Save Our American Raptors-South

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

706-657-3278

Lookout's latest as of January 28, 2012

2012-01-28T06:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Lookout's latest data still shows him on Rio Patuca. It has now been three months, so we guess that this qualifies as his wintering area. It has been great to follow this bird's progress and we'll see where he goes next. On either image, click to enlarge. The red dot represents his location as of January 28th at 1:00 and all of the lines are his flight paths.

Thanks for checking in....

Dale and John

website: http://www.soarsouth.org/

Lookout's latest-January 20th

2012-01-22T06:50:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

We apologize for taking so long to get this latest info to our blog, but Lookout continues his winter stay in Honduras on Rio Patuca. Click on either image to enlarge. The red dot indicates where he was as of 1:00 0n January 20, 2012. He has moved a lot around this river, but continues to stay around fifty miles from the coast. We should have more readings in a day. We are always happy to receive new information from him as it indicates that he is still doing well.

Meanwhile, we (Dale and John) will be conducting two programs at Lake Guntersville State Park in Alabama http://www.alapark.com/LakeGuntersville/EagleAwareness/ on Saturday January 28th. Our first program is at 1:00 CST and the second is at 7:00.

The following weekend, February 4th, we will be at Reelfoot Lake State Park http://tn.gov/environment/parks/ReelfootLake/ for their Eight Annual Eagle Festival. We have presentations at 2:00 and 7:00 CST in the Reelfoot Visitors Center across from world famous Boyette's Restaurant If you get a chance, come out and say hello. Thanks!

Dale and John

706-657-3278

Lookout the Peregrine Falcon as of January 13, 2012

2012-01-14T02:54:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Lookout continues to winter in Honduras on Rio Patuca. He has moved up and down the river, but has remained in the same general area for the last two months. You can click on either image to enlarge. The red dot indicates where he was at 1:00 on January 13th.

Meanwhile, were in the world is our leader Doris Mager? She is still conducting presentations in Texas. This weekend, she is is at Guadalupe River State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/guadalupe_river/ and she'll be here through Sunday, January 15th. She then travels to Goliad State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/goliad_and_mission_espiritu_santo/If you get a chance, check out Doris, a living legend, on her Texas tour. Give her a call at 828-506-8106 for more information. Thanks!

Dale and John

visit our website: www.soarsouth.org

Lookout's movements as of 1/8/12

2012-01-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Lookout is still on Rio Patuca in Honduras. He moved a little upsteam for a day or so, but his latest data shows him downriver in an area where he previously resided. The red dot in either image was his location as of January 8th at 1:00 a.m. Click on either image to enlarge. The yellow lines are his flight paths.

Meanwhile, were in the world is our leader Doris Mager? She is still conducting presentations in Texas. Through January 8, 2012, she'll be at Inks Lake State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/inks/ After this, she'll journey to Guadalupe River State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/guadalupe_river/ and she'll be here through Sunday, January 15th She then travel to Goliad State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/goliad_and_mission_espiritu_santo/
If you get a chance, check out Doris, a living legend, on her Texas tour.

Thanks for checking in....

Dale and John

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

2012-01-03T06:03:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,

As we enter 2012, Lookout is still alive and apparently doing well on Rio Patuca. You can see in the images (click to enlarge) that Lookout has been very active and has a great place for his survival. Since the days are slowly starting to get longer in North America, what will Lookout do next? Will he stay in Honduras? Will he move a little more south or in a few weeks time start a slow movement northward? Log on and follow...Meanwhile, were in the world is our leader Doris Mager? She is still conducting presentations in Texas. Through January 8, 2012, she'll be at Inks Lake State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/inks/ After this, she'll journey to Guadalupe River State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/guadalupe_river/ and she'll be here through Sunday, January 15th She then travel to Goliad State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/goliad_and_mission_espiritu_santo/

If you get a chance, check out Doris, a living legend, on her Texas tour.

Thanks for checking in and we'll see you somewhere in 2012.

Dale and John

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

2011-12-29T03:11:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-15T06:47:00.000-08:00

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

website: www.soarsouth.org

Lookout on the Rio Patuca and just little more inland

2011-12-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

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/

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

2011-12-04T06:51:00.000-08:00

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

Website: http://www.soarsouth.org/

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/

Cedar Hills State Park December 8th-11th http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/cedar_hill/

Meridian State Park December 11th-25th http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/meridian/

Lookout and Rio Patuca-one month now

2011-11-25T15:12:00.000-08:00

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/

Rio Patuca-Lookout's vacation paradise

2011-11-21T17:52:00.000-08:00

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/

Lookout is still around Rio Patuca

2011-11-17T08:55:00.001-08:00

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

Lookout and Rio Patuca-a great combination!

2011-11-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

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/

Lookout and Rio Patuca

2011-11-07T05:12:00.000-08:00

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

Lookout still likes Rio Patuca

2011-11-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout is still in Honduras around Rio Patuca

2011-11-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Lookout is still in Honduras, but Nicaragua may be next

2011-10-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout is now in Honduras!

2011-10-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout has made it to Belize

2011-10-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

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!

Lookout still moving eastward

2011-10-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout's still tracking east

2011-10-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

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!

Lookout is still moving east

2011-10-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout's lateral move

2011-10-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout's still loving Rio Carranza

2011-10-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Lookout seems to be doing great and still around Rio Carranza

2011-10-01T04:47:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout still likes Rio Carranza

2011-09-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout's latest

2011-09-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

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!

Lookout's still lingering

2011-09-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout's still enjoying the tropical life

2011-09-19T07:39:00.001-07:00

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!!!

Lookout still hangin' around the Bay

2011-09-15T18:13:00.001-07:00

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

Lookout Still likes the Bay of Campeche

2011-09-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

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

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

2011-09-07T16:27:00.001-07:00

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

Lookout is now in Texas

2011-09-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout's on the Gulf Coast!

2011-08-29T04:43:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-26T04:28:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-20T04:45:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

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!!!

Go Lookout Go!

2011-08-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

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.

Lookout is alive and well!

2011-08-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

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

An addition to Lookout's track into Alabama

2011-08-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Lookout's Looping Journey Continues

2011-08-01T14:00:00.001-07:00

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

Lookout is on the move!

2011-07-31T05:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-28T05:54:00.001-07:00

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!

Lookout photos

2011-07-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

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)

Latest Data!

2011-07-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Lookout near hack station

2011-07-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout and Bruce

2011-07-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

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

latest Lookout pictures

2011-07-22T03:51:00.000-07:00

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

Newest Information on Lookout

2011-07-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout is now on Google Earth

2011-07-19T12:31:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

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

Peregrine brothers-update

2011-07-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

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

Bruce and Lookout

2011-07-17T04:46:00.000-07:00

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

Lookout returns to the release site!

2011-07-15T18:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-15T04:21:00.000-07:00

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)

Bruce, Chatty and Lookout pt. 2

2011-07-14T03:51:00.000-07:00

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)

Lookout and Satellite Telemetry

2011-07-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

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

Bruce, Chatty and Lookout

2011-07-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

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

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

2011-07-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

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.

Bruce the Peregrine-Day 5

2011-07-10T04:26:00.000-07:00

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

Bruce the Peregrine-Day 4

2011-07-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

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

Bruce the Peregrine-Day Three

2011-07-07T16:33:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-07T03:47:00.000-07:00

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/

Bruce the Peregrine released

2011-07-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Peregrine Falcons arrive

2011-06-25T04:16:00.000-07:00

Hello,

On Wednesday, June 22nd, we had three Peregrine Falcons arrived from Hastings, Minnesota. These were hatched in captivity by Andrew Kramer. The birds were around thirty fours days old. We acquired these birds for our cooperative Peregrine Falcon release project with Rock City http://www.seerockcity.com/ and additionally, a complementary release for downtown Chattanooga. Two of the three brothers went into the hack box at Rock City and the other to a release box atop the First Tennessee Bank building in downtown Chattanooga. The bird at the bank is being cared for by Jeff Boehm, an avid Chattanooga birder. All three will be held for about two weeks and at this point they will be fitting with radio transmitters (one at Rock City and the other at the FT Bank). One of the birds at Rock City will be fitted with a solar-powered satellite transmitter (purchased with a grant from the Benwood Foundation) and we should be able to track his movements anywhere in the world for several years. After a day, the birds will be liberated. We are looking forward to the release and we thank Rock City for its financial support for funding this project and our opportunity to release Peregrines again (our fourth release) and a Chattanooga businessman for his support as well. Stayed tuned.....

Dale and John

Osprey released

2011-05-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Many of you may know that on April 27th our region experience a lot of storms with many tornadoes. There was a lot of property damage and even loss of human life. There are many stories that include what could only be described as miraculous that anyone survived in a particular tornado. We had three tornadoes near us it was a miracle that we didn't have any damage. Last week, I was relayed a message from Bethany Pack of the American Eagle Foundation that a fellow checking a cell tower near Chattanooga found, inside the base of the hollow steel tower, what was believed to be Peregrine Falcons. I called the fellow, Jeremy Oran, and he described the situation. I went out to the cell tower near Chickamauga Lake and met Jeremy for a short hike up to the tower. A fellow from the USDA had tried to retrieve the birds but couldn't quite reach them. Jeremy indicated that the birds were at the bottom of the tower. I totally expected the "Peregrine Falcons" to be American Kestrels, a robin-sized falcon that prefers to nest in cavities, so the hollow steel tower made sense to house these little falcons. As I peered into the base, I was astonished! The birds inside were not kestrels or even Peregrine Falcons, but an adult pair of Ospreys! How did these birds end up in the bottom of this tower? Ospreys will readily use man made structures for nesting, so the tall cell tower, less that a mile from water was perfect...except this tower didn't have a cover on top. The Osprey pair had apparently built their nest on this tower and what we theorize is that during one of the severe thunderstorms the nest with both of the birds on it were blown down into the tower.

The second scenario is that the nest was blown away and the pair ducked into the hollow tower for safety. Whatever happened, the birds somehow ended at the bottom, luckily without having broken any limbs (wings or legs). Jeremy just happened to spot one of the birds poking its head out of the bottom opening. I had brought a small dip net with me and despite trying for a number of minutes to net the birds, I could quite get the proper angle for extraction. I moved to the next opening which had a small platform. This allowed me to reach down with the net to engage first the male and then, the stronger female. I got both of the birds to grab the net and after several tries, I was able to entangle their feet and talons. I removed the male first and handed him to Jeremy, who got a crash course in Osprey wrangling. I went down to my van and got the medium sized sky kennel I was expecting to use to haul kestrels or Peregrines. After we placed the fairly weak male in the kennel, I then extracted his mate. She was a little more difficult to snag, but after several minutes, I was able to snag her feet. I didn't have a kennel for her.

Both birds were thin, the male more so that the female, so I contacted local wildlife rehabilitator, Alix Parks, to see if she could help me. She was more that willing and we arranged a meeting place. Jeremy loaded the kennel in the van and I drove for about fifteen minutes holding the female. Upon meeting Alix, she immediately gave the female and then the male some fluids. We estimated that they had gone for 13 days without food or water. She loaded them into larger kennels and took them to her facility for more intensive care. Both of the birds were forced fed fish (Osprey are notorious for not eating well in captivity) and were given access to water. The female responded more quickly than the male. Unfortunately, the male died two days later. The female, however, started eating the fresh local fish that Alix offered and quickly rebounded. Dale and I went and looked at her on Monday and we all agreed that she was ready to go. Jeremy was contacted to see if he were available for a Tuesday morning release. He was. So we met this morning at an unnamed park on the shores of Chickamauga Lake. This park had a direct view of the cell tower in which the bird was discovered. With Jeremy's family in attendance, Alix extracted the Osprey from the carrier. I checked a band that had been placed on her leg and made a readjustment. The bird was then handed to Jeremy and after a few pictures, was tossed toward the lake. She took off fairly well and at first started heading for the highway. She then veered back over the lake and flew right over the water for nearly one-half mile. She landed in a tree on the opposite shore, probably thinking "How did I get here?" This unusual story had a happy ending, a least for the female. The male, unfortunately was too far gone to save. But, one caring man, Jeremy, who could have shrugged off the situation as someone else's problem, followed through until help was found. Also, one great rehabber Alix, went above and beyond to get this bird back in shape for her return to the wild. Thank you both!!!

John

Programs-May 2011

2011-05-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We have several upcoming public programs in May. The first being on Saturday May 7th at Dunbar Cave State Park near Clarksville, Tennessee. This is for their annual Spring Fling http://tn.gov/environment/parks/DunbarCave/docs/spring_fling.pdf We hope the weather is a little bit better than last year since in May 2010 we had some of the worst flooding in the region in years. We have programs at 10:00 a.m and 12:40 CDT. Next, we travel to Alabama for programs on May 14th and 15th. The program on the 14th is in Altoona for Altoona Day . We will have programs at 11:00 a.m. and 1p.m. CDT at the First United Methodist Church Gym. On the 15th, we will be in Pelham at the Alabama Wildlife Rehab Center http://www.awrc.org/ for programs at 11, 1, and 3 CDT. Seating is very limited and reservations are required. Contact the Wildlife Center for reservations. At the end of May, on the 26th, we return to Rock City http://www.seerockcity.com/ to begin our 7th season of Rock City Raptors. We hope to see you at one of these events. Thanks! Dale and John.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/findadest/parks/caprock%20canyons/

Where in the World is Doris?

2011-03-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Our Famous and Fearless Founder and Leader, Doris Mager, is winding down her winter program tour. She traditionally does programs in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Florida from November to early May. So, where will she be in the upcoming month? Here's her schedule where the general public might catch the Legendary "Eagle Lady" in action:

Caprock Canyon State Park, Quitaque, Texas

April 1st-Owl Prowl~7:00 CDT

April 2nd-Bird Program- 10:00 a.m. For more info go to:

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, Texas

April 23rd-Bird Program-10:00 a.m. For more info on Palo Duro SP, go to:

www.tpwd.tx.us/findadest/parks/palo_duro/

To speak to Doris about scheduling a program, give her a call at 828-506-8106.

For more information about S.O.A.R go to http://www.soarsouth.org/

Thanks!

John and Dale

p.s. Be sure to catch us at Rock City http://www.seerockcity.com/ for Earth Days, Friday-Sunday all of April, including April 29th-May 1st

S.O.A.R website finally up and running

2011-03-07T20:41:00.000-08:00

Hey,

We finally got our official website, after six years, up and running. It can be seen at http://www.soarsouth.org/ This blogspot will serve as our Current News site and is linked on soarsouth.org We hope you like it and many thanks to Katie Kasch, our website builder!

Dale and John

Upcoming programs-February-March 2011

2011-02-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

Hello,

We have a few upcoming public programs. The first is on February 27th at Cumberland Mt. State Park www.tn.gov/environment/parks/CumberlandMtn near Crossville, Tennessee. Our program is in the Rec Lodge and starts at 2:00 CST. Come early to get a seat since this one is usually packed. The second program is on March 12th at Wheeler NWR Visitors Center www.fws.gov/wheeler near Decatur, Alabama. Our first show is at 11:00 a.m and the second is at 1:00 p.m. CST. Our next public program is on the weekend of March 19th and 20th in beautiful Wabasha, Minnesota.Wabasha is on the Mississippi River and the area is used as a stopover/refueling station by Bald Eagles returning to their nesting territories in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Southern Canada. We will be doing programs for the National Eagle Center's Soar With the Eagles Weekends series http://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/ . We will have two shows on Saturday the 19th and two on Sunday the 20th. Coming in April, we will be doing programs on weekends for Earth Dayz at Rock City http://www.seerockcity.com/ If you get a chance, come out and see us. Thanks!

Dale and John

706-657-3278

Upcoming programs

2011-01-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy New Year,

We have several programs coming up in the next month. The first is on January 16th at Oak Mountain State Park in Birmingham, Alabama for the Birmingham Audubon Society Nature Series http://birminghamaudubon.org/ We have programs at 1:30 and 3:00 CST. Come early because seating is limited. The following week we heard to Kentucky to do a presentation at Kentucky Dam Village State Park Eagle Weekend http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/kd/ Our program is on January 22, 2011 and starts at 7:00 CST in the Recreation Lodge. On February 5th we conduct our annual program at Reelfoot Lake State Park at 7:00 p.m. CST in the Reelfoot Lake State Park Visitors Center http://tn.gov/environment/parks/ReelfootLake/across from world famous Boyette's Restaurant. The following weekend on February 12th, we will be at Lake Guntersville State Park in Alabama for an Eagles Weekend http://www.alapark.com/LakeGuntersville/Events%20and%20Specials/ Our presentations are at 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. CST. We hope to see you at one of these events and if you wish to book a program either e-mail us at s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com or call 706-657-3278. Thanks!

Dale and John

p.s. One of two eggs removed from the stadium nest in Sarasota, Florida has hatched. The youngster is now nearly two weeks old and is doing fine at the American Eagle Foundation's www.eagles.org facility in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Provided it continues to do well, it will be released at twelve weeks of age. The second egg proved to be infertile.

S.O.A.R participates in Bald Eagle egg relocation

2010-12-16T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hello,

On Tuesday, December 14th, 2010, two Bald Eagle eggs were removed from a nest at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida http://athleticbusiness.com/articles/lexisnexis.aspx?lnarticleid=1323276637&lntopicid=136030023 The American Eagle Foundation (AEF) was contacted to help in the egg recovery and transport back to their Tennessee facility at Dollywood. I was contacted by Al Cerere, President of AEF, to help with the recovery. Dale and I were once employed by AEF and I was, at one time, in charge of the captive breeding program. I was available and went down with the AEF crew on Monday. We arrived at Ed Smith Stadium (Spring training camp for the Baltimore Orioles) at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday and met with the Oriole representatives. A lift was there to carry the nest climber to the nest which was constructed on a light pole tower near right field. The first lift would not allow the climber to get up to the nest, so a second, taller crane was brought in which allowed the climber to access the eggs. The male eagle was on the nest at the time and reluctantly left the nest as the climber approached. The eggs were brought down and placed in the waiting incubators after being weighed and candled to determine if the eggs were developing. Both of the eggs looked good and were transported back to the Eagle Foundations's facility in Pigeon Forge. If all goes well, the eggs should hatch the second or third week in January. It was nice to be able to be a part of the recovery process.

John Stokes

November programs

2010-11-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We have two upcoming public programs. The first is at Cumberland Mt. State Park http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/CumberlandMtn/near Crossville, Tennessee. The program will be on November 14th at 2:00 CST in the Recreation Lodge. Come early because the last two years seating has been very limited due to an overflow crowd.

The second program event will be on November 20th and 21st in Chipley, Florida at the Washington County Expo http://www.wcexpo.org/ We will have two shows on Saturday and Sunday. We hope to see you at one of these programs. Thanks!

Dale and John

706-657-3278

Upcoming presentations

2010-09-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We have two upcoming events in Alabama. The first is on October 2nd in Madison. We are doing two birds of prey programs at the Madison Street Festival http://madisonstreetfestival.org/

Our programs are at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. CDT. This is our second year at this event and our programs are sponsored by the Land Trust of Huntsviille and North Alabama.

The following Friday and Saturday, October 8th and 9th. We will be at the Moundville Archaeological Park Native American Festival http://moundville.ua.edu/ Our presentations are at 11:15 and 2:15 CDT.

We are current booking programs for Fall 2010-Spring 2011. If you are interested in a lively and informative presentation, call 706-657-3278 or e-mail us at s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com

We hope to see you at one of our presentations!

Dale and John

The Raptor Experience

2010-09-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Come join us for The Raptor Experience! Have you ever touched an owl? How about have a Red-tailed Hawk stand on your arm (with a leather glove of course). Raptors are some of the most stunning and majestic creatures in nature. The Raptor Experience gives you a very rare opportunity to interact with these incredible creatures up close and personable. John and I will give you and your friends a chance to hold, touch, and fly eight different species of Birds of Prey. From owls, hawks, a falcon, and a very fun and intellegent Black Vulture. Even more exciting, you will learn all about these master hunters and how we train them using falconry techniques. The Session will last about three hours depending on the size of your group, and this family friendly activity is open to ages from 3 to 100 . Do and learn something new, and most of all have tons of fun and get totally wowed by The Raptor Experience!!

This session is only $ 35.oo per person and we have special group rates too!

Call us today to make your appointment and have a hawk fly to you!
706.657.3278/ 423.605.8917

By the way we have gift certificates available

Last week for Rock City Raptors-2010 and upcoming shows

2010-09-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This is our last weekend for our Rock City Raptors Birds of Prey shows http://www.seerockcity.com/ We will be doing shows through Monday September 6th, with show times at 11, 1, 3 and a 4:30 show on Saturday. We also have several programs coming up in September. The first is the Shrimp and Grits Festival http://www.jekyllisland.com/JekyllIslandEvents/JekyllIslandShrimpandGritsFestival.aspx on Jekyll Island, Georgia on September 18th and 19th. The next weekend we will be at the Eagle Fest at the University of Wisconsin's Plattville campus. This is the 13th annual Eagle Fest put on by the Eagle Nature Foundation http://www.eaglenature.com/ The day for this event is September 25th. The next day, we will be at Tims Ford State Park http://tn.gov/environment/parks/TimsFord/near Winchester, Tennessee with our program at the Visitor's Center at 3:30 p.m. CDT We are also booking programs for Fall/Winter 2010/2011. Please call 706-657-3278 or e-mail s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com Thanks!

Dale and John

Peregrines released

2010-08-05T04:45:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Sorry for the late post! The Peregrine Falcons, Ted and Zenith, were released early Monday morning, August 2nd. The door to the release box was opened before dawn to allow the birds a stress free departure. Zenith left first at around 6:30 a.m. He made a circular flight over the area and landed in a tree behind Lover's Leap. He stayed there for most of the day. Ted was a little more cautious and ventured first onto the release door/platform and eventually hopped down to the rock cliff just below the box. He played around for a while and finally made his first flight at 10:30. He also made a cautious circular flight and landed in a tree not too far from the release site. He moved a little throughout the day, but stayed within a half mile of the box. They were fitted with leg bands and radio transmitters before release and we have been able to keep track of their movements. Both birds are still in the area. Ted is still near the hack site, perhaps on a very Peregrine-looking set of cliffs within a 1/4 from the box. Zenith has been spending much of his time on the Lookout Valley side of Lookout Mountain near Covenant College. We have been leaving food at the hack box in case they are not successful in the hunt. We hope they will both spend more time in the area before leaving and will survive to set up nesting territories in the area in a few years. We wish them well and thank Rock City for their support in this project.

Dale and John

Little Joe still AWOL

2010-07-29T04:42:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Our Broad-winged Hawk, Little Joe, is still roaming the Huntsville, Alabama area near Three Caves at the Base of Monte Sano Mountain. Originally lost five weeks ago, he was spotted last week in the neighborhood around Cleermont, Fagan Springs, Waller, Watt and Desoto Roads. He was also seen near the Maple Hill Cemetery on July 26th. Little Joe was lost during our June 23rd presentation for the Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama http://landtrust-hsv.org/ . He was harassed by the local bird population for the rest of the day and was too spooked to fly down to us. I (John) returned the next day and located him where he had roosted. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays and Robins were still after him and after two hours, I lost sight of him. He is wearing his leather jesse straps, an ID tag, and a bell, but not a transmitter, which would have helped us find him. The local Huntsville media has been great at helping us spread the word. After several weeks of sporadic sighting, several residents of the neighborhood saw him and Hallie Davenport of the Land Trust got within 5-10 feet of him. I went to Huntsville after our last show on Saturday and searched the area until dark. After a search all day Sunday (Dale joined me in the afternoon) revealed nothing, we had to abandon our efforts at dark. He is still in the vicinity and we hope to be able to get close enough to entice him with a savory rat or mouse. If you see Little Joe, call us at 423-605-8908 or 423-605-8917. Thanks to everyone who has helped us so far!

John (and Dale)

p.s. special thanks to Falconer Curt Cearley who has been running down all the possible sightings!

Peregrine Release Delayed

2010-07-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hello,

The Peregrine Falcon released scheduled for today has been postponed until 8/2/10 due to the fact that the smaller Peregrine, Ted, has lagged behind in development compared to his brother, Zenith. They will both be fitted with transmitters and leg bands on Sunday afternoon, 8/1/10 and will be liberated early Monday morning.

Dale and John

Peregrines arrive at Rock City

2010-07-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Today, we received two male Anatum Peregrine Falcons from falcon breeder Andy Kramer of Minnesota. Two years ago, we got the male Peregrine "Rocky" from Andy and now we have the latest two. The birds are 30 days old and will be held in a "hack" box for two full weeks. The birds will be fed without human contact and will continue their growth and development. At 40-45 days of age, the young falcons will be fully grown. After two weeks, the birds will be fitted with Federal leg bands and radio transmitters so we can track their movements after release. On the morning of July 28th, the front door of the box will be opened before dawn and the birds will be able to liberate themselves at their leisure. This year's release is about two weeks earlier than our last two, so we are hopeful that the birds will stay in the area longer. It is our hope that these birds will return to the Lookout Mountain area to nest. So far, we have released three Peregrines: Garnet and Frieda in 2006 and Rocky in 2008. This year's project is fully funded by Rock City and we are most thankful to them for the support! Stay tuned for more news...

Dale and John

2010-06-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We are now at Rock City for the Summer doing our sixth season of the Rock City Raptors Birds of Prey Shows http://www.seerockcity.com/pages/Rock-City-Raptors/ We are at the "Rock" Thursday-Sunday through Labor Day and our show times are at 11, 1, and 3 p.m. EDT with an additional 4:30 show on Saturday( in July, we will be doing presentations July 1st-11th). We finally have Theo, the Barn Owl, free flying in our shows. So, if you get a chance, come on up to the cooler side of Lookout Mountain and catch Theo and the other birds. Also, we are currently booking programs for Fall/Winter 2010-11. If you want to schedule a program call 706-657-3278 or e-mail at s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com Thanks!

Dale and John

Upcoming Programs-May 2010

2010-04-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We have several upcoming public programs in May. The first stop is at Dunbar Cave State Park, Clarksville, Tennessee http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/DunbarCave/ for their annual Spring Fling. The date is May 1st and we have programs at 10:00 and 12:40 CDT. The next day, we are at Russell Cave National Monument http://www.nps.gov/ruca/index.htm near Stevenson, Alabama. Our program is part of the Native American Festival and will be conducted at 1:00 CDT. The next weekend on May 8th, we will be in Altoona, Alabama for Altoona Days with two programs, the first at 11:45 CDT and the second at 2:45. The programs will be at the Altoona First United Methodist Church on 6th Avenue next to the Exchange Bank. Just look for the gym and that's where we will be. This program is sponsored in part by Wild South www.wildsouth.org . At the end of the month, Memorial Day Weekend, we return to Rock City for our sixth season of Rock City Raptors http://www.seerockcity.com/pages/Rock-City-Raptors/ Come and see us at one of these events. Thanks!

Dale and John

706-657-3278

p.s. photos by Debbie Boen, Friends of Dunbar Cave

Bonnie the Peregrine and Earth Dayz

2010-03-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

We recently acquired a new bird. Her name is Bonnie and she is a Peregrine Falcon. She is of the anatum subspecies, which is the Peregrine that has been historically found in the continental U.S. This Peregrine subspecies was greatly impacted by DDT pesticide and by the early 1970's was nearly extirpated from the Lower 48 states. The Peregrine Fund http://www.peregrinefund.org/ was started by Dr. Tom Cade of Cornell University and several other falconers who decided to try to save the Anatum Peregrine Falcon through a captive breeding and release program. It has been a huge success and the Peregrine is now nesting again at many locations across the U.S. This species has been part of a small release program we have had a Rock City. Peregrines have nested in the Chattanooga area, but about three years ago, the male of the breeding pair was found injured and ultimately died. We hope to aid in the re-establishment of Peregrines in this area by releasing more of these speedy predators. This is one of the reasons we acquired Bonnie. She was donated to us by a Falconer named Christopher Lynn. He had her as a breeding bird and last year, she laid four eggs. Unfortunately, they were not fertile and not too long after this, someone broke into Chris' facility and released Bonnie's mate. Bonnie came from the Peregrine Fund which removed her out of a wild nest as a youngster. Nest site observers noticed that she seemed to have a problem with her left eye. Someone was sent to check her in the nest and sure enough, she had trauma to her eye and was removed. Her chances for her wild survival were very slim, since she would have been handicapped in her hunting ability. We will, at first, use Bonnie in our upcoming shows at Rock City. Hopefully, by the end of the summer, we will be able to find a mate for her and get them into a breeding situation. Stayed tuned...

On Friday, April 2nd, we will be at Rock City for their Second Annual Earth Dayz event http://www.seerockcity.com/pages/EarthDayz/ We will conduct our shows every weekend in April. To quote Kim Jackson, Rock City's Special Events Coordinator: "Earth Dayz (Fridays-Sundays in April, excluding 4/30)) will be a value add event for our Spring break guests that will include the Birds of Prey show at Critter Classroom (11am, 1pm & 3pm) , an artist-in-residence interactive sculpture experience outside the Pavilion and a hands-on recycling/planting activity at the Lovers Leap stage (11am-4pm). In addition to these free activities, the following activities will be available during the event (for an additional charge): RockQuest Adventure package, climbing wall, and panning for gems." Come on up and join us in April.

A quick note, we had a great time in Wabasha, Minnesota at the National Eagle Center's Soar with the Eagles Weekend http://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/ The folks had us doing programs in a school gymnasium (as opposed to an outdoor tent), the weather was nice, with temps on Sunday reaching 50 degrees (as opposed to -10 degrees two years ago). We had great attendance for our four presentations and the people at the NEC were wonderful. We hope they'll invite us back (hint, hint) for this event in the future. If you are in SE Minnesota, check out the Eagle Center and stop by Slippery's Bar, where part of the movie, Grumpy Old Men, was filmed.

We still have a few slots open for programs this spring (not too many). If you wish to schedule a program this Spring or for the Fall/Winter 2010-11 please call us at 706-657-3278 or e-mail us at s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com Thanks!

Dale and John

Programs-March & April 2010

2010-02-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

Hello,

We have two upcoming public programs in March. We first travel to the frosty North and will be in Wabasha, Minnesota at the National Eagle Center's Soar With The Eagles Weekend http://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/ on March 6th and 7th. Our shows this year will be INSIDE! In 2008, we were in an outdoor tent, which would have been fine, except the heaters did not arrive as scheduled. It was -3 degrees outside and 5 degrees in the tent. We did a program for about 450 school children...coldest we've ever been doing a show. The birds did well, however. This year, we will be at the St. Felix school gymnasium, heat and all with programs on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Central Time and on Sunday at 12 and 2 p.m. Next, we travel south and warm up a bit for a program at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge http://www.fws.gov/wheeler/ near Decatur, Alabama. The program will be on March 13th at 2:00 Central Time at the Visitors Center. We will be at Rock City in April for the Second Annual Earth Dayz http://www.seerockcity.com/pages/EarthDayz/ We will have shows on weekends, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11, 1, and 3 p.m. EST . We hope to see you at one of these presentations! If you want to book a program for March-May this year, we still have some dates open (except weekend in April). Give us a call at 706-657-3278 or e-mail s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com Thanks!

Dale and John

photo: Dale and Atsa Yazhi in balmy , Minnesota, Wabasha in March 2008

2010-01-29T18:06:00.000-08:00

I have finally posted a video of the shows in August. I combined videos of both shows for a 5.5 minute highlight video. We hope that you enjoy it, and have a great 2010 ! John and Dale

Programs in the New Year

2009-11-30T06:41:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

We have a few public programs early in the new year, 2010. The first is at Dale Hollow State Resort Park http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/dh/on January 16th at 7:00 CST in the Lodge. This is for their Eagles Weekend. Next we go south to Montgomery, Alabama for the Greater Montgomery Home and Garden Show http://www.showtechnology.com/shows/Montgomery/Montgomery.html We have one show on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CST and one on Sunday at 11:15 a.m., the 30th and 31st. We then have two programs on February 6th. The first is at Lake Guntersville State Park http://www.alapark.com/LakeGuntersville/ for their Eagles Weekend. The program is at 1 p.m. CST in the Lodge. After this we pack up and head north for an evening program at KenLake State Park http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/kl/ with the show starting at 8 p.m., also in the Lodge (see a trend here?). The next is our annual program at Reelfoot Lake State Park http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/ReelfootLake/ on February 13th at 7:00 CST in the R.C. Donaldson Museum. This is across from World Famous Boyette's Restaurant. All of the Eagles Weekends in Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee offer excellent chances to see Bald Eagles in the wild, for the parks have organized eagle tours. If you get a chance, get out and see some eagles and maybe catch one of our shows. Also, we are booking programs for 2010. If you wish to schedule a show, give us a call at 706-657-3278 or e-mail at s.o.a.r.south@hotmail.com

Thanks!

Dale and John Stokes

photos by Tim Junker

p.s. The Dale Hollow show has been cancelled due to the fact the Eagle Weekend has been cancelled. The park couldn't get a barge for the Eagle Tours on the lake. Sorry!

p.s.s We also have a video on YouTube of highlights of our 2009 Rock City Raptors presentation.

To view it, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO6LSdi9bWk

Upcoming programs in s. Georgia and NW Florida

2009-11-19T06:05:00.000-08:00

Hello,

This is a late post, but we have two programs this weekend in southern Georgia and northwest Florida. Our first programs are on Saturday, November 21st at General Coffee State Park near Douglas, Georgia http://gastateparks.org/info/gencoffee/. This is for the Pioneer Harvest Festival. We have two shows at 11:00 and 1:00 p.m. EST. We then travel to Chipley, Florida for the Washington County Outdoor Expo http://www.wcexpo.org/ with programs at 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. EST. This will be on Sunday, November 22nd. We hope to see you at one of these programs. Thanks!

Dale and John Stokes