Friday, November 6, 2009

Falcons tend the nest box.














In recent weeks the falcons, both male and female, have been visiting the nest. This continued territoriality is not common among all falcons. Some falcons have forsaken their breeding territories some time ago to begin an annual migration south before returning next spring.

The fact that the birds on the BRIperegrinecam remain suggests that they are finding ample food. I wonder what they are eating, I hope that we can uncover some feeding preferences of these birds throughout the year. What do you see the falcons eating?

Until next time,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute.

2 comments:

  1. You know....I rarely see them eating anything! When they were feeding their young, it seemed that food was brought in then, but not always in it's original form. I thought they were bringing in food that had been cached or what was left over from their own meal. But I did see black feathers once when the chick was....a chick!
    As adults not nesting, do you think it's common for them to not eat at the nest. The eagles sure do a feast now & then.
    Thanks Patrick.
    J. in S.P.ME

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  2. Hi J in S.P.ME, That is a great observation. The falcons tend to perch somewhere after making a kill and use their hooked bill to remove feathers and tear apart prey items. These smaller pieces are what the tend to bring to the nest tray to feed young. Often birds choose a perch that is near to the nest site to prepare food for their young.

    How does this behavior differ from what we see our eagles doing on the eaglecam?

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