Lawrence Peregrines: Day 27

May 31, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

The Peregrines are starting off the day under overcast skies, light SW wind, and temp at 58F.  The forecast calls for patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Tonight, partly cloudy, with a low around 52. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

2019.0531.1Over the past many days the facial pattern behind the eyes is becoming increasingly evident, and some coloration is becoming visible on the upper breast as juvenile feathers develop beneath the down.   The legs are now just about fully developed, and that made banding possible earlier in the week. A number of other chicks in the extended Boston area either have been banded, or are scheduled to be banded.

 

 

After the chicks can stand, the begging posture becomes more horizontal, though they feed in a normal standing position, and direct themselves at the parent’s beak. At about this age, they will start to regurgitate castings composed of indigestible remains, and wiping of the sides of the beak back and forth against the nest box edges.  Also, signs of self-feeding became more pronounced with nestlings starting to grab at food instead of just begging for it!

Literature cited:

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

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Peregrine Falcon Development – Age Guide; http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/info/ageguide.html

Lawrence Peregrines: feeding time

May 30, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

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Had a nice opportunity to watch the Peregrines from below the nest box just before 6PM.  There were a few clouds, wind from the S at 9MPH and temp at 65F. The male was circling the Clock Tower a number of times in big lazy circles.  One of the chicks was seen looking west out of the nest box opening.   In the days ahead, the chicks will move closer to the edge of the nest box and will spend more time looking out and also exercising their wing muscles.  It’s always a joy to see them lined up at the edge and preparing to fledge, or make first flight.

 

 

_W7I3552-001Meanwhile, just around the corner, the female had been provided a next meal, and she was the one ripping apart the fresh caught prey with loose feathers flying every which way in the light wind.  Once she had completed her preparations, she launched into flight and circled around into the nest box and offered up a meal to the little ones!

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 26

May 30, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

This morning the Peregrines started the day under overcast skies, little wind, and temp at 49F. The day ahead looks to be cloudy, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Tonight, rain likely, mainly before 3am. Patchy fog between 11pm and 3am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind around 6 mph. 

2019.0530.2In their fourth week of life, the chicks undergo significant changes almost daily.  Around day 25-26, the brown tips to the secondaries become clearly visible, and the number of colored feathers visible on the breast increases noticeably.  Behaviorally, they are rarely resting on their tarsi anymore at this age. In the cover image, the chicks are loafing in the nest box, and the female is perched looking around…..notice the changes in feather coloration.  Here they are upright and more on the lookout at passing action!

In terms of feeding times, the pattern is irregular overall.  The young are twice as likely to be fed during the early morning and evening periods than middle of the day.  There tends to be a higher frequency of feeding visits during morning or late afternoon/early evening.  Interval times between feeding visits usually averages about 2 hours, and average duration of a meal runs about 8-11 minutes, with duration of meal time increasing a bit as the chicks get older.

Literature cited:

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

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Peregrine Falcon Development – Age Guide; http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/info/ageguide.html

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 25!

May 29, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

The Peregrines started off today under overcast skies with fog and mist, wind from the N at 8MPH, and tempt at 46F. The forecast calls for patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable. Tonight, a chance of showers, mainly after 8pm. Patchy fog between 11pm and 1am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 50. Southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

2019.0529.1Had early looks at peregrine chicks just before 5:30AM this morning, and now that the webcam has been cleaned….WOW, the view is much sharper!  The chicks are now growing much larger and exercising their wing muscles. In their fourth week of life, the chicks undergo significant changes almost daily.  Around day 25, the brown tips to the secondaries become clearly visible, and the number of colored feathers visible on the breast increases noticeably.  Behaviorally, they are rarely resting on their tarsi anymore at this age.

In terms of feeding times, the pattern is irregular overall.  The young are twice as likely to be fed during the early morning and evening periods than middle of the day.  There tends to be a higher frequency of feeding visits during morning or late afternoon/early evening.  Interval times between feeding visits usually averages about 2 hours, and average duration of a meal runs about 8-11 minutes, with duration of meal time increasing a bit as the chicks get older. Here we see a late day feeding just before 7:30 PM, with sunset at 8:18 tonight.

Literature cited:

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

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Peregrine Falcon Development – Age Guide; http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/info/ageguide.html

Lawrence Peregrines: banding day!

May 28, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

The Peregrines started off today under mostly cloudy skies, light NE winds, and temp at 53F.  The forecast calls for rain, mainly after 11am. High near 57. East wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. For tonight, rain before 7pm, then showers, mainly after 7pm. Patchy fog. Low around 48. Northeast wind around 7 mph. 

IMG_0796-001Made a brief check in just after 6AM this morning and the female was providing a morning meal to the growing chicks.  Today is banding day with staff from MassWildlife and a number of volunteers.  We met at the New Balance main entrance and proceeded up to the Clock Tower. Each year, peregrine falcons are fitted with metal leg bands to provide researchers with valuable data on peregrine survival rates, dispersal distances, and population growth rates. The species remains on the endangered species list at the state level, but with close to 50 mating pairs of adults statewide, there are more peregrine falcons in Massachusetts than ever before.

IMG_0803-001The leader of the annual falcon leg banding in Lawrence is Tom French, who serves as the assistant director of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s (MDFW) Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.  Tom, staff from Mass Wildlife, and a number of volunteers, banded three chicks in Lawrence. we had two females and one male. Here is the second female to be banded: 66/BV. The standard leg band for Peregrines is a silver metal band issued by the federal Bird Banding Lab. The band is inscribed with a unique 9 digit code that allows birds to be identified during future resights or captures. The photo on the left provides a look at the silver federal band on the right leg.

IMG_0809-001 A second bi-color band is fitted on the falcon’s opposite leg and includes a field-readable alpha-numeric code. In recent years, falcons in the Eastern US are banded with BLACK over GREEN (2000 – present). There are also several orientations and alphanumeric character arrangements on the bands. When reading a band, an observer should note the top character and its orientation (vertical or horizontal), the top background color, then note the bottom character code, orientation, and color. The photo at left shows the young male with new leg band: 53/BU.

 

Reference cited:

The Center for Conservation Biology, Report Falcon Sightings, http://www.ccbbirds.org/what-we-do/research/species-of-concern/peregrine-falcon/report-sightings/

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 20!

May 24, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

The Peregrines started the day off under mostly sunny skies, wind from the west at 10MPH, and gusts up over 20MPH, and the temp at 63F.  The day ahead calls for partly sunny skies, with a high near 68. Breezy, with a west wind 14 to 21 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph, so this means right into the nest box which continues to be lined with lots of feathers.Tonight calls for mostly cloudy skies, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 48. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening.

2019.0524.2Here are the chicks being fed again while in the back left corner. At 19 days of age, the chicks are roughly half the size of their parents, but their feet are already nearly full-grown, and thus appear disproportionately large.  Also at this age, a small patch bare of down begins to appear behind the eyes. Around day 20, some yellow/beige becomes visible in the patch behind the eye, and a distinct dark edge to the wings becomes visible as the flight feathers continue to grow in length beneath the layer of down.  The dark eye patch is becoming larger.

Literature cited:

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

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Peregrine Falcon Development – Age Guide; http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/info/ageguide.html

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 18

May 22, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, On the Clock Tower, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

This morning the Peregrines started the day under clear skies, wind from the NW at 12MPH, and temp at 51F. The forecast calls for a sunny day, with a high near 70. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Tonight, mostly clear, with a low around 50. Calm wind.  So far, the daily average temperature for the month is below average, and we’re slightly above average for precipitation. It’s also feeling more like summer, with the sun rising earlier and setting later!

Over the past few days, the chicks have shifted to the north end of the nest box, up and under the web cam.  At times, it looks like no one is at home, and yet they are there.  Last year, a number of frantic emails came in with alarm and concern that somehow the chicks were gone…..not!  Recently, the same thing, just out of sight, but with the female, with her tail just visible, out near the end of the perch pole, keeping a close eye on her little ones.  The unhatched egg remains intact through it all, and the nest box continues to be littered with feather debris from left over meals.

 

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 17

May 21, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, On the Clock Tower, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

The Peregrines started today off under clear skies, wind from the west at 14MPH, gusting to 22MPH, and temp at 57F just before 6AM.  The day ahead looks like mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Breezy, with a west wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 18 to 23 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph! Tonight’s forecast calls for mostly clear, with a low around 46. Northwest wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph…a very breezy day ahead.

2019.0521.3By day 17, the chicks have already grown considerably relative to the size of their parents, but still have a long way to go until they match their stature and reach full size.  In terms of feeding, the frequency of feeding visits by the parents depends on the size of the brood, but researchers have found that four meals per day was the norm during the nestling period.  Others have observed anywhere from 4-8 feeding visits per day, with some observing as many as 6-11 feeding visits per day.  Most observers agree that feeding begins very early in the morning, often before it is light enough for humans to see!

 

Literature cited:

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

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Peregrine Falcon Development – Age Guide; http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/info/ageguide.html

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 16

May 20, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, On the Clock Tower

The Peregrines started off this morning under overcast skies and light rain, wind from the S at 9MPH, and temp at 66F just before 6MA. The forecast calls for a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87!! Southwest wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Tonight, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Some of the storms could also produce small hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 53. West wind 8 to 14 mph. Quite a day ahead!

2019.0521.2Just before 6AM, all was quiet in the nest box. The chicks were huddled in the back left corner, a growing group of loose feathers are collecting in the middle of the nest box around the addled egg, and the female is perched on the pole keeping watch. She bolted in flight and returned minutes later with fresh prey. The little ones were eager for a meal and nibbled at every morsel offered by Mama Bear! Then, all three retreated to the back left corner in a tight huddle.

Around day 16, dark spots can be seen along the edges of the wings, indicating the growth of the flight feathers underneath the covering of down.  The down on the head also begins to take on a “rougher” texture around this time.  As mentioned in a prior post, most of the day is spent sleeping, up to about 16 days, but movements around the nest box become more developed, and they start to become more active during the day.  

Literature cited:

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

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Peregrine Falcon Development – Age Guide; http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/info/ageguide.html

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 15

May 19, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, On the Clock Tower

Post and webcam photos submitted by Craig Gibson: please send any comments/questions to cbgibson AT comcast.net

The Peregrines started this morning off  under partly cloudy skies, wind fromt he SW at 6MPH, and temp at 54F.  The forecast calls for a chance of showers, mainly before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Southwest wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.  Tonight, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3am. Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Southwest wind 8 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. 

2019.0519.2Now we are around day 15, and the chicks are beginning to enter the “hunchback” phase, during which they are often seen in the hunchback pose, with their feet splayed out in front of them and their head angled forward.  Today, we continue to observe the chicks in the ongoing lazy mode of lounging and sleeping in the very front of the nest box, out of sight below the webcam, with the attentive female always nearby.  Around 7AM, the female returned to the nest with prey in talons.  Once she settled inside, another morning feeding frenzy got started!

Literature cited:

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

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Peregrine Falcon Development – Age Guide; http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/info/ageguide.html