End of Season

SusanB of Rochester
Photo: Tom Hoehn

End of season.

All good things come to an end....
And so does this great Peregrine falcon season in the northern hemisphere.
In februari I started this Blog to keep a diary and make notes of everything that happened at 22 nestsites. Mainly because I wanted acurate data about many things concerning the breeding season and behaviour of the peregrine falcon for my website http://www.falcoperegrinus.nl/.

It has become much more than this and I do want to thank everybody who is visiting my Blog and have send me so many emails. It's been an honor and a pleasure to write about these beautiful and exceptional creatures I love so deeply.

And of course it is always great to watch all the nestsites and make reports every night about every single one. Time consuming and exhausting, but well worth it.

James River Bridge juvie at New River Gorge
Photo: Cary Hartley

I've gathered an enormous amount of new data with which I will go back now to writing my main website and translate the whole website into English. So it will be available to everybody as soon as possible. I have received many requests to translate it, and of course I will do so. All of you are invited to visit http://www.falcoperegrinus.nl/ and to read about many breedingseasons, watch the video's and the pictures. And read about the peregrine falcon, it's amazing anatomy and everything you ever wanted to know about this beautiful raptor.

Susan B
Photo: Jim Pisello


In the meantime I will of course keep posting news and updates about our so beloved youngsters on this Blog. But in the upcoming weeks no more on a daily basis. There is not enough material to fill the Blog at the moment anymore.
But as soon as the season starts in Australia in about 5 weeks (end of August) I will start posting again every evening. Alcoa and Brisbane are 2 of my favorite nestsites. All my readers are invited to join me again to watch the eyases of the Falco peregrinus macropus hatch and grow up down under.

Terminal Tower juvenile
Photo: Chad and Chris

All juvies on the northern hemisphere are learning now how to take care of themselves, how to survive, how to catch prey. They will all leave their parents and birthground soon to start their own life. For all of us watching them from egg to fledge the season comes to an end, for them however life has only just begun.

We've all come to loving them very much, every single juvenile. It is inevitable not to care for these beautiful, proud and magical creatures who are far beyond just an bird. They are peregrine falcons, they all are born from the sun with warriorspirits. Full of courage and totally without fear, they are truly free spirits.

Derby youngster
Photo: Colin Pass


Go sweet ones, fly your path of life in the bright light of your pure and innocent spirit.

Fly free ..... soar high ..... live long and prosper.

May the Great Spirit guide your Path.

I think continually of those who are truly great

The names of those who in their lives will fight for life,

Who wear at their hearts the fire's center.

Born of the sun they travel a short while towards the sun.

And will leave the vivid air signed with their honor.

Stephen Spender

Rochester: farewell

Some wonderful pics of Jim Pisello of the past days. Starring mostly Seneca, who has become a multiskilled flyer. From catching branches from trees she flies by to startling ducks and gulls, she sure is a mistress of the sky our Seneca, lady of Rochester. She is a true daughter from her legendary father Kaver: not only did she inherite his dark features, she flies with her legs dangling like he does. She must be great to watch readjusting a tailfeather here and a wingfeather there, making smooth turns and beautiful tumbles.
Not only Seneca is a great flyer, all 2008 Rochester youngsters are: Zephyr and Diamante the 2 tiercels and SusanB, Quest and Seneca the 3 young falcons. How special they are!

Soon they will leave for longer flights away from Rochester until they will leave on their migration. Each one will go and leave Mariah and Kaver and find her or his way into their own future. After the winter they will go through their first molt into the adult dark grey and white plumage. Each will try to find a territory and a partner in order to mate in the year after. To carry forward the rich heritage of the Rochester peregrine falcons, of Mariah and Kaver, for next generations to come.

we will be able to follow Quest on her migration, because she has a transmitter on her back. Imprints will make a special page on which we can see where she is and where her Quest goes...

Each year it is hard to say goodbye to these exceptional creatures.
We have seen how the eggs have been laid, how they have hatched. We have all been overjoyed with the 5 little fluffy sweet little eyases, who have grown into beautiful strong juveniles.
Now the time has come to wish them farewell.
May the great Spirit protect and guide you all on your Path of life.
Fly free and soar high......


Read the reports and watch the pics on Peregrinations, the Blog of Jim Pisello:

http://marchlords.com/birdblog/2008/07/mostly-solo-seneca.html


And for Imprints:

http://www.cafepress.com/rfalconcam

Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project

These are the last images of this season. They are from July 15, 16, 17 amd 18.
Every where the season is winding down. In Derby as well. July is a bittersweet month. The juveniles are performing their very best flying. The 3 juveniles have gone from clumsy flappers to graceful masters of the air. By the third week of July the fledglings have begun making longer flights that take them farther away from the Cathedral.

We hardly see any of them in front of the cams.

It is only a very short time that we have with them, but there's always the hope that one day we'll hear of one our fledglings finding a home of it's own, carrying forward the heritage of the Derby Cathedral Peregrines for generations to come.

We wish our 3 youngsters a long and proper life: fly free, soar high sweet ones.


Read all about the Derby Peregrines on the Derby Blog:
http://derbyperegrines.blogspot.com/

Rochester: so beautiful!

Aamzingly beautiful pictures of Jim Pisello of SusanB and Zephyr
We do have a very special group of juvies with exceptional aerial skills. They fly and chase like adults. The pictures show how they tumble and dive at eachother.

Read about a morning of spectacular flying on Peregrinations the Blog of Jim Pisello and enjoy many more of his fantastic photos:

http://marchlords.com/birdblog/2008/07/another-exemplary-morning.html

Nijmegen

Not much action here either. One juvie yesterday, today one of the parents showed up at the nestsite.

X Cell Black Dog 2 have fledged

2 out of 4 have fledged, 2 left on the ledge who will fledge soon.

Fledgetable

Rochester youngsters getting stronger every day

The Rochester 5 are having a great time in the Gorge. They chase after seagulls, forcing them to dive into the water.
Young but very skilled Seneca had big fun grabbing a branch and flying with it clutched in her talons over the High Falls. They play talon tag and when Mariah or Kaver flies in with food they are so eager to catch it and fly away with it. Chased by sibblings. They love to chase and be chased.
They get more skilled every day. More important is that all 5 of them are healthy and accounted for and getting stronger every day.

Pictures by Marcia and Carol

Read more about the Rochesters on Imprints
http://rfalconcam.com/imprints/

Go to peregrinations for the reports and pics of Jim Pisello:
http://marchlords.com/birdblog/