[!!! The Pefa’s are back!April 05, 2011 - Niagara FallsCPF Postmaster Reports:]

!!! The Pefa’s are back!
April 05, 2011 - Niagara Falls
CPF Postmaster Reports:

One adult peregrine just cruised past my window on the 18th floor of the Niagara Falls Hilton. (Canadian side, near the gorge). Too late to snap a photo but was within ten feet of the bird and got a very good look. Time: 11:40 am April 5th. 2011.
I have been sitting here for hours with camera in hand waiting for a second chance at that photo. Will send it along if I get lucky.

Cheryl Piraino
Kingston, Ontario

!!! Shift Change & Some TV’s!
April 04, 2011 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:

Exciting day for Angel today, as if the wind and rain wasn’t enough..lots of Turkey Vulture’s around so she hauled herself out of the nest box to back up Jack when he didn’t return as quickly as she would have when they came into the territory earlier in the day.

I stayed a bit after work tonight and I thought all was calm and quiet as I couldn’t see anyone so I figured Angel was happily laying in the box.  About 10 minutes later I hear alarm calling and out of the nestbox comes Jack yelling his head off ..he stopped not too far away from me and turned around and went back to the nestbox.  I was a bit puzzled as to what he was alarming about and then a few minutes later Angel comes flying in from the south and lands on the web cam.  Some chit chatting ensued and then Jack took off to his other ‘wife’ and Angel jumped back into the nestbox and settled herself down.   I’m guessing she chased something off and perhaps he was watching her  or she took too long on her break  and he was telling her to get back to the box 

Well said Neil. Same with electricity, if you unplug all appliances, lamps that are not being used and use surge protectors instead of plugging directly into the wall outlet, you can save yourself, (depends on usage), a whopping $32 or more a month on your electric bill. Same with water, set your hot water tank to 110 degrees, it will save.

A WHITE-TAILED sea eagle introduced to the Killarney National Park from Norway three years ago has been killed after colliding with a wind turbine near Kilgarvan, an area designated as suitable for wind farms in the Kerry county development plan.

Although such collisions are common in Europe and the US, it is the first time a sea eagle has died here, or in Britain, due to a wind turbine, Dr Allan Mee, project manager for the reintroduction project, said.

The death is likely to cause a reappraisal of wind farm areas in the region.

The eagle, which had severed a leg, was found below a wind turbine at Sillahertane on the Cork-Kerry border earlier last month. A postmortem determined the cause of death as the strike with a wind blade. She had begun roosting and was likely to be one of the first of the eagles reintroduced here to breed this year or next.

Areas suitable for wind farms were decided before the raptor reintroduction programme, which brought in red kites and large birds of prey such as eagles five years ago.

These areas are likely to be reviewed now in the light of their effect on the introduced birds, which have low reproduction rates. There will also be a series of recommendations for existing wind farms, Dr Mee indicated.

“Over the next few years it will be important to assess how much white-tailed eagles use the existing wind farms, and whether they avoid wind farms to any extent. We will also work with wind farm operators to help reduce the risks of further collisions where possible.�

The effects of wind farms on protected birds is one of the single biggest obstacles to planning in Europe.

Poisoning, however, remains the chief cause of unnatural deaths of eagles here. So far some nine of the 77 birds introduced here since 2007 have died from poisoned bait ostensibly laid out for foxes and grey crows to protect lambs.

This is the last year of the reintroduction programme and about 20 birds are due in from Norway in early summer.

In Kerry for a fundraising dinner for the project on Thursday last, Norwegian ambassador Öyvind Nordsletten said he hoped recent laws strengthening the protection of birds of prey from poisoning would be enforced, as there was “a real chance� white-tailed sea eagles were going to start breeding here for the first time in more than 100 years.

Mr Nordsletten also said he had made it his business to meet then minister for the environment John Gormley and the legislation was strengthened.

“But it’s one thing to have stringent laws, it’s another to enforce them,� he said.

The practice of using poisoned meat bait was banned in October 2010 here. Fines of up to €5,000 may now be imposed on conviction.

That's right,most of my friends are bird nerds!

I'm a learning "Bird Nerd".

Wow, now that is one amazing site. Thanks for posting, I skimmed but will read the whole thing.

  Yay for 4!!

[A Fish Eagle and Peregrine Falcon are standing guard at a Sandwell museum to keep pooping pigeons at bay.]

A Fish Eagle and Peregrine Falcon are standing guard at a Sandwell museum to keep pooping pigeons at bay.

Sandwell Council has drafted in the duo to help keep the peace at Haden Hill House Museum in Rowley Regis.

They have been placed by first floor windows to scare the pigeons away and stop them splattering pathways.

A staff member suggested the idea after seeing plastic owls stuck on the outside of buildings to discourage pigeons.

Frank Caldwell, museums service manager, said: "We've got some wonderful Victorian taxidermic specimens which we have pressed into service.

"To date we've recruited a White Tailed Fish Eagle and a Peregrine Falcon which eagle-eyed visitors may be able to spot looking out from first floor windows.

"It's very much a 'try it and see' at this stage but if it works we might experiment with other birds at our other sites."

getting ready to leave

Breath-taking shots, Lou.  I don't even know what else to say.   
 

Loved them. Is that the crow that crashed?

Yes. It crashed into the Wilder building. Amazing that it escaped with all of the railings and iron work of the fire escape and a falcon on its rear. The picture was taken after the crash. It's blurry, but I was happy to get both the falcon and the crow in the shot.

Lou

Thanks, lucky crow for sure....lucky shot too!

Can anybody make out what the dead animal is that's on the nest now?

Lou

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

No clue but 138,000 plus viewers!  

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An eaglet at the Carolina Raptor Center continues to grow and flap its wings while staff continues to research how its sibling died last week.

Staff entered the nest on Thursday and retrieved the dead eaglet.

Medical staff examined the eaglet and found nothing abnormal.

"She was a female, and had plenty of abdominal fat, meaning Derek and Savannah were feeding her well. Her lungs, liver, and air sacs were all normal," said Michelle Miller Houck, with the Carolina Raptor Center.  "She had been much smaller than her sibling all along."

Medical staff also examined the surviving eaglet, which is three weeks old.  The eaglet weighs four pounds and 14.62 ounces.

The eaglet was immediately returned to its nest after handling.  Savannah and Derek continued to feed the eaglet several times throughout the afternoon.

In two weeks, the eaglet will be taken to a 30-feet tall hack tower, which looks similar to a tree fort, where it will learn to live on its own and get acclimated to the wild.

A full medical examination will take place prior to the move to the hack tower.  At that time staff will do a DNA sample to determine the sex.

The eaglet will be released around 12 weeks old.

Healthy lone eaglet

just because we couldn't see them doesn't mean one or the other wasn't keeping an eye on the nest box from where ever they were.

Yeah, I was just a bit worried BC, especially since we all thought Beauty was going to have her 2nd egg last night or this am. Even though I knew nothing was probably wrong, it was my inner gut that said hmm, what's up with these 2. I'm all better now, thanks.

Last visit to the nest by Archer.

I'm a little concerned why they haven't been around. No falcons in the area according to MAK earlier. Anyone have any ideas as to this behavior? She's due for egg #2.....like NOW! Hope there's no  problems.

We don't have enough experience with Beauty and/or data on her egg laying habits to make any firm estimates of when the next egg might come. The weather is warm here today so no real need for the adults to stick close to the nest.

Ok, that's fine. I see they both have come back. Thanks

There he is!

They've done this to us before...they'll do it to us again...

I guess. Not saying I like it.

(movie) Is he feeding the egg? Last visit by any falcon