Falcons and Nighthawks and Rescues... oh my

I received this email this morning about the rescued PEREGRINE FALCON from earlier this week. I've just learned that this bird is named "Bubbles." She was born, hatched and raised in Richmond, VA this summer. Here is the email:

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Dan,

VA biologists took 2 just banded falcons away from Mom and Dad and sent them to the VA/KY border. We had watched them since they were young. First pages below... and with slides of the one you rescued in MD.

We are sooooooo happy you got involved. We are calling the rescued one Bubbles as she was the baby. We think she was flying back to Mom and Dad as she came so close to Richmond, VA, where the scrape is. You will see too many photos when we tried to convince the VA biologists to remove the cage so parents and the other two would return.

FORUM LINK

Some of the girls get carried away with their postings but truly we were heartbroken when they removed the 2 falcons -- one of which you just saved from death!

Here at the beginning is my capture slides of Bubbles Dad returning to the scrape after the cage was removed. I watch every day...

FORUM LINK

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for rescuing one of our babies we have not seen since July 2007.

Joanne in CT.

PS: I'm including a slide taken in July 2007 of the 4 chicks still together in Richmond on the twin towers...one of the 2 smallest you saved her life!!!

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Here is an official link: Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries

In other news, I returned Saturday at daybreak to look for the possibly injured COMMON NIGHTHAWK. More good news... the bird was no where to be found. I sent some photos to my friend Andy. He believes that the bird is a 2nd year male.

I will presume the best.

I rather enjoy saving birds. It feels good to help.

Good birding,

Dan