SW laid a third egg during the night or early the next day, March 15-16.
According to the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, incubation usually lasts 33 to 35 days from the date the last egg, or the second last, was laid. You can do the math - approximately when will the first chick hatch? For the next month or so, SW will spend most of her time incubating the eggs. Buckeye will sit on the eggs for a few hours each day, so that SW can go out and stretch her wings. Most importantly, Buckeye will catch food and bring it to SW. When it is cold the parents will sit very tight, because the precious eggs must not be uncovered for even a minute or two.
Congratulations to the proud parents.
Falcon watchers think that the fourth egg was laid on March 18, but SW was sitting tight on her eggs and wouldn’t let us have a good look, so it’s possible the egg arrived before dawn on March 19.
Most peregrines have three or four eggs, with young females producing less and some females having five or even seven eggs. However, it seems to be difficult for most peregrine parents to keep up with feeding more than 4 hungry growing chicks.
In this picture, Buckeye brings food to SW.
For the past 3 years, SW and Buckeye have had 4 eggs. Will there be more eggs? Keep your eyes and browser set to: http://falconcam.apk.net/
If you like jigsaw puzzles, our own falcon couple, SW and Buckeye, star in a series of puzzles at: http://www.jigzone.com/ms/g.php?ua=56150a70103 Thanks to a special falcon fan for creating these puzzles.
To learn more about falcons, there is a lot of information available at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation at http://peregrine-foundation.ca/
Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams.
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.
