[Caption: Big Red and the first three of four eggs she has laid in a nook (or is it a cranny?) near the top of the Jackson County Tower Building.]

Easter is an egg holiday for falcons as well as bunnies.

Big Red, a rare peregrine falcon nesting atop the Jackson County Tower Building has laid her fourth egg.

Suspicions were detected on Good Friday then a fourth egg was confirmed photographically, said Connie Frey, director of information technology for Jackson County government.

Frey is the county's Unofficial Peregrine Falcon Coordinator from her office on the 16th Floor of the Tower Building. Her office installed the Falcon Cam.

Four eggs is the top end of the normal range for peregrine falcons, according to experts with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. So Big Red, at age 2, is doing a good job of motherhood so far. Click here to read about Big Red when she was barely more than a newborn herself. http://peregrines.erinyes.org/2008/06/06/quick-note/

If all goes well, the eggs will hatch in May. The possibility more eggs may be laid cannot be ruled out.

Caption: Big Red and the first three of four eggs she has laid in a nook (or is it a cranny?) near the top of the Jackson County Tower Building.

Great pics and thanks for posting, as I can't see the page. I'm kind of worried about the nest...there's really no gravel and nothing to hold the eggs in place. This is concerning, especially for a new mom like Seneca. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks Ei

[Hope this includes Seneca!!!]

Hope this includes Seneca!!!

Peregrine Falcons Begin Nesting Season in Ohio
Internet users can follow the season's progress at wildohio.com

COLUMBUS, OH - The 2010 peregrine falcon nesting season is underway in Ohio, with peregrine pairs at 25 sites and eggs being incubated at least three sites in the state—Canton, Dayton and Lakewood.

Internet users can follow the progress of these and other peregrine nests at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife's peregrine falcon Web page at wildohio.com.
 
By April, most of Ohio's peregrine falcons will have chosen or re-bonded with a mate and selected a nesting site. As the nesting season progresses, key events such as egg laying, hatching and fledging will be noted on the Web page for each nest.
 
Additional nests are expected at sites in Cleveland, Toledo and several other communities within the next month.
 
Because of nesting success in Ohio and across the nation, the peregrine falcon was removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999; it is listed as threatened in Ohio, downgraded from endangered in 2008.
 
Along with several other Midwestern states, Ohio began introducing the birds in 1989. Several pairs were released in cities between 1989 and 1992. Last year in Ohio, 19 nesting pairs of peregrine falcons are estimated to have successfully hatched and fledged 64 young. An estimate was made because actual counts were unavailable due to site access for some nests.
 
Federal funds for the peregrine falcon project and other wildlife diversity efforts of the Division of Wildlife are provided through the State Wildlife Grant Program, which targets species with greatest conservation need.
 
The division's peregrine falcon management program is funded by the sale of cardinal license plates, the division’s new Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp and contributions to the state Wildlife Diversity & Endangered Species Check-off Fund. Taxpayers may donate directly or designate all or part of their state income tax refunds to the effort by checking the box on line 25C of the 2009 Ohio Income Tax Form or line 18C on the Ohio 1040 EZ form. Donations can also be made online at wildohio.com. Click on Falcon Watch 2010 and then the column on the right side of the page.

What is she doing?

Maybe she needs a Mid-wife to show her what to do. Poor Beauty....her first time Maybe 2 nite?
Yes...right there!
Loved when Kaver did this

(movie)  She leaves and Archer shows up

Sleeping Beauty

From the CMNH forum...Chad & Chris...

The news here today is... Seneca and Cheyenne have their first egg! We couldn't see it until Cheyenne rolled it out from behind the build-up of concrete in the middle of the cubby. And not long after that they had to start defending again. Joyce, you mentioned past Easter battles in Rochester-- well, we had one here today. They drove out a first-year female with Cheyenne taking on the main role as attacker. We'll describe more and post some photos tomorrow night (as it's too late again)!

CMNH forum

I wish I could access the site

[Oh well, I still can't access the CMNH website, I tried everything!]

!!! King St. Ely Nesting In Ohio
April 05, 2010 - International, National and Local News
Kathy Reports:

Seems our Ontario Falcons have taken a liking to Ohio!  Thanks to Chad and Chris of the CMNH Forum for sharing more wonderful news and photos with us!

Ely, Black Band 85/X, born at the King St. site in downtown Toronto in 2008 is the new resident female at the Cleveland Clinic.  As of last night she had already laid her first egg!

Photos can be seen here of both Ely, her first egg and her mate Dipper!

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?48561.70#post_50872

Oh well, I still can't access the CMNH website, I tried everything!

Garden birds at risk from feeders


Researchers at the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) are concerned that garden bird feeders could be putting birds at risk.

A 13-year study has found that the salmonella infection can build up on feeders and then spread among birds.

The study revealed that greenfinches and house sparrows appeared to be particularly vulnerable to the disease.

Bird lovers are being advised to disinfect feeders regularly to minimise the risk of infection.

The research has been published in the journal, The Veterinary Record.

Tom Pennycott, from the SAC consulting veterinary service, examined the findings from 198 incidents of salmonellosis in garden birds in Scotland between 1995 and 2008.

Different strains

The research also found that in the north of Scotland, finches, especially greenfinches, were most commonly affected, but in the south of Scotland, the salmonella infection was found in house sparrows.

The long-term survey also highlighted significant differences in the strains of salmonella found in the north and the south of Scotland.

In the north, one type predominated but in the south of Scotland two types were commonly found.

However salmonella was not the only challenge facing our garden birds.

Long-term monitoring from 1995 identified a recent dramatic fall in the number of greenfinches found dead from salmonellosis.
   
Long-term monitoring like this shows that salmonellosis of garden birds is a more complex disease than we originally thought
Tom Pennycott
SAC Consulting Veterinary Service

For the first three years of the survey, 34 of 36 garden birds with salmonellosis were greenfinches.

In the past three years, to the end of March 2010, only eight of 38 infected birds were greenfinches.

Mr Pennycott believes the reduction in greenfinches found with salmonella may be to do with a more significant overall fall in greenfinch numbers.

He said this may be due to another infection of garden birds, called trichomonosis, which was first diagnosed by SAC veterinary services in Scotland in 2005 and has since become widespread in Britain.

He said: "Long-term monitoring like this shows that salmonellosis of garden birds is a more complex disease than we originally thought.

"And when another disease such as trichomonosis appears out of the blue, the combined effects can be disastrous.

"Members of the public can play a key role in all this, by maintaining good hygiene at bird feeders and by alerting us if they find unusually large numbers of dead birds."

Neb. bird watchers asked to respect whooping crane

Associated Press - April 3, 2010 9:05 AM ET

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - State officials are warning bird watchers not to approach or disturb endangered whooping cranes.

Causing the birds to flush to flight is considered harassment and a violation of the federal Endangered Species Act and state conservation law.

Whooping cranes, sandhill cranes and many other migratory birds stop in Nebraska in the spring to rest and feed on their way north to breeding grounds.

The Game and Parks Commission says a person recently disturbed a whooping crane in central Nebraska while trying to get a photo of the bird. Officials say such disturbances put the cranes at greater risk of deadly collisions with power lines or moving vehicles.

Fewer than 600 whooping cranes remain in existence.

On the Net:

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/

Beauty
Now if she would only stay in that position.
Testing
Testing done
Yes, time is ticking away

One of the episodes presented tonight on the Discovery Channel's Life series was "Birds."  Excellent footage on Red Knots was included.  I could not find it excerpted on YouTube.  Perhaps some enterprising soul will post one eventually.  The content was quite good.  If you can tolerate Whinfrey's lame narration, watch for it on re-runs.

I watched that Gayle...wow...10,000 miles from Argentina to Canada (upper) with 1 stop in Delaware for food. The farthest migration for a bird. It was amazing how they timed it by the moon and the Horseshoe crabs egg laying. Very impressive. I found a clip but it said "not available in your area"...oh well, I'll keep searching.

[Very cute Sage..thank you!]

I thought Buffalo's Rochester friends would like to see this shot taken by a DEC tech!
 

And can you see the pet rock peeking out ing the UB nest? 

Very cute Sage..thank you!

Pan cam moved