Chicks to fly soon...

Everyone is watching and ready to "pick up chicks" if necessary.

Our four "little" wonders are due to fledge out soon and there is concern about them landing in and around the monument circle and the street below.

I really don't know what I will do when they are gone. (sigh)

Check the links below for updated information and the "live-time" camera shots.

Falcon Chicks: Yesterday Was Banding Day!

Check out this video (with sound!): Falcon Chick Banding Video. The Department of Natural Resources came out to check and band the four falcon chicks that are presently nested over Monument Circle. It was determined that we have two males and two females.

All the bands we refer to are the black over green bands on the left leg of each chick. The names selected for each of the birds were determined as follows:

Kinney band is W over 53 (male) – submitted by Debbie Garcia from Indianapolis, IN. We felt there was no better way to honor the patriarch of the Indianapolis baby peregrines over the last 13 years – and on his way to becoming the most productive tiercel in the Midwest - than naming one after him. As Debbie said in her submission “…should be named after his dad…because his dad has done such a fine job being the ‘proud’ dad from the beginning when he had his turn sitting on the eggs. I will never forget the night he put the eggs in a row to lay on them. Kinney is ‘super dad’.” We couldn’t agree more Debbie – if there was such a thing as agreeing 500%, then I’m there. We will call him Junior during the fledging season in order to differentiate between him and his dad when calling out a name, but for the record books, he will be documented as Kinney. Now, if he turns out to be half the falcon his dad is…wow!

Poston band is W over 54 (male) – submitted by the entire Poston Road Elementary School, Principal Betty Maxwell, Martinsville, IN. The Poston Road Tigers caught falcon fever the day the first chick hatched because they were enthusiastically celebrating an Arbor Day celebration when word came baby number 1 had arrived. As their entry stated, “…the school, the staff and the entire community feel that Poston is very special and will soon soar high just as we aspire and inspire our students to do….Our entire school has embraced the Peregrine Falcons”. You inspire us with your passion you Poston Road Tigers and I hope falcon Poston continues to inspire you and falconheads of every age, everywhere!

Lieber band is R over 10 (female) – submitted by Alison Brown, Ansfelden, Austria and Carmel IN. This name has a two-fold meaning. Lieber means “beloved” in German – well, doesn’t that sum it up for many of us and how we feel about these birds? Lieber also happens to be the name of Colonel Richard Lieber and as Alison documented about him “…was crucial to the development of the Indiana State Park system and a pioneer in the protection of wildlife in our state.” Everyone, particularly Hoosiers, should be proud and thankful for the work of Colonel Lieber – if you have time, google his name and read a very impressive record of his life and the impact on natural resources conservation he had nationally and locally. We’ve come a long way in protecting the wildlife and lands that surround us humans thanks to pioneers like Colonel Lieber and honestly, what could be more wild and beloved than one of our baby falcons?

Hokie band is R over 11 (female) (my apologies for the original misspelling of the name - it was in no way intentional - thanks and sorry but thanks to everyone for noticing) – submitted by Gayle Doucey, Greenwood, IN. As Gayle so succinctly and eloquently put it: “In the memory of Virginia Tech. Let their spirits continue to soar on the wings of a falcon.” The name Hokie has the same first two letters of a word I believe sums up what the world still has, even with all the events we see unfold before us on an everyday basis: hope. So we hope that Hokie will have a long and fruitful falcon life and contribute to the continued recovery of this remarkable species known as the peregrine falcon.

We will continue to watch them over the next couple of weeks to see when they will fly.

Click here to see the live-time Falcon Cam of the nest: Falcon Nest Falcon Nest

Click here to see the live-time Falcon Cam of the ledge overlooking the circle: Falcon LedgeFalcon Ledge

I'll be sorry when they leave and it is over for the season.

Two Days AND ITS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow. Sunday is the day. It still hasn't quite sunk in.

I first went to Indiana University straight out of high school in 1977. During my tme there, I was frustrated in that I could not decide "what I wanted to do when I grew up" and, thus, could not decide upon a major. I decided to seek my fortune one-and-a-half years later and left school. Over the next two decades, I evolved into the occupation of travel consultant and meeting planner - an occupation that wasn't officially acknowledged by the Department of Labor until 1989!

In that time, I also realized that I needed the "paper" to be able to perform at the level for which I was qualified. In 1999, I drew in a deep breath and called Indiana University located in downtown Indianapolis to inquire about their new Bachelor of Science degree program for Tourism, Conventions and Event Management. I spoke with a true angel in the name of Dr. Linda Brothers. She informed me about the development of the program and encouraged me to enroll which I eventually did and I began classes in 2000.

Over the past seven years, I have attended classes on a part-time basis while also working a full-time job. There were many times that I thought I would never reach the end but my beloved Ed and my friends kept cheering me on. Now, in just two days, I will switch the tassel on the floor of the RCA Dome in downtown Indianapolis and accept my Bachelor of Science degree from the Dean of our school.

Lessons learned? (1) Kids, GET THE PAPER! (2) It IS possible!

Can they BE any cuter???

Every day, I check in on the falcon chicks.

I love this photo I captured this morning and wanted to share with you.

Have a wonderful day!

We're Back!!! Where are the palm trees?

What a week last week was!

Ed and I ran away on a four-day cruise to the Bahamas and it was exactly what the doctor ordered.

We visited Nassau, the privately-owned beach of Cocoa Cay Beach (Royal Caribbean), and Key West and South Beach, Florida. We left Monday, the 30th and returned on Saturday, the 5th.
It was perfect.