2 males, 2 females

Banding went very well and so far the feedback has been excellent. We are really glad to have been able to share the experience with the world via the Internet. I hope to post some pictures later in the week.

It was determined that there are 2 male and 2 female nestlings this year. The bands/names are:

black over green band (b/g) S47 Justice (female)
b/g S73 Mistic (female)
b/g C65 Columbus (male)
b/g C66 Boomer (male)

Again, everything went well. Scout and Orville were very protective as we expected. Both took to the wing and swooped at us but the umbrella worked well to keep them at bay. Handling the chicks I could really tell 2 males and 2 females just from their physical size (the females were quite "hefty!"). Overall, at this age the chicks have sharp talons but don't really know how to use them. The exception was with the last female that was put back in the nestbox-when I reached into the box to pick her up, she went flat on her back and started grabbing air with her feet--she definitely had an idea of how to use her "equipment!" I had to watch where I put my hands so she wouldn't latch on. Hope everyone enjoyed the show.