SLIDESHOW
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Friday, May 9, 2008
Oberhausen: 41 days old
Early morning flapping on the ledge. The morning haze makes stunning images again. The 3 juvi's are enjoying this new morning that has broken.
Rochester: 4th eyas
Aren't they the cutest thing you ever saw. Look at those little faces. Mariah keeps with her eyases all day and hardly let Kaver near his chicklets. he checks in to see if they're doing alright and they do.
Brighton Sussex Heights: 12 days old
To darn hot here as well. The eyases where laying flat out, panting. One of the parents stayed with the, on guard.
Cobb Island: growing very fast
The lens is a bit blury, but nevertheless we can see them . Yesterday it was impossible to catch them, and seeing them today: how they've grown in just one day! 18 days old they are now, with very big feet.
Oberhausen: again a pigeon
The pigeon was delivered but they had no interest. They waited until the female arrived again to dine on it together.
A word on the fact that the Peregrine falcon is a bird of prey. Someone posted a rather sarcastic mail here on this blog about the peregrine being the shark of the sky killing innocent pigeons. That we should pity all those pigeons that are killed by this raptor. ( yesterday on "Oberhausen to catch a pigeon")
Of course things are quite different. The peregrine falcon is an excellent hunter because his skills are closing in on perfection in the dive-bombing tactic. They have to kill to survive. Evolution changed the body of this bird dramaticaly to be able to dive over 300 km/h.
But a healthy strong pigeon will never be caught by a peregrine. Pigeons have developed a lot of manouvres to escape a hunting peregrine.
A peregrine only hunts on flying pigeons. And it only hunts when it is hungry or has young to feed. The peregrine does not kill for the sheer fun of it. That is something only humans do. When the peregine strikes it brings instant death, no suffering, no playing with prey.
A pigeon sitting next to a peregrine will not be harmed. That is because a peregrine does not recognise a not flying pigeon as prey. This flying is what triggers it. Nervous flying even more. Pigeons have all kinds of tactics to escape. They fly together. The peregrine will try to get one out of the tribe. Only then he will be able to strike one. Peregrines have to attack a lot to succeed. Only in 30% he will catch a prey. Juvi's in only 7-10%. It is a very energy consuming business. Because of this low succesrate many juveniles do not live to see the next year after they've fledged. When they weaken because a lack of food they are immediately attacked by crows and raven. Kill or be killed. It is the law of the jungle.
Raptors are a necessity in wild life. They catch the weak and sick and are able in this way to maintain a healthy wildlife. They are at the top of the foodchain. Anything wrong in the environment will be visible in these raptors. As was in the late fifties when DDT almost drove the peregrine to extinction. It became a worldwide endangered species. Fortunately this so very special bird of prey is slowly recovering. All over the world hacking programs where set up to bring many juvenile sinto the wildlife. Only 30 % survived. The rest was killed, mainly by owls.
For instance in our own country the Netherlands we only have 30 breeding pairs at the moment. That is very little. We are very, very happy with every eyas that is born and will fledge. We rejoyce worldwide in all hatchlings that come into our world. That's why we have webcams on these nests. That is why we gather around them and admire this special, mythical creature. As did the old Egyptians, where the falcon was and still is divine and known as Horus.
James River Bridge
While watching for a second how these 3 where doing the camposition moved. And we could see the situation where the nestbox is. Of course water nearby. Peregrines always nest in the direct vicinity of water. One of the parents was sitting in front of the cam and it sures makes a nice shot.
The juvi's are changing rapidly now as we can see, more brown coverfeathers are beginning to show. Our little eyases are growing bigger and bigger.
Zurich: dinner on the ledge
Both eyases on the ledge being fed by the female. They are much often now outside, flapping their wings, stretching their legs. They are doing great. And changing fast. Very well visible are the brown pathes behind the eyes. The development continues in terms of the increasing covering of juvenile feathers on the breast. The area on the head bare of down also continues to expand
De Mortel: 19 days old
Dad was out and about very early to bring prey to his 4 hungry eyases. He is an excellent provider and S2 must be a very happy female to have such a mate and father for her eyases.
Zwolle eyases: to darn hot
It is a very hot springweek in the Netehrelands. The eyases in de Zwolle nestbox are panting all afternoon and laying flat out in the shade of the box. But no doubt it will be very hot inside. The female is with them. They are doing fine and are getting a lot of delicious food. The crops all almost bursting.
Woodman: drama
Female Peregrine Falcon Injured; Male Tending New Chicks
There is big news outside the 28th floor of the Woodmen Tower.
As of Thursday morning, the first of five Peregrine Falcon eggs had hatched and the male Falcon Zeus was tending the nest. Falcon fans keeping an eye on “Falcon Cam” ( www.woodmen.org/falcons ) caught glimpses of the chick early Thursday morning.
The female falcon, Hera, is believed to be injured and recuperating at Raptor Recovery Nebraska, Inc., following a Monday evening encounter with another falcon that was presumably killed. All is “presumed,” as the two unbanded females are virtually indistinguishable. The injured falcon was left with bruises, stitches and scuffed feet.
Woodmen Tower Manager, Tim Sautter, said that although he could not determine with 100% accuracy whether the injured bird is Hera, his feeling is that it is, and that once the injured female recovers, in about a week, she will return to the Woodmen Tower and her new brood. If she is not Hera, most likely Zeus will run her off.
Sautter and Woodmen of the World Associates are hopeful that Zeus will continue in his single-parenting responsibilities, sitting on the unhatched eggs, making brief flights for food and feeding the new chicks. Raptor Recovery Nebraska will assist Zeus in his efforts, by supplying him with quail to shorten his time away from the nest.
“When it comes to wildlife, there is always an element of drama,” says Sautter, “but we are slow to interfere with the falcons’ natural instincts to handle the situation. As long as Zeus is incubating, and then feeding the chicks when they hatch, we will leave him alone and hope for the best.”
2008 marks the 20th anniversary of the Peregrine Falcon Program at Woodmen Tower. If all five eggs hatch, it will bring the total number of chicks hatched at the Tower to more than 50.
For more information, visit www.woodmen.org/falcons.
There is big news outside the 28th floor of the Woodmen Tower.
As of Thursday morning, the first of five Peregrine Falcon eggs had hatched and the male Falcon Zeus was tending the nest. Falcon fans keeping an eye on “Falcon Cam” ( www.woodmen.org/falcons ) caught glimpses of the chick early Thursday morning.
The female falcon, Hera, is believed to be injured and recuperating at Raptor Recovery Nebraska, Inc., following a Monday evening encounter with another falcon that was presumably killed. All is “presumed,” as the two unbanded females are virtually indistinguishable. The injured falcon was left with bruises, stitches and scuffed feet.
Woodmen Tower Manager, Tim Sautter, said that although he could not determine with 100% accuracy whether the injured bird is Hera, his feeling is that it is, and that once the injured female recovers, in about a week, she will return to the Woodmen Tower and her new brood. If she is not Hera, most likely Zeus will run her off.
Sautter and Woodmen of the World Associates are hopeful that Zeus will continue in his single-parenting responsibilities, sitting on the unhatched eggs, making brief flights for food and feeding the new chicks. Raptor Recovery Nebraska will assist Zeus in his efforts, by supplying him with quail to shorten his time away from the nest.
“When it comes to wildlife, there is always an element of drama,” says Sautter, “but we are slow to interfere with the falcons’ natural instincts to handle the situation. As long as Zeus is incubating, and then feeding the chicks when they hatch, we will leave him alone and hope for the best.”
2008 marks the 20th anniversary of the Peregrine Falcon Program at Woodmen Tower. If all five eggs hatch, it will bring the total number of chicks hatched at the Tower to more than 50.
For more information, visit www.woodmen.org/falcons.
Oberhausen oh those wings
After the leftover prey have been fed by the female to the juvi's, they relax and go to sleep. They are 41 days old now. The moment of fledging is getting closer and closer.
The third webcam gives us a view of what they will be doing outside!
This is where they are. In top of the high chimney is the nestbox.
Derby Eyases Today
CLOSE-UP AT 13:00
FEEDING AT 14:00
SLIDESHOW
FEEDING AT 11:00 IN 2 STAGES
AND A SLIDESHOW
FEEDING AT 14:00
SLIDESHOW
FEEDING AT 11:00 IN 2 STAGES
AND A SLIDESHOW
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