Egg #2 is Here!
Egg-citement reigns here at the Falconcam! At about 8:30 this morning, 106½ hours after laying her first egg, Mariah came through with number two. You can see the newest egg between her feet in the picture above, captured only a few minutes after it was laid.
Here’s another look at the two eggs. Mariah’s normal egg-laying interval of about 54 hours stretched last year to an average of over 70 hours, thanks to a long 106 hour period between eggs 2 & 3. Today’s longer interval equals the longest one she had last year. This may be due to her age, or it may be influenced by other factors.
Here’s a close-up of the eggs courtesy of the Rochester Falconcam’s zooming Camera 1. Peregrines normally lay an egg every 2-3 days, with the time between eggs getting longer as the falcon ages. We think Mariah’s at least 12 years old, so her advancing years could certainly explain these longer times. They might also have something to do with the recent battle for control of the nest box territory in which she and Kaver drove off an invading falcon. It’s impossible to say for sure, so we’ll just have to keep watching to see when her next egg will arrive!
-Jess
March 31st, 2008 at 2:29 PM
Thank goodness! I was starting to get worried. Good going Mariah!
March 31st, 2008 at 3:24 PM
Thank God!!! I was watching her all morning. I knew that she was going to lay this egg this morning. I could tell by the look on her face!!! I feel like I was helping her push. I guess you could say I was EGGING her on.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:42 PM
Good for you Mariah, keep up the good work! Not bad for an older gal!
March 31st, 2008 at 4:26 PM
Hooray! You go girl!
March 31st, 2008 at 4:29 PM
I thought she had that ‘look’ this morning.
March 31st, 2008 at 4:54 PM
I was beginning to think this year was going to be “an only child” !! Way to go Maria !!
March 31st, 2008 at 4:54 PM
YAY Great! Now that # 1&2 are here lest bring on #3! Wow I didnt know that Mariah was 12 shes older than me! 😀 But does it matter that shes “older” we still all love her! 🙂
March 31st, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Oh Mariah, I was worried about you. I thought you might de laying, but it seemed too long. Por thing. Labor isn’t any fun is it? I’m hoping for an easier time for you and Kaver this year. Congratulations!
AJ
March 31st, 2008 at 5:13 PM
Forgot to say that I was actually watching at the appropriate time. In fact I thought it was a bit earlier. 8:21
AJ
March 31st, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Did you see them kissing afterwards?
March 31st, 2008 at 6:20 PM
@dp – Mariah and Kaver will continue their courtship behavior, which includes bill-touching and bowing, until all the eggs have been laid.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:59 PM
Does Kaver ever bring food for Mariah while she’s sitting on the eggs, or will she always leave them to hunt?
March 31st, 2008 at 7:55 PM
I AM SOOOOOOOOO EGGCITED, SHE LAID HER SECOND EGG. I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE MY FALCONS, I GET SO WRAPPED UP IN THEM. NEVER REALIZED SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD. THAT IS TERRIFIC. CAN”T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE. GOOD WORK..MARIAH.. AND KAVER
March 31st, 2008 at 7:58 PM
GREAT WORK MARIAH..AND KAVER
March 31st, 2008 at 7:58 PM
Way to go Mariah!Let’s have some baby boys this time around!
March 31st, 2008 at 7:59 PM
I AM SO EGGCITED..NEVER KNEW SHE WAS 12..GREAT WORK
March 31st, 2008 at 8:16 PM
Me and My son James enjoy watching the whole process because it is new to us…. good luck to Mariah and Kaver
March 31st, 2008 at 9:17 PM
I see that at 4:15, Mariah is sitting on the eggs. I thought I remember that she doesn’t start incubating until she is finished laying. Could 2 be all she has this year? I remember a few years ago when there were only two eyasses. They were very strong and grew fast.
By the way, has anyone seen the ‘intruders’ that were spotted last week? Could there be another nesting pair in our area?
March 31st, 2008 at 9:18 PM
i never know she was 12 shes the same age has me……go egg number 3 ur next!!!!!!!!!!!
March 31st, 2008 at 9:19 PM
i never know she was 12shes the same age has me……go egg number 3 ur next!!!!!!!!!!!:)
March 31st, 2008 at 9:58 PM
Congrats to Mariah & Kaver. Didn’t realize shes 12yrs old. Thats ok, even us humans are having babies later in life! I kept my eye on her all last night , thinking it was going to happen. Hope the next one comes a little sooner. I wondered too, if any one has seen that other female falcon lately.
March 31st, 2008 at 10:14 PM
No, the other female Falcon has not been seen since Easter Sunday. Looks like Mariah and Kaver were able to move her out of the area Thankfully it’s been very quiet, except for a pesky Kestrel and migrating Hawks.
Carol P.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:09 AM
dp,
I thought she was checking to see if there was success under. First her tail was way up and then her head tucked under her chest. Checking or “kissing”. And then she turned. That is when I think it happened. A sweet way of putting it.
I really hope they don’t have so many this year. I worry all season that they won’t get enough to eat. Can’t stand it. And it’s hard for them.
Haven’t seen the two together in a long, long while.
AJ
April 1st, 2008 at 12:17 AM
Awesome webcams, great views of what is happening
April 1st, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Way to go Mariah…..how many “egg-citing” comments will be posted today?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:14 PM
Has anyone seen Kaver ? I haven’t seen the two of them together in a long time. Other than size , if they are in the same frame , how can I tell them apart ?
April 1st, 2008 at 3:36 PM
If you look at the pic of Mariah at the top of this Imprints entry, you’ll see that she has some white feathers showing just above her beak – Kaver is all black in that area.
I’ve been wondering, does Mariah KNOW when she’s finshed egg-laying for the season? Or is it purely hormonal or something, that after a certain amount of time after the last egg is laid, with no new fertilized eggs developing, her instincts tell her to start brooding?
Harriet in NYC
multi-season lurker but rare poster
April 1st, 2008 at 3:39 PM
As with earlier messagers, I too was beginning to wonder whether incubation has begun.
Maybe Jess can provide an answer… the wait is always “EGGS-crutiating”!
April 1st, 2008 at 3:53 PM
Joan, the way I can tell them apart when they aren’t together is by the white at the upper base Mariah’s bill. That area on a bird is called the cere and it is where the nostril opening is found. It is a pronounced white in Mariah, but not in Kaver.
Jess, please do give us your wisdom on incubation.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:59 PM
Thank you ,Dawn !
April 1st, 2008 at 4:03 PM
Dawn , If you are online now at 11:01 , is that Kaver on the eggs ? Can’t see any white above the cere.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:11 PM
JOAN, YES ITS KAVER AT 11:01. I LOVE THIS SITE. TO THOSE WHO ARE NEW CHECK OUT IMPRINTS MARCH 2007. ALL QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED. THANX FOR PHOTOS AND UPDATES. MARY
April 1st, 2008 at 4:35 PM
Just wondering at what age the females stop laying eggs. If I am not mistaken, their life span is somewhere between 20 & 25, when will she “retire” from raising babies?
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:21 AM
There’s a third egg in the corner!! No wait..that’s a bad April Fool’s joke.
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 PM
Three eggs! Three eggs! Three eggs!
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 PM
yep 3 egg has arrived
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:39 AM
Number 3 is definitely here!
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 PM
GOOD WORK RHEA MAE AND TIAGO..HOPE THERE ARE MORE.