San Francisco Peregrines 2018

[AlisonL]

Both birds have been spending time on the ledge recently, and I have seen the male bringing his mate breakfast even before daylight. She has been sleeping on the ledge at night.

Earlier this morning, I watched her eating breakfast on the ledge.

It seems very early in the year to see this:





https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/in-your-community/local-environment/peregrine-falcons/peregrine-falcons.page?WT.mc_id=Vanity_falconcam

[carly]

 

[Kris G.]

       

[Carol P.]

Thanks Alison! I know this location is always earlier than Rochester, but this does seem very early. Thanks so much for posting these pictures and the link to the site. So many falcons to watch, so little time. 

[Donna]

Jeeze, that is early!! They will be fledging when ours are hatching!!!
 

[AlisonL]

The second egg has arrived:

[Carol P.]

Very nice! Thanks Alison!  

Is that an old egg in the back right corner?

[AlisonL]

Incubating this morning:



The three eggs:



She flew over to the ledge for a minute:



Right on cue, her mate delivered breakfast:





While she ate, he stood guard up high:

[AlisonL]

From an article in Business Wire on the San Francisco peregrines:

Watch the Webcam: Falcons Deliver Egg-cellent Surprise on Valentine’s Day
   
February 14, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Love is in the air atop PG&E’s San Francisco headquarters, where a pair of peregrine falcons laid their first egg of the nesting season just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The egg made its appearance in the nesting box late Tuesday, and is visible via the live, high-definition falcon webcam PG&E maintains on the building’s 33rd floor.

Bird lovers can catch a glimpse of the falcons nesting by watching our live webcam at www.pge.com/falconcam.

If all goes well, the lovebirds, nicknamed Val and Cupid in honor of today’s holiday, will lay another egg in about two days. They could produce up to four eggs in this season’s clutch.

The parents will begin the month-long incubation period after the female lays her second-to-last egg. The mother and father will take turns sitting on the eggs and hunting for food.

In May 2017, another falcon pair laid four eggs in the nest. Three of the eggs hatched, producing two females and a male named Steph, KD and Iggy after Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Andre Igoudala of the world-champion Golden State Warriors. All three baby falcons successfully fledged the nest in July after scientists with the University of California-Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group banded them for tracking.

Glenn Stewart, director of the group, called the Valentine’s Day arrival the “perfect� timing, though he also said he’s “quite certain� the egg marks the earliest-ever Bay Area peregrine falcon laying on record.

“Very exciting – it begins again!� Stewart said.

The research group has watched as nearly 40 baby falcons have taken their first flights from PG&E’s headquarters since 2007.

The PG&E webcam garnered roughly 100,000 visits during 2017’s nesting season.

The complete article:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180214006511/en/Watch-Webcam-Falcons-Deliver-Egg-cellent-Surprise-Valentine%e2%80%99s

[AlisonL]

Very nice! Thanks Alison!  

Is that an old egg in the back right corner?

Carol, that is indeed one of last year's eggs in the top right corner of the nest box. It has been visible since last year's breeding season.





Finally, a glimpse of the eggs, and now there are four beautiful eggs:

[AlisonL]

Hatching has begun in San Francisco.

This morning:



A good sized pip in one of the eggs:

[AlisonL]

This evening, as Mom took a short break to eat:





I could see movement inside the egg.



Mom returned one minute later to turn the eggs and settle for the night.

[AlisonL]

The first chick of the year has hatched!

[MAK]

 

[Carol P.]