Rfalconcam Forum

The cam is back on and both Zeus and Hera have been seen around the nest box! Zeus will be 19 yrs old this year!

http://www.woodmen.org/falcons/falcon_cam.cfm (http://www.woodmen.org/falcons/falcon_cam.cfm)

For the past few weeks people have noticed the male here has a 'purple oxidized band' and is not Zeus.  Ferenz got clear photos of his bands today and definitely not Zeus.  SGB got video of them bonding and chupping today in the nest box..just awhile ago and they seemed awfully comfortable with each other.

Today's events start here at BCAW:  http://www.peregrinefalcon-bcaw.net/viewtopic.php?f=325&t=1494&start=120 (http://www.peregrinefalcon-bcaw.net/viewtopic.php?f=325&t=1494&start=120)

 :( :(

While I'd hate to hear we've lost Zeus, he had a good long life.

I can't seem to read the VID band...I can see it's black/red...with that & the purple band he should be in the midwest database...

I've been afraid of this-there were thoughts it wasn't Zeus.  What a great Falcon he was!

A true champion-Zeus  :yes:

Oh how sad, poor Zeus!!  :crying:

People on BCAW have commented that they think Hera is really comfortable with the new male-more so than a new acquaintance.  Somebody looked back at pics from last year and noting the bands, feels very strongly that New Guy was with Hera last year and not Zeus. This means that Zeus was gone last year or possibly before that if true!  :o  Stay tuned!

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat???  :no:

I know! Hard to believe that it was missed if true!

 :surprise:

How did they miss this? 

Several people have been checking band pics of the Woodmen male for quite sometime, trying to determine when Zeus was no longer Hera's mate. Zeus' bands were identified in 2010 but purple band is seen in posted pics from 2011 and 2012 and nobody at Woodmen knew it until it was recently brought to their attention!

http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20130315%2FNEWS%2F130319446%2F1685 (http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20130315%2FNEWS%2F130319446%2F1685)

Thanks for posting this Kris.  I posted it over at BCAW - with credit to you - so the girls can see it since they've been investigating it!  That explains what I saw yesterday when I was home too with the arm moving around and the camera being set up.

Funny, we would know in an instant! In their defense, we have a better camera setup! Hard to see the bands at Woodmen! It's a shame we don't know what happened to him! He was a great dad.  :(

Very sad we don't know what happened to him.  We are so lucky here to have such exceptional watchers -both camera and in person. 

For sure, Jeanne!  I feel bad about Zeus too-he was a great falcon and dad. 

It is disturbing that Woodmen cams don't show the bands clearly, and I'm as sad about the apparent loss of Zeus as I am about Archer.  The good news is Hera was just working on scraping in the east box, and you can see the depression pretty clearly.

I would think the new male will be ID'd soon, since somebody posted a pic of his bands and they are a bit clearer to read:  looks like black or green 3 over red A on left, and the purple band on right.

The new male with Hera, Mintaka was hatched in 2010.  "The peregrine falcon chicks hatched atop the Nebraska State Capitol building have been named Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka – after the three bright stars that comprise the belt of the constellation Orion, the Hunter, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission announced Friday, June 25."   http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/blogs/2010/06/peregrine-falcon-chicks-named-for-stars-in-orions-belt/ (http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/blogs/2010/06/peregrine-falcon-chicks-named-for-stars-in-orions-belt/)

Cool!  8)

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130315/NEWS/130319446/1685 (http://www.omaha.com/article/20130315/NEWS/130319446/1685)

Let's hope he didn't meet the same fate as Niobrara, a banded male falcon found dead Tuesday on the roof of First National Tower. Niobrara was killed by another falcon in a fight over territory or -- who knows -- maybe over Hera.

We have one egg in the box as of today!  Happy Easter indeed. :clap:

As of Monday, April 8, Woodmen has 5 eggs!   :yahoo:

Holy moly!  :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

My goodness, she's in the lead!  :o

Rough weather today for Hera and Mintaka, and the egglets of course!

Saw this on FB-hope everything turns out OK there. 

2 confirmed hatches for Hera and Mintaka!  3 eggs to go!  :clap:

 :hatch1: :hatch1:

3rd egg hatched this evening, 5-11.  Two to go.

First glimpse I've had of the chicks:

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay123a_zps099ca22e.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay123a_zps099ca22e.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay126a_zpse04fc17b.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay126a_zpse04fc17b.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay127a_zpse581ee38.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay127a_zpse581ee38.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay128a_zpsed97d84c.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay128a_zpsed97d84c.jpg.html)

I think there are now four chicks! I saw four little heads up to be fed:

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay1210a_zpse4a83329.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay1210a_zpse4a83329.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay1214a_zps94ca1cb3.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay1214a_zps94ca1cb3.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay1217a_zps4b9de258.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay1217a_zps4b9de258.jpg.html)

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay1218a_zps9224a70a.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay1218a_zps9224a70a.jpg.html)

When the chicks were satisfied, Hera had something to eat before leaving with the rest of the food:

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay1222a_zps539851b2.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay1222a_zps539851b2.jpg.html)

 :hatch1: :hatch1: :hatch1: :hatch1: :clap:

#5 has hatched!

 :hatch1: :hatch1: :hatch1: :hatch1: :hatch1:  :thumbsup:

All look healthy with good appetites!

That's a lotta babies!! Glad they all hatched.

Holy big falcon family!  :clap: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Banding day is Monday, June 3rd at 10 AM for the fab five and they're going to be holding a naming contest on FB.

It appears that one of the five has not survived.  It is lying in the nestbox and not breathing or moving.  :'(

  :crying:

I was just watching that site. Very sad. There's been quite a few chick deaths at nest sites this year.  SLC had an egg collapse just the other day.  Fly free, little one.  :sorrow:

Oh man, so sad!  :kleenex:

 :(

I just looked at the cam  :crying:

Fly free sweet baby

I am so sorry to read of the loss of one of these beautiful little chicks. Very strange for this nest, which is normally very successful. There has been no lack of food, and the chicks have been very well cared for. I wonder what happened.

Yesterday afternoon there were five chicks; all were moving around.

(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa393/falcoperegrinus1/May%202013/woodmenmay271a_zpsb71a74a3.jpg) (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/falcoperegrinus1/media/May%202013/woodmenmay271a_zpsb71a74a3.jpg.html)f

Today I only see four in the nest.  :(

I read they fed the deceased to the others!  :(

I looked at the Earthcam archive - little one was barely alive around midday Monday.  It was no longer breathing around 5:00 pm.  And yes, the archive from this morning shows the adult (might have been Mintaka) using the dead one as food for the other 4.  Quite disturbing, to say the least.  After thinking all day about it, Peregrines do feed on birds, so maybe it makes sense in the bird world.  I sure hope there's no danger to the others from this one - maybe it was just too weak to survive.  I assume they'll check the 4 closely at banding.

Very sad to read that this happened. It is very rare; parents will normally carry a lost chick gently out of the nest. I have seen this kind of behavior only once before, back in 2004, at another nest. I wish it had been possible to find out what caused the loss of this little chick.

Could you please tell me where would I find the archive you mentioned?

I was also wondering if a link to the archive could be posted.

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/nebraska/omaha/falconcam/ (http://www.earthcam.com/usa/nebraska/omaha/falconcam/)

Go to 6-7 am, they are being fed the deceased eyas.  :crying:  In the archives button

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130604/NEWS/706049942/1694 (http://www.omaha.com/article/20130604/NEWS/706049942/1694) This year's chicks, whose father is Mintaka, received a health checkup and their identification bands Monday.