The four young eyases have spent their first week in the nest box, and they all appear to be doing very well. Now that they’re a bit older, their downy coats provide them with some protection against the temperature, and you’ll see them huddling together for mutual warmth as Mariah and Kaver leave them alone for longer periods of time. They’re also developing the ability to regulate their own body temperature, and soon they’ll grow a second coat of down. They’re growing fast! They’ve doubled in size from when they hatched, and they’ll continue that rapid pace for the next several weeks.

They’re being fed regularly, as often as every 90 to 120 minutes. To keep up that pace, Kaver’s doing a lot of hunting. Watchers have observed him taking prey beginning in the pre-dawn hours and throughout the day. Often when he catches a bird, he’ll bring it right into the nest box, but sometimes he takes it to a nearby perch where he’ll eat some of it himself before feeding the eyases. Sometimes, he just stores the food by stashing it on one of the ledges on the Kodak tower, or by taking it to one of the buildings downtown where he and Mariah like to stay outside of nesting season. This process, called caching, provides the falcons with a food reserve in case they’re unsuccessful at hunting.

Speaking of hunting, we should probably review how that’s done. A Peregrine’s main food source is other birds which it catches in flight. If it can get close to a prey bird by outrunning it (they’re fast flyers, after all), the falcon will snag the bird out of the air with its talons, then snap its neck with its notched bill. However, while Peregrines are fast, they’re not always as maneuverable as their prey, so their preferred hunting method is to stoop, or dive upon the prey from a great height. A stooping Peregrine will often come out of the sun, the better to surprise its target. At the moment of impact, the falcon balls up its talons like fists and slams into its victim, stunning the prey or killing it outright. Then it catches the falling bird and dispatches it as I described above. A stooping Peregrine is the fastest animal on earth. Diving Peregrines have been measured at speeds exceeding 230MPH! Of course, a Peregrine needs to get pretty high to build up that kind of diving speed. That’s why they like to hunt from high perches. A location like the Kodak tower makes a perfect hunting perch, because it is very tall, and there are few other tall structures nearby to block their view of potential prey.

Sometimes we hear from Falconcam fans who claim to have seen Mariah or Kaver hunting in their neighborhoods or back yards. Though it would be great to think that Mariah and Kaver are making visits to backyard feeders, there are a few reasons why this is probably not the case. First, there are so many birds in the immediate area around the Kodak tower that it’s not necessary for the falcons to go very far in order to hunt. There have been reliable sightings of Mariah and Kaver hunting a few miles from downtown Rochester, but no credible evidence that they venture as far as the suburbs. Also, their typical hunting behavior isn’t the kind that’s likely to allow them to hunt successfully in people’s yards. Taking small birds at backyard feeders requires more maneuverability than Peregrines possess– they’re simply not designed for the kind of quick zig-zag tail-chasing flight needed to grab birds that are darting among trees, shrubs and houses.

It is much more likely that the people making these reports are seeing either Cooper’s hawks (like the one in the picture at the right), or Sharp-shinned hawks. Both of these raptors belong to a family of hawks called Accipiters, and they are often confused with Peregrines. They have similar coloration, and the Cooper’s hawk is roughly the same size as a Peregrine. Called “Coops” and “Sharpies” by birders, these small hawks feed on birds attracted to backyard feeders, and their hunting styles are perfect for the tight turning and weaving needed to take prey in wooded lots and suburban neighborhoods.

Another possibility is that the reporter might be seeing a kind of falcon called a Merlin. Merlins look even more like Peregrines than Coopers or Sharp-shinned hawks since biologically speaking the two species are cousins. But like the hawks, Merlins are maneuverable enough to grab birds from trees, bird feeders, and even off the ground. Merlins are pretty unusual around the Rochester area though– It’s more likely that you’ve seen a Coop or Sharpie.

So if you think you’ve just seen Mariah or Kaver snatch a Mourning Dove from your bird feeder, look again– you probably just saw a hawk getting dinner.

Saturday, May 12 is International Migratory Bird Day. Here in the Rochester area, the annual IMBD festival will take place at the Braddock Bay Park in Greece, New York. Lying along one of the major bird migration routes in North America, Braddock Bay is a great place to learn about birds at any time of year, but especially during the annual migrations in fall and spring. Events for people of all ages are scheduled for May 12-13 (Mother’s Day), such as live bird demonstrations, nature hikes, arts and crafts, and presentations by local birding authorities including our very own Jim Pisello! A nature photographer and Communications Director for the Rochester Falconcam, Jim will deliver a presentation about watching our favorite falcons on Sunday afternoon. If you’re anywhere in the greater Rochester area we hope you’ll join us at Braddock Bay this weekend!

Download the festival schedule HERE (Adobe Acrobat Reader required– Get it here)

-Jess

The fourth eyas appears to have hatched shortly before this picture was taken. The new chick is curled up with its just to the left of the empty egg shell. If you look closely you’ll see that its feathers are still matted and wet (they’ll dry out soon when Mariah or Kaver covers the hatchlings). Click the picture at the right for another look!

Now that all four eggs have hatched, the eyases will be getting fed several times throughout the day. As you can see in the pictures above, the nest box will get pretty messy as the remains of old meals are often left where they lay. Some of the debris gets carried out of the nest by Mariah and Kaver, and the wind will take care of the lighter stuff like feathers. It’s likely that Mariah will eat some of the egg shells. They’re a good source of calcium, which she lost when she laid the eggs. But for the most part Peregrines are pretty messy housekeepers, so don’t be surprised to see the garbage pile up!

With the hatching of the eyases we’re moving into one of the most active periods of watching the Rochester Falconcam. Each year we get a lot of questions and comments from viewers about the activity (or lack of it) in the nest box. We’d like to offer a few tips for viewing the website over the next few weeks so that you can make the most of your experience.

Scientists have a saying: “If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras”. It’s a good rule of thumb when observing these falcons. In other words, if you see something “unusual” in the nest box, think of all the possible explanations then choose the simplest one.

EXAMPLE: An eyas has been in the same spot for a long time, and doesn’t appear to be moving. Is the eyas sleeping or is it dead?

In the overwhelming majority of cases, the eyas is just asleep. In one of my recent articles we talked about the fact that the eyases will spend a lot of their time sleeping or just laying around the nest box. It’s easy to look at the cameras, not see one of the eyases moving, and assume that something bad has happened. The good news is that it’s almost never true! Often when they’re napping they’ll flatten themselves out on the floor of the nest box, looking a bit like falcon pancakes! Other times they’ll huddle together in a big eyas blob so that it’s hard to tell where one chick ends and another begins. As they get older and more mobile, they’ll also do things like crawl on top of each other. All of these things can be mistaken for a problem with one or more of the eyases. It may look like an eyas hasn’t moved in a long time, or that one hatchling is being smothered by another, but what you aren’t seeing is all the activity that happens between the individual pictures you see on the website.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE: All the eyases get fed except for one. Is the eyas sick, starving, or is something else going on?

     

Most times all of the eyases will beg whenever an adult comes into the nest box, especially with food. But like everything else, there are exceptions. Sometimes an eyas will get fed quickly, or it will have received a recent feeding, and it just won’t be hungry. In that case it may not bother to beg. Eyases like to eat, but they can survive quite a long time without food, so if you don’t see all of the eyases get fed each time Mariah or Kaver arrives with prey, don’t worry– they’ll most likely get fed within a few hours.

It’s important to remember that the cameras show only one image each minute or so, and those images represent only a fraction of a second in these birds’ lives. So in reality, there’s a lot of action that you don’t see. Sometimes it looks like nothing’s happening in the nest box, when in reality there is a lot of movement– it’s just that the camera freezes the action and only catches snippets, so most of the activity isn’t apparent. It’s natural to be concerned about the eyases, but you can rest assured that we’re monitoring the nest box carefully, and if we see anything wrong, we’ll respond appropriately. We’ll also keep all of our viewers informed of any problems in the nest box.

Here’s a final piece of advice. If you think there’s a problem with one of the eyases, the best thing to do is wait a while. Check back in an hour (or even 2 or 3!) to see if the eyases have changed position. Above all, try to avoid jumping to conclusions. In ten years, we’ve only had two eyases die in the nest box. Both of those happened last year, when Mariah was injured and couldn’t care for the newly hatched falcon chicks properly. This year she’s in top form, and keep in mind that she’s raised families for ten years running, so you can feel confident that she knows what she’s doing.

We can’t be sure, and as far as we know Mariah’s been tight-billed on the subject, but there are a few clues. Mariah has been moving around a lot in the nest. That’s often an indicator that she hears the eyas pipping its way out of the shell.

     

Then there’s this egg shell that poked out from beneath Mariah a little before 10:00 this morning. In previous pictures from today, the two hatched eyases were grouped together with two intact eggs, so the fact that this shell has appeared may mean that at least one more egg has hatched.

The final piece of evidence, at least from what we’ve seen so far, may be this picture from 9:01AM. Look carefully at the small round object next to Mariah’s left wing (on the right side of the picture). It’s a bit speculative, but that could be the newly hatched eyas, it’s feathers still wet and matted from having just emerged from the egg. She just hasn’t given us a good enough look yet to be 100% sure, but hopefully Mariah will leave the eyases uncovered long enough for us to get a head count. If we get a clear picture, we’ll be sure to post it here, so keep watching!

UPDATE: 11:45 – FIRST LOOK AT 3 EYASES!

Here’s our first look at the three eyases lined up under Mariah’s watchful eyes and protective wings. Can the fourth hatch be far behind?

-Jess

Sometime early this morning a second egg hatched! Both eyases look healthy, and they’ve already begun eating. The picture above shows Kaver feeding the eyases at about 8:30AM today.

The eyases need to grow up very quickly. By the time they’re five days old their weight will have doubled. In only six weeks they’ll leave the nest box to take their first flights. By then they’ll be fully grown! That means between now and mid-June, they need to get a lot of food. Kaver will be busy bringing food these first few days. Mariah may leave the nest for short periods of time, but she’ll stay with the new eyases for most of the day. That leaves Kaver to do the majority of the hunting. He’ll need to feed himself and all the eyases, plus Mariah, but that shouldn’t be a problem for him. Kaver is a very good hunter and he’s had no trouble feeding five eyases in previous years.

During their early growth spurt the eyases will spend most of their time doing two things– eating and sleeping. When a parent comes into the nest box, the young falcons are likely to begin begging for food. They do this by raising their heads and vocalizing with open bills, just like in the picture above. If the parent has arrived with prey, it will hold down the food with its foot, rip off small pieces and drop them into the open bills of the hungry eyases. Sometimes both parents will feed the hatchlings together. Each eyas will continue to beg until it gets full. You’ll be able to see which eyases have had enough to eat because they store the food in their crops. A crop is a special pouch in the bird’s esophogus where the food is stored for digestion at a later time. The crop will bulge when it’s full, so it’s easy to see when an eyas has been fed. When each eyas has a full crop it will often lay down for a nap. The eyases that haven’t received enough food will continue to beg, so Mariah and Kaver will keep feeding the begging eyases until they’ve all gotten a meal. Watch for the eyases to get five, six or even more meals each day!

In between feedings, the eyases don’t move around too much. Don’t be surprised or alarmed if you see them all laying down with their wings spread out and not moving for long periods of time. It’s normal for these growing falcons to sleep much of the day away!

-Jess

Everyone who guessed that Mariah’s first egg would hatch on May 7, give yourselves a nice pat on the back!

It looks like the egg hatched around 7:15 this morning. In the picture above, you can see the broken egg shell, neatly opened by the eyas as it pipped its way out of the shell.

Now’s probably a good time to talk about the new eyases. Falcon hatchlings are semi-altricial. This means that for the most part, they’re unable to fend for themselves. Hatchlings don’t have enough feathers to maintain their body temperature. This ability, called thermoregulation, is very important, becuase without it, the eyases will freeze in the cold night air, and they may overheat during the day if the temperature outside gets too hot. So Mariah and Kaver will need to keep the hatchlings covered for the first seven to ten days, to protect them from the cold and the heat. That’s the reason we haven’t gotten a good look at the new falcon chick yet.

During the first days of their lives they’ll grow a thick coat of light downy feathers. After a week or so they’ll be able to regulate their body temperature well enough that the adults will be able to leave them uncovered. For now though, the new eyases will stay covered most of the time, so you’ll have to watch carefully to catch a glimpse of them!

When you do see them, their eyes will probably be closed for the first couple of days. Unlike their parents, their bills and feet range in color from light gray to light pink. They’ll get their yellow feet from their meaty diet, but that will take several weeks. They’re not strong enough to stand on their legs yet either, so they move by crawling.

In my recent article on hatching I mentioned that all the eggs should hatch within a couple of days of each other. It’s possible more will hatch today, but they should certainly all hatch within the next day or two, so keep watching! In an upcoming article we’ll talk more about feeding and some of the other behaviors you’ll see as the eyases grow.

UPDATE! FIRST LOOK AT THE EYAS

In this picture from 10:20 this morning you can see the eyas poking out from beneath Mariah’s wing. It’s looking toward the left wall, and its closed eyes and pink bill are visible along with the fine white feathers.

-Jess

After a decade of presence on the Internet, it’s no surprise that Mariah and Kaver have attracted a lot of fans. Many of the Rochester falcons’s admirers are not only crafty, but they’re willing to share their enthusiasm with the rest of the world through their own websites. Today we thought we’d take time to recognize some of our fans’ efforts to spread the word about Mariah and Kaver.

Kodak has been Mariah and Kaver’s home as long as they’ve been in Rochester. Kodak’s blog, 1000 Words, offers daily stories and tips about using photography. This week they’re featuring a couple of articles about falcons. From Baerbel Winkler, an Information Technlogy Systems Analyst at Kodak’s facility in Stuttgart, Germany, comes this dispatch about a pair of Kestrels that have taken up residence at a nest box originally installed for Peregrines to nest in. Tom Hoehn managed the Kodak Birdcam program for a decade. His post today provides a photographic retrospective of the falcons at Kodak. Be sure to keep up with the excellent posts at http://1000words.kodak.com!

Web logs, or blogs as they’re more popularly known, are a great way to keep up with the Kodak falcons. Several local falcon watchers share their observations through personal blogs. Barbara lives in nearby Webster, New York. She writes a blog about Mariah and Kaver with lots of good information and pictures from the Rochester Falconcam, as well as her own video clips, and links to many related websites. Lord Garavin’s Bird Blog is filled with reports of the falcons’ activity outside of the nest box. Check out this recent post about Mariah and Kaver’s mating activity, and browse the blog’s archives from June and July to see past years’ fledglings in action.

The Rochester Falconcam enjoys a worldwide following. In 2001, Kodak added a discussion board to the Birdcam website, allowing those fans to interact for the first time. It wasn’t long before many of these Peregrine afficianados decided to keep in touch year-round, and the Kfalconcam group at Yahoo was born in 2002. Guests can browse the messages posted by falcon fans from around the world, and if you want to get in on the conversation, becoming a member is easy! The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has a website dedicated to their very own Peregrine pair. Their discussion board is very active, and it has a section devoted to the Rochester falcons.

Among fan websites, one distinguishes itself for its sheer ingenuity. Responding to requests from falcon fans to be able to view past pictures from the cameras monitoring Mariah and Kaver’s nest box, a long-time falcon fan with the unusual name Shaky put his technical expertise to work and produced a one-of-a-kind website. Shaky’s Falconcam Archive Viewer allows visitors to review pictures from any of the Falconcam’s cameras with a few simple mouse clicks. He’s got a humorous streak, too. Check out his Shakypix for a lighthearted look at our favorite falcons!

As you can see, our fans are a creative lot, and we hope you’ll take the time to explore their websites. Want to join the fun? If you have a website or blog featuring Mariah and Kaver let us know! We’ll add it, along with all of the websites we’ve featured here, to our Fans of the Falconcam page.

-Jess

Despite our unofficial motto at Imprints, specto subitus (expect the unexpected), it seems pretty safe to say that Mariah is done laying eggs for this year. Quite naturally we’ve received a lot of questions from our viewers asking when we can expect the eggs to hatch.

We can’t give an exact date (falcon egg hatching prediction is far from an exact science) but in general, the eggs should hatch about 33 days after incubation begins. Since Mariah laid her final egg on April 7 and began incubating a few days before that, we expect to see the eggs start to hatch around the second week of May. That means Mariah’s new family should all be out of their shells by Mothers Day.

The hatching process usually takes a couple of days, though it can go longer than three days (72 hours) in some cases. The eyas uses an egg tooth to break through the egg in a process called pipping. The hatching eyas uses its egg tooth like a chisel. First it pierces a membrane-like pouch at one end of the egg. The pouch holds air that the eyas uses to breathe while it finishes punching a hole through the shell. During pipping, the eyas turns and chisels, turns and chisels, until eventually it cuts off one end of the shell. Between bouts of pipping the eyas will rest, and it may vocalize while it’s pipping, especially if Mariah or Kaver are making their ee-chupping sounds.

The final round of pipping takes between 15 minutes and an hour. Because Mariah didn’t start incubating until the third egg had been laid, all four should hatch close together. In clutches of four, all the eggs usually hatch within two days. This is called synchronous hatching. Because of synchronous hatching all the eyases will be about the same size, and therefore about equally able to compete for Mariah and Kaver’s attention, which means they’re all likely to get fed enough to grow into healthy fledglings. We’ll talk more about the eyases’ early development in another article.

-Jess

It’s not quite a scene from the Wild West, but there was a standoff of sorts in the nest box today.

The weather’s nasty here, and Kaver’s been incubating the eggs for most of the morning and afternoon. As you can see, Mariah would like a turn.

It’s no surprise that Kaver doesn’t want to give up his comfy seat. After all, it’s cold, wet and windy outside the nest box. Facing to the south, the nest box is protected from the winds in Rochester, which usually blow out of the west. It is getting a little bit wet inside the box, but that’s nothing compared to the messy slush of heavy snow and rain that’s been falling steadily all day in Rochester.

Mariah’s not one to give up, though. For more than two hours she stood next to Kaver in the nest box, moving closer as time passed. Without doubt she’s been vocalizing, using her “wail” to try to get Kaver to move off the eggs. She even got so close it looked like she might sit right on top of him, but Kaver’s having none of it!

She usually gets her way, but not this time. In the end, Kaver stayed on the eggs, while Mariah left the nest box. Look closely at the roof in the upper left corner of the picture below and you’ll see where she went…

-Jess