Rfalconcam Forum

http://www.greatriverenergy.com/aboutus/environmental/birdcam.html (http://www.greatriverenergy.com/aboutus/environmental/birdcam.html)

Update:

Our new female falcon laid four eggs the week of May 11. This new batch of eggs is expected hatch around June 18 and the eyasses may be banded the week of July 4.
May 2011

Great River Energy’s Elk River Energy Recovery Station peregrine falcons experienced a sad and unfortunate beginning to the 2011 nesting season. The male and female falcons that have been with us for the past few years returned to the nesting box in early March. The pair successfully produced four eggs in mid-April.

On April 22 the female falcon disappeared from the nesting box. The male falcon attempted to incubate the eggs in the female’s absence but he too eventually left the box.

We are now happy to report that the same male falcon has returned to the nesting box and is courting another female falcon. Great River Energy staff have determined that this is a banded falcon named Dot. She hatched and was banded in June 2007 at Xcel Energy’s Blackdog Power Plant located in Burnsville, Minn.

New Falcon mother, Dot, has had her first hatch overnight, and more are on the way. She laid 4 eggs this spring.  Now I have babies to watch. 

http://www.greatriverenergy.com/aboutus/environmental/birdcam.html (http://www.greatriverenergy.com/aboutus/environmental/birdcam.html)

And you can too!

Mary Ann

Thanks Mary Ann!  And congratulations on your first post! :clap:

How nice, some late bloomers!! Congrats Mary Ann.  :clap: Yes, keep posting!

Congrats, Mary Ann. And congrats to Great River after a rocky start.

2 hatches!! Oh what nice view of them too!!


About the Birdcam

Great River Energy's Elk River Energy Recovery Station is a perfect site for a nesting box because it is located in a peregrine falcon migratory flyway. The site, beside the Mississippi River, is also a draw because the birds prefer to nest in high locations near water. In recent history, power plants have had the best peregrine production rates in the Midwest.

Birdcam news
Update:  Oh this is a new female! No wonder!

Our new female falcon laid four eggs the week of May 11. This new batch of eggs is expected hatch around June 18 and the eyasses may be banded the week of July 4.
May 2011

Great River Energy’s Elk River Energy Recovery Station peregrine falcons experienced a sad and unfortunate beginning to the 2011 nesting season. The male and female falcons that have been with us for the past few years returned to the nesting box in early March. The pair successfully produced four eggs in mid-April.

On April 22 the female falcon disappeared from the nesting box. The male falcon attempted to incubate the eggs in the female’s absence but he too eventually left the box. (Oh I don't like when this happens)

All four babies have hatched and Mom is feeding them. They look wonderful. Does anyone know if there are any falcon watchers in Elk River?


Mary Ann :thumbsup:

Good news!  :clap:

These guys got a late start this year as they are a brand new pair.  The female Dot from last year is fine though, she's been discovered nesting elsewhere this year so whew and not sure on the male as he was unbanded so he may or may not be with Dot.

One egg, possibly two pipped this morning so hatching expected any time now.  From the site:

A little about the adult falcons:

This is a new pair to our nesting box. The male falcon’s name is Sawatzke. He was banded at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant near Monticello, Minn. in 2009. The female falcon is unbanded

http://www.greatriverenergy.com/aboutus/environmental/birdcam.html (http://www.greatriverenergy.com/aboutus/environmental/birdcam.html)

SAY-WHATZ-KE is his name?? Saw-watz-ke!!

Mom is helping baby out of the egg!!!  :wub:  She laid back down but I saw half a baby...oh she's up again..there it is..still half in shell.  :wub:

One is out for sure!

I hear it and mom was eating something out of the shell!

I saw that too-I think she was nipping away the edge of the shell

It doesn't matter how many times I see eggs hatching, I always get excited  :wub:

When I saw, she was pulling something long out of the shell! Is there leftovers in the shell? I'll have to look it up.

Might be a bit of the membrane left. One is out for sure-she's juggling the unhatched eggs & baby

Did you see her pecking the baby? She was pulling it up with her beak! Then she just shoved it over. Must be her first time. Wow.

Some of the first time moms can be a bit rough, hopefully she catches on quick. 

Poor kid!

(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/djweeds/2chicks.jpg) 2 hatched, 1 to go!

(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/djweeds/2eyases.jpg)

http://youtu.be/1XAaXZ3uoEM (http://youtu.be/1XAaXZ3uoEM)  This is one BRAVE juvie to come in on a bonding session.   :o

Big nest box fight here tonight, I missed it but they said it went on for over 1.5 hours.  Two males and a female all in box fighting.

And another fight earlier at Genoa Plant, two females and looks like the resident female may have won.

I have to wonder sometimes if any foresight was given to what would happen when the population came back.  I'm sure they fought back in the day but they nested on cliff sites then and since then all the cliffs have either eroded or been bulldozed for urban sprawl.  And the recovery falcons all want to nest on buildings since most were born there.  I wonder that they never realized that locations for nest boxes would be limited especially in cities where tall buildings lean more towards condos and people that pay a half million or more for a condo don't welcome falcons as they can't access their balconies for spring/summer months.  This is the worst year I've seen since I started following falcons in the last 10 years.

I can't imagine watching 3 in a box fighting for an hour and a half!  :scaredblue:

How awful! I hate fights. Poor guys have no where to go!!. :( Sometimes I wonder what would be if we had no nest boxes!!

I haven't watched the videos - I can't do it anymore.   :tired: :(

I refuse to watch any falcon fight videos!!