Four eggs! and update about banded male.

Hi All,

The falcons are now incubating four eggs. Eggs were laid on March 18, 20, 22, and 24. Egg #5 could appear today! Last year these falcons laid only four eggs but it is not out of the question for falcons to lay up to six eggs!

Also, I am excited to pass on some additional information about the banded male of this pair. As you know the male at this nest has a black over green band (with codes B/S) on its left leg and a silver Fish and Wildlife band on its right leg. Chris Martin of NH Audubon has provided an update about the history of this bird--he hails from New Hampshire and is in his sixth year!


From Chris Martin, Senior Biologist, New Hampshire Audubon:

Black/green B/S was 1 of 4 chicks fledged from the Brady-Sullivan Tower in downtown Manchester, NH in Spring 2005. His mother was raised at the Throgs Neck Bridge in New York City and his father comes from Cathedral Ledge near Conway, NH. Black/green B/S has been confirmed to be associated with this (webcam site) breeding territory since 2007.

In 2007 the falcons at this eyrie fledged one chick. Breeding efforts failed in 2008 but last year, 2009, these falcons again raised one chick...the only chick to hatch of four eggs. This is the second season that we have monitored this nest with BRI Peregirnecam.

Detailed information about individually marked birds is uncommon and difficult to acquire. Although such information is limited, it can be critical for addressing certain questions that relate to the behavior individuals such as dispersal distance, site fidelity, territory size. Can you think of other questions that might be answered by marking individual birds?

Because we banded last year's chick we may have a chance at tracking multiple generations of falcons...we just have to hope for the stars to align so that last years fledgling might be observed again somewhere. So, be on the lookout for falcons!

As always please keep in touch with your questions and comments about what you see here. Help contribute to this blog!

All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Falcons lay first egg on 3/18/10

Hi All,
I am happy to report that the falcons on our webcam have laid their first early this morning between 1:30 and 3:30 am. This is a very exciting start to spring. Last year the birds laid their first egg on March 20th. Here is a photo of a falcon incubating this first egg.

Peregrine falcons are widely distrubuted in North America and show variation in the number of eggs that they lay--generally they lay 3-6 eggs. The eggs are typically laid at intervals of about 48 hours, give or take. So, we will have to keep an eye on these birds in the coming days to see how many eggs they lay!

Many thanks for all your posts and please be in touch with questions and comments about what you are seeing. Don't forget to share this project with your friends and family.

All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
Outreach Coordinator
BioDiversity Research Institute

Webcam is down until Monday

Hi All,
I am sorry to report that we are having an issue with our webcam system and we will be down until Monday. Unfortunately, we will not be able to access the site until at least that day. I hope that I can solve the issue and have us back up first thing on Monday...wish me luck.
Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

The male continues to prepare the site!

Hi All,

I hope that you have all been finding the time to check the webcam and see the male falcon that continues to make visits to this nest tray in preparation for the nesting season. As you can see from this photo this bird is banded. These leg bands are a small but critical piece of evidence that allows us to be certain of the individual identity of this bird. The birds bands have unique color and letter combination that allow observers to recognize individuals.


We have been able to identify this birds bands as...silver on the right leg and a black B over a green S on the left leg. We have several queries out to researchers to get more details about this bird and we will keep you up to date about the history of this bird in upcoming blogs...so keep checking back!

All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Falcons persist at the nest site!

Hi All, I am very happy to report about the frequent visits by the falcons to the perch in front of the nest and to the nest tray itself. Many are very eager for eggs to appear. Last year late March was the period of laying for these birds-the earliest nesting record for falcons in Maine! Let's keep our fingers crossed for this pair as the season progresses.

Here is an up close and personal view of what I believe is the male falcon perched directly in front of our inward looking camera.


Please be in touch with questions. My hope is to get a better dialogue going on our blogs and try to maintain posts each week or two.

All the best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Early season visits! What are you seeing?

Well, many thanks for the great discussion and photos posted to our online community. I am very happy to see the falcons visiting the nest site and showing signs of pair bonding. This is a great sign that the birds intend to nest and use this site again this year. Here is a nice image of the birds bowing to each other in typical pair bonding ritual.



Laurad also posted this photo of the bird attempting to excavate the scrape where the falcons might lay their eggs. Not that his bird is also simulating its incubation posture.



I appreciate all your comments! Please see the comments in last weeks blog for details about the prey items, I'll post them tomorrow!

Until next time,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Camera Reinstall visit on Jaunuary 14, 2010

Hi All,

I am eager to report the details about my recent visit to the peregrine falcon nest site yesterday. It was very cold in the morning but warmed quickly as the sun rose. I was able to secure the camera back on its 'perch' to offer us, once again, an inward looking perspective on the nest tray. While tightening the u-bolts I was 'buzzed' by each of the falcons.

Needless to say, I worked quickly and was happy to have support from our collaborator who provided warning that the falcons were approaching fast (not that there was anywhere to hide!). I had tried to time the visit to avoid disturbing the pair, but given their persistent territoriality and presence at the site through the year, I had to settle with simply minimizing my disturbance. That is I visited during the period outside of the birds nesting season. Last year these birds became active at the nest in early February and laid eggs at the end of March.

Of particular interest to our project is what these birds are eating. I was fortunate to also visit one of the feeding 'stoops' where these birds perch and tear apart their food items. In addition to three very fresh rock pigeon carcasses (as well as a count of nine older, desiccated pigeon carcasses), I found the following items shown in the photos below.

Can you recognize these bird parts? It may be difficult to do so from the photos alone but I welcome any thoughts or questions that you might have about these prey items. I have identified them only after careful and cautious observation. I will post their identity next week in this blog...so be sure to check back!

PHOTO 1:

PHOTO 2:


Well, that is all that I would like to report for now. There is a great deal happening at BRI so please visit our website (www.briloon.org) to learn more. Until next time enjoy our webcams and your wildlife!

All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
Outreach Coordinator
BioDiversity Research Institute