Beauty channeling an ostrich

 

From Twitter:

Owlet 1 just successful flew from the nest box tree about 50 feet into a tree next to one if hackberries at the back of the yard. Wow.

Wilmington Falcons
It's with a heavy heart that we have learned the Chick #5 was unable to survive.

Although Craig worked very hard to keep its health up, it's condition started to deteriorate late last week and #5 was taken to Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research for evaluation and diagnosed with a condition called metabolic bone disease. The tissue and muscle were developing from the food consumed but due to a lack of critical elements and minerals, that were not likely available inside the egg, impaired future bone development. The skeletal system of the falcon was dramatically compromised with irreversible damage and required euthanization.

Craig reported that clutches beyond 4 or 5 potentially have reduced levels of essential vitamins and minerals necessary for proper development of the embryo. Unfortunately, this was the case for the last two eggs laid by this female. Peregrine nests with 5 eggs are infrequent but six eggs laid (and hatched) from a single incubation event is rare to unknown. In the Chesapeake Bay peregrine falcon population, Craig has witnessed only one other nest site with 6 eggs but one egg was very small. Oddly, the outcome was never known because the eggs mysteriously disappeared. With regards to falcon pairs with 5 egg clutches, Craig is only aware of three others between 1990 and 2014. Only one pair (not counting Wilmington) hatched and fledged all five.

          Fly free, little one.

they clearly do play dead when they're scared. Here's what happened when Chris opened the box to take them out for a couple minutes while he did maintenance to help make fledging safer (and to take the annual group portrait)

I did not know they would play dead like that. Interesting!

First hatch this morning for SW and Boomer! 

 

Did you see his tweet we blew up the server LOL!

Saw that! 

Satellite tagged, Blue YD, hatched in 2012 is heading north...possibly first spring migration at age 2!

 http://blogs.scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/osprey/2014/04/29/breaking-news-blue-yd-is-off-heading-north/

I think it's wonderful that they are doing this 

I do too...wish they would try this with Dorothy.

Our poor O'Connor is drenched today.  Sideways rain soaked her and we're expecting the next 5 days to be the same. 

Aww...she should have a nest box like Quest. 

One baby is fine...she's contributed her share to the Peregrine population in her 16 yrs!

#3 just hatched 

Wonder if she'll try to feed this one a whole bird! 

Hmmm...MAK's morning watch report shows (with a photo) that Beauty poohed again at around 7 AM, and it was "lengthy." I hope it was just something she ate yesterday.     

She was pretty stuffed when she settled for the night last night.

She sure was...quite a neck pillow! 

Good to hear!

And she also started her overnight shift early. Dot had been there for 3+ hours when she came back at 5:05. Then she was in for the night.

I know...I checked last night to see if he came back but he didn't...long night for her.

Hmmm...MAK's morning watch report shows (with a photo) that Beauty poohed again at around 7 AM, and it was "lengthy." I hope it was just something she ate yesterday.     

She was pretty stuffed when she settled for the night last night.

She sure was...quite a neck pillow! 

Wow! Where did the time go?  They grew up too fast!  Love the group shot...so darn cute!

Kudos to her and great choices for names!