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

Monday, July 11, 2011

Bruce the Peregrine Days 5 & 6 and Lookout and Chatty Released at Rock City













Hello,


Bruce continues to do well. Yesterday, I met with Tom Lane of AB Security and we made our way to the roof of Building #3. Bruce was on a building just across the way. I didn't make it to check on him it until about 6:45 p.m. and Bruce was hungry! I managed to hide behind a small building again and was about to toss a quail high enough to catch Bruce's attention. Within ten seconds or so, he landed next to the quail and began to eat. I was able to get a closer look at him and video revealed that his transmitter looked as though it was gone! Sure enough, today Carl Cressler and I made it up to the roof and spotted Bruce on his favorite security camera perch. I suspected that he had removed his transmitter and figured that it might be in the vicinity of the camera. I slowly walked toward Bruce and he took flight towards building #2, where he landed. Sure enough, under the security camera, was the transmitter. He had actually pulled out the tail feather to which it was attached! So much for tracking him via the radio transmitter... I did manage to leave a quail for him near the camera perch and I am sure he went to retrieve it after Carl and I left.


Meanwhile, Bruce's brothers, Chatty and Lookout were released this morning at Rock City http://www.seerockcity.com/ . Lookout was fitted with a solar-powered satellite transmitter (purchased with funds provided by a grant from the Benwood Foundation). We actually removed him from the hack box for a few days, fitted him with the backpack style transmitter and allowed him to fly in a small flight pen to get used to the transmitter. We did some final checks of the transmitter and harness arrangement and everything looked good. We placed Lookout back in the hack box this morning before first light. At about 5:55 a.m., with a crowd gathered behind the house of Rock City Owner Bill Chapin, we lowered the front release door. After about 15 minutes, Chatty emerged onto the release door ledge. Lookout joined him within ten minutes and soon they were both flapping and stretching their wings. After a bit, a breeze came through and Lookout made his first flight to freedom. His flight looked good and strong and was apparently unhampered by the satellite transmitter. He made a 360 degree circle, probably to help him scope out his surrounding, flew to the south of the release site and landed in a tree near a house. Chatty took his time and flapped more. He also watched bugs and other birds fly by, all with much amusement! Several times we thought he was going to take off, only to settle down again. He also played with the cord used to lower the front. After about an hour of this, he caught every ones attention as he launched from the box, only to land on the rock ledge directly below it. He spent another ten to fifteen minutes flapping and checking out things and when a small breeze came though, off he went. His first flight was pretty as he flew out in front of the cliff, made a huge circle and flew to the south well past where Lookout had landed.


With Chatty out of the release area, We trudged over to where we thought Lookout had landed. As it turns out, he was on a limb on a large oak tree near the bluff and as we approached, he took flight once again. He dove slightly to build up speed and then climbed and flew well past Lover's Leap, about 1/8th of a mile away. Chatty's radio signal was located later about half a mile to the south of the hack site, but data is still lacking on Lookout's whereabouts. Perhaps the solar unit was not fully charged and needed some exposure to sunlight. Maybe tomorrow, we will be able to get more info. We will provide some food at the release site tomorrow, just in case the brothers are hungry and want to stop by to dine. Meanwhile, we will see if Bruce is still enjoying his diggs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee. Keep checking back and we will hopefully have some more good news tomorrow.


John





p.s. click on the picture of the hack box and click again to enlarge it. You can barely see Chatty on the edge of the release door.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Bruce the Peregrine-Day 5




Hello,


Day Five in the liberated life of Bruce continues with the Peregrine on his favorite security camera perch. He was still on building #3 and I was able to deliver another quail to him for food. He immediately flew down and began plucking his breakfast. I'll check on his this morning and give you an update later. Meanwhile, Bruce's brothers, Chatty and Lookout (named by people in a contest on Rock City's Face Book page) will be released tomorrow morning at dawn. This afternoon, Chatty will be fitted with a radio transmitter and Federal leg band, like Bruce was, so we can track him after release. His brother, Lookout, has been fitted with a solar-powered satellite transmitter and has been in a flight pen at our facility. We fitted him with the backpack style transmitter and have been allowing him to get used to the unit. We had to make a slight adjustment in the fit and he seems to be doing very well. We will place him back in the hack box early tomorrow morning so he and Chatty can be released together. We wish them both well and I update you on their release. Thanks for following along!


John


Friday, July 08, 2011

Bruce the Peregrine-Day 4

Hello,

Bruce the Peregrine Falcon continues to do well. I met Carl Cressler of AB Security this morning and he reported that he had already seen Bruce on perch on the security camera arm on building#3. When we got up to the roof, Bruce was still where Carl I seen him earlier.This seems to be a favorite perch and is where yesterday's photo was taken. I had another quail with me and was able to sneak around where Bruce couldn't see me as I tossed the quail in his direction. He wasted little time and launched from his perch, did a semi-circle and landed on his breakfast. I'll try to find him tomorrow morning and will offer him another quail. In a few days, I will cut out his feeding to every other day in attempts to encourage him to start chasing birds. Meanwhile, I hope he continues to hang out around the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee complex. It seems to be a safe location for him and the people here have really taken great interest in him. Thanks Carl, Cindy and Company!

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

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Bruce the Peregrine-Day Three











Hello All,

Bruce the Peregrine Falcon continues to do well. This morning, I met Carl Cressler (see photo)from AB Security at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee Visitor's Entrance where he took me to the top of Building#3. Carl had not seen Bruce on an earlier check, but as he opened the door Carl exclaimed, "Well, there he is!" He was sitting on the edge of the building on a security camera (see picture and click on it to enlarge). I had a quail with me to feed him (Bruce, not Carl) so I was able to ninja around the side of one of the mini-buildings that is located on the roof. I was hidden from Bruce's view so I lobbed the quail in his direction and made a hasty retreat. Bruce saw the offering and began bobbing his head like he was saying, "Yes, breakfast!!!" He launched from the security camera and did a circular recon flight which took him to the top of the stair tower (where I lobbed a quail yesterday). I was now out of his view so I quickly ran, grabbed the quail and threw Bruce's meal onto the stair-tower. I then backed off far enough to see a flutter of wings and then I saw Bruce sitting on the edge of the tower with his prize. Carl said, "Looks like our boy's doing well!" Carl's enthusiasm is contagious! He has been very helpful and continues to be an extra set of eyes that will help in Bruce continued success. Thanks Carl! I am meeting Carl tomorrow morning to check on Bruce, so I'll let you know what we find.

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

Bruce the Peregrine-Day 2

Hello,

Bruce the Peregrine Falcon continues to do well. He is still on the buildings of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee headquarters. Security Officer Carl has been a valuable and enthusiastic asset in keeping track of Bruce and yesterday morning (7/6), Carl met me at the Visitor's Entrance of BCBST. He informed me that he had already been on the roof of Building #3 and had seen Bruce. We went to the top of #3 and Carl slowly opened the door that opened to the roof. He said that Bruce was sitting on the edge of the building when he last checked, but the Peregrine wasn't there. We slowly began to walk around and with the radio receiver, I was able to locate Bruce's signal emanating from the top of a stairwell tower. Carl spotted him first and the bird was on the edge of the roof looking towards downtown. I had brought a freshly thawed Cortunix Quail with me in case I had an opportunity to give it to Bruce. Below and to the right of Bruce's perch was a ledge and I attempted to slide the quail into a viewable position. I had a little too much force in my shove and the quail took flight (via gravity) to the ground below the building. Luckily, no one was in the trajectory of the bird. Carl took me down to retrieve the quail and upon return to the roof, Bruce had moved! Fortunately, he had only moved away from the ledge. I lobbed the quail to the roof's center and I hope that Bruce ate it.

In the afternoon, I returned and was met by Cindy Oliver of BCBST and we went back to the roof of Building #3. When we opened the door from the stairwell to the roof, Bruce had been just around the corner, apparently enjoying some shade. He took off from his perch, flew in a small circle and headed towards another building in the complex. He was heading towards a window near the top of the building and I was certain he was going to impact it. However, he entered a shallow dive, picked up some extra speed and converted this into a sharp pullout landing on the ledge of the building. He looked good on this flight and landing and his flight skills are getting better. I am going to meet Carl this morning to see if we can find Bruce. If he continues to hang out at BCBST, perhaps they can offer him some gainful employment, maybe in external building maintenance where he can rid the area of unwanted flying rats (pigeons). Stayed tuned for a report....

John

http://www.soarsouth.org/

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Bruce the Peregrine released




































Hello,




At appx. 7:45 this morning, July 5, 2011, the first of three Peregrine Falcons was released in downtown Chattanooga. The bird was named Bruce, in honor of Bruce Adams (who passed away last October 18th). Bruce's wife, Judith Adams-Dewitt was present to see her husband's namesake take flight. At around 7:15, the release door was lowered by Jeff Boehm, who has been caring for and feeding Bruce since his arrival, and Ken Dubke, legendary local birder who has been instrumental in getting a Peregrine Falcon release program restarted in downtown Chattanooga. A number of people were present, including officials from First Tennessee Bank and the wonderful building maintenance guys that helped get the release box in place and secured it down (to make sure it wouldn't be blown away during a storm). Also on hand were JC and Rex Lisle (who was celebrating his birthday) from Lookout Mountain Flight Park. Rex and JC were designated photographers for S.O.A.R. The local NBC affiliate WRCB, sent a cameraman to cover the release and ran a quick story, with excellent shots of Bruce, on the 5:30 news. After the box was opened, Bruce began to notice that the front was now clear for takeoff. After a number of minutes of head-bobbing, wing flapping, and one excited jump to the top of the box, Bruce made his way to the front of the box and onto the now opened door. After a minute or so of deliberation, Bruce took flight. The first few seconds were a little uncertain, but Bruce found his wings and flew in a few circles, first towards the Bank of America building and eventually found his way over to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Tennessee. I tracked him down, via a radio transmitter (place on him the previous night, along with a Federal leg band put on by David Vogt), and with the helpful staff and security, (Thanks Cindy, Carl and Lucas!!!) I was able to get a visual sighting of Bruce on Building #3. He actually flew down from #3 into a central plaza, where he bumped a window. We got down to the plaza, expecting the worse, only to find Bruce in some vegetation. Once he saw me, he took off at a 60 degree angle and flew back between Building #3 and #4 and returned to the top of building number three. As I write this, it is 7:30 in the p.m. and I am headed back to downtown Chattanooga to search for Bruce to make sure he is safe for the night. Thanks to everyone for your help!!! By the way, on Friday, provided that everything goes as planned, Bruce's brothers at Rock City will be released as well. This mainly depends on the fitting of the satellite telemetry. Stay tuned....


John


p.s. at 8:30 p.m. Bruce's telemetry signal was still coming from Building #3. I'll check on him tomorrow morning.