Falcon cam San Francisco

[MAK]

Oh man, that's a real tragedy! 

[Dumpsterkitty]

At least it's early enough for a new clutch if the new female doesn't take over these eggs.

[Dumpsterkitty]

It looks like the new female-they're calling her Cher-has laid her first egg. Diamond Lil's 3 eggs are still there. Looks like they'll have an "Orion" clutch, though she may lay and hatch more.

[Kris G.]

New post on stewartfalcon

“Overlong� Incubation at SF PG&E Nest
by stewartfalcon

It is about one week past the 100 day mark for incubation of now-dead eggs by the male known as Dapper Dan at the downtown San Francisco peregrine nest on PG&E headquarters. As many know, Dan and Lil produced a clutch of eggs that were incubated to about half term when a new female invaded the territory and displaced Lil.

Dan continued incubation duties alone. But of course he had to eat. He left to hunt and the eggs went uncovered for extended periods almost every day. Camera watchers waited and hoped for the new female to assume incubation of the eggs that were not hers but to her, they were just obstructions to her own clutch. Once her first egg arrived her drive to incubate became strong and both adults kept the growing clutch (six in all) covered for a full term (33 additional days) but even the properly incubated eggs did not hatch and now it is just a nest watch while we all wait for the newly formed pair to give up for the year. The new female's eggs must not have been fertile.

I receive emails from people who plead with me to "help" the birds by saving them from further incubation duties. I ask: What if I trigger them to lay yet another clutch? What about other peregrines incubating non-viable eggs in other nests where there is no nest camera? It is one of the dilemmas of publishing a nest camera: it is not the Disney Channel and there will not necessarily be a happy ending. No medicare, no social security, no soup kitchen... But c'mon, why can't we DO something?

Permits to fiddle around with nature are carefully scrutinized. I have a permit to visit nests, band nestlings, and collect addled eggs (for study of contaminent analysis) but I do not have a permit that allows removal of eggs from sitting peregrines.

I watched two pairs of peregrines incubate for similar "overlong" periods last year. I just gave up on one pair and went to the nest to investigate at the other when the pair finally gave up. I found one egg that had recently rotted and broken open due to the build up of gas. I think the stink drove the birds away.

During the population recovery work we believed that peregrines had an internal clock that told them when they reached full term incubation. That belief drove field biologists to return to nests with live young to replace dummy eggs very close to the end of the 33 day incubation period. Perhaps we had much more time?

As the Bay Area peregrine population continues to swell it is likely that we will see more nest territory intruders--more resident pairs being challenged by breeding age adult who want a territory. Territorial intrusion could actually dampen overall productivity through events such as we observed this season in San Francisco. Indeed, it may be one of nature's mechanisms for limiting population to a level that habitat can support (its carrying capacity) and assuring that the strongest members of the population are breeding.

[Donna]

   How sad for them!! Hope they have better luck next time.

[Kris G.]

On the 128th day of incubation by Dapper Dan, the eggs are removed:

http://stewartfalcon.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/san-francisco-pacific-gas-and-electric-company-nest-2013/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhs5-TTMPPc#

[Donna]

That's the saddest thing ever!!    That poor boy!!

[Kris G.]

That's the saddest thing ever!!    That poor boy!!

And his new mate, Cher, incubated for 87 days. 

[MAK]