A belated Happy Birthday to you, Annette.  I hope it was grand! 

Thanks, carly.  I daresay we'll find out for sure eventually if Buckee sticks around.  Meanwhile, I've figured out why Pigott left last year.  She must have found out that there was a new rule that in 2015 all Rochester area female peregrines must have names beginning with the letter B.

Today's pefa pile. They are getting around, becoming a bit ambulatory, apparently. 

Feeding time again.  Everyone is looking happy, healthy and well fed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNjYaWBgx4k

[I hope you have a great birthday, MAK!]

I hope you have a great birthday, MAK!

[Have a wonderful birthday, Joyce!]

    Have a wonderful birthday, Joyce!     

Precious!   

More cute photos were posted yesterday at http://www.torontozoo.com/GiantPandaCubs/?pg=Photos

Who Dat??????

Looks like the kestrel I saw on the Mercury money bag. 

Hmm, I wonder if it was the kestrel on the MMB earlier this morning as well.  Pretty nervy, I'd say. 

Fattening up nicely

Published 17 October, 2015 | By Cilla Kinross

Our trio is growing so fast, Diamond is struggling to spread herself over them.  Fortunately, both the days and nights recently have been warm  (and much too dry).   So Diamond is spending more and more time on the ledge.  And it seems that she is doing an unusual amount of hunting, leaving the chicks on their own quite a bit.  Of course she may be getting the prey from Bula, but she’s been gone for some quite long gaps and occasionally has turned up with prey while Bula has been with the chicks, a good indication it was her kill.

The prey are generally well plucked when they arrive in the box (more so than the last few years), so I’m struggling with identification, but there have definitely been starlings, pigeons, rosellas, one red-rumped parrot, and two red wattlebirds (on the same day).  I got some nice shots of the latter well-plucked, after arriving intact, so have a better idea of what they look like when ready to eat (I didn’t think you’d want these pictures:))

The chicks are all getting fed (more fairly by Diamond, than Bula, it seems).  But I’ve noticed that even Diamond doesn’t make much effort to feed all the chicks.  Tumbler always gets fed first (or so I think, getting hard to tell them apart), then Walga, with Tardy often missing out, but usually getting some in the end, and they are all obviously putting on weight.  Feeding times are stretching out from a few minutes a week ago, to one that was over 30 minutes today.

Our chicks have also started taking their first tentative ‘steps’ (more like shambles really).  When Bula didn’t go close with his prey a couple of days ago, Tumbler (I think) finally lost patience and went towards him and the others also made tentative ‘steps’.

OMG, they're adorable!  And very polite!  I guess they're a bit too young to start grabbing the food in earnest yet, though.  

31 degrees in Rochester, 23 here!! If it's going to be that cold, it better make it worth my while and SNOW!!

 

Must be winter's coming.  Beauty's on her favorite winter morning spot. 

   

Oh, that's got to be a good sign for our pefas!  Lovely. 

It cracked me up how the crow tried to act like it wasn't paying attention and then it would sneak behind the TV's back and grab his tail feathers. Crows are little mobsters! lol   

I noticed that too!  It was similar to human behavior when we want to pull a prank on someone. 

Here's a link to a great article and interview from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on the Charles Sturt University falcons and their falconcam project.  Be sure to click on the audio link for an interview with Scott Banks, one of the project's coordinators.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2015/10/14/4331157.htm?