Falcon Watch Update – October 15, 2008
Just a quick update. There have been daily sightings of Mariah around the city, but not as many of Kaver.
Mariah has been spending alot of her afternoons enjoying the mild Fall days on the gorge wall near the High Falls. She is quite beautiful in that natural setting.
The Watchers will be keeping a close eye on the new nest box location at the Powers Building. We’re all hoping to see her checking it out.
Carol P.
October 15th, 2008 at 2:41 AM
Does that mean the new box is actually up? Did I miss that somewhere.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Thanks, Carol. I too am hoping someone will see her check it out. As I recall, it is still the same old nest box, just a new location. Sure hope she buys it…
October 15th, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Thank you, Carol! I will keep my fingers crossed for the new location!
October 15th, 2008 at 4:27 PM
You’re welcome Alison and Lorr54. You’re correct Alison. It is her old nest box, so hopefully the nest box will be more important to her than the location. I have no doubt that she knows it’s there. 🙂
Carol P.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:02 PM
I am sorry to say, I think the location is more important to the falcon than the presence of a familiar nest box or any nest box for that matter. I think the most convincing argument for Mariah to take either of the new locations will be that she is chased off the Kodak Tower repeatedly. These other locations have been there for the past few years and they were not, in and of themselves, attractive enough to induce a move (even if the gorge is nearer or any other such feature). We may have a season like the folks in Brisbane, where the falcons moved out of camera’s reach (no nest boxes provided there – but falcons are also not endangered or threatened) or just take an off season.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:46 AM
Positive thoughts!! 😀
October 18th, 2008 at 6:44 AM
Alison, I think you are right. It’s good to think positively but realistic anticipation about what Mariah will do is what will make the difference between her taking to the relocated nestbox or not next season. Seems to me it would be best for her it she were not allowed on the tower at all. Would a dummy GHO do that?
October 18th, 2008 at 9:30 PM
Thank-you, Rosamund.
A very lifelike statue of a great horned owl might be OK for starters, but Mariah and Kaver are not as simple-minded as some other species, who flee on the sight of a predator. I think that after a couple of strafing runs in defence of their territory (after all, GHOs are no threat to them personally, just an annoyance like Turkey Vultures), when they find that the supposed bird does not budge, not even look up, it might alert them to the fact that this is now just a new part of the building like the scaffolding and the netting:-(
All this will be very interesting come next February and March.
October 19th, 2008 at 2:45 PM
Maybe so. Perhaps we could ask Shaky to dress up like a GHO so he can flap his wings and act animated for Mariah. I hear he does a very convincing impersonation of 007. 😉
October 19th, 2008 at 9:06 PM
Now *that* is an approach that might work 😀
– unless Mariah and Kaver already consider Shaky a friend after all these years. Anyone who has seen his website, knows that he has an intimate acquaintance with the pair and delivers an adoring public scenes from their private moments 😉
November 1st, 2008 at 2:12 PM
Maybe M&M are having their last rondevue’s before he takes off for the winter. Glad they are alright. I too, hope she checks out the new nest box. Thanks for the news.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:19 PM
Has anyone seen, or know where Seneca, Diamante, Zephyr and Susan B are?
November 5th, 2008 at 8:54 PM
Kathy – I’m sorry to say that there have been no reported sightings of Seneca, Diamante, Zephyr and Susan B. – Carol P.
November 8th, 2008 at 2:01 PM
Gee whiz…sure hope they are well and flourishing. Thank you. I’ll keep my hopes up.Can’t tell, easily, where they are, no transmitter, only bands, and that would have to be a up close sighting.
November 9th, 2008 at 3:31 PM
Well, no news is good news for falcons.
December 1st, 2008 at 1:55 AM
Nothing/no one spotted in the last 6 + weeks?
December 8th, 2008 at 6:52 PM
Glad to hear she is staying around, that way we can keep an eye on her. Hope she likes the new nest box..fingers and toes crossed.
December 16th, 2008 at 6:56 AM
Where did you read that “she is staying around”, Kathy V?
There has been no sighting posted here since October 15th.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:28 PM
I personally feel that Mariah will not be back, she expects her home to be at the Kodak tower where it has always been. We have probably seen the last of M and K.
Why was it moved anyway?