San Jose CH Falcons: Banding day highlights 💍 Filled with spectacles galore 🎢 2024 May 23

[@prb9934]

Awesome work! Thank you for showing us the banding! Great video! ❤

[@leslie-dg4um]

Whew, glad it's over! Nice work, Drs. Glucs, Emmons, volunteers, Cam Ops folks & SK_H. I'm glad all were safe and carried on with their day. All 4 females, wow!

[@ishmyl99]

Once again, fan-tastic editing work, SKH. No small amount of time to accomplish. And w/ur usual narrative flair & wit. A huge thank-you to you! Am incredibly grateful to you & the site's webcam operators for bringing us such a wonderful annual experience yet again. And, of course, out-sized thank-you's to daring duo Dr Zeka Glucs & Gavin Emmons. By all of you, raptor mission accomplished. Woo Hoooo! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@6falconsue]

Dr. Zeka: "Would you like to rappel down to the nest first?" Gavin (staring in horror at the 4 Extra Large chicks below): "After you, I insist!" Zeka rappels to the nest area and soon gets a helmet hit by Hartley. Gavin turns around to leave, fearing for his life and having flashbacks of Soledad x4. Just kiddin' of course. Gavin and Dr. Zeka are the best and downright heroic in my book. Hartley and Monty, having dealt with the unfeathered monsters last year, raised their intimidation strategy and got up close and personal. The 4 floofs were hoping these strange giants had brought them another meal and behaved very nicely. The banding ceremony didn't seem to distress them much at all (well, compared to their righteous older sister). Thanks a Million, SKH, for the compilation of excellent views of all the action and for the informative and hilarious commentary. As does last year's SJ banding video, this one will get many repeat viewings from this devoted fan, starting now! And huge thanks to the Predatory Bird Research Group, the City of San Jose and the devoted SJ Falcon Cam operators.

[@theck672]

🤩 Wow 🤩 These scientists are rock stars❣️❣️❣️❣️

[@lynheideman8487]

Fantastic video. Love all the information you share about the banding process. And, wow, what are the odds of 4 females in a brood of 4. So far it's 5 out of 5 females for Hartley. Hartley's defense of the nest was impressive. Loved her standing on top of her nest warning the featherless predators to keep their distance. It must be terrifying for her and the chicks as their likely only frame of reference is that these featherless monsters want to eat them. I'm hoping they all feel a bit more secure now that they've driven off the beasts--and everyone is fine. Thank you for capturing this milestone (at least for us humans) in their lives.

[@louisebelair2245]

Poor little things they were in shock. Thank you to share it is interesting to see these brave scientists at work.

[@jada2675]

Wow, four little girls!! Soledad can join them and form a ball team of some sort. Hartley and Monty were really protective of their family. Great job by the pros!!

[@MaureenRussell-lj2zb]

OMGoodness Dr Glucs was lucky just having a few strands of hair pulled loose. Just goes to show the impact they have on prey. Hartley was admirable in her defence of her chicks. She remained on the nesting box until the last possible minute. Fair play to Zeka and Gavin for what they do. They deserve a bottle of bubbly 🍾🍾 at the end of the day me thinks.

[@theck672]

Thank you so much for this video update❣️ Wow 🤩 Four girls❣️❣️❣️❣️

[@fujithedog]

Fantastic video of banding! Thank you so much. And Hartley and Monty are such defenders. The stunned chicks are so adorable, it's like a still photo.

[@diane9501]

Brilliant video SK, the Dr and all the team do an amazing job. 4 girls, congratulations San Jose ❤

[@Ludo1950]

Thankyou for another wonderful recap video. I really appreciate all of them because I don't get a lot of time during the day to follow the nests 😊

[@colinbrooks6290]

Absolutely fantastic episode…. Wow…. More please 🎉🍺🍺👍🫵🏻

[@paws4mercy643]

Poor pidgeons I live at the Palomar in Santa Cruz and I have been adopted by a flock of pidgeons ( because I leave food in my window for them ) they all arrive daily between 3 and 5 pm faithfully for last 2 yrs I really love my lil flock and glad this Falcon family is IN SJ and not hunting my little flock and am grateful they have the sweetest cooing sound and not sounding like teradactyls lol

[@rahulnans]

Hartley even attacked one bander from behind. These chicks are absolute raptors. They are very aggressive and thrilling to watch. Hope they make successful falcons from here. I see Annie's brood to be the calmest of all I have seen. They patiently wait for others to finish or get in between. Annie i suppose brought food just 2 or 3 times yesterday and they didn't complain. But she is now bringing big preys so they are full for longer.

[@Oskigal]

Not shown, but I also enjoyed the camera cleaning, knowing the blurry spot would be gone.

[@G-wo9cb]

4 girls!! I can’t wait to see how Monty copes with 4 feisty daughters! 😂

[@kitkat5765]

Four fabulous females--Hartley and Monty sure do like to bet everything on "feisty" 😇 Thanks, SKH--I watched (almost) live this morning, but all your commentary really takes it up a notch, as always. (It's like those pop-up music videos from the 90s or something, except falcons instead of weird music trivia 😂) Do we know what colors were used here--the same as the Berkeley colors?

[@skhideaways]

Banding info: 35/BK Left Leg, Red Tape; 17/BC Left Leg, Yellow Tape; 36/BK Right Leg Blue Tape; 15/BC Left Leg, no Tape

[@ishmyl99]

Oh, lord. My hearing's already tanking. But so worth it! 😄

[@ishmyl99]

Whaddyaknow, no Soledadian, in-your-face, post-banding chick revolts & chip-on-the-wing confrontations against (& even curiosity about) the two wingless ones. I must admit... I'm a little disappointed in these four. They seemed utterly sedate by comparison to their older sister. 😜 To me, this esteems the big sister's standing all the more. One-of-a-kind feisty & formidable Soledad! Truth be told, I wouldn't want to band HER chicks. I'd end up being breakfast for her ravenous chicks. 😰 Indomitable Soledad, we sure hope you're thriving, wherever you are. And that your four younger sisters here follow your intrepid lead into their own futures. ❤😄

[@annadominguez8637]

It was SO cute to see Sole puff her chest out and walk toward them with no fear last year.. I LOVE watching all these balls of fluff!

[@ishmyl99]

@@annadominguez8637 It sure was. She's just something else, isn't she?

[@Ludo1950]

I still can remember the telling off Soledad gave the banders last year 😊

[@mjoao4635]

4 Brave females they Will BE 😅❤❤❤❤

[@techshabby0001]

Good job scaring the humans away with your persistent warnings. How dare they intrude like that! ❤

[@ishmyl99]

@05:47 Geezus H., thank the heavens for Dr. Glucs's ponytail-bun! She could've been really injured. The talons were right there!! As others have said here, thank goodness no one was hurt, from start to finish. As unphased as Dr. Glucs apparently was, maybe in future the banders could wear protective neck gear? Seriously.

[@Oskigal]

When I saw that, I was wishing she had a full suit of armor! But I guess her nerves of steel are enough

[@ishmyl99]

How long the time between when the on-site fans, with all their equipment, showed up and Hartley's extended screeching at Monty just before the morning's first feeding? I wonder if it's possible that Hartley observed their presence as a threat -- if, for all we know, perhaps including a sense of greater threat to the chicks? A prescient instinct of (perceived) danger to them?

[@skhideaways]

The feeding happened well before the banding crew arrived on the roof.

[@ishmyl99]

Is there any record of an adult PF actually attacking a human -- such as during a perceived threat of chick-banding -- where the human sustained significant injury? I wonder if a falcon parent's restraint is due to not wanting to aggravate a situation which they perceive would only cause further potential harm to their chick(s). This especially due to the size of a human. By the same token, I wonder to what extent a PF would attack a larger raptor in defense of the PF chicks -- if not especially if there is only one chick. Then there is the matter of a parent's self-preservation. For the chick(s) to lose even one parent would certainly lower the odds of the progeny's survival. Seems like a very fine line for a PF parent to tread. Clearly, Hartley & Monty were superb in their attempts to ward off the two invaders. And, as the video indicates, at an unprecedented level & degree of defense.

[@brucemarshall3446]

Im surprised there isnt direct access to the nest box area, for maintenence. Is that the top of the elevator shaft?

[@skhideaways]

From Dr. Zeka: There is no walk in access to the ledge that the birds are on so the closest we can get is a roof area above it before we need to switch to ropes. To get to the roof we use the elevator, stairs, and then a ladder! Still it is a pretty straightforward nest entry as they go and is relatively quick and safe to access.

[@EricaC79]

Is this the same person that does the Cal Falcons?

[@skhideaways]

Yes, both of them. They're amazing.

[@ishmyl99]

Dr Glucs & Emmons: PF Band(ing) rockstars!

[@brucemarshall3446]

The parents were more traumatized than the chicks!!!!😮 " Banders should be Banned"😉

[@TheGor54]

Is anybody doing this in Sacramento? Theres a pair there downtown.

[@skhideaways]

The only one I know of is the UC Davis nest, but their clutch was not successful this year. Here's a link to their cam: www.earthcam.com/usa/california/davis/?cam=ucdavisfalcon

[@brucemarshall3446]

I wonder of H has any memory of past bandings?

[@skhideaways]

I always wonder that about the parents, too. At both San Jose and Berkeley, parents perched near the banders this year, which I’ve not seen in the past.

[@ceegee777]

Is scaling the wall the only way down to that level?

[@ishmyl99]

At thr least, it's the most fun way?! 😄

[@ceegee777]

@@ishmyl99 haha 😆

[@skhideaways]

Someone posed this question earlier. Here’s the response from Zeka: There is no walk in access to the ledge that the birds are on so the closest we can get is a roof area above it before we need to switch to ropes. To get to the roof we use the elevator, stairs, and then a ladder! Still it is a pretty straightforward nest entry as they go and is relatively quick and safe to access.

[@ishmyl99]

@@skhideaways Thank you for sharing Dr. Glucs's answer to the same question, earlier asked. Am glad she speaks to the relative safety of accessing this SJCH nest site. Goodness knows more perilous nest locations -- possibly, on rock ledges w/little room to maneuver safely?

[@ceegee777]

@@ishmyl99 I’m sorry 😞 I didn’t know the question was asked earlier. I’m terrified of heights and the very thought of scaling down anything gets me 😰 I’m very grateful for these good people ❤️