Roi's Story
The Story of Roi (by Harold Sharp)
1993
Jim Ozier, Program Manager of the Forsyth Office of the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Brad Winn obtained three male Peregrine Falcon from captive breeder Vic Hardaswick, Centerville, SD. These Peregrine were hatched in June and placed in a hacking cage at Cloudland Canyon atop Lookout Mountain, GA. They were banded and released from the hacking cage on July 22nd.
Cloudland Canyon was Georgia’s only documented historical Peregrine Falcon nest site, last used in the early 1940s. Four Falcons were released from this site in 1994 and three more in 1998, it was reported that a Great Horned Owl killed one of the 1998 Falcons, no information has been received from the others that were released.
1997
On April 9th Tennessee Ornithological Society member Roi Shannon reported a pair of Peregrine Falcon nesting on the Tennessee River railroad bridge below Chickamauga Dam upstream of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Several TOS members started a daily watch of the nest site.
On June 23rd TOS member Jonnie Sue Lyons first observed one young Peregrine chick in white plumage at about three weeks of age on the bridge near the nest site. After the chick disappeared between July 3rd and 7th, (it was thought to have fallen into the river) monitoring ceased.
On July 22nd, TOS member Harold Sharp reported observing three Peregrine Falcon at this site, he later observed three falcons, three different times between July 22nd and August 1st; one had distinctive juvenile markings. Since it was accepted by the adults, as opposed to the normal attack of an intruder, it was concluded that one young had fledged July 3rd.
The male Peregrine Falcon had a metal leg band on its left leg and a band on its right leg that appeared to be plastic and grey/pale yellow colored. The female Peregrine had no leg bands. The juvenile was last observed August 1st, the female was last observed October 29th; the male Peregrine remained near the bridge during November and December. The male was named Roi after Roi Shannon who first observed him, the female was named Trussy as she lived on the railroad trestle and the juvenile was simply named Chick # 1.
1998
During the months of January and February just one falcon was observed near the nest site, it had no bands and was assumed to be Trussy. During late February and early March both falcons were recorded, this was the first sighting of the pair since December 20th. By April a number of courtship flights and mating was observed, and on April 29th and 30th there were signs that incubation may have started in the nest site and calendars were marked for a June 1st hatch date.
By May 30th food was observed being taken into the nest, a sure sign that chicks had hatched. Also on May 30th, TOS member Ken Dubke, using a 60mm spotting scope, observed something red on the female Peregrines right leg and on June 1st, after getting a better look at the female it was discovered she had leg bands on both legs, this meant a new female. Trussy had been photographed in 1997 and had no leg bands; Trussy was last seen on October 29, 1997. The new female was named Bridget because she lived on the bridge.
On June 19th, Jonnie Sue Lyons observed a white fuzzy chick near the nest site and by that evening, a second chick appeared near the nest. Several TOS members kept a daily watch on the nest site, reporting one chick walking around, then two chicks and maybe a third chick; no one saw more than two at a time but it was not sure it was always the same two. Later a report from a railroad worker who was near the nest on May 15th reported three eggs in the nest.
From June 28th only one chick was seen and by July 1st it was sure the other chicks were missing; when they start walking around the bridge structure it’s easy to fall into the river. On July 5th the chick was about 35 days old and Harold Sharp located it on the steel beam at 8:00 a.m. walking up toward the nest site, suddenly it fell from the steel beam to the floor of the bridge out of sight. A short time later Sharp discovered the chick on top of the pier under the railroad bridge, it appeared not to be injured and remained there the rest of the day. The adults were observed feeding the chick on top of the bridge pier; the chick was christened Tuffy after surviving the 100-foot fall.
By July 7th Tuffy had remained on the pier and inside the bridge structure and had been feed by the adults when at 8:20 a.m. he fledged by flying from the downstream side of the bridge, under the bridge to the upstream side. For several weeks in July and August Tuffy was observed being trained to fly and catch his own food by Roi and Bridget. The railroad bridge, the tall steel transmission towers and the highway bridge over Chickamauga Dam all served as excellent perches from which the Peregrines could hunt.
August 29th was the last day Tuffy and Bridget were observed at the site; Roi remained during September and October. On November 6th Harold Sharp observed a second Peregrine Falcon sailing with Roi. Leg bands were observed on Roi but the other Falcon had none and appeared to be larger than Roi. It was first thought that this was Tuffy as it had juvenile markings and neither Tuffy nor Bridget had been seen since August 16th. The new Peregrine spent time with Roi in the nest site and all the favorite perches around the railroad bridge; she had vertical brown streaking on her chest and was not alarmed by trains passing below her on the bridge. Still unsure if it was Tuffy or not, the new female was named Ima as she was an immature bird.
1999
January 4th Roi and Ima were observed mating on the railroad bridge, it was believed she was the new immature female that arrived on November 6th. No one was sure how Roi knew that Bridget was not returning but the last day anyone saw her was August 17, 1998. A new year, a new female and a new courtship was underway.
By March 28th, it was believed Ima was incubating eggs, a hatch date for May 1st was based on the fact that Ima was last observed on March 28th. During April both adults tended the eggs and on April 25th Ima was seen taking food to the nest. Roi was also very aggressive and would not allow any large birds near the bridge; a chick was expected by May 15th. A small opening near the nest was discovered where, with a 60 or 80mm spotting scope, the top of Ima’s head could be seen when she was feeding the chicks.
On May 20th, TOS member Jimmy Wilkerson observed a white fuzzy Peregrine chick near the nest, it was estimate to be 26 days old and hatched on April 25th; it was named Little Jimmy or LJ. On June 6th, many TOS members watched to see LJ fledge, and at 10:44 a.m. the chick flew toward the north end of the bridge, hit the bridge, bounced off and came back toward the south end before landing on top of the bridge structure. Roi took LJ some food and he remained there until sundown. Early morning of June 7th LJ was observed on the north transmission tower approximately 100 yards from the railroad bridge and over dry land and the last day LJ was seen was June 29th.
During the month of August TOS members observed signs that Ima was nesting again. She lost her immature plumage, spent many hours in the nest site with Roi very aggressive with any large birds near the bridge, then about September 1st they began to act like they were back to normal. Both Peregrine remained near the bridge the rest of the year with no sign of migration.
2000
On January 10th Roi and Ima were observed mating, this is the first female to stay the winter, courtship and mating were observed all during February and by March 10th Ima had disappeared, hopefully inside laying eggs. On March 14th two crows were spotted near the nest site on the bridge, something was wrong; the adults never allow crows near the nest. March 20th, Roi was observed on the drainpipe with a bird in his foot. He flew north out of sight, and Ima had not been seen at the Dam since March 10; it was now thought the nest site had been relocated to the rock bluffs near Falling Water Creek. This location is seven air miles north of the railroad bridge and had Peregrine Falcons nesting there many years ago, so some TOS members went to Falling Water Gulf to check for the Falcons, part of the club kept checking the bridge.
In April, Roi was observed at the Dam hunting but he would take the food north out of sight. On May 24th, Policeman Dale Liner, a licensed Falconer, located three juvenile Peregrine Falcon in Falling Water Gulf and several TOS members began a daily watch at the Gulf and reported seeing the Falcons but could not locate the nest site.
On July 7th TOS members Harold Sharp, Jack Gentle and Bill Nelson observed a juvenile Peregrine Falcon flying from the railroad bridge to the east tower and by July 10th, a second juvenile was observed near the bridge on the north tower. On July 11th, Roi was observed on the bridge with the third juvenile and on July 12th, Ima, Roi and three juveniles were observed on the railroad bridge. During the next weeks the birds were spotted at both locations and on August 22nd three Peregrine were reported at Falling Water, this is last report of the juveniles. During October Roi and Ima were still very active around the railroad bridge and by November 3rd Ima was gone then by November 13th, Roi was gone too. No Peregrine Falcon were found for TOS’s Christmas bird count.
2001
The year 2001 is a very important one in the story of Roi the Peregrine Falcon, Jack Gentle purchased a Nikon 990 digital camera and the age of Digiscoping began. Shooting through the eyepiece of a spotting scope then processing the pictures in a computer allowed members to enhance and store the photographs and Jack soon became a master Digiscoper. He then taught Harold Sharp and Charles Dean and now dozens of photographers have thousands of great bird photos available to share. Jack organized a web site dedicated to the Peregrines, which was updated daily until it was discontinued in 2007 after a virus contaminated it.
In January, Ima was found in Falling Water Gulf, the first sighting of her since November 2000. By March Ima had selected a nest sight in Falling Water and was incubating eggs. Early in April the two falcons were seen mating again, a most unusual occurrence unless the eggs had failed and they were starting to recycle their nesting. By June both the falcons were back at the Dam and the nest had failed. By the end of the year Ima had been gone for some time and Roi was seen periodically at the Dam.
2002
During the early part of 2002 courtship and mating were observed several times and apparently Ima was laying her eggs in the old nest sight but had moved to the right side of the counterweight at the railroad bridge.
On May 2nd a baby chick appeared in the right window and Ima was observed feeding it. The next day another chick appeared and the two were named Nickie and Jack after Lake Nickajack that flows under their bridge. On May 21st Nickie, the female, fledged and by the end of the week Jack had joined her. By July 8th Nickie had been gone for over a week but Laidback Jack was still hanging around and did not leave until the middle of July and soon both Roi and Ima were in and out of town.
2003
The early part of the spring brought a lot of concern from TOS members who watched the Dam daily. Roi was spotted in early January but by March 8 he still had no female, evidently Ima was not returning and it looked like another lost year until the next day when a new female appeared at the Dam and caught Roi’s attention. She was young, showing immature plumage, and Roi was acting like a kid. He sailed around with all his courtship moves and brought her food. She was named Dreama after Dreama Dean who first located her. The birds were observed mating, a very good thing. Unfortunately, Dreama was observed fleeing from the trains under their nest sight, a very bad thing. Anytime a train came, Dreama flew to the Highway 153 Bridge and stayed for hours before returning to the bridge, which will not work at all for hatching chicks.
All during March and April TOS members hoped Dreama would become accustomed to the trains and settle down to incubate eggs but she never did. In June, the river was recorded at one of its highest flood stages and even the TOS members had to move to the other side of the river to watch the Falcons. Finally by June Dreama began to become accustomed to the trains but the nesting season was over, another year with no chicks to enjoy. For the first time, both Falcons spent the winter at the Dam and did not migrate.
2004
With Dreama now used to the train, 2004 promised to be a good year as mating was observed early in the spring and by April 18th TOS members observe Dreama taking food into the scrape of the railroad house. On May 13th two chicks appeared and looked to be in good health. As usual, the chicks were named by TOS members and these two were Geezer Bill and Don Juan for Bill Nelson and Don Broyles; they were called GB and DJ by everyone.
On May 22nd both chicks were observed but the next day only GB was there and as the days went past it was obvious that DJ was no longer around; he must have fallen from the bridge. On May 28th, GB fledged and began moving across the river and learning to take food from his parents. He was lazy and slept a lot by lying on his side. On July 16th TOS members believed GB had departed but on the 27th he was observed after a 10-day absence. By August he was gone for good but once again Roi and Dreama spent their winter at the Dam.
2005
Another spring began with signs of courtship from Roi and Dreama and on February 21st another Peregrine Falcon was observed at the Dam. Roi chased the intruder away and TOS members believe it was a male as it was half the size of Dreama. On April 17th chicks were observed in the scrape and Roi and Dreama were busy feeding them. On April 20th, a lone chick, named CD after Charles Dean, appeared on the scrape. There was some thought that there were other chicks inside the scrape but they never appeared and by May 8th CD was exercising his wings and appeared ready to fledge soon.
May 14th, something was wrong. CD had fallen from the ledge and both adults were down near the tracks on the floor of the bridge feeding him. Finally through spotting scopes CD was found on the floor near the rail; he appeared OK and the adults continued to feed him until May 20th when he finally fledged and flew to a tree near the north tower. Finally, 12 days after his fall, CD was back in the nest site after delighting several TOS members by sitting in a tree near Access Road posing for their cameras.
By July CD had not been seen in several weeks and Roi and Dreama had settled in for the long hot summer. Again, Roi and Dreama spent the winter at the Dam; CD may be in Vegas.
2006
The falcon pair moved back to the left window of the scrape on the railroad bridge and by the middle of April TOS members observed food being taking in and, on May 11th, Jack Gentle observed two chicks on the ledge on the north side. A third chick appeared the next morning and TOS moved their observation site to the north side of the river to see them better. The babies were called Mickey G after Jack Gentle, Dandy Don after Don Broyles and Roger Dodger after Roger Garner; for short, MG, DD and RD.
May 23rd, MG fledged; that was four years in a row that a chick had fledged between May 20-28. TOS members had a hard time tracking five falcons and RD had not been seen in some time. By the end of May, hope was lost for RD but the other two chicks were healthy and appeared to be big buddies, they flew together and hung out on the same perch. By July 7th, both chicks left the Dam and again Roi and Dreama spent the winter at the Dam with no migration recorded.
2007
The year began as many others have; in January Roi and Dreama were observed mating, the earliest ever observed. By early May, Roi and Dreama were both feeding and it appeared there would soon be chicks. On May 24th Dreama was observed flying from the nest during the time she would normally be feeding the chicks. She flew in a pattern not previously observed, circling the Dam higher and higher then flying out of sight southbound. Roi was not observed at all. The next day Dreama continued her strange behavior and again no sign of Roi and on May 26th when Dreama was observed sitting on one of Roi’s normal perches, TOS members were certain that something had happened to Roi; he was last reported on May 20th and with chicks to feed, there is no doubt he would be around.
May 27th, Roi had been gone for over a week and although Dreama continued to feed, it was unknown how many chicks were present. Finally on May 28th, railroad employee Dave Browning climbed the bridge to see if he could find any sign of Roi. He could not but did see one chick in the nest and photographed it, finally, that afternoon the chick walked out and could be seen; he was named Falco.
TOS members had given up and assumed that Roi was dead. They continued to watch Dreama and Falco until June 5th when word came that Roi had been located and was alive! A male Peregrine Falcon had been brought to the Chattanooga Zoo on Sunday, May 20th with a broken wing received when it flew into a house near the Zoo. Zoo officials reported the leg band numbers to the US Geological Service and delivered him to Knoxville to the University of Tennessee Veterinarian Hospital on May 21st. UT vets repaired his wing and sent him to Clinton to the Clinch River Raptor Rehab for a four-week rehabilitation.
Roi’s leg band information indicated that he had been hacked on Lookout Mountain, Georgia and released by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on July 22, 1993. He had been identified at the Chickamauga Dam in 1997 and is probably the best-documented Peregrine Falcon in history with nearly daily records of his activities kept by TOS for the next ten years.
With Roi’s location confirmed and hope that he would heal and be able to resume his life, TOS members turned their attention to Dreama and the chick, Falco. Through the next few days they watch him flap his wings and get ready to fledge but after June 17th he was no longer seen. Watching Dreama to see if she is feeding a chick somewhere proved unproductive and finally TOS members assumed the worst, that Falco had fallen into the river.
Word came on June 21st that Roi had pulled out the pin in his wing and been returned to the UT hospital where Dr. Jones was forced to remove part of the wing on July 3rd. Since he would no longer be able to fly, arrangements were being made with John and Dale Stokes who operate a live raptor show at Rock City on Lookout Mountain, a stone’s throw from where Roi was hacked in 1993, to include him in their rehab and educational programming.
On July 14th, Roi was found dead in his cage at the UT Vet School. Dr. Jones reported that Roi was fine when he checked him at 10:30 p.m. the previous evening but was found by a student the next morning. No cause of death could be determined during the necropsy but Dr. Jones stated, “Roi was 14-years old. He had a serious wound and was caged and unable to fly. Any one or all three could have caused his death.”
Winter approaches and Dreama no longer appears to be searching for Roi but continues to haunt her normal territory. Perhaps another male will find her and the TOS members will continue to watch each spring for that fuzzy, white head to appear in a window…perhaps not. Death is a part of life but the fun of watching this falcon with his four females and 17 chicks born with 12 successfully fledged for over a decade has entertained and educated a whole city. Roi, we thank you.