final Peregrine update and upcoming shows

Hello,

Sorry it has been a while since our last update. The Peregrines have left the area. One of the young birds, more than likely Wilbur, was last seen in the area about three weeks ago. A few years ago, when we released Lookout the Peregrine (who was carrying a satellite transmitter), he left the area by the second week in August. Lookout eventually found his way over to the Mississippi River where Peregrines pursue shorebirds on their migration south. It is very possible that Orville and Wilbur may have done the same. There is no real way to know. Maybe next year we will be able to put a satellite transmitter on another Peregrine to follow his progress.

Meanwhile, we have an upcoming program in September on 9/27 at Cheekwood Botanical Graden in Nashville http://www.cheekwood.org/Calendar/Events.aspx?d=2014.9.27 We will have shows at 11 and 1 CDT. Come early for either show because the auditorium fill up fast.

We will be back at Rock City for their 9th Annual Rocktoberfest http://www.seerockcity.com/events/entry/rocktoberfest We will have shows on Saturday and Sundays in October at 11:30, 1:30 and 4 p.m. EDT Come on up to the Rock and have some brats, beverages and learn to Chicken dance.

We are currently booking programs for late 2014 and early 2015. If you are interested in a program, call us at 423-605-8917 or e-mail us at s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com Thanks!

Dale and John

www.soarsouth.org

Finally, another Peregrine update

Hello,

With not much to report over much of last week (other than a Turkey Vulture eating the food left on the hack platform), one of the Peregrines which we believe is Wilbur, is still around Rock City. He was seen yesterday afternoon flying from the hack box to a grove of nearby trees. We quickly put a small quail on the hack box feeding platform and within 15 minutes, it was gone. He wasn't seen today, but another small quail was placed on the platform and it was gone within 30 minutes. Jeff Raabe of Rock City is going to re-erect the wildlife camera tomorrow and perhaps he'll be able to capture an image of the Peregrine. Meanwhile enjoy these photos taken by Ray Helman of Orville and Wilbur. We'll update in a few days. Thanks!

Dale and John

Peregrine update

Hello,

One of the two Peregrine brothers, Wilbur, is still hanging around the release site, although he has
removed his transmitter. There is no sign or signal from Orville. He was last heard from (transmitter-wise) yesterday afternoon.  However, he still may be in the area and may have remove his transmitter as well. It is hard to keep a radio transmitter on a Peregrine since its beak is rather parrot-like. We are hoping we will see both brothers together again soon. We'll keep you updated...

Peregrine Falcons released at Rock City

Hello,

The two young male Peregrine Falcons were released at Rock City this morning (7/21/14). They were named Orville and Wilbur via Rock City's Facebook page. Yesterday evening, we put Federal leg bands and radio transmitters on both birds to aid in tracking after release. The release box door was opened before dawn and by 6:20 or so, Wilbur emerged from the box, exercised his wings and took off. He flew to the south of the release site and found a safe tree. Orville hopped out on the door ledge next, flapped his wings, hopped down to the rock cliff below for some more exercise and then took off; much to everyone's delight, flew right out in front of the cliff where everyone was gathered. He landed in a tree near Rock City's pavilion. He was later seen briefly soaring the ridge in front of Rock City and soon caught a small thermal where he was joined by about two dozen Chimney Swifts. He later landed in a nearby tree. Our local NBC station, Channel 3, sent a crew to cover the event. Here is some footage taken by them http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/26068167/peregrine-falcons-released-from-rock-city-live-on-channel-3
We hope the brothers will stick around for a few weeks and maybe one (or both) will return to the area to nest. We'l keep you posted.

John and Dale

Peregrine Falcons arrive for later release

Hello,

Yesterday, we received two young male Peregrine Falcons from Falcon Breeder Andy Kramer of Hastings, Minnesota. The birds were captive-hatched on June 6, 2014. They were placed in our hack box at Rock City in a cooperative effort between Wings to Soar and See Rock City, Inc. These brothers will be the 8th and 9th Peregrines to be released on Lookout Mountain since 2005. It is our hope that one day one of the young birds we release will  return to the vicinity and re-establish the Peregrine Falcon as a breeding bird
in the Chattanooga area. We'll keep you updated on their progress.

By the way, we are still at Rock City Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day. Our shows times are 11:00, 1:00, 3:00 and 4:30 EDT. We are booking programs for the Fall through early Spring. If interested, please e-mail us at s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com or call 423-605-8908. Thanks!

Dale and John

upcoming programs-May 2014

Hello:

We have a few upcoming programs in May. First up is Dunbar Cave State Park in Clarksville, Tennessee on May 10th. We are there for their annual Spring Fling http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/dunbar-cave
We have programs at 10:00 and 12:40 CDT. The following day we will be at Russell Cave National Monument http://www.nps.gov/ruca/index.htm near Stevenson, Alabama. Our program will be be at 2:00 CDT. On May 23rd we return for our 10th season of Rock City Raptors http://www.seerockcity.com/pages/Rock-City-Raptors/ Our programs this year are on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11:00, 1:00, 3:00 and 4:30 p.m. Come on up to the "Rock" and see us this year. We'll have a few new birds in our presentations this year including a Great Horned Owl and a Peregrine Falcon. If you get a chance, come by a catch one of our shows. We are scheduling programs for the Fall and Winter. If interested, e-mail us at s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com or call 423-605-8917 or 706-657-3278. Thanks!

John and Dale
www.soarsouth.org

Hello,

We are still at Rock City's Fairytale Nights until April 20th. We are doing a special show called Fairytale Falconry which is a very brief look at the history of falconry. Our showtimes are at 5:15, 6:15 and 7:15 EDT. We also posted a great clip of our show which was film at the 2013 Eagle Expo in Morgan City/ Patterson, Louisiana. The segment is from a series called Go Coast, produced by WLAE in New OrleansThe show is hosted by Tom Gregory and we feel Tom and Company did a great job. To view the Wings to Soar segment go here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ7hAtBjRVY&feature=youtu.be

Check back for upcoming shows. Thanks!

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

upcoming programs-early 2014

Hello:

It has been awhile, but we're back! We have some upcoming programs in early 2014 the first being our annual Reelfoot Lake State Park program http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/reelfoot-lake . On February 1st, we are there for their annual Eagle Festival and we will have programs at the state park's visitor center on Highway 21/22 across from World Famous Boyette's Restaurant. We have programs at 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. CST. Reelfoot is a great place to view eagles!

The following weekend, February 8th, we will be at Lake Guntersville State Park in NE Alabama. This will be for their Eagle Awareness Weekend http://alapark.com/LakeGuntersville/EagleAwareness/ We have programs at 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. CST at the park's beautiful Lodge. This facility is located on top of a high bluff overlooking the lake and many times eagles can be seen from the comfort of the dining room.

On March 8th, we'll be at Wheeler Refuge Visitor's Center http://www.fws.gov/nwrs/threecolumn.aspx?id=2147533987 near Decatur, Alabama with programs at 11:00 and 1:00. This program has limited seating so get there early for a seat!

March 15th and 16th we will be in the land of the hopefully not frozen North...Wabasha, Minnesota. We are presenters at the National Eagle Center's Soar with the Eagles Weekends http://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/soar-2014-march-15-16/ We really enjoy going to this beautiful facility along the incredible Mississippi River. We have presentations on Saturday March 15th at 11:00 and 2:00 p.m. CDT in the St. Felix Gym and on Sunday, the 16th at 12:00 and 2:00 CDT.

Also, come to Rock City and help us usher in Fairytale Nights Mach 28th-April 20th http://www.seerockcity.com/pages/Fairytale-Nights/ We will be conducting a Renaissance-type/history of falconry show. Come up and check us out in our costumes!

Thanks for dropping by and if you want to contact us, do so at s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com or 423-605-8917. Visit our website at www.soarsouth.org 

Take care!

Dale and John

photos by Dianne Blakenbaker