Found a peregrine in NC!

[FredFogg]

Ok, you know you are a little addicted to raptors when you get a call the evening before about a raptor in someones back yard and you leave work at 7 a.m., drive home, load up your car and drive 45 minutes to look for said bird when you just worked all night and have a phone interview at 4 p.m.!

So I drive to this ladies house and she tells me about this bird killing a crow in her back yard the day before and it had things hanging from its legs and looked like it was limping and they called some folks and they said to put a box over it and she said it flew off when they tried to put the box over it but was staying in the dead tree in the middle of her field. She said about 20 minutes before I got there the bird was mobbed by crows and flew off. She had put the half eaten crow in the barrel and I picked it out and attached it to my lure and started blowing the whistle and swinging the lure. Nothing for 20 minutes. I asked her what was that property I saw coming down the road with the fence all the way around and wide open and she said it was a rock quarry and said I could get in there as there was an office about 2 miles down the road with an opening.

So I drive down to the rock quarry office and go inside and explain that I am trying to locate a lost falconry bird and could I go over near the edge of the rock quarry and try and call the bird in and they said yes. Well, I go out and I swing the lure for about 5 minutes and am about to give up when I look all the way across the quarry and I see that familiar wing beat of what can only be a falcon. Here she comes all the way across the quarry. She makes a pass at the lure and the turns and comes down on it. I walk over and she is leaning back so I step on one of her jesses just in case and reach down and pick her up. She isn't too happy but lets me hood her and I bring her home and she ate 2 chicks off the fist and is now on the block perch on the table perch in my computer room.

So if anyone lost an adult captive bred peregrine falcon, let me know. I will contact Atlanta and see if they can look up the band number. I am off to bed as I have to get up at 3:45 for a phone interview, so don't even try and call me. LOL

A couple pics of the pretty girl.

On the fist all hooded.



In the giant hood for the drive home.



At home on her block perch, for now! LOL

[ice]

Fred
I often get calls to pick up birds of prey and when I get there it's always something else. But last year on my birthday I got a call that a guy had a falcon and wondered if I would pick it up, all the way there my kids were (laughing) wondering what it was really going to be.
When I got there and opened the box there sat a beautiful female Saker with 2 transmiters and a reward tag. I called the number and it turned out to be a friend of mine that flys a landfill about 60miles away.
I guess the bird had been lost for a week and they even took up a plane to locate it but lost the signal.
Sure is nice when you can recover a bird for a fellow falconer.

[Ken S.]

That's awesome, great work Fred!

[Dennis Samnee]

Fred , Thats awesome!Can't wait to hear who's it is and how far it was from where it was lost!!!!
Keep us posted.
Dennis Samnee

[FredFogg]

Still no word! I posted in the Lost and Found on the NAFA website, emailed and called Atlanta and posted on here but have yet to hear from anyone. I wonder what the procedure is if no one claims her. Since she isn't a passage bird, I would think I would get to keep her!

[Dirthawking]

Mine!

[christopher.vly]

Good Job Fred! I hope everything works out. The lady said the bird was limping, right? How does she look overall? Was she sharp?

[FredFogg]

Good Job Fred! I hope everything works out. The lady said the bird was limping, right? How does she look overall? Was she sharp?

Looks fine, I think she just saw the bird walking across the ground and you know how funny falcons look when walking. She killed the crow and ate half of it before they disturbed her so she was catching stuff. She seems in good health. She wasn't too fond of me trying to feel her keel so I haven't pushed that. I fed her 4 chicks today, 2 this morning when I got her home and 2 right before I left for work at 6 p.m. and she wolfed them down on the fist.

[PeteJ]

Maybe there is a serial number on the transmitter...might be easier to track that than deal with the data base of the feds. Business is ALWAYS more efficient.

[FredFogg]

Maybe there is a serial number on the transmitter...might be easier to track that than deal with the data base of the feds. Business is ALWAYS more efficient.

It looks to be a Merlin transmitter which was cable tied to the grommet, not sure which model as I don't know much about Merlin products and I didn't take off the tape holding the battery in so I really didn't look for any serial number yet. I will check it out in the morning when I get home.

[weathervaneman]

Some one is going to be happy.

[wesleyc6]

Sometimes Ed will have a small band on it with a phone number on it and if you change the mounting method it could be covered with the heat shrink or tape.

[FredFogg]

Sometimes Ed will have a small band on it with a phone number on it and if you change the mounting method it could be covered with the heat shrink or tape.

Thanks Wes, I will check for that!

Still no inquiries! Makes you wonder how many folks out there aren't on NAFEX and don't know someone else who is on NAFEX and who don't check the Lost and Found on the NAFA website (don't have to be a NAFA member to look at or use the Lost and Found on the NAFA website).

I know if it were my bird, I would be looking everywhere for any information on my lost bird!

[Lowachi]

Thanks Wes, I will check for that!

Still no inquiries! Makes you wonder how many folks out there aren't on NAFEX and don't know someone else who is on NAFEX and who don't check the Lost and Found on the NAFA website (don't have to be a NAFA member to look at or use the Lost and Found on the NAFA website).

I know if it were my bird, I would be looking everywhere for any information on my lost bird!

nothing on R-nest either..

[PHILADELPHIA CITY HAWKER]

It seems soo simple to me , that the Feds keep record of the issued bands. If you want give me the band number, I want to see how difficult it is to track down the breeder and the owner.

I suspect this is a NE Bird and Altanta would not have record.

[FredFogg]

It seems soo simple to me , that the Feds keep record of the issued bands. If you want give me the band number, I want to see how difficult it is to track down the breeder and the owner.

I suspect this is a NE Bird and Altanta would not have record.

Atlanta is going to check with the other regions.

[Saluqi]

Nice recovery! Good luck finding (or not) the owner Fred. Can you tell from the condition of her gear if it looked like she was on her own for a long period?

As far as the feds tracking the band number, if this bird is either older than the date that her home state implemented the new regs, or she comes from a state that's not on the new regs, then the feds may not be able find her band number. I'm pretty sure it's only under the new 3-186a centralized system that there exists a database with band number information.

[SadieHawk]

Thanks Wes, I will check for that!

Still no inquiries! Makes you wonder how many folks out there aren't on NAFEX and don't know someone else who is on NAFEX and who don't check the Lost and Found on the NAFA website (don't have to be a NAFA member to look at or use the Lost and Found on the NAFA website).

I know if it were my bird, I would be looking everywhere for any information on my lost bird!

This could be a zoo or flight show bird. If it is from a zoo, they are exempt from permits and your region would not have a band number on file.

Maybe Kitty can post this lost bird on www.IAATE.org many flight show people are on there. I did not renew my membership otherwise I would. Also

[Tanner]

Using the search feature on raptor's nest and assuming that the bird was lost in the east, the lost peregrine reports for the last few years are:

mike dupuy PA 2010
Rick Woods Ia 2010
Chris Lynn SC, 2010
bob leonard Pa 2008

[FredFogg]

Using the search feature on raptor's nest and assuming that the bird was lost in the east, the lost peregrine reports for the last few years are:

mike dupuy PA 2010
Rick Woods Ia 2010
Chris Lynn SC, 2010
bob leonard Pa 2008

Who is the Chris Lynn guy? LOL

Quite frankly, I have offered to create a database and an online lookup feature for the Feds if they would supply me with the data to enter but I never got a response back. Go figure!

[Tanner]

Who is the Chris Lynn guy? LOL

Well, he hasn't looked at this thread yet. And that would be good for you, because I bet he wouldn't care for her back..just sayin!

[FredFogg]

Nice recovery! Good luck finding (or not) the owner Fred. Can you tell from the condition of her gear if it looked like she was on her own for a long period?

As far as the feds tracking the band number, if this bird is either older than the date that her home state implemented the new regs, or she comes from a state that's not on the new regs, then the feds may not be able find her band number. I'm pretty sure it's only under the new 3-186a centralized system that there exists a database with band number information.

Paul, she looks to be in really good shape. All feathers in perfect shape, anklets in decent shape, she had mews jesses on and one jess was broke and the other wasn't, which makes me think she was either attached to the fist by one jess and broke loose or some idiot had her leashed up with only one jess. But I may be jumping to conclusions and there might be a reasonable explanation how a bird got loose with one broken mews jess and not the other so I am not going to throw stones, yet! Oh yeah, she had a Merlin transmitter on her, the small one that holds 2 small batteries, not sure of the model number. I took off the black electrical tape that was around the batteries to see if there was a serial number or any other markings and there wasn't. I don't think she has been loose for long or she would have pulled the jesses out or they would have rotted off.

To be honest, she looks pretty darn good on my block so if no one claims her, it wouldn't kill me! LOL

Picture of her jesses (which look too long to me, 11 inches) and transmitter.



I think she likes it here!

[Tom Scheib]

Way to go Fred.

[PHILADELPHIA CITY HAWKER]

As far as the feds tracking the band number, if this bird is either older than the date that her home state implemented the new regs, or she comes from a state that's not on the new regs, then the feds may not be able find her band number. I'm pretty sure it's only under the new 3-186a centralized system that there exists a database with band number information.

I'm not familiar with the paperwork for breeders, are they required to send in a separate report of birds bred and band numbers used ? Is there a separate reporting requirement other than filling out a 3-186-A when they sell the bird ? Are breeders issued a sequence of bands ?

I would like to see if there really is a black hole of missing information making it impossible to track the owner and breeder.

[PHILADELPHIA CITY HAWKER]

Fred what is odd about the picture is that those are not field jesses yet there is a transmitter. Perhaps lost between the field and the mews. Someone that hawked crows with a peregrine in the Northeast. Eleven (11) inch jesses - stretched and not recently replaced. Any more clues ?

[Tanner]

It's not Chris Lynn's

[FredFogg]

I'm not familiar with the paperwork for breeders, are they required to send in a separate report of birds bred and band numbers used ? Is there a separate reporting requirement other than filling out a 3-186-A when they sell the bird ? Are breeders issued a sequence of bands ?

I would like to see if there really is a black hole of missing information making it impossible to track the owner and breeder.

Breeders are issued a sequence of numbered bands and there is a report that they send with the bands for us to keep in our records. We are not required to submit anything about which band we put on which bird until we actually transfer the bird to someone else and that is by the 3-186A.

Funny story about bands or at least, I think so. When my first HH chick was 7 days old and she looked to be on the large side I figured I better go ahead and band her. Well, I keep all the bands in a zip lock bag in one of the cubby holes on my computer desk. I go to look for the bands so I can band her and they are gone. When my house was robbed, they stole my computer and they must have seen the bag of bands and thought they were gold rings or something and took them. I had to call down to Atlanta and have them send me more bands asap as I needed to get this chick banded before she got too big. They were very nice and sent me some the next day. It was a tight squeeze but I was able to get a RW band on her, so I do think she is going to be a big girl. I went ahead and banded the smaller chick with a RV band since it looked to be a male and mom and dad kept pulling it off and I would find it in the bottom of the nest and I had to keep putting it on him each day until they finally stopped.

[FredFogg]

Fred what is odd about the picture is that those are not field jesses yet there is a transmitter. Perhaps lost between the field and the mews. Someone that hawked crows with a peregrine in the Northeast. Eleven (11) inch jesses - stretched and not recently replaced. Any more clues ?

I don't know about anyone else but if I am perching a bird out on an open block, I put the transmitter on just in case. Maybe that is what happened. Or as you said, perhaps lost between the field and the mews. It had killed a crow so it knows how to hunt crows apparently. I imagine we all can and will speculate and will eventually know the answer or maybe not. I do know that if and when someone claims it, if they don't want me to spill the beans on what happened, I will respect their privacy. I know I would expect the same from a fellow falconer.

Off to bed, I will check my emails and this thread when I wake up.

[PHILADELPHIA CITY HAWKER]

Fred, I was just looking at your original picture. The falcon did not have bells. An educated falconer, who flies in the evening. Most don't fly with bells anymore due to possible overnights. A few fellow Duck Hawkers are on notice.

If you provide the band number we can resolve this quickly.

[NCFalconer]

Mine, mine, mine! I'll come get her this afternoon!!

Just kidding, Fred.

Nice job catching her! The owner is going to be really happy!

Why don't we just start our own database if the Feds won't cooperate?
"We" being the interested falconers on NAFEX. I'll help you.

[PHILADELPHIA CITY HAWKER]

Fred its hard enough to get information from the Feds let alone you providing me with the band number.

[Dirthawking]

Hey Jeff. Fred works overnights. Chill. He is probably asleep.

[Lowachi]

Paul, she looks to be in really good shape. All feathers in perfect shape, anklets in decent shape, she had mews jesses on and one jess was broke and the other wasn't, which makes me think she was either attached to the fist by one jess and broke loose or some idiot had her leashed up with only one jess. But I may be jumping to conclusions and there might be a reasonable explanation how a bird got loose with one broken mews jess and not the other so I am not going to throw stones, yet! Oh yeah, she had a Merlin transmitter on her, the small one that holds 2 small batteries, not sure of the model number. I took off the black electrical tape that was around the batteries to see if there was a serial number or any other markings and there wasn't. I don't think she has been loose for long or she would have pulled the jesses out or they would have rotted off.

To be honest, she looks pretty darn good on my block so if no one claims her, it wouldn't kill me! LOL

trans battery dead I take? was there a #? Might have to remove heat shrink

Picture of her jesses (which look too long to me, 11 inches) and transmitter.



I think she likes it here!

batteries dead? was there a number? might have to remove heat shrink,

[PHILADELPHIA CITY HAWKER]

Hey Jeff. Fred works overnights. Chill. He is probably asleep.

I must have just missed him, he posted at 10:15 am I posted just before and after. He will probably respond tomorrow. I'll hang till then and put the word out.

[PeteJ]

We discussed that earlier Rich. He's going to do it later.