Banding Chicks

Today was an exciting day! I found a new nest down in the southeast corner of Kaingaroa and Rich decided the chicks were old enough to band, so he sent Shane and me in to collect the chicks. This was the very first time we touched any of the falcons. The chicks are just barely starting to get flight feathers, but mostly they are just big puff-balls. They are a blue-grey color, instead of the brown with yellow flecks of the adults. They get up to 500 grams, which means a little over a pound. We stuffed them in a sack and then retreated a safe distance to process them. We measure the beak, wings, tail, tarsus (leg), and weight. We also put colored and numbered bands on and take a few microliters of blood (ie a few drops) for DNA testing.

The funny thing to me is how cooperative they are. If I put one in my lap, it will just sit there. If I put it in my hat, or on a fleece, it just sits there and watches. You can hold one and it won't struggle -- that is until you start prodding it for measurements. If they are afraid, they like to grab on with their talons. It is definitely is a pinch, and it can leave a small mark, but they can't break the skin. The other funny things about the little ones is that they have eye-lashes. It makes them look a lot less formidable. Overall, it was really great to get close to the falcons and to get to know them. Let's hope there are lots more!