20230411 We have enjoyed extensive time at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) over the past several beautiful and temperate days, and after spending much of Tuesday at the Station Road/Rt. 82 Bridge site we were heading out when we took one last look back from the footbridge to see that the female was in the river on a rock island, positioning between the rocks and bathing. We hustled back and she had already left her bathing spot, but we found her in a nearby sycamore tree, stretching out her wings and fanning out her tail as she dried off in the gentle breeze. We have decided to use the name "Zara" for this young female, which means "radiance" and "blooming flower", seemingly fitting for a young falcon seeking to be the first to successfully raise young at this nest site. Thanks again for all of the great suggestions, friends! Of course, she's not banded, and it isn't "official", but we prefer to use names to differentiate between the individuals that we watch at the different sites. I hope to eventually create a pinned post listing the various sites that we watch with the names of the individual peregrines at each site. We were able to catch her in the water another time very recently, which we'll share in another post another time. Here's Zara drying off before taking off. As she dried off, I attempted to record some video clips, bracing the 500mm lens against some twigs from a tree in front of her (so this is a little shaky). In this clip, she roused and held out her wings to dry off... https://youtu.be/q-J11thzxsw Wing out and tail spread, this drying off posture allows the light wind to filter through her feathers. The sun was shining on her from the left side and back, which is why the lighting was less than ideal for showing her true coloration...

The gappy areas in front where her feathers are parted reveal her brood patches...

Wings up, lifting in the breeze...

A few people came along on the towpath and watched her with us... she watched us watching her, but was undeterred...

Here rousing and shaking off excess water, with the layers of her feathers ruffled and making her look very puffy...

Her tongue in view in her open beak, between the perfectly fitting upper and lower mandible...

She spotted hawks circling in the distance and immediately sleeked her feathers and was ready to take-off here...

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