FALCON FLASH
Dateline: Cleveland, Ohio
April 22, 2013
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It's fun to record the date that each egg hatches and then record the eyass’s growth and progress. When does it have its first meal and what will that be? When will it take its first step? When will it get its first real feather? When will it fly? You can do this in a falcon journal, a technique that wildlife biologists use as they study the peregrines. To help you record the eyass's progress, you can go to the FalconCam and click on the archives link under each of the 3 current pictures to see all the day's activities.
Celebrating Earth Day today and watching the tiny falcons hatch during Earth Week reminds us of how fragile and how grand nature can be. The species peregrine falcon has recovered from near extinction in North America, and its comeback is one of the great success stories of wildlife conservation. Let's commit ourselves to the future of all species.
Will the remaining 3 eggs hatch? Watch closely at: 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 are courtesy of volunteers Mr. and Mrs. Saladin. They may be used in any non-commercial publication, electronic or print, but please give photo credit.
SW and Boomer proudly announce the hatching of their first egg. Welcome to the world, little guy! Today is Earth Day - what a wonderful way to celebrate!
The tiny falcon, properly known as an “eyass”, began to break through its shell with a “pip” which is a hole in the egg. Mr. Harvey Webster, Director of Wildlife Resources at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History tells us: “Pipping is the act of creating a breach in the shell and shell membrane so that the chick can establish respiratory function. After the pip there is a quiet phase where the chick draws blood back into its body from the shell membrane. Once complete, the chick will then vigorously score the inside of the shell with its egg tooth while simultaneously pushing against the blunt cap of the egg with its neck. After scoring the shell for two thirds of its circumference the chick pushes against the cap and it flexes back enough for the chick to push its way out. It generally takes 24-36 hours between the onset of the pip and actual hatching”. In the following file photo you can see a little beak enlarging the pip.
This bird may have been hanging around which explains why both SW and Boomer would leave the eggs uncovered – they were chasing the intruder away. Mr. and Mrs. Saladin tell us “chasing off intruders is more and more a part of a peregrine’s life these days”. The good news is that the number of peregrines is growing, but keep in mind that peregrines are fierce predators and will fight to protect their nesting territory if necessary.
As we said, the female falcon does not like to leave her eggs while they are hatching, but SW has to take a quick break every now and then.
Volunteer nest monitor, Mr. Wright, tells us: "The chicks will spend a great deal of time sleeping and huddled together for warmth. What to look for..... You want to see each kid with two wings, two legs, two eyes and a beak, you also want to see the "begging response", any time a parent is near...... The parents will cover (mantle) the young for 4-7 days. The young are not able to control body temperature (self-regulate) for about a week, if it stays chilly”.
Over the last week, falcon fans noticed several times that both SW and Boomer left the eggs uncovered – very unusual. Fans also noticed that sometimes SW was looking up.
Volunteer nest monitors, Mr. and Mrs. Saladin, visited the nest and confirmed falcon fans’ suspicions – another peregrine falcon was near the nest. Here is the peregrine that was worrying SW and Boomer.
Over the last few days, Falcon fans have been watching the FalconCam images carefully for signs of a hatch. We suspected it was underway because SW refused to take a break. Females do not like to leave their eggs during hatching. Here she is giving Boomer “the look” that she didn’t want him to take over.
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