FALCON FLASH
Dateline: Cleveland, Ohio
May 1, 2008
The eyases are about one week old and when they are awake, they want to eat. There are several feedings during the day. Here are some pictures showing a typical feeding:
SW covers the young, who cannot regulate their body heat as yet, and waits for Buckeye to return from hunting…..
According to Mr. Scott Wright, volunteer nest monitor, “Male falcons will sometimes arrive at the nest with live food, but I have only seen this a few times in my years of monitoring. Most times the impact will stun the food and the talons hold the food until the food becomes food. Most times the male will have killed the prey, clipped the wings, taken off the head, and sent the feathers flying in the wind as he cleans the meal before he feeds his mate and chicks. Many times you cannot even tell what the food was before it was the meal. I have seen the following (not in any order, but by how my mind recalls them) brought into the nestbox: Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Red Eyed Vireo, Night Hawk, Black and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow Warbler, Woodcock, Coot, unknown large Sandpiper, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, Rock Dove, Mourning Dove, unknown Seagull, Red- winged Blackbird, Grackle, Pie-billed Grebe, Robin, unknown Thrush, Song Sparrow, Blue Jay, Flicker, Grey Catbird, Goldfinch..... Many times all you can say is that they brought a LBB to the nest (little Brown Bird) or LGB (little grey bird).
What do peregrines eat? Anything that flies that is smaller than them."
If there is not enough food, the smallest chick might not get enough to eat, but Buckeye is such a good hunter that all four of the chicks are receiving plenty of food.
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.
