The 2008 peregrine falcon nesting season is underway at Buckeye and SW's home sweet home located on the 12th floor ledge of a skyscraper called "Tower City" in downtown Cleveland, Ohio (the red circle shows the nestbox location).
Scott Wright, peregrine falcon nest monitor at this site for 16 years, describes courtship flight:
“The male peregrine falcon must 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”.
Courtship behavior also includes nest-keeping. In this picture Buckeye demonstrates the male behavior of scraping an indentation in the nestbox gravel and calling SW to invite her to see his great nest.
Longer daylight hours (photo sensitivity) and warmer days are now triggering the birds into courtship, and SW and Buckeye have begun their annual nesting life-cycle. Peregrines generally mate for life, but will accept a new partner if their mate dies. SW and Buckeye have been together since 2003. Every year the male must prove his worth and court his mate (even if it is the same mate from year to year). “Courtship feeding” where the male catches prey and presents it to the female, proves that the male will be a good provider and also gives the female the extra nutritional boost she needs to lay healthy eggs. Before she lays her eggs, she becomes too heavy to hunt on her own.
To see the "hour review" each day, go to the live FalconCam at http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/news.php Under each of the 3 pictures of the nest on the front page there is a link that will take you to the archives. The live FalconCam takes a picture each minute of every daylight hour. There are 60 pictures for each hour each day. Looking at the archives will give you a quick review of all the day's activities. As you observe the nest every day, why not take Ms. Peterson's suggestion and record how much of the time the falcons are at the nest in one hour and what their activities are? Sampling the nest every day will give you some interesting information about falcon behavior.
There has been a great deal of courting behavior going on at the falcon nestsite, and mating has been reported. When will the eggs be laid? Last year, the first egg arrived during the night on March 17.
Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams.
The photo of the Tower City skyscraper is courtesy of Tony Rinicella. Other photos are courtesy of Scott Wright. They can be used in any non-commercial publication, electronic or print, but please give photo credit.
Here's a good idea for young scientists from SaraJean Peters, of the Ohio Division of Wildlife (retired):
"The FalconCam "hour review" of images provides an interesting way for kids to practice "sampling" techniques used by wildlife researchers. One would assume that, as the pair extends its courtship, the birds would be seen more and more frequently at the nest tray. By counting the number of frames that contain a view of a peregrine and dividing by 60, the students can calculate the percentage of time spent at the site during the sample period. They could choose several sample periods during the day and see if visitation varies by time of day... How does it change when the chicks are 12 days old...."
