A male peregrine falcon has been rescued and placed in a hack box at Rock City to be released Monday, June 18 at 6 a.m. The bird is in the process of being named by Rock City’s Facebook and Twitter followers.
‘We are temporarily calling the bird 'Dunwoody,'” said John Stokes with Save Our American Raptors. “Let’s hope he does well once he is released from the hack box. At least for now, he has gotten a second chance.”
John and Dale Stokes with SOAR oversee the peregrine release projects at Rock City. Click here to learn more background info on this bird.
Greg Greer, who has participated in peregrine falcon release projects in the past, rescued the peregrine, which came from a nest in the Dunwoody section of metro Atlanta. The falcon had been taken to a rehab center for a few days, then delivered to Rock City to be placed in the hack box to prepare for its release back into the wild.
Previous birds released have been named Garnet and Frieda after the founders of Rock City, Garnet and Frieda Carter, and Rocky. In 2010, the names chosen were Ted, in memory of wildlife biologist Ted Touchstone, and Zenith, chosen by Rock City’s Facebook fans. And last year, social media friends chose the names Chatty and Lookout for brother peregrines.
Rock City bird of prey shows are hosted by John and Dale Stokes every Thursday through Sunday during the summer at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and a 4:30 p.m. show on Saturdays.
This peregrine release program is an ongoing project for Rock City Gardens and is the sixth hacking effort on Lookout Mountain since 1993.
