Re: RICHMOND, VA- 2011

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64764

Oh my...its too hot for a sun bath!!! :girlfan:

...and then this!!!!

Ferenz · **Posted:** Mon May 23, 2011 2:08 pm

Crazy little pumpkin :ciao

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64764

You can also access Richmond and Cobb via this link:

obxbarb · **Posted:** Mon May 23, 2011 4:21 pm

Wow, those pics of Harriet are pretty crazy. I wonder what she was doing....

Steve has updated his blog. They are banding and putting the pen up Wednesday.

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64764

OH NO...the dreaded pen...it seems so soon...of course, this little one is already on the move...and is currently MIA...They've been panning and haven't located the little rascal yet..

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64764

OH....I still think they could put astro-turf on the ledge, so no slipping off as in the past...Barb, are you gonna get to go to he banding?

obxbarb · **Posted:** Mon May 23, 2011 4:40 pm

Sorry to interrupt the Richmond thread with my adventure today, but its closest to Richmond. It is a very big bridge, but somehow the excitement of the day kept me from thinking about it. There was a huge crew from Department of Transportation there to shut down the bridge while they took Bryan under to get the chicks. This pair has been here a long time, and been through this quite a few times. It used to have the highest failure rate for fledging, so they've been hacking from here for many years. The parents were not aggressive. We had a bunch of press there thanks to DOT, so hopefully some articles will follow. I held the chicks while Bryan banded, so no banding pics. Then I transported them halfway to their destination. A very long day! Two chicks...one male and one female.

obxbarb · **Posted:** Mon May 23, 2011 4:48 pm

I did talk with Bryan today about what happened here. Sergio from DGIF wanted to take the remains of the chicks for testing. Unfortunately, CCB doesn't know what to test them for since this is so unusual. Libby told me last week that they can't get anything from egg shells. They do collect unhatched eggs, and those test results always show a multitude of contaminants, including fire retardant and DDT. Bryan seems to think they might take it off the market since its showing up everywhere in the environment. CCB and its sister school VIMS (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) have done several studies on fire retardant.

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64764

Barb, your pics are fantastic...and the kids are just so cute!!! Seeing that bridge makes me really worried for the James River Kids...its gonna be tough for them, I would imagine..

Its too bad they couldn't retrieve one of the deceased chicks from here...it was just so tragice to lose them, especially since the hatches looked so normal...Do they do blood work during the banding like we've seen at other places?

That's pretty scary that they're still finding DDT during testing...and fire retardant...geeeeeeeez...

obxbarb · **Posted:** Mon May 23, 2011 6:50 pm

Yes they always do blood work. They pull pin feathers to get a blood sample. I haven't really asked what those show. I probably would hate to know, but I will.

Catbird · **Posted:** Mon May 23, 2011 10:17 pm

Barb - It sounds like you had an exciting day high up on the bridge! It must have been great to hold the chicks as they were being banded. Thanks for the pictures and for your follow up on the Richmond chicks that didn't make it; it sounds like we'll never know what the problem was.

P.S. Lately I've heard lots about fire retardant showing up in the environment, but I had no idea that DDT was still around. It's frightening to hear about how pervasive these contaminants are in the environment, how damaging they are, and how long they hang around!

Alison · **Joined:** Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:31 pm **Posts:** 2776

Obxbarb, great photos of the bridge banding! The photos of the chicks are beautiful! You are so lucky to have been able to hold them.

Alison · **Joined:** Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:31 pm **Posts:** 2776

Great pics of the little wanderer and Harriet! I didn't see them at all today, so the pics are very much appreciated.

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64764

obxbarb · **Posted:** Tue May 24, 2011 1:53 pm

Thanks sgb! I've been running around, but good to know Harriet is keeping track of the chick.

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64764

Harriet called in reinforcements!!!

obxbarb · **Posted:** Tue May 24, 2011 3:44 pm

Go Ozzie!

Catbird · **Posted:** Tue May 24, 2011 4:51 pm

At last, the chubby chick returned home! I'm glad to see that he/she is resting in the shade today and that both parents have been keeping a watchful eye.

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64764

OK...I'm gonna guess female here....or a very large male...(watch it be a male with lots of fluff...)

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64764

wow....I totally missed them going to the ledge!!!

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Re: RICHMOND, VA- 2011

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