Kansas City, Missouri Peregrines

[AlisonL]

The cam has just come back online at this nest after many months. The birds don't migrate, and the cam usually stays active all year. The view below is the one provided late in the season, when the chicks are out of the nest and running around on the roof.

My first view of the birds this year, as they landed at the nest together:





I can't tell from this view whether this is the same resident pair. I hope so, since they are very bonded and are excellent parents. Last year they raised four beautiful chicks.

The female who has been resident at this nest for a number of years is the daughter of an escaped falconry bird from Kansas, born in 1994, named Phoebe. After her escape, she headed north to Minneapolis, where she nested at a bridge site for some years before moving to a different nest site at Riverside Plaza in 2004 with a new mate.

That year, Phoebe and her mate raised four chicks, all girls. One of the chicks, banded black/green 49/C but not named, headed south to the area her mother came from when it was time for her to seek her own nest site. She nests in Kansas City, Missouri, just across the river from Kansas City, Kansas.

The resident male at this nest is unbanded. He is a very loyal mate, and a great father and provider.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/kansas-city-plaza-falcon-cam#

[Carol P.]

 

[MAK]

Love the camera shot from above the nest! 

[AlisonL]

This year has been a difficult one at the Kansas City nest. The breeding season started well, with the long-time resident pair, 49/C and her unbanded mate, incubating four eggs. One day during incubation, however, both birds became extremely agitated and made threatening vocalizations and gestures towards an intruder out of camera range. Shortly thereafter, Dad took off after the intruder, and when he returned later he was extremely distressed and had blood on his abdomen. He took off once more to chase the intruder male, and I have never seen him again. Dad was always one of the very best providers and made raising four chicks each year look easy. He and his mate were extremely bonded and gentle towards each other. He would never voluntarily have abandoned his mate and their eggs.

Mom was left to continue incubating on her own, with the intruder still somewhere in the area. The four chicks hatched, and she made a valiant effort to provide for all four without any supplemental food being provided. The smallest chick, sadly, did not survive. At one point the intruder male came into the nest and was angrily chased out by Mom. This male is banded black/red, but the only photo I have is blurred and in the glimpse I had of him the bands were unreadable.

The other chicks survived and were named and banded, and once they fledged nothing more was heard of them.

Until now.

One of the three chicks has been seen in Dallas, hunting very successfully. Her name is Gabi, and she is banded black/blue 69/K. She has taken up residence at the 60-story Comerica Bank Building, more than 500 miles from Kansas City. I don't know if she will stay through the winter, but it appears that she likes Dallas.

Comerica Bank Tower:



Great photo of Gabi by Katherine Unmuth:

[MAK]

Wow, that's too bad about the tiercel but yay for Gabi! Thanks for all your updates Alison!