This morning it was clear and beautiful, as we drove into 1064 to wait for the banders to catch a raptor for telemetry tracking. This was officially, Day 2 of the "Wait". But, with no fog we were optimistic that this would be a good day for the banders to provide a healthy bird for tracking.
Most of the "waiting" trackers headed up to Hawkwatch, to watch the skies. I remained at 1064, listening to the radio. Soon my husband called from Hawk Hill to tell me that they had just seen a juvenile redtail fly into Hawk blind. No word from the banders, though. Soon, I heard the conversation between the banders and my husband, "Yes, they had a juvenile redtail hawk for us". Hooray!!! The "Wait was over."
Brian S. walked over to Hawk blind and picked up the redtail. They brought the redtail down to 1064 so that the transmitter could be applied. Barb applied the transmitter and named the juvenile, male redtail......."Frosty", since it's bib was very white.
We headed to a highpoint within the Marin Headlands for release. Joggers and hikers stopped by. It is easy to be noticed when you are holding a calm, beautiful raptor in your arms and lots of gear in your hands. After a few minutes of PR, explaining who we were, what we were doing, and what kind of bird we were holding, Frosty was released. The banders, from the blind across the valley, were also able to watch as Frosty was released, and then flew to a nearby eucalyptus grove, just as expected. Redtails, love eucalyptus groves, and there are many to choose from in our area of California. By the end of the day, Frosty had taken a short flight north to another eucalyptus grove just west of Hwy 101, above Sausalito.
Tomorrow, I will be heading out into the field to help track Frosty. One of the, experienced banders had a serious family emergency, so I will be taking his place. I don't know when I will be able to return to my computer to update you on the travels of Frosty. I will apologize, in advance, for the late post. Where will Frosty lead us? Stay tuned!
Lynn
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