This morning the peregrines awoke to mostly cloudy skies, calm with little wind and the temp, a balmy 68F….with sunrise time at 5:35 AM.  The forecast for day ahead calls for a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

At 6:13 AM, the female lifted up from eggs, slowly walked to edge of  nest box, and departed, as the male swooped in, landed and headed right for the eggs.  The are well synchronized and attentive to the incubation process and shared coverage.  Later, just a moment before 7 AM, the male departed and returned less than a minute later….so likely a quick bathroom break. Typically, the male frequently seeks his turn at incubation while the female is still sitting.  When the male wants a shift on the eggs, he will often give the “waik” call from a perch some distance from, but perhaps in sight of the nest box.  The female, deciding to switch, will usually rise unhurriedly and give the opposite call to her mate before flying off!

Literature cited:

Ratcliffe, D. 1993. The Peregrine Falcon. 2nd ed. Carlton, England: T. and A. D. Poyser.

Today, the peregrines woke up to overcast skies, with fog and mist, wind calm, and temp at 42F.  The forecast is calling for patchy fog between 7am and 8am. Otherwise, it will become partly sunny, with a high near 66. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the morning.  Spring is upon us finally!

The female was up early for a long stretch and then returned to the eggs.  They exchanged places on incubation duties back and forth during the day.   Around 6:30 PM, had a nice opportunity to watch the peregrines from below the box.  The female was seen in flight around the Clock Tower.  She was making a series a big aerial loops and then landed on the rooftop on the SW corner of the main building.  She took time to preen and then scratch herself with her talons.  There were loads of bugs out around the rooftop area.  A bit later the female launched into flight and took in a NW direction.