Rfalconcam Forum

I made my first visit to my local peregrines this morning.  Immediate gratification -- one was perched at the edge of the nest box and remained there for over a half hour.  There were some wail calls, so I think a brooding shift change was being negotiated.  It appears, then, that the 2011 season must be upon us.

Paul

 :clap:  Wonderful!   :2thumbsup:  I look forward to your updates.  :thumbsup:

Me too, thanks Paul!  :clap:

Me three!!!  Hmmm...3 little oops!!!   :gum:

PS

As I made my way through the riprap and drift logs, I heard wail calls overhead.  I emerged from the forest just in time to spot the male returning to a perch near the nest.  We spent about a half hour together as he stood guard duty. 

I wonder how far out I was when he first spotted me.  I'm always amazed by their ability to see us at long distances, even when hidden by trees.

Paul

Good looking bird! Thanks!  ;D

Beautiful Picture and Fantastic Falcon. Thanks.

very nice picture, Paul - in all that painted metal.

 :2thumbsup:  Thanks for your efforts, Paul.

In my last two trips I'd failed to see the peregrines.  Perhapssomething had happened to them?  The Potomac has ben at a high flood stage, so I can't get to my favorite watching spot and just getting to the bridge is difficult.

Last Sunday, I waited an hour until I saw a tiny speck perched on a bridge support on the Virginia side.  That was good news, but even better news came an hour later when he flew to the nest box and another peregrine flew out.

That meant that a pair is present and there are eggs being incubated.  What a thrill!  In the second picture below, the peregrine is perched on the bridge support that is beyond and below the one with the nest box.

Paul

Excellent pics and thanks Paul.

Glad you saw them!  Thanks for the pics!

Thanks for your efforts, Paul!  Wow, the Potomac IS high!

beautiful bird, and spot to nest in! thanks, Paul!

The river level was about 6 feet at Great Falls  -- more than halfway to 10 feet, which is flood stage. 

The last time I visited the peregrines, the river was at 12 feet -- two feet above flood stage.  The trail to the river (probably made by deer) was blocked and I had to do some rock climbing to get there.  The trips in and out each took well over an hour and neither bird was visible that day.  I suspect that one of the peregrines was watching me from a tree, rock crevice, or high in the air. That's falconwatching!

Even when the river is normal, getting around is not easy, because of large rocks, greasy-slick mud, and jungle-like underbrush.  The whining roar of the road traffic overhead is very loud.  My favorite observing spot with its tree blind is still cut off by deep, fast water, so I have to be content with watching from a half mile away from the male's favorite perching spot.  At that distance, quite a few of my photos were badly blurred from atmospheric turbulence.

However, it is a strange and beautiful place.  The gorge itself is lovely and the beams and girders of the bridge are surreal -- much like a Fritz Lang movie set.  Many of the concrete bridge supports are decorated by large cartoons and other graffiti.  It's the same basic idea as the Lascaux Caves -- create art in a place where almost nobody will ever see it. 

Paul

Hmmm....
A very different perspective from that point of view  ;)

It sure is!!  :clap:

Banding Day!

Craig Koppie, of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service visited my local nestsite today.  Out of five eggs laid, the Cabin John Peregrines produced one male chick, estimated at 24 days old.  Last year, there were three chicks, so this is a bit of a surprise.  Thinking of Mark's comments regarding Ontario falcons, I wonder whether fertility will turn out to be statistically lower this year over the East coast.

Lots of kakking and flying around by the parents, as you can see.  I don't think either bird actually made contact, but the female came very close, sometimes within an inch. It looked like she was deliberately trying to intimidate while avoiding the risks of actually coming to blows.  Surprisingly, the female spent a lot of time perched close to the intruder, yelling at him.  Quite a difference from both Mariah and Kaver and Beauty and Archer, who always remained airborne.  Craig has so many peregrine sites that he no longer has them all memorised, but thinks that the female is from New York City and the male from a bridge between New York and Pennsylvania.  He said he would look up the bands and email me the info.

Afterwards, Craig told me some great peregrine banding stories while he was packing up his climbing gear.  He has been involved with peregrines for at least thirty years, going back to the time of the reintroduction. The common theme was 400 foot towers and angry, swooping birds. The New Jersey and New York females seem to be particularly aggressive, with the second female at the Legg Mason tower in Baltimore being the most memorable.  His assistant, Randy, who was documenting the banding, had some good tales of his own.  He is a very good falcon photographer, frequently getting flight shots good enough for a band reading.

It was my first banding day, and an unforgettable experience.  Craig was impressed that my binocular strap was adorned with a GVAS Rochester Fledgewatch tag.  This shows the importance of wearing Rfalconcam gear whenever possible.

Paul

It's interesting that Rhea Mae uses the perch and yell technique of getting her babies back too. I wonder if whatever they do their first nesting season that succeeds in getting the humans to leave is what they do the rest of their lives?

Wow!  5 eggs and one hatched.  Makes one really wonder what's going on.  Happy for you that you got to go to your first banding!  Thanks for posting your experience and great pictures-love the one of the guy with the hard hat!

Saw that white cere on Mama and thought, "Mariah"!  Yeah, I know, but I wonder if this is a great grand-something!

As for females from NJ/NY being a bit agressive, I'm proud of them!   :devil:

Thanks for sharing and sticking with this Paul.

What great pics Paul! Lucky you and congrats. Thank you.

Great photos, Paul - I'm so glad there was at least one and you got to see it banded!

Come along with me for last week's Banding Day! (http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee)

Bring your sunscreen.

Paul

Why is it when I click on the link, it brings up MAK's Toronto album. 3x's in a row!!

The link didn't work for me either.

I'm just getting a blank screen...

Try this link:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=3655826100103%3A1443366000&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee  (http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=3655826100103%3A1443366000&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee)

It worked and what great PICS!!! Too bad about the other eggs though. Thank you. Love the area they picked.

Beautiful pictures of the nest site under the bridge.  The pefa is   beautiful.  In one of the pictures it appears that she is sitting on the hard hat of Craig -- she's not -- but it looks like it at first glance. 
Sad that only one of five eggs hatched.  Seems to be the story this season.  It has to be the cold and very wet spring. 
Thanks for sharing the pictures. 

Gorgeous setting, Paul!  Has he fledged yet?  I see you got an ID band number on the female-do you know the names/origin of the parents?  Thanks for sharing your pics with us!

Great and unusual banding album, Paul - thanks so much.
Those pictures of the female perched right over the bander's helmet are so odd, as is her low pass at his head. Things we don't usually see in such very close juxtaposition! 

Can't wait to find out if the female is from Jersey City, Elizabeth, nj,  Water St, or Riverside Church. Athena in JC is ferocious and fast. This year's female eyas, Lady Liberty or Libby is extremely aggressive like her mom.

Forgot to add New Jersey has green bands and New York has mostly red now (I think)

Wonderful pics Paul,thanks!

You are most welcome.
As of last Sunday, he had not fledged, but was out of the box..  Here he is with his mom.

Paul

Isn't it exciting to have your own peregrines to watch?  I now have three scrapes here.  I have to take double doses of my blood pressure medications to make it through fledge season.

Your setting is just beautiful.  I am hopeful the female is from Jersey City.  That would make four young accounted for this year. 

Here'a another trip to my local falcon site.  It was a very hot day, but well worth the visit because the whole family was out.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=6271884200103%3A952023894&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee (http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=6271884200103%3A952023894&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee)

Paul

 :coolphotos:

great shots, paul, esp. the little guy with bits of fluff, still.
and good toad. Very good toad.

Gee, that's the biggest nest box I've ever seen, except for a Hack box. Nice pics Paul. Hope the little one does well.

Do you have mom's band number?  Any more word on where she is from?  NJ would have gotten back to you right away.

Looked like a Black9 over a RedC....in one of Paul's pics. Not def!

Great images, Paul!

No fledge today, but the little guy is mostly free of fluff and quite active.  He gets in and out of the nestbox with the greatest of ease.  Both parents have now become very territorial in preparation for the first flight.  I got kakked at a lot.

Paul

Great close-ups Paul. Soon!!

Let's pack up our gear and hike down to the nest site.  Maybe he is about to fledge.  Bring plenty of ice water to drink, because it is hot down there.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=7968402400103%3A53674267&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top (http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=7968402400103%3A53674267&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top)

Some of these pictures are best viewed full size.


A few notes about my falcons.  They never hunt near the nest box.  Instead, they fly somewhere far down the river.    My fellow watcher reports that he saw the male flying back with a Blue Jay.  That's quite a load for a tiercel, so the secret hunting grounds may not be far away.

Neither the male nor the female migrate.  They both spend a lot of time in or near the nestbox, even when it is not breeding season.  Perhaps the box means a lot to them because the summer before they got it, they laid eleven eggs in three scattered clutches in different parts of the bridge. 

Paul

Absolutely gorgeous  (but not as beautiful as NYC of course lol). Now what in the heck is the band number?  I remain on pins and needles about where this bird is from.  And I would love to take a trip down there but I have a few more days of work.

Beautiful, Paul.  Loved the album!

Here is my first HD video.  If you have a really fast connection, I suggest selecting 1080p and full screen.  Otherwise, 240p or 360p will work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRHQkRJC2Tk#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRHQkRJC2Tk#ws)

Paul

Wow, that was awesome. Great video. Was mom trying to entice the little one to fly or mad because she saw you there?

:ditto:

Great video, Paul! 

 :thumbsup: :thanks2:

That was fun; I love the head tilt!

Yes, a very good video, Paul!  Thank you for sharing it!  And, yes, the head tilting is amazing!  Wish I could do that!

Anne in Toronto

I love the video, Paul!!!!  I love the sound of kakking!!!!

Me too.

While we wait, on pins and needles, for news of Harlequin, I have something that may help -- my local juvenile has fledged, and is flying very well.  Interestingly, the whole family spends much of their time together at the nestbox.  Here is the story and photos:
 http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=3119125010103%3A1492976249&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top (http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=3119125010103%3A1492976249&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top)

Paul

 :clap: Very nice album Paul. Thanks!

Awesome news and pics. Be safe little one!

 :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Again, what a beautiful spot and especially safe for a young fledgling/juvenile.  It is so much fun to have your own, local falcons to watch.  I do miss the Rochester folks, though.

Thanks!  I think it was a warning to stay away from the nest area.  I wouldn't expect them to be encouraging a fledge with people around.  Interestingly, they did not behave like this yesterday.  Both of the parents positioned themself strategically, but neither did any other flying. In fact, they didn't fly at all until Junior decided to head for the other end of the bridge, at which point his father joined him in the air.

Paul

I wonder if the parents behavior is because of the more rural location, as opposed to urban Rochester??

They don't behave at all like either Archer and Beauty or Mariah and Kaver.  For one thing, they never hunt near the nest.  For another, all three of them like to hang out together near or in the nestbox. 

In past years, there typically would be one juvenile at the nestbox and the others would be hunting somewhere downriver.  Last year, I thought that only one of them had survived fledging until Ricardo showed me his notes and photos that showed that, although there was always only one juvenile near the box, it was a never the same one for more than a few hours at a time.

I think that their behavior may have a lot to do with lower prey concentrations than the downtown Rochester pigeon buffet.  The Herberts wrote, of the New York Palisades falcons, that a favorite strategy was to surprise small corvids like Blue Jays over the river, where there were no trees to hide in.
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v082n01/p0062-p0094.pdf (http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v082n01/p0062-p0094.pdf)
I know that our pair return from their downriver hunting forays with Blue Jays.  I'm starting to think that the "secret hunting ground" is the airspace over the river itself, rather than Rosslyn or Georgetown.

Paul

Our falcons generally appear to hunt in Liberty Marsh or the Meadowlands.  That includes NYC and Jersey.  Someone analyzed the prey remains in the scrapes.  Water St pair hunts in Brooklyn.  ??

They need to come to Courthouse in Arlington, if they are flying to Rosslyn!  Oh such a buffet awaits them  :devil:

Kidding aside, both you and Bonnie have provided information that indicates that the hunting ground is much greater than I thought.  Thanks!

I'd hoped to find the hunting territory of my falcons this season, but no luck.  The unfortunate result is that I don't get to see any of the forms of spectacular fledgeling behavior like talon tag, food exchanges, and family hunts.  What I was able to see was all three members of the family.  While waiting for falcons to appear, I took some shots of other wildlife, landscapes and structures.  I'll explain why.

It's always a thrill to see the peregrines as they return to their nest area.  The falcons are wise to me; they know where I am long before I see them.  Most of the time, I don't find them -- they find me.  So many times, I've felt I was being watched, dismissed the thought as silly, and then heard kakking overhead or from some hideout. 

That's why I've included some non-falcon images that are very much a part of my falconwatching experience.  I urge everyone who has not watched wild peregrines in person to visit their nearest site.  You can see amazing things on web cams, but it's just a tiny peephole into the peregrine's world.  Rhen, you go to visit them.  After a while, you realize that what you observe while watching them in person is still a tiny fraction of their world, which is played out on an unimaginably large stage.

Here are some pictures related to my experiences yesterday, as this year's peregrine season  enters its last month.  When you look at them, imagine that there are unseen peregrines about, watching.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=3096810310103%3A526118412&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top (http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=3096810310103%3A526118412&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top)

Paul

Paul, for some reason Kodak's server was pouty and didn't want to allow any sign-in when I viewed the album, so I couldn't leave comments. Really beautiful photos of the river and rocks, love the caterpillar too!  She is a beautiful bird. Thanks

Paul, I experienced the same problem that Dale did, so I left my comments over on FB.  You are so correct about their world being a huge stage - I do wish you had found their hunting grounds.  Perhaps "junior" will setup "house" in Arlington.  I can always hope :-)

Beautiful pictures.  I know the feeling exactly.  Could not see our JC family yesterday and walked all over for three hours trying to find where they are hunting or perching.  At least we got to see talon tags and tandem flying over the past few weeks.  They are five weeks old now and going off on their own.