Falcon fans had quite a surprise while watching the live FalconCam. SW laid her first egg, and it was the earliest egg ever at this nestsite. Scott Wright, volunteer nest monitor, reports: "Eggs will be laid every other day until SW is done, with up to 2 days between eggs. In my now 15 years of nest monitoring, I have noticed every other day the average."
Courtship feeding is important because it proves that the male is a good hunter, and a well-fed and healthy female will lay healthy eggs. Also, the female will become too heavy to hunt very well on her own just before laying the eggs. This year it has been especially important that Buckeye feed SW because of her broken beak.
Do you remember what SW’s broken beak looked like in December?
The "Falcon Flash" newsletter was caught by surprise by this early egg, and although the following information about courting behavior comes a bit late, it is important and interesting. Here is what happened before the first egg was laid: In Buckeye and SW’s home in Cleveland, Ohio it is usually during late February that warmer weather and longer daylight hours trigger the male into courtship behavior. Every year as nesting season begins, the male must prove his worth and court his mate (even if it is the same mate from year to year). Buckeye’s courtship behavior in the nestbox included calling to SW, scraping in the nestbox gravel, and moving some objects around (nest-keeping) with his beak.
Does this picture give you an idea of what falcons eat?
During courtship, the male peregrine falcon must also showcase his flying ability with stunning displays. Buckeye will do a dance in the sky by making long soaring, diving, and gliding displays with tail feathers and wingtip feathers wide open. He will pass close by SW with his tail feathers all displayed and stretched out, and he and SW will vocalize to each other. This will continue for some time, and on warmer days with higher winds, the couple will take to the air and together fly a dance across the sky. For more information about falcon courtship, visit the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group website at: http://www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/behavior.htm
During courtship, the male must show and prove his worth to the female by bringing food offerings on a regular basis. Food is a major key in the courtship behavior, and the male will feed the female a great deal during this period. He continues to provide food the entire period up to and including incubation and hatch. After the eggs hatch and the young can sustain body temperature, then the female will begin to hunt again. Normally the male will do aerial acrobatics and bring "Squab du jour" (that's French for pigeon) to his betrothed, and after she has accepted him and has been fed, mating occurs. In the following picture you can see that SW has a full “crop” as she perches atop the FalconCam. The crop is a pouch below the neck to store extra food.
Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams and for the FalconCam still of SW and her first egg.
Photos are courtesy of Scott Wright, volunteer peregrine nest monitor. They may be used by children for school and/or personal projects, but please give Mr. Wright photo credit. All others must contact Mr. Wright directly for permission to use his photos.
This week she looks much better (although she doesn’t look very happy to see Mr. Wright behind the window taking her picture).
