Earlier last week falcon cam watchers began to notice that a falcon that looked quite different than SW was appearing on cam with the tiercel, Boomer. Checked the site to see what I could find out and it was clear upon seeing the new female that she looked nothing like SW. Right away, there was a sense that her markings were similar to the I-90 Bridge's female resident, Newton, and she had black/green left leg bands with a silver federal just like Newt. While I was up at the Terminal Tower, I did all I could think of to check ledges, roof wells, and usual perches that I know about, but I didn't see any trace of SW or this year's remaining juvie, Ruth.
As for the new female... it took awhile, as Boomer was at the nest, looking up, positioning and bowing in the tray, and using soft "e-chip" vocalizations to draw her in. After he left, she made a very brief stop on the ledge to the left of the tray. Her back was to me and either her tail or her leg feathers were in the way of the left leg bands, even as she took off, but I was able to see enough through the leg feathers to say with certainty that it is Newton (18/A, black/green).
We've posted about Newton and the I-90 Bridge site in other albums, but for some background: Newton has been a long-time resident of the I-90 Bridge site that we monitor. She was a 2002 hatch in Wisconsin and was paired first with an unbanded tiercel at I-90 and then with Bolt (a 2004 hatch from Cleveland's Bohn Apartment building). Newton and Bolt have been quite successful despite multiple relocations to different sections of the bridge over the years... they were extremely tied to the I-90 Bridge site and simply chose the spot where there was the least construction activity each year. Despite being provided two alternative nest boxes in different bridges, they chose to nest in the old I-90 span this year, even as it was being torn apart all around them. The remainder of the structure was demolished via a controlled explosion on July 12, just a little more than a week after their lone juvie fledged. We celebrated as we were able to confirm that all three PFs made it through the explosion, but it left them basically "homeless" since that bridge has been all that they have known for nesting. On 7-15 I made a follow-up check after learning there was an injured adult peregrine picked up at the site... I saw all three near the last remaining section of the bridge on the south side landing on beams just above where the injured tiercel was found.
This finding leaves open many questions, several of which may go answered. We're assuming that Newt battled with SW, although it's not definitive... Alison caught her on cam just after SW wasn't showing up on cam, so it's possible that Newt either killed SW or that something happened to SW in some other way and Newt "saw her opening" to occupy a new nest site. It's not at all clear regarding what happened to Bolt. He may have sparred with Boomer already and lost, or there may be some battling between the two tiercels yet to come. Bolt may also remain attached to his territory to the point that he'll try to recruit a new female to the Innerbelt Bridge area if Newt doesn't return to him. Further, there's no way to know if Newt (at 12 years old) will be able to hold down the TT site. One would speculate that she will be challenged during the non-breeding season. We'll just have to wait and see what transpires from here.
Since we don't know anything about what happened to her, I think I'll give it some time before putting together a tribute to SW... she has been loved and admired by many of us falcon fanatics over the years and has contributed greatly to our understanding of our area's peregrines!
Posted on FB by C & C
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How awful! Could have been fixed if caught sooner. Poor Ella.
