Hi All,
I am sure that many are enjoying watching these falcons bear the weather and protect their eggs. You have probably noticed that both the male and female falcons take turns at incubating the eggs. This allows the second bird to hunt for prey, drink water, and maintain their territory. What percentage of time do you see the female incubating compared the male?
One observation that many have made is that the female falcon is larger than the male. At times this size difference is striking, other times it can be less clear. Don't forget that birds can control each feather on their body to 'fluff up' or to compress their feathers against their body to be more streamlined. One artifact of the size difference between males and females is that larger females can take larger prey items to be eaten by the falcon "family".
I hope to be able to make a visit to the site to survey what the falcons have been eating of late. I will keep you posted when I am able to do that. In the meantime, be in touch with questions and share the BRI Peregrinecam with your friends. Observing the nest is likely to grow very exciting if indeed all four of the eggs hatch!
Until next time,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute
