A lot of PINKS in the sky @ sunset.

[I wish our peregrines would do this while I’m watching.]

Kate St John's Blog


I don’t know about you but I’m going through peregrine withdrawal.

On campus the Pitt peregrines are really hard to find.  Though I’ve seen the adults carrying prey and know they’re still feeding their young, the “kidsâ€� are not hanging out near the Cathedral of Learning.

So what are they doing?

They’re learning to hunt.  If they don’t master it, they’ll starve.  If they aren’t really good at it, they can’t feed a family.

The lessons happen in the air:

    * The adult peregrine catches a bird (in this case a pigeon) and carries it in its talons to the vicinity of its youngsters.
    * The youngsters are always on the lookout for a possible meal and immediately chase the adult, shouting for food.
    * When a youngster catches up, the adult rises up and dangles the pigeon.
    * Sometimes the juvenile flips upside down, raises his feet and catches the prey as his parent drops it (shown here).  Sometimes he dives for it as it falls past him.
    * The lesson is always noisy.  The juveniles shout the entire time, even after catching the prey.  

Thankfully Chad and Chris Saladin saw this lesson in Ohio and were able to capture it on camera.

Look at the surprise on this youngster’s face!

I wish our peregrines would do this while I’m watching.

(photo by Chad+Chris Saladin)

.



p.p.s.  Chad & Chris reminded me that the birds in this photo are Maddy (adult) and Michelin (juvenile).  Maddy was born at Pitt and nests on the I-480 bridge in Cleveland.  Michelin landed on a pile of old tires when he fledged – hence his name.  He’s all grown up now and nests at the lake near Cleveland.

p.s.  At this time of year the adult peregrines occasionally visit their nest (here’s why).


  At Pitt, you might see Dorothy sleeping at the nest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw6PnaEuId0&feature=player_embedded Multiple fledging at Gulf Tower

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe9zeIvnkeU&feature=player_embedded#!

Peregrine Falcon banding at Nebraska's Capitol - 4 June 2010

http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/wildlife/webcam/peregrine/default.asp Cam

Officials are warning people to be on the lookout for crash landings now that two peregrine falcons nesting on top of a building at the University of Calgary have hatched three chicks.

Between July 12 and 16 the young birds are expected to take their first flights off the ledge of Craigie Hall — practice runs that often result in injury, according to wildlife experts.

University officials are asking any passers-by who find an injured fledgling falcon to contact one the following agencies:

    * Alberta Fish and Wildlife at 403-297-6423.
    * Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Call the City of Calgary at 311.
    * And if a falcon has to be picked up after hours: Campus Security 403-220-5333.

The female began laying eggs in late April, and by May 10 Pat Young, a biologist with Alberta Fish and Wildlife, had counted four eggs, the university reported on its peregrine falcon home page.

One of the eggs turned out to be infertile, but the three remaining chicks are in good shape and are being fed and cared for regularly by mom and dad, the website said.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers banded the chicks for tracking purposes on June 22.

The univeristy's falcon watchers have set up a live link for people to observe the birds on the internet, however the feed is sporadic because of some ongoing technical problems, they said.

"I have had the distinct feeling that they are not so keen on being filmed, as one or more often peck at the camera or the microphone," Elli Jilek said on the website, adding that they sometimes hide behind the camera.

Peregrine falcons are listed as a threatened species. The birds have nested at the university for several years.



http://www.falconcam.med.ualberta.ca/cam2.html Web cam

those are such odd images! The birds, of course, are incredible, but what strikes me is -- they don't look like photos, but like very meticulously-rendered illustrations!!  At least on my screen (hmmmm). I wonder why...could it have to do with the white background?
The blue-throated macaw and kestrel are my favorites.

I thought they looked quite odd myself, then again, not sure what HI DEF pics look like. Pretty cool though.

Mom should have booted out Jack and kept Milton

Milton was a cutie...and "Yeah"

In the latest chapter of a long-running debate over lead bullets, researchers presented the strongest evidence to date that hunting ammo is poisoning endangered California Condors.

Myra Finkelstein, an environmental toxicologist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and colleagues analyzed lead isotope ratios in 65 birds after their release into the environment and found they fell between 0.81 and 0.83 - within the range of that found in bullet samples, most of which were turned in by hunters in California. Pre-release birds had lower concentrations of lead in their blood, and their isotopic ratios were higher (0.83 to 0.85). In addition, Finkelstein found that sub-lethal concentrations of lead in blood (20 ug/dL), result in a 60% decrease in the levels of aminolevulinic acid dehydratase - an enzyme necessary for cellular energy and hemoglobin production. The results were presented yesterday at the Society for Conservation Biology meeting in Edmonton, Canada.

California condors used to soar across the western United States, but by 1982 only 22 remained in the wild. Their captive breeding programme is often cited as the most expensive species recovery effort in US history, costing up to US$2 million per year. Yet today, out of 304 birds released into the wild, 116 have died. Half of those deaths are due to lead poisoning, which, among other effects, damages the nervous system. Condors are scavengers and most scientists believe they are being poisoned by feeding on carcasses killed by hunters.

Steve Beissinger, a conservation biologist at the University of California at Berkeley who was not involved in the research said the results were another "smoking gun" that lead bullets are killing condors. "The California condor is a classic example of what happens when you try to return a species to an environment where the factor that caused its decline has not been reversed," he said.

The new study, however, is already being contested by gun advocates. Don Saba, a cancer researcher with the private consulting firm Sierra Bioresearch in Tucson, Arizona, who challenged the group's 2006 study in Environmental Science and Technology, says that the analysis is based on a "fallacy" that serves a "political agenda." "You can't say that lead in ammunition has a particular isotopic ratio," he says, pointing out that every batch of ammunition is different.

"All the evidence to date suggest ammunition is the only plausible source," Finkelstein counters. The matter may soon be settled once and for all: In July 2008, California restricted the use of lead ammunition within the range of condors. Birds sampled in 2009 still showed high levels of lead, but Finkelstein says it is still too early to know how well hunters are complying with the ban on public and private land.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A panel of judges has dealt a blow to environmentalists who questioned the legality of a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that cleared the way for the reintroduction of the rare northern Aplomado falcon in southern New Mexico.

Environmentalists had alleged the designation of the falcon as a nonessential, experimental population in New Mexico and Arizona violated federal policy and stripped the bird of needed protections under the Endangered Species Act.

U.S. District Judge William Johnson dismissed their arguments in a 2008 ruling. The three-judge panel for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling in an opinion issued Wednesday.

Despite the legal battle, efforts to reintroduce the falcon have continued.

The Peregrine Fund says releases are in full swing at three sites in New Mexico and more are planned.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1293029/Birds-Andrew-Zuckermans-high-definition-photographs-new-book.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

WOW!!!

! Mom & The Boys
July 09, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:

Today finally brought some relief from the heat wave and some much needed rain.  It also brought out the falcons!   They haven’t been seen as much compared to past years partly due to the oppressive heat.  I see them at around 7:00 am in the morning chasing mom for food and Baylie has reported seeing them in the evenings.  Like humans, they are scarce during the high heat of the day.  They were having a blast this morning, playing tag, locking talons and chasing mom around the buildings.  It was a joy to hear their excited screams!

Sadly, for the past two weeks both Baylie and I have only seen two juveniles.  We had a storm two weeks ago Sunday and since then one of the boys hasn’t been seen.   We have had no reports of any falcons down so that is encouraging and it is not unheard of that some young disperse early and until we hear otherwise I will remain optimistic.   I also have not seen Jack at all for the past week however that is not unusual.  I am surprised though at how little involvement he has had with the juveniles training compared to past years.

Mom is doing 95% of the work which includes defending her nest site area.  She’s doing an outstanding job, both boys are flying really well and look very strong and healthy!

6:45 MAK: No falcons. Rain

Feels weird, as this time of year, the board is buzzing with pics and posts. Pretty dead now with only 1 Juvie to "NOT" watch. She may or may not stop by for a visit. If jemison were around, it would be a bit more exciting....maybe. Hopefully he will make a full recovery soon and be back in the skies with his sister. Sheesh, when MK had 5 kids, ya couldn't get a post in fast enough. All we have now is a web and a spider who comes out when she feels like it. BUT......at least we have our Fantastic watchers keeping us with updates that we can visualize in our minds....like Beauty and Callidora doing a food exchange this am. MAK, you were lucky enough to witness this with Dan... Congrats.

Hope you all get some great shots this weekend and may even get a great food exchange. 

Recent News Title
7/9/2010  ::   Live Streaming Video to End
On Friday, July 16th the streaming will end. The still image capture will continue to be available on the Falcon Page.
7/9/2010  ::   Falcon Cam Will Be Down
The Falcon Cam will be down on Tuesday, July 13th in the morning. Viewers should be able to watch the live Falcon Cam in the afternoon.
7/8/2010  ::   Update about the Fledges
Both of the adult falcons have not been seen for several days, which indicates that the fledges have dispersed from the area accompanied by the adults. Soon, the adults will return to the ledge, and Falcon Cam viewers will see them more frequently. Their return will indicate that the fledges are completely independent.

6/30/2010  ::   Fledgling Update
One of the fledges spent several hours resting on the ledge today. With a close camera angle we were able to get a good look at him and he looked fine. The adult male was perched above him on one of the camera housings. Now, they are out together, engaged in flight/hunting lessons. Earlier today, the adult female was spotted doing the same with the other fledge. Blue's condition continues to improve although not at the pace we would like to see. All in all Rachel's falcons are doing fine.

Mom and her 2 baby Ospreys. They are fun to watch. One was just hovering above the nest.

prey Dairy July 9th
July 9th, 2010 by E Rawling, Perthshire Ranger SWT

You will notice that our staff are now logging on to  post and reply to your comments using our individual names, rather than just as “Osprey Teamâ€�.  We’ve done this to help you know who it is on the ‘other end’ of the keyboard. Eventually , we will even have wee pictures accompanying our names- but we are a notoriously camera shy bunch!

On the osprey nest this morning, we still have three birds- mum and two very large and adult looking chicks. You will notice how speckled their plumage is, and they will wear this disticntive juvenile pattern for up to two years -ospreys moult continuously so it will be gradually replaced with adult colours.

Both chicks are now able to feed themselves to some extent, as recent squabbles over fish deliverys demonstrate! As their feet stengthen they can now stand on the fish and tear with their beaks, but are also not averse to begging mum to ‘baby’ them.

Will today be the big lift-off day?

Emma Rawling