Need a Good Love Story? Look No Feather.
What are the traits that make up the very best of love stories? Romance? Tragedy? A journey of self-discovery? And of course, a happy ending. Well, not to put all the eggs in one basket, but we’ve got the perfect love story to tell. What story is that? Well the story of Mintaka and his quest to find new love. Not only are you getting the love story of the year, but you’ll also get a sneak beak into the 2018 WoodmenLife Name the Falcons contest and banding. You might also be wondering if the bird puns are going to continue; well, the answer is no. That would just be hawkward.
Our story begins with a tragedy. Charity, the beloved female falcon at the WoodmenLife Tower, first arrived in 2015. It was love at first sight with Mintaka and Charity as they produced four eggs that year, hatching three females and one male. Unfortunately, every great love story has heartbreak. In January of 2018, Charity died following a collision. Charity and Mintaka produced 12 eggs since her arrival in 2015, hatching 10 females and two males.
During Mintaka’s grieving process, he began his journey of self-discovery. He redecorated his nest and even learned how to cook. Despite learning to become independent, Mintaka knew he needed to begin his search for new love. He decided to spread his wings and fly the nest in search of a new mate. Our hopeless romantic was away for weeks in search of his new soulmate until he finally returned home…alone. The hopeful love nest remained a bachelor pad for weeks, even causing Mintaka to dine alone on Valentine’s Day. Through it all, Mintaka didn’t let anything ruffle his feathers, and in late February introduced a new female friend to the WoodmenLife Tower nest.
The mystery female and Mintaka dated for about a month and a half until we identified her and were finally introduced to Chayton. Under the special circumstances, Mintaka and Chayton were a little behind in the mating season. However, in late April, the two love birds christened that love and produced three eggs. Mintaka and Chayton, now starting a family, began to look at the big picture and purchased life insurance. The two parents, keeping their children in mind, refused to wing it and made the responsible choice of protecting their nest. They decided to turn to their backyard and a WoodmenLife representative helped find what insurance products best fit their needs. Mintaka and Chayton couldn’t be happier with WoodmenLife helping protect their nest, because every family deserves more.
After getting everything in order, Mintaka and Chayton hatched three healthy eyases in late May. The proud parents are looking forward to their children being banded on June 15 at 10 a.m. at the WoodmenLife Tower. This also means that the 2018 WoodmenLife Name the Falcons contest begins June 15. Voting for the Top 5 names will begin June 25 and run through June 29. The winning names will be announced July 3.