Congratulations to SW and Buckeye on the successful hatching of 4 chicks in 2008!
Peregrine eyases grow at an incredible rate. By the time they are six weeks old they will be as big as their parents. Each week you will notice changes in their appearance and behavior. During the first week, the chicks can’t do much - except eat! SW spends most of her time keeping the chicks warm, while the Buckeye does most of the hunting. Both parents feed the chicks, and there are several feedings per day.
Mr. Webster built the nestbox that SW and Buckeye call home and which has been the home of falcon families since 1991. It is one of the most successful nestsites in the United States with more than 40 chicks hatched and fledged. Mr. Webster and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History have played an important role in helping the species peregrine falcon in its recovery from near extinction in the U.S. Visit the Museum’s website at: http://www.cmnh.org/
Mr. Harvey Webster, director of wildlife resources at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, tells us that even with cold weather or heavy rain, “…..it is a tribute to S/W and Buckeye that they can create a warm and dry sanctuary for the chicks with their own bodies. The parents, in brooding the chicks, provide a source of warmth. In fact the temperature closest to the brood patch on S/W's abdomen might be close to 100 degrees F. The brood patch is featherless and highly vascularized to provide maximum surface area for heat transfer.
Even in heavy rain, the water repellency of feathers is very effective. In part, this water repellency comes from the daily preening of the feathers. As the adults preen their feathers, restoring their velcro-like vanes and streamlining their order, the birds will pinch a small nipple like gland above the tail called the uropygial gland with their beaks. This gland secretes a combination of waxes and fatty acids that, when distributed on the feathers during preening, confer water repellency to the feathers. As a result water beads up on the feathers and rolls off the bird's back without soaking the feathers or down.”
Mr. Wright tells us, “Feathers are a bird's pride and joy and often they will do feather maintenance before they eat or drink”.
SW preens…….
An interesting falcon nesting fact comes from The Canadian Peregrine Foundation: "Historically, Peregrines were renowned for having remarkably stable populations. Records are best documented for Great Britain, where the breeding population remained steady around 800 pairs from the time of Queen Elizabeth I to the Second World War nearly 400 years later. Even more amazingly, some particular nest sites were almost continuously occupied throughout this period."
Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams and for the stills.
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.
