Harrisburg, PA Falcons

[Donna]

2 falcons at Harrisburg now.

In case someone missed this news! 

 Recent News
• 9/14/2010 :: There's a New Female in Town! For the past two weeks there has been a lot of activity at and near the nest ledge. Recently, a new adult female falcon has been seen bonding with the male. The origin of this female is unknown as she is not banded. Email information from web viewers indicates that the resident female is no longer at the ledge. An employee at the Amtrak Station across the street reported seeing a dead falcon near the rail line. No carcass was found there.

The resident female has probably defended the nest ledge from challenging interlopers in the past. One could speculate that at 12 years old, she could no longer fend off younger, stronger females seeking out nesting territory. Any information that web viewers care to share would be appreciated. For now, we have set two close camera views at the nest box and perch for observation purposes.

[Donna]

2/7/2011  ::   Rachel's Falcons Begin 2011 Nesting Season
Falcon watchers have reportedly seen breeding activities at the nest ledge. DEP Environmental Education staff are preparing for another season of outreach and education on endangered species reintroduction with Rachel's falcons as the focal point. We're currently seeking approval to contract for the live streaming video (more on this later) and the annual teacher workshop is set for April 12th, here at the Rachel Carson State Office Building.

[Donna]

2/17/2011  ::   Video Streaming Begins
The live stream video web hosting has begun for the 2011 season. What's new for this nesting season? Most significantly, there is a new female in the nest. She arrived the first week in September of last year. The second week in September, an employee at the Amtrak Station across the street reported seeing a dead falcon near the rail line. No carcass was found there. The resident female has probably defended the nest ledge from challengers in the past. One could speculate that at 12 years old, she could no longer fend off younger, stronger females seeking out their own nesting territory. For more on the life and legacy of the original female, click on the Falcon Stories link on the DEP Falcon Page.

The new female is not banded so her age and geographic origin cannot be determined. However, when she arrived, she sported a bit of rusty brown coloring, an indication that she was emerging from juvenile plumage. In terms of predicting the date the first egg will arrive, all bets are off. In order to provide the best chance to view the laying of the first egg, the camera will be fixed on the nest box from now until the nestlings begin moving out of the box.

http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/

[Donna]

http://www.pacast.com/players/falcon.asp LIVE Harrisburg

[huddiecat]

Seems hard to believe, but I just saw that the Harrisburg Peregrines have their first egg!

This was posted on the site:

3/11/2011  ::   First Egg!
This morning at 9:30 an egg was observed in the scrape. The new female was eight days earlier, on average than her predecessor, 4/4 in delivering the first egg of the season. The first and second egg should get only occasional incubation time. When the third egg arrives incubation time should increase. The full clutch will be warmed continuously until hatching begins. From all indications, this female is very young. As such, it will be difficult to say with any certainty that this year will be as productive as past nesting seasons but it will certainly be interesting to watch and find out.

Suzanne

[Bobbie Ireland]

Goodness! Wondering - why are we so far behind, so to speak?

[Annette]

A picture of the first egg

[huddiecat]

Maybe because we are further north and still have snow on the ground?  It seems early for there to be eggs in Harrisburg, though.
Suzanne

[Dumpsterkitty]

Back in the day, Harrisburg Mom & Mariah would lay at just about the same time every year-they were usually within a day of each other.  But they have a new female this year...and Beauty is still waiting for Archer...we're just not in synch any more...

[huddiecat]

You're right Ei!  I've followed them for years, and yes, Mariah and their female were generally in synch with each other.  I guess now it's new female, new routine for them.  Meanwhile, when it Archer going to show up for us?!
Suzanne   

[Dumpsterkitty]

You're right Ei!  I've followed them for years, and yes, Mariah and their female were generally in synch with each other.  I guess now it's new female, new routine for them.  Meanwhile, when it Archer going to show up for us?!
Suzanne   

If he sticks to his prior pattern, Archer isn't due for another week and a few days...

[Annette]

The second egg has arrived.

[huddiecat]

Oh wow...thanks Annette!
Suzanne

[Donna]

The second egg has arrived.

Nice!!!

[Annette]

The third egg has arrived.