March 18, 2018 in Near the Clock Tower, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Under clear skies, bright sun, strong NW winds at 17MPH, gusting 23MPH, and temp around 18F, with wind chill at 3F, made a short visit to look for Peregrine Falcons at Boston University. Located one falcon next to the entry to the nest box atop the 26 story Stu Vi II high rise student dorms.
March 18, 2018 in Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
A pair of Peregrine Falcons were seen this morning in flight and perched on the Sheraton Hotel Boston South Tower. The South Tower is about 310 feet in height with 29 floors. This pair have regularly nested nearby close to the top of the Christian Science Monitor Building. The peregrines are seen in flight in the area and perched on rooftop corners on nearby taller buildings.
March 16, 2018 in Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Stopped by for an early afternoon look for peregrines. The pair of Peregrine Falcons in Watertown have been seen in and around the nest box area. They have been in both perch mode and flight mode around the upper levels of the nest box building. Every reason to believe they are nearing time to lay eggs….stay tuned!
This is likely the male peregrine. The female was just barely visible in front of the nest box entry on the roof. Weather conditions, mostly cloudy, winds from NW at 23MPH, with gusts up to 40MPH, and temps in mid-thirties.
March 15, 2018 in Verizon Cell Tower
Had but a few moments to look for the peregrines; none at Clock Tower, so made a fast pass by the Verizon Cell Tower. Normally, at this point in the calendar, both peregrines would be always found in and around the Clock Tower making sure their territory is well defended, and ready for the breeding season. Not so today, with the male perched on an upper ledge at Cell Tower, under clear skies, bright sun, winds out of west close to 20MPH and gusts over 25MPH, and temps around 40F
March 12, 2018 in On the Clock Tower
Another morning visit to the Lawrence Peregrines at the Ayer Mill Clock Tower, under clear skies, bright sun, wind out of north at 8MPH, and temp just above 30F. Observed both peregrines loafing on upper level perches on the west side of the Tower. One of them flew off while the other remained on a ledge above and to the left of the west side clock face.
March 12, 2018 in Peregrine Falcon Woburn, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
A short visit to the quarry in Woburn under clear skies, bright sun, light wind, and temp around 24F. While scanning all around with no peregrines in sight, a streaking bird came in from the west, one of the peregrines, and swooped up in long arc, to the nest ledge. It spent a bit of time preening.
One thing the peregrine falcon does a lot is preening. A number of hours are spent each day, particularly on the care of feathers. The preening is in fact a necessity to keep feathers net and clean!
March 11, 2018 in Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Made a short visit to downtown Taunton to look for the local pair of Peregrine Falcons. They popped up right away in flight mode over Taunton Green, and then on one of nearby buildings. After watching a bit, the the female landed on a roof level, rounded granite post and called out to the nearby male. A few moments later, he swooped in, and started copulation sequence.
In this instance, the male falcon mounted from flight onto female. Typically, as the male prepares to mount, the female sleeks feathers, crouches, and leans forward, and may move her tail up and to side. During copulation, the female is normally at an angle of about 45° with wings slightly lifted and extended (from elbow), sometimes tail partly spread. The male makes every effort to maintain an upright position throughout copulation by flapping wings high above body and balancing on his tarsi with closed toes and feet turned inward. During copulation, the male’s neck is extended and curved; he chitters while she gives copulatory wail.
After about ten seconds, the male departed and landed at a nearby perch, while the female remained atop the granite post, then departed and perched atop proximate rooftop
Known breeding pair in downtown Taunton; banded female and unbanded male; Band numbers: 1687-01294, and 64/V black over green Banding date and location: May 20, 2008, NY, Long Island, Nassau Co. Sex: Female
Reference cited:
White, Clayton M., Nancy J. Clum, Tom J. Cade and W. Grainger Hunt. 2002. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.660
March 1, 2018 in Great Horned Owl
Made an enjoyable morning visit to the Ward Reservation in Andover and North Andover. The Ward Reservation is a 704-acre open space reserve 20 miles north of Boston. The reserve, managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations, is notable for its open drumlin hilltops and vistas encompassing Boston and beyond. The Ward Reservation offers 13 miles of trails and former woods roads available for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and cross country skiing.
The Great Horned Owl nest is occupied again this year. The female has been incubating eggs for about the past 2 weeks. While quietly watching from a distance, she peeked up for a few moments, providing a nice look and opportunity for one quick image.
The female begins brooding immediately after laying first egg. The incubation period typically runs about 30-37 days. Incubation is performed only by the female. She remains on nest throughout, and the male delivers prey to her at intervals throughout night; first prey delivery generally takes place shortly after dark.
Reference cited:
Artuso, Christian, C. Stuart Houston, Dwight G. Smith and Christoph Rohner. 2013. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.372
