Rochester

Somehow, when watching Kaver and Mariah one wonders. The bond between the two of them is so strong. The greating in the morning. Every morning there are these pictures of the two, touching eachothers bill. It is known that this is a gesture of "affection"often seen between chicks in the nestsituation. This touching eachothers bill is a kind of welcome, of greating, between parents and eyases/juveniles. I have never seen it so frequent in older peregrines as with Kaver and Mariah. It is special, but everything about these two is special.

This morning there was something funny going on as well. Mariah has been standing next to Kaver for almost an hour, trying to get him off the eggs. But we all know how Kaver loves to sit on his eggs. So he didn't move a muscle and stayed put. But she did get her way, but stayed only a few minutes on the eggs and was off again.

James River Bridge: it's a family affair

Terminal Tower Cleveland

Zwolle

Oberhausen: feed me more!

Columbus Ohio

Breeding the day away in the sunshine. Things settled down nicely overhere. After all the problems with Scout, 4 eggs are in the scrape. We just have to wait and see if three will hatch, or maybe four. It will be some time before we know. Estimated hatchday not before May 13.
Read all about it in the subject Onio Columbus
http://falcoperegrinus-froona.blogspot.com/search/label/Ohio%20Columbus

Ricmond

This is Harriet
and Ozzie

In Richmond there are 4 eggs, estimated hatchday will be April 26. Harriet and Ozzie are the resident pair overhere.

Heidelberg: two little eyases

De Mortel: waiting for the eyases

Here in the Netherlands all the watchers of De Mortel are getting excited now that hatchday is near. Sunday will probably be the day the first eyas ever for our S2 will hatch. That will be so awesome.

Rome: feeding and flying

Aria has finished feeding the eyases, flies away with the food to the cache and returns flying. And tucks the chicks between her wings.

Aria is feeding the eyases. When they are stuffed, she brings the leftovers to the cache and flies off. When she comes bvack she tucks the chicks in

Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project

Thank you so much for zooming in again on our beloved peregrines of Derby.
Something was going on upstairs which draw the attention of the incubating parent. But what?

Florence

Giotto and Monna Tessa will be welcoming their 4 eyases on April 21, next Monday. So just a few more days to go, and little sweet eyases will be born here as well.
What a wonderful time of year this is, with all this newborn life coming in to our world. We are all so happy with every newborn peregrine falcon eyas.
A few decades ago this magnificent bird of prey was practically extinct. Due to DDT, eggshells where so thin, they broke immediately under the weight of the incubating parent. Thanks to Rachel Carson who I admire deeply, the world became aware of the disaster that was happening. Her book "Silent Spring" was the start of the way back. It has taken 40 years but now finally the peregrine falcon is not threatened anymore to become extinct and more and more juveniles fledge each summer all over the world. Sadly only 20% of them will survive. Life for a juvenile is very hard en many of the fledglings wont'make it into the next spring. Only the strong and lucky ones will survive.

Oberhausen:16 days old

Indianapolis

KathyQ and Kinney are incubating their 5 eggs. The chicklets are due on April 24, so 9 more days to go.

Harrisburg

James River Bridge: 5 days old.

Eemsmond

Cobb Island

Brighton Sussex Heights

4 Beautiful eggs with inside growing embryo's. They are now around 22 days old. This picture shows what the embryo's look like now, at this age. A real little chicklet. Notice the enormous eyes compared to the size of the skull.
The eyes of the peregrine falcon are very special. His eyesight is phenomenal. It has to be, for
flight depends on vision. A blind-folded bird cannot take off or fly properly because it is unable to orient itself. As predator bird ancestors adopted flight, they needed ways to find generally small prey (such as fish and small rodents) from the air; they needed abilities to see at close range; and they needed to maintain focus at high speeds when in pursuit. The most successful birds of prey in any population were those with eyes better adapted to these demands. Over thousands of generations, natural selection led to populations of predator birds with greater visual capabilities. Like the peregrine falcon.