Flash Flight

The bottom line:  Flash was captured at the Ohio Statehouse grounds this morning and is now at a wildlife rehabilitation clinic for evaluation.  We wanted to err on the side of caution and have her checked out due to her flights resulting in subsequent lower elevations.  In addition, once I had her in hand, besides the tender foot that we knew about already, there was also a scuff on her cere so she evidently hit something at some point during an early flight.   If a grounded fledgling seems strong and capable with no apparent injuries, we often return them to the ledge but in this case I thought a thorough exam would be the better option.

Now, to go back and fill in the blanks since Tuesday:  Flash remained on the 5th floor ledge of the Rhodes Tower until this morning.  Many, many thanks to the extra eyes keeping tabs on her all week, but I especially want to give a shout out to Ron M., who gave me multiple reports daily and was able to confirm that she was getting fed by the adults during her stay on that ledge.  So evidently she must have figured it was time to try again and this morning, she ended up in a flowerbed at the Statehouse, directly across the street from where she had spent the last few days.  Another shout out to Mary, veteran Falcon Fan, and Tamra, the Grounds Manager at the Ohio Statehouse.  Tamra followed my "falcon emergency protocol" that I distribute to major buildings/law enforcement in the area prior to fledge to a T and I was made aware of the situation within minutes.  These two, and a few other grounds crewmen were my backup to surrounded Flash so I could net her.  After a quick look, I transported her to the wildlife rehabilitation center.  

Unfortunately, no news on Bolt or Storm so we assume they are well on their way to learning how to be independent peregrines.  With the "empty nest" and the assumption that the remaining two fledglings are okay, regular updates will now taper off except for significant news such as updates on Flash and/or if we get a confirmation on Storm.   

A HUGE Thank You to those mentioned and to all the others behind the scenes that have called and/or emailed and/or watched from the sidewalk to help keep track of Flash and all of the fledglings, as well as all the fans watching from home, work and school. The amount of interest and support in the Columbus Falcon Project is impressive year after year!