Growing Like a Weed

Jake the Peregrine on day 32 through 36, outside in a newly remodeled enclosure now. Actually standing on my left hand as I type this. Playpens put away, and vacuuming up downy feathers  all over the house!

"I Lika 'mokey Bear"

I remember that TV ad from 1968, even the year - the little boy says "I lLika 'mokey Bear". Tomorrow, July 27th: Smokey Bear 75th Birthday: At the National Museum of Forest Service History, just one mile west of the Missoula Airport on highway 10. Our best buddy Annie Garde from Pea Green Boat MTPRadio a watermelon eating contest, activities all day. Raptors of the Rockies at 3 pm. What fun!

Today

Artwork and Auberge

Yesterday I had company in the printmaking studio, Jake and Nico, making Peregrine prints.
Today, Sibley and Jake paid a visit to Auberge of Missoula Valley Seniors/Assisted Living. A natural!

Manning Household

We had a great "spoil the falcon" afternoon at Mannings yesterday - Jennifer (who fetched Jake with me last Saturday), Owen and Dale. Dale is the Best Bird Taxidermist in the World, just won that award for the umpteenth time at the world competition, so he was digging it. The Mannings also make up half of ROTR Board of Directors, so sort of an outdoor meeting.

Saturday

Jake 'n Jake

Our friend Jake Snowden turned eight years old yesterday, and we were there to unveil our new Peregrine, Jake, who turned 25 days old.

Peregrine Watch

Up the Blackfoot with Jay Sumner looking for fledgling Peregrines and got one at Land Lindbergh's. On the left is Betsy McDonald and Land's daughter Erin in between rain showers. Jay thinks there may be as many as 800 breeding Peregrine pairs in the state, not bad and up from zero in 1980. Jay would spend a whole season in the field and and not see a single Peregrine, imagine that. Land and I always have lots of laughs and today's humor was the beverage - knowing my penchant for domestic beer in a can, he and Betsy asked at the store in Clearwater Junction, "What is the worst cheap beer out there?" and they decided on a six pack of Natural Light. HA!

Swift Nest

Our new Peregrine hasn't made a peep...until this morning when he heard new hatchlings from a chimney in the office peeping for the first time. A nest of Vaux's Swifts started their begging calls, and now a duet. Feed me/us.

New Peregrine

Our new little boy - Peregrine, 22 days old now from Springhill Falcons, Sibley's sort of cousin. Thanks Jen Manning for the ride to Bozeman and what fun, news on the way.

 

Clouds

Last night, looking across the Bitterroot River.

AND got a new Peregrine baby, thanks Jennifer Manning for driving us to Bozeman! News on the way.

GUTS

The GUTS (Girls Using Their Strengths) annual visit, friends from the Missoula YMCA, and a Spotted Sandpiper on the beach. Lots of visitors lately and need to take a break. I know - I'll go to Bozeman with Jennifer Manning and pick up a baby Peregrine.

Raptor Round-Up #57

Eight pages in Living Color on the web site, thanks Webmaster Steve Palmer. I sure with that InDesign would quit with the "updates" that totally change how you re-size and move images. This took hours longer to write than it should've.
http://www.raptorsoftherockies.org/main.asp?id=newsletter

Thanks, Pat!

Nearly every year the slough/creek behind the house fills, the bridge to the river floats, and we have to pull it out and leave it on the bank for several months. Re-installing is always a trick, usually a bunch of friends helping out with brute strength. However, Pat Johnson has used a very clever pulley system to do it singlehandedly! This year was particularly tough as the bank on the near side had washed out, so Pat built another sturdy platform just downstream. Plus he reinforced the far side and hooked the pickup to the cables, tugged away and perfecto. Back to the beach and Pat is a genius.

Happy 4th!

Our town of Florence has the best fireworks show, and I took this sitting in a lawn chair in our front yard!

Birthday Girl

Nico is one year old!

Baby

Robin on the front porch swing. The second or third batch of chicks from the nest in the eaves this year.