Wednesday, August 05, 2015

Summer Lull

There hasn't been much to report in the off-season.  Spark and Durand continue to occasionally visit the nest ledge.  This morning they actually spent a few minutes bonding in the nest box.  Nice that a fan posted a video to You Tube so those suffering from "falcon withdrawal" can see it if they missed it!
The last time a juvenile was seen via the cams was July 16, but thanks to Mike Horn, we do have a confirmed sighting of Bolt (with Durand) at the LeVeque Tower from 7/21/15:
The young should be independent of the adults by now, fully capable of hunting on their own.  If they haven't already, they will soon be departing the Columbus area for parts unknown to hopefully survive and establish a territory of their own elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Flash remains in a wildlife rehabilitation center due to compromised feathers.  The logical course of action is to hold her until after she molts in 2016.  The hope is the new feathers that come in next year will be OK and allow for sustained flight so she can be released back into the wild.  
Next on the list is off-season maintenance of the nest box (new gravel and paint) scheduled for late summer/early fall.  More news at that time unless something notable occurs in the meantime!