FALCON FLASH
Dateline: Cleveland, Ohio
March 14, 2012
First there was one……
Mr. Harvey Webster, Director of Wildlife Resources at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History tells us, “The egg is remarkable in that all of the ingredients to create one baby Peregrine Falcon have been assembled and packaged in SW's body in only 2 days. All that is needed now is 33 days of constant temperature, periodic turning, protection from extremes of heat and cold, rigorous defense of the nest as well as a delicate touch. After all of these conditions are met, a baby Peregrine Falcon might hatch.”
Boomer is young and this is only his second year of being a dad. He has been doing a great job feeding SW while she is unable to hunt for herself, and he will continue to feed her while she incubates the eggs. In the following picture, Boomer is bringing food to SW. Can you tell the birds apart?
Here's an idea for kids who like to read. A popular book called "Frightful's Mountain", by Jean Craighead George, is a story about a peregrine falcon named Frightful and how she makes her way in the world, including having her first chicks. It's a dramatic story told from the bird's point of view. Lots of kids like this book, and it will help make learning about peregrines more real.
Will there be more eggs? Last year there were 4 eggs. Keep your eyes and browser set to: http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/news.php
Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams and for the stills.
Photos of Boomer confronting a female in the air is courtesy of volunteers Mr. and Mrs. Saladin. All others are courtesy of Scott Wright, volunteer peregrine nest monitor. They may be used by children for school and/or personal projects, but please givephoto credit.
Click here to read what happened earlier
Then there were two ..........
Then finally, after a long wait, SW allowed us a peak at the third egg.
SW usually lays one egg every other day, but this year there was a longer time between the second and third egg. We wonder why? SW is getting up in years, and perhaps older females produce fewer eggs - but SW has had 3 eggs in the past. The fact that SW is older has also been causing falcon fans to worry that she might be challenged for her nestsite by a younger female. Volunteer nest monitor, Mr. Scott Wright, saw a confrontation while visiting the nestsite. He reports:
“Wednesday Feb 29, mid-afternoon, I observed two peregrines in what seemed to be aerial combat over Public Square. I suppose it could have been courtship, but I haven't had time to research courtship displays. The two were then seen flying level westbound on East Huron Road in chase formation. One of the two was emitting loud, constant squawks.
The following day I received an e-mail from someone who works downtown to the effect that during that same afternoon she observed two falcons fighting at Terminal Tower and that one fell to the sidewalk, dead”. We don’t have a picture of this, but the following picture taken last year shows Boomer in a territorial confrontation with another female.
Whether this was indeed a battle to the death has not been confirmed. Peregrines are fierce predators and will fight for their territory. When SW took over this nestsite a decade ago, she fought the aging female at this nestsite to the death, so it is possible.
On a snowy day just before the second egg was laid, volunteer nest monitor, Mr. Scott Wright, visited the nest and took this photo of Boomer who is always closeby, watching over his family.
Click here to read what happened next
