The Golden Garden Spider, Argiope aurantia.  They did a good job of controlling the grasshoppers and beetles in my mom's garden -- one of the first spiders I learned.

Paul

Eee! I watched Harlequin fly past my window and land at the very top of "her" building. She looks like a pro! No landing problem at all! Now she's just flown to the top of the Harlequin building.

So amazing and I'm so delighted she seems to be a fast learner!

She looks beautiful.

Maybe you will be able to see Harlie playing talon tag with her mom.  As I recall from just about exactly three years ago, young Quest was pretty good at that, so they should put on a good show.

Paul

Wow, that was awesome. Great video. Was mom trying to entice the little one to fly or mad because she saw you there?

Thanks!  I think it was a warning to stay away from the nest area.  I wouldn't expect them to be encouraging a fledge with people around.  Interestingly, they did not behave like this yesterday.  Both of the parents positioned themself strategically, but neither did any other flying. In fact, they didn't fly at all until Junior decided to head for the other end of the bridge, at which point his father joined him in the air.

Paul

A big "Thank you!" to Carly and Bruce.

My local falcon family spent most of the morning just roosting in the shade.  If Quest and Kendal's family react similarly to the heat, today might be less exciting than yesterday.  On the other hand, if most of Harlie's flying is near the nest building, Harlequin employees and cam watchers might get a real show tomorrow morning before it gets too hot.

I hope the fledge watchers have a shady place to hang out.  Our hot, humid weather is moving North.

Paul

While we wait, on pins and needles, for news of Harlequin, I have something that may help -- my local juvenile has fledged, and is flying very well.  Interestingly, the whole family spends much of their time together at the nestbox.  Here is the story and photos:
 http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=3119125010103%3A1492976249&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top

Paul

At 6:50 PM EDT, I saw a male and female peregrine make several passes within view of the Harlequin cam. On one of them, both birds landed near the nest tray.  I couldn't tell whether the large one was Harlequin, but there deinitely is some active lying in the nest area.  I'd guess that all three are close together.  Very eager to hear the report from there.

Paul

http://youtu.be/rIu5B3Fsstg

This may be staged, in which case it is still amazing.

Paul

If you go to Google Maps and find Laguna Avenue and Alida Street, and Tiffin Road and Whittle Avenue in Oakland, CA, you will see that 1) the locations are close, and 2) they are both in a residential area likely to have lots of kids running around and people working on rooftops.  In other words, not a good place to discharge a shotgun.  There could be a clear danger here to the public at large.

Paul

"Flight delays attributed to turtles were minor..."

That has certainly been my experience

Paul

Good to hear that they are both in a safe place.  I suspect Rhea Mae and Tiago will up the food supply now that they have both finally fledged.  They must both have taken off very early this morning.

Paul

It's grear to go rfalconcam, immediately visit the Main Camera, and be rewarded with a picture of Beauty!

Paul

Here is my first HD video.  If you have a really fast connection, I suggest selecting 1080p and full screen.  Otherwise, 240p or 360p will work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRHQkRJC2Tk#ws

Paul

"Three surviving fledgelings?"  Did Kate manage a stealth flight and return to the nest ledge?

Paul

Fish remains do turn up in peregrine scrapes. They are known to steal fish from Osprey and Bald Eagles.  I thought that was all there was to it, but someone pubished a paper describing how some peregrines skim over the water and detect near-surface fish by the ripples they make in the water.

Still, I'm with Janet on this one.  If I see a raptor with a fish, it's probably an Osprey or Bald Eagle.  Also, although Peregrine Falcons do nest on the bridge, I think their nest site is beneath it, so the resident pair would have no reason to fly above the bridge.  It would not be wise for an intruding peregrine, with or without fish, to fly through that territory.

Then again, if a resident peregrine caused an intruding Osprey to drop a fish, I have a good idea where it would end up.

Paul

Let's pack up our gear and hike down to the nest site.  Maybe he is about to fledge.  Bring plenty of ice water to drink, because it is hot down there.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=7968402400103%3A53674267&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top

Some of these pictures are best viewed full size.


A few notes about my falcons.  They never hunt near the nest box.  Instead, they fly somewhere far down the river.    My fellow watcher reports that he saw the male flying back with a Blue Jay.  That's quite a load for a tiercel, so the secret hunting grounds may not be far away.

Neither the male nor the female migrate.  They both spend a lot of time in or near the nestbox, even when it is not breeding season.  Perhaps the box means a lot to them because the summer before they got it, they laid eleven eggs in three scattered clutches in different parts of the bridge. 

Paul