3:00. More info...www.seerockcity.com






Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Lookout's still loving Rio Carranza

Hello Everyone,

Lookout is still around the Rio Carranza. He has no real reason to move for now since a lot of neotropical migrants are passing through this area. He has a bounty of food at the moment and the weather has been good. Will he stay in this area a few more weeks as the birds continue their migrations? Who knows, but check back in a few days to see where he is. Thanks again for follow his progress.

John and Dale

s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org

p.s. We are at Rock City (www.seerockcity.com) for the next two weekends )October 8th and 9th and October 15th and 16th for Rocktoberfest. Program times are 1:00, 3:00 and 4:30 on Saturdays and 1:00 and 3:00 on Sundays.





Saturday, October 01, 2011

Lookout seems to be doing great and still around Rio Carranza

Hello All,

Here is the latest on Lookout. He is still around the River and is very active. He isn't having to deal with a lot of bad weather and we're sure he is adding fat to his reserves on the every increasing bird supply. We'd love to go see what he is doing in person. Come on Mega Millions! Thanks for following!

John and Dale
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org

Come see us at Rock City for Rocktoberfest Octber 1st and 2nd, October 7th and 8th and October 14th and 15th. Program times are 1:00, 3:00 and 4:30 on Saturdays and 1:00 and 3:00 on Sundays. www.seerockcity.com for more info on Rocktoberfest



Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Lookout still likes Rio Carranza

Hello Everyone,

Lookout is still around Rio Carranza, south of the Bay of Campeche. The area looks like some of the area where he hung out around the Mississippi River, except it has tropical vegetation. Looks like a great place to live and hunt. We'll get more data in a few days. Thanks for checking in on Lookout!

John and Dale
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org

p.s. We will be at Rock City for the first three weekends in October for the Rocktoberfest. Our programs are at 1:00 3:00 and 4:30 on Saturdays and 1:00 and 3:00 on Sundays. Come out and see us and learn how to chicken dance and experience German food and beverages. For More info, go to www.seerockcity.com






Sunday, September 25, 2011

Lookout's latest

Hello,

Lookout is still south of the Bay of Campeche. He is about ten miles futher inland, but in the same area. He has a good formula with good hunting, safe roosting. We'll see in a few days where he is and if he continues to move a little more inland. Thanks for visiting!

John and Dale
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com
visit our website: www.soarsouth.org

p.s. Thanks to all of you who came to our program at Tims Ford State Park and a very special "Thank You" to the Tims Ford Environmental Education Association for sponsoring our presentation!




Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Lookout's still lingering

Hello All,

Lookout is still in the same general area as he was a few days ago. He apparently has some great hunting and a good area for roosting. Check back in a few days to see where he has gone. Thanks for following!

John and Dale
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com
visit our website at: www.soarsouth.org




Monday, September 19, 2011

Lookout's still enjoying the tropical life

Hello All,

Lookout has moved about fifty miles inland, but is still in the same area he has been for almost two weeks. He is roughly 80 miles from the Pacific coast. Will he go there or stay where he is now? Time will tell, but it looks as though he has found a great place for the moment. Keep following....

John and Dale

s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com
visit our website at: www.soarsouth.org

p.s. Thanks to all of you who attended our programs at this past weekend's Shrimp and Grits Festival on Jekyll Island, Georgia. We had a lot of fun and several bowls of delicious shrimp and grits. Can't wait until next year!!!






Thursday, September 15, 2011

Lookout still hangin' around the Bay


Hello,

Lookout's still living large (we assume) and enjoying the Bay of Campeche area. There are more birds moving through here now and he probably has his pick of species on which to dine. From the looks of the place, one can see why he might be reluctant to leave. We'll see what he does in a few days. By the way, if anyone is around Jekyll Island, Georgia this weekend, we will be doing some programs for the Shrimp and Grits Festival on Saturday 9/17 at 1:00 and 3:00 and Sunday at 12:00 and 2:00. Thanks for following...

Dale and John
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com







Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Lookout Still likes the Bay of Campeche

Hello all,

Lookout still likes the Bay of Campeche! He apparently is finding the area quite nice with an abundance of food. He may have a little competition since this area host quite a spectacle of migrating raptors. Just up the coast is Veracruz and it is world famous for the annual raptor migration http://bird-o.com/2011/04/29/the-veracruz-river-of-raptors-%e2%80%93-central-america%e2%80%99s-great-wildlife-spectacle/ I am sure he is thinking that he is glad he got here before the other tourist. Anyway, we'll keep our fingers crossed and will continue to wait for the next set of satellite readings. Thanks for following!

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com





Friday, September 09, 2011

Hello,

Lookout hasn't moved a whole lot since his last readings, but he is dealing with Tropical Storm, soon to be Hurricane, Nate. He has explored the area to the south of the Bay, but continues to hang out in the same general location. We can only hope he finds a safe place during the storm, but who knows, maybe he is using the winds to his advantage. He is probably fueling up again after his some 700 mile trip from Texas. We'll see what he does in a few days...

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com



Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Lookout's in Mexico (but not where you think he might be)

Hello Everyone,

Sorry we haven't been able to post this latest data from Lookout, but we lost our power for almost two days due to Tropical Storm Lee. We got 9.5 inches of rain at our house and it also became windy. This wind brought down a tree across a nearby power line and viola, no power. Lookout continues to amaze us! We knew that his journey/migration should take him to Central and maybe South America for the winter, but his route there involves a shortcut. It is known that Peregrines cross the Gulf of Mexico, but we expected Lookout to continue hugging the Texas Coast down into Mexico. Instead, he decided to make his trip via the fastest way. Scan the Google Earth plot and you'll see what we mean. Where he goes next is any one's guess. Thanks for following!

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com




Sunday, September 04, 2011

Lookout is now in Texas

Hello Everyone,

Lookout has made it to the Texas Gulf Coast and is now around Galveston. We were wondering how he would cope with Tropical Storm Lee and his solution was simple, move! He is in a great location with multitude of migrating birds, so he should be able to top his tank before continuing his southward trek. Meanwhile, the Peregrine in downtown Chattanooga was seen last Wednesday by Jeff Boehm and several of the building maintenance people. The bird was at first on the Sun Trust Bank building and then flew around for a bit for everyone to see. It is still unknown whether or not it is Bruce, Chatty or a visitor. Maybe we'll have a few more sightings this week. Keep following....

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com






Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Hello All,

Lookout still likes Louisiana, but he is close to Texas now. His next readings may show him on the Texas coast. It will be interesting to see if he goes on a NW direction into Texas or what should be the logical direction to the SW. He has been unpredictable in his movements and each time we get a new reading is like unwrapping a present. Meanwhile, a Peregrine Falcon has been seen in downtown Chattanooga. It was first seen by Bill Chapin and several Rock City Executives on Friday 8/26/11. They were having a lunchtime meeting at the Sun Trust Bank building and saw a Peregrine flying by the bank. Yesterday I (John) saw a Peregrine that was on the Sun Trust building. I was breaking down the release box (from which we released Bruce) on the First Tennessee Bank building. I happened to be moving a section of the box towards a set of stairs in the direction of the Sun Trust building. I saw a bird launch from the ST building and at first thought it to be a crow. I ran to the end of the building in time to see the bird, which turned out to be a Peregrine, fly about thirty feet below me. I ran to the north side of the First Tennessee building a watched the Peregrine as it flew past me and landed on the Bank of America building. I was able to see the bird in silhouette, but wasn't able to get a clear view before the Peregrine flew. It looked like an immature bird, but I wasn't 100% certain. It could have been Bruce, but at this point. I am not sure. I alerted Jeff Boehm, who helped hack Bruce, that I saw a Peregrine. He is going to go on the roof today to see if he can spot the bird. I am going downtown as well to see if I can get a better look. We'll let you know if we get a positive ID. Thanks for following!

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com





Monday, August 29, 2011

Lookout's on the Gulf Coast!

Hello,

Lookout has made it to the Louisiana Gulf Coast! He is currently in what looks like a marshy area. What were his thoughts when he first saw the Gulf of Mexico? ("Now that's one big lake!") He has ample hunting opportunities here and maybe a little competition from some of the wild Peregrines. However, there should be plenty of shorebirds, gulls and terns for him to try his skills. We await his next readings to see where he goes next. We wish him well!

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com




Friday, August 26, 2011

Hello All,

Well, as soon as we said Lookout has no real reason to leave the area around the Mississippi where he has been for about two weeks, he has. He is now in central Louisiana near Alexandria. He has visited Lake Rodemacher, perhaps checking out the shorebird scene there. It is interesting to note his flight path. On Wednesday, August 24th, a huge "blob" of thunderstorms moved into the region where he was and spread out to central Louisiana. His track looked as though he followed the outflow boundaries in front of these storms and ended up where he is now. He is now within a day's flight of the Gulf Coast. Will he go there next or stay in this area? We'll see in a few days. Thanks for following....

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com




Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Hello All,

Lookout is still in the same general area as he has been for a while. Currently, there is no real reason for him to leave this vicinity, especially since the shorebird migration is now in full swing. Scott Somershoe, State Ornithologist for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, advised us that he is very familiar with this area, with it many sandbars and mudflats and that Lookout probably has a wide menu of shorebirds from which to choose. Some of the Peregrine Falcons from the Arctic are now on the move as well and there is no doubt Lookout has seen some of his northern brothers and sisters. We'll keep you posted on Lookout's life adventure...

Dale and John
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com




Saturday, August 20, 2011

Hello Everyone,

Lookout continues to inhabit the same general area around the Mississippi River. He may stay in this area for several more weeks, perhaps moving when a strong cold front passes through the area. He apparently has a great supply of food and it is our guess that he is catching a lot of Mourning Doves and some assorted shorebirds. It'll be interesting to see if he is still in this area in a few weeks when the Arctic Peregrine Falcons start their migration down this ancient flyway. For us, this has been a fascinating glimpse into this bird's early life journey! Keep watching!

John and Dale




Thursday, August 18, 2011


Hello Everyone,

Ole Lookout seems to have found a great place for hunting and roosting. He has been in this general area, within fifty miles or so, for the last 12 days. Apparently, he has a good food supply. We get more information tomorrow and we'll see if he continues to hang out and watch the barges go by. Keep watching...

John and Dale

p.s. Thanks to Katie Kasch for having the patience to help me (John) get this info posted!!!



Thursday, August 11, 2011

Go Lookout Go!

Hey Y'all,

Here's the latest data from Lookout. He is roughly following the Mississippi River southward and now is a few miles from Louisiana. He made a little detour to the SW and apparently found some good hunting at this location. He re-discovered the Mississippi and it'll be interesting to see if he keep going down the Ole Man River. We'll have to wait a few days to see. We will update the info as we get it.

John and Dale

P.S. We received an unexpected additional reading late last night. He did make it to Louisiana and is still by the Mississippi. That movement is part of this map as well.

Monday, August 08, 2011

Lookout is alive and well!

Hello,

After a few nail biting days (including a ground search near Grenada Lake, Mississippi by Veterinarians Reece and Abernathy of Grenada, thanks y'all!), Lookout continues his amazing journey. From his last track around Grenada Lake, Lookout moved west to the Mississippi River across from Rosedale, Mississippi. He is a few miles ESE of Watson, Arkansas. Falconer friend Chris Price has been in this area and says it is perfect hunting habitat for a Peregrine. He mentioned that the migrating Peregrines from the Arctic area use this stretch of the Mississippi, with its mudflats and sandbars, to hunt for migrating shorebirds. It is incredible to us that Lookout has found this area as well! What happens next is any one's guess. Does he stay in this area? Does he follow the Mississippi southward? We should have more information on 8/11 when we get our next set of readings. Thanks for following along and thanks to Katie Kasch for getting this posted for us!

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com



Monday, August 01, 2011

An addition to Lookout's track into Alabama

Lookout's Looping Journey Continues




Lookout's latest GPS data shows that he has completed his loop and is in sweet home Alabama again. There are a few things to note. If you follow his track on the big loop he has made, you notice in a few places he is down in a field. What we believe is that he may have possibly caught a bird in the field and has either eaten it at that location or taken it to a perch to consume his prize. Certainly he is feeding himself now since it has been a week since he was last at the hack box for quail. There are a lot of young Mourning Doves out there now and should be easy prey for him. Also, he seems to be following ridges and is utilizing ridge lift and or thermals to help him in his travel. It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here. The story continues...

John and Dale

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Lookout is on the move!




Holy wanderings Batman! Our boy Lookout is on the move. Notice he flew past Nashville and the last transmission put him by Burgess Falls near Cookeville, TN. WOW!!!!!

Now comes the exciting part... where will he go next?


Dale and John

Thursday, July 28, 2011



Here's the latest on Lookout's wanderings via GPS. Of note: He went to Signal Mountain and Cloudland Canyon. Pretty cool! Thanks to Jeff for the latest pictures of him at the hack station and for feeding him Monday and Tuesday while we went to Mt. LeConte. By the way, Lookout has not returned for quail in the last two days. We will see tomorrow if a) the quail is gone we left for him today and b) what the latest satellite info shows if he is still in the area.

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com

p.s. Thanks to Katie Kasch for posting the Google Earth info on this here blog!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Lookout photos




Hello,

Jeff Raabe of Rock City captured three great photos of Lookout returning to the hack station to feed on a quail. Jeff also fed Lookout yesterday and today as Dale and I made our annual trip to Mt. LeConte above Gatlingburg, Tennessee. Jeff was using a time lapse camera mounted on the roof of the hack box. Great shots, Jeff! Thanks!

John(and Dale)
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com


p.s. no sign of Bruce. I think he may have left the building(#3, that is)

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Lookout near hack station


Hello,

After a day of wandering to downtown Chattanooga and back, Lookout, yesterday, was more of a homebody. He was seen around the hack site yesterday, first by me(John) around 2:30 p.m. and then by Dale around 5:30 as she went to put a quail out on the hack box. She brought the camera along and happen to snap a quick photo of him on a rock near the hack site. No sign of Bruce or Chatty, but I will go back to the roof of the Blue Cross Blue Shield complex to see if the quail I left the other day was eaten. Kep watching. Thanks!

John
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Lookout and Bruce


Hello All,

Lookout continues to hang around the Rock City release site. However, the latest GPS info we have gotten on him shows that he actually went to downtown Chattanooga to a point where his brother Bruce may be. Bruce wasn't seen yesterday and the quail that was left for him a few day before that was still on building #3 of the Blue Cross Blue Shield complex. Bruce hasn't been seen since Sunday 7/17, but Lookout's track may indicate that the two birds may have seen each other. If we have an extra bird at Rock City, who knows it could be Bruce (or Chatty). We'll keep you updated.

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com

Friday, July 22, 2011

latest Lookout pictures



Hello,

Lookout the Peregrine continues to hang around the hack site at Rock City. Jeff Raabe of Rock City said that he went to get his time lapse camera and Lookout put on a show for Jeff and members of the Horticultural Team who were working around Mr. Chapin's house. Jeff said that Lookout soared overhead and dove at high speed many times. He did get a picture of him out over Chattanooga Valley and one from the time lapse camera as he came back to get a quail.

Meanwhile, no signs of either Chatty or Bruce. We will go to the roof of the Blue Cross Blue Shield building #3 today and leave one more quail for Bruce. Hopefully, he has found a safe place and is hunting well. Stayed tuned...

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Newest Information on Lookout



If you zoom in, you can really see all the places Lookout has visited. If you go to July 19 at 20:00 (8pm), you can see that he even stopped to visit someone's pool for a drink of water!

Bruce and Lookout update

Hello,

Well, Bruce has not been seen since Sunday July 17th. A quail was left for him on Monday and a check yesterday revealed that the quail was still there. He may have chased a bird or may have a new spot. We will keep looking for him and perhaps he will be sighted elsewhere. At least, we have gotten him through the critical first few weeks. Lookout is still hanging around the Rock City hack site and we just got some fresh telemetry data. Keep following us and we will get you the scoop on the Wanderers. Thanks!

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Lookout is now on Google Earth

You can now follow Lookout, the peregrine falcon with the satellite telemetry.



You might have to install a plug-in to view the map, but it only takes a moment and is well worth the effort! As you can see, if you have looked at the movements of Lookout on Google Earth,Lookout is staying very close to his release spot at Rock City. We will be updating his latest movements every three days. The transmitter on Lookout sends us information every three days. Lookout has been returning to eat off the platform everyday, and we have set up a camera on the release box in hopes to gain more photos of him retrieving his food. We are not sure how long he will remain in this area, however, the beauty of this telemetry is we will know where he goes next!
So, have fun with us and watch what Lookout's next moves are.

Dale

www.soarsouth.org

s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com

Peregrine update



Hello,


Yesterday, 7/18/11, I didn't see Bruce. Carl Cressler of AB Security, took me to the roof of building #3 of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee complex. Bruce has been hanging out here for nearly two weeks but today, no sign of him. I did leave a quail near his favorite perch in hopes he would later return for a meal. He may have been out sight seeing/recon or may have chased a bird. I'll check later today to see if Bruce is around the area.


Meanwhile, Lookout and possibly Chatty are still around the hack site at Rock City. Both quail were gone from the previous day. We had put up a time lapse camera to try to get some photos, but I believe it was too far back to be triggered when the birds came in to feed. It was repositioned at a better angle. I'll check it today to see if we captured any images.


We have been getting data from the satellite transmitter Lookout is carrying and it has revealed that Lookout has been spending most of his time around the general area. He has gone as far as a few miles away and on the NW side of Lookout Mountain (Rock City is on the ESE side). We are able to view this data on Google Earth and we hope to be able to post some on the info on this blog. Thanks for following and we'll let you know what we see today.


John and Dale


Monday, July 18, 2011

Peregrine brothers-update



Hello,


A quick update on the Band of Brothers: I went to the Blue Cross Blue Shield complex, but didn't see Bruce. However, I didn't go on the roof of building #3 since yesterday was a day I didn't feed him. I am fairly sure he was up on there because I saw Chimney Swifts and Cliff Swallows diving at a point on the stair tower where Bruce likes to perch. I will take a quail to him today.


No radio signal from Chatty, but he may have, like Bruce, pulled off the transmitter. Next year, we will use a different mounting method. We did see Lookout, the satellite transmitter carrying bird. Dale and I went to the hack site at about 4:15 to leave quail and to install a time lapse camera. As we approached, Lookout took off from the front door of the hack box and began soaring the ridge. He flew overhead to see what we were doing and then spied some Black Vultures flying close to the hack site. He proceeded to chase one poor vulture and dove several times in mock attacks. He was having fun, but the vulture didn't enjoy being Lookout's toy! He then flew out over Chattanooga Valley. His flight is effortless, despite carrying an extra 22 grams on his back. A few minutes later, we did see a Peregrine fly just below cliff level and was heading south. We assumed it was Lookout, but it may have been Chatty as well. Both of the quail have been disappearing, so maybe the time lapse camera will reveal who is taking the second bird. We will review the photos today. We keep you posted...


John


Sunday, July 17, 2011

Bruce and Lookout



Hello,


Bruce is still doing great on the Blue Cross Blue Shield complex. I met Brian Tierney of AB Security yesterday morning 7/16, and we delivered a quail to Bruce atop building#3. He was definitely waiting for it and took it to a nearby perch for consumption.


Meanwhile, still no sign of Chatty, but Lookout continues to hang around the Rock City hack site and Dale and I even saw him soar by to harass a soaring Turkey Vulture. I didn't get to see the whole encounter, but Dale did and she said that Lookout did a wing over and quick dive right at the TV. I saw the vulture's evasive maneuver and then saw Lookout soaring out in the valley. He is definitely feeling great and asserting his presence to the locals. We will keep you posted.


John



Friday, July 15, 2011

Lookout returns to the release site!




Greetings,


This is a very exciting picture of Lookout! Lookout is doing exactly what we wish all new releases would do. When a
Peregrine Falcon first leaves the release box for the wild, we like to feed it while it is learning how to hunt. This is called hacking, it helps the bird to keep up it's strength while learning the tricks of the trade so to speak. Some falcons will return to eat and some leave the area within a few days. Lookout is the falcon with the Satellite Telemetry device, all the readings we have been getting have placed him right around Rock City!!! He has been spotted perched on the Chapins Chimney and soaring over their house! It is truly wonderful that Lookout is doing so well. Thanks to Jeff Raabe who so kindly put up a camera to see who was taking the quail . We wanted to make sure it was the falcons, and sure enough it is!!! See if you can spot the telemetry device on Lookout's back, it is definitely there. If you happen to make it to Rock City within the next few days look around, you might just see Lookout flying through Rock City.(If you click on this photo it will enlarge). By the way, we left two quail on the hack station roof at 4:30 p.m. and by 5:15, one of the quail was gone. Perhaps Lookout came back for his afternoon snack.

A fairly thorough search was made for Chatty. Both sides of Lookout Mountain within a ten mile radius were searched with the radio receiver. No signal was located. This doesn't necessary mean that he is completely out of the area. He may have been on a cliff that was blocking his signal.

Bruce continues to be a bright spot in this year's release. He was not fed today, but I (John) checked on him at about 7:30 this evening. David from AB Security took me to the roof of building #3, where at first, we didn't see him. However, he was perched right below his favorite security camera and launched into a very soar able breeze. He flew many circles overhead and did some shallow dives and partially inverted turns. As a hang glider pilot of 36 years, I was awestruck by his grace and command of the air. It is truly remarkable how well he flies now compared to even a few days ago. I guess he was expecting food, but I had to disappoint him since we are gradually trying to wean him (to encourage him to hunt). He will be given a quail tomorrow morning, but this evenings flights will not soon be forgotten by me! Thanks for checking in and hopefully we will have more good news tomorrow.

Dale and John
http://www.soarsouth.org/
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com

Bruce, Chatty and Lookout 7/14/11





Hello,


Bruce continues to do very well. Jeff Boehm, Suzanne and I met Carl Cressler of AB Security and he took us to the roof of building three. We saw Bruce sitting on the main building and I assumed he would be hungry for a quail since he was not given one the previous day. Sure enough, as soon as we opened the door to the roof and I was able to hide behind a small building on top, I threw the quail up high enough for him to see. "Here he comes!" Carl exclaimed and within twenty seconds, Bruce was on the quail. He started plucking it, but saw us nearby and took the quail, via flight, to a perch on the side of the building where he continued the plucking in earnest. This was a good look at Bruce for Jeff, since he had not seen him this closely since the day of release. Jeff fed Bruce in the hack box atop the First Tennessee Bank building. Thanks Jeff!



Meanwhile Chatty and Lookout are still in the area of the Rock City hack station. I left two quail for them Tuesday afternoon and yesterday morning, one was still there. One of the fellows working on Bill Chapin's house saw one of the Peregrine come to box, grab the remaining quail and then flew away with it in his clutches. I did not pick up Chatty's radio signal, but I feel he did eat yesterday. Two more quail were placed on the box along with a time lapse camera, placed there by Jeff Raabe of Rock City, in hope of catching photos of the returning birds. Dale also got of whole page of satellite info on Lookout's movements and is now running that data through a program that will decipher it into usable stuff. We'll keep you updated....


John (and Dale)


Thursday, July 14, 2011

Bruce, Chatty and Lookout pt. 2



Hello,


Bruce, Chatty and Lookout all seem to be doing well. Bruce was spotted in the morning by Carl Cressler of AB Security. He was on his favorite building #3 at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee complex. I saw him on the same building at 8:20 p.m. He was playing with the railing on top of the stair tower of building #3. Play consisted of him grabbing or footing the railing a number of times, perhaps he was imagining grabbing a bird. He then settled down and started preening. He wasn't fed on purpose, but didn't seem to be lacking in energy. I will take a quail to him today (7/14), but will continue to feed him every other day. It would be nice to see him start chasing other birds (like Rock Doves AKA pigeons).


Chatty and Lookout did eat the quail we left for them, so we know that they had an energy boost for yesterday. Two more quail were left in case they returned to raid the cupboard. Chatty's radio signal was located on the NW side of Lookout Mt. (Rock City is on the ESE side) and as the Peregrine flies, he was only a few miles from the hack site. Perhaps, the brothers will return to See Rock City today. We will keep you posted on the Band of Brothers and thanks for checking in on their activities.


John (and Dale)


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Lookout and Satellite Telemetry





We are extremely excited about our Peregrine Falcon release for many reasons.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this release is, Lookout, one of the male Peregrine Falcons
is fitted with a PTT-100 22 grams Solar Satellite Telemetry device. This device is enhanced with a Gobal Positioning System (GPS) and a battery that is recharged by the sun. This is the lastest in technology and will allow this unit to transmit readings for up to three years. The PTT-100 will take ten location readings a day and then transmit the information every three days, then the information received is put through a special program called a parser. The program will then analyze the data and give us a detailed picture of the birds location and movements.
The most valuable aspect of this information is, historically this is the first time a Peregrine Falcon has been tracked with Satellite Telemetry from the southern region of the United States.
Lookout's wanderings will soon be available for viewing as soon as more information is received form his telemetry unit. In addition we plan to connect it with Google Earth so that his global position can be viewed. Stayed tuned for updates! Thanks....


Dale




Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Bruce, Chatty and Lookout

Hello,

Bruce the Peregrine is doing great. Even though we cannot track him via radio, we are still getting some visual info. Today, Dale and I, along with Tish Gailmard from the Chattanooga Nature Center went to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee complex and met with Carl Cressler of AB Security. Carl had already seen Bruce this morning and the guard at the gate had reported that he had seen the falcon flying overhead as well. Carl has been invaluable as far as keeping tabs on Bruce and has been extra helpful in getting us up to the roof. We rode the elevator to the fifth floor and took the stairs to the roof. Carl opened the access door to the roof and it felt like someone had opened the door to a pizza oven (it was probably 110 degrees on the roof). Bruce wasn't on his usual security camera perch. We wandered out on the roof and I scanned everywhere on all of the possible perches. No Bruce. Dale and Tish had not seen Bruce in the liberated state and I was thinking, "It figures he wouldn't be around!" I had brought a quail to feed him and tossed it high enough that if Bruce were around, he'd see the food. No Bruce. I tossed it again, even higher this time. Still no Bruce. I decided to put the quail near the security camera when suddenly Bruce appeared! He was flying from the north and did a close fly by. He didn't recognize Dale or Tish and decided to be a little more cautious. He did give us a flying show as he circled several times, catching small thermals and then flying out of them. He flew directly over downtown Chattanooga and thermalled with a number of Cliff Swallows and Chimney Swifts. He looked very confident in his flying, very much like a Peregrine should. We left our rooftop perch, thanked Carl for his help and made it back to the parking lot. We took Tish back to her vehicle and I happened to look up at the security camera perch. There was Bruce! He was there eating the quail I had left for him. I'll skip him tomorrow (as far as food), but I will check to see if he is still there. We will skip him to try to get him a little hungry in hopes he will start trying to catch his on feathered food (this also works if you have a 30 year old "child" living in your basement; stop bringing food to him and he'll have to emerge to find his own food. By the way, don't stock the fridge with food).

Meanwhile, Chatty and Lookout have been spotted around the hack box at Rock City. We scanned for Chatty's radio signal and found it below the bluff where he was released. Two men that are doing some structural work on Mr. Chapin's house (and were present at yesterday's release) said that they saw both falcons together as they were soaring around the bluff. One even landed on a chimney on Mr. Chapin's residence. Dale had received a satellite readout that indicated that Lookout was nearby and the two men's observation correlated with that information. We left a couple of quail on their release box, just in case they wanted to drop by for a meal. By the way, there was a great article, written by Pam Sohn, in our local Chattanooga Times Free Press paper and website http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jul/12/freedom-soar/?local Check it out for video as well. We will keep you posted! Thanks!

John (and Dale)
http://www.soarsouth.org/
s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com