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

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 14

May 18, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, On the Clock Tower, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

The Peregrines started today under clear skies, bright sun, wind from the west at 7MPH and temp at 51F.  The forecast finally calls for a sunny day, with a high near 71. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Tonight it will be partly cloudy, with a low around 50 and a light southeast wind.

2019.0518.2The daily pattern is now shifting with the female no longer brooding the chicks in close contact. She is very attentive, and remains close by, either in and around the nest box, or on the nearby perch pole. She is always alert, and may preen and stretch quite a bit.  The chicks like the far corners, and continue to stay close to one another, but in a bit of a looser huddle.  The addled egg remains in the nest box for now. More and more remnant feathers can be seen, but given the number of feedings, the nest box remains fairly clean overall!

 

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 13

May 17, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines

This morning the Peregrines started of the day looking forward to showers likely, mainly between 7am and 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Tonight, scattered showers, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

2019.0517.2In the morning we are starting to see the female spending more time wandering around inside the nest box, in the corner looking out, on the perch, or off for a spin nearby.  This is all normal behavior as the chicks grow in size.  She still broods them and watched over them, but the constant brooding now begins to lessen a bit.

As they approach two weeks of age, the chicks are beginning to sit upright more often, but still lean on each other, or against the nest box much of the time.  The very beginnings of wing feather development are also seen around this time. In a further look at feeding behavior, the female mostly avoids giving bones, intestines, or too many large feathers to small young.  She will usually pick up any dropped fragments of flesh.  The arrival, or return, of an adult, with food, is the signal for hungry nestlings to crowd forward and attempt to steal any prey morsels possible!

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

Lawrence Peregrines: adult food transfer

May 16, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, On the Clock Tower

_W7I0004-001Made a stop by the Clock Tower around 5:15PM this afternoon under overcast skies, wind from SE at 6MPH, and temp at 64F.  Upon arrival, the female was seen out of the nest box and making a number of circles around the Clock Tower.  She finally settled on an upper edge on the NW corner.  As I scanned all over to see if the male was around, airborne feathers started to float by above the west clock face.  Well that usually means one thing!  The male was ripping apart fresh caught prey and preparing the next meal.  Once the prep work was finished, he launched into flight, initially swooping downwards, and then around the corner and to the NW.

_W7I0043-001A few minutes later, while going out of sight, the female swooped in and then made a very nice food transfer. The male continues to do the bulk of the hunting.  To feed the chicks, the male will capture prey and prepare it nearby.  The male then readies himself for flight and food transfer.  the female will receive the fresh pray and return promptly to the nest box to feed the nestlings.  Great teamwork!

 

 

_W7I0047-001After the female captured the prey with her talon, she returned to the nest box.  She arrived and landed on the left side of the window box ledge.  In sorting through the photos, it was fascinating to see that as she arrived, the prey was in her left talon, and then in a flash, she moved it to her bill while landing on the outer edge of the box!

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 12

May 16, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines

The peregrines started this morning off under mostly sunny skies, little wind, and temp at 44F. The forecast calls for isolated showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight, patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Light and variable wind.

2019.0516.1This morning the chicks were first seen int he next box by themselves with the female nearby on the perch pole.  By 5:40 AM she was back in the nest box preening and scratching herself aside the chicks.  Just after that, she settled on the outer edge of the nest box looking out to the west, and the chicks remained in tight huddle formation with the the addled egg still close by.  Overall, the little ones are moving around more, wing stretching and being playful with each other.  They are literally a tight bunch at this age!

As was mentioned in a prior post, the adults will shelter the nestlings from strong sunshine, and rain, as may be needed, when they are too large to brood but not yet protected by their own feathers.

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

Lawrence Peregrines: Day 11

May 15, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines

The Peregrines started today with a forecast that calls for isolated showers before 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. Northwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Tonight, scattered showers, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. 

2019.0515.2By day 11, the beak is already beginning to acquire a slightly yellow tinge, as opposed to the pink color it has had to this point in the chick’s development.  In regard to feeding behavior, hungry chicks solicit even if the adult arrives without food, but when satiated they remain indifferent. R. W. Nelson observed that chicks tend to form a semi-circle in front of the parent or to one side and all received portions of the prey item. Another researcher found that each chick was fed in turn until satiated, when it dropped back and was replaced by the next in line. After 10-12 days, chicks which called most received the most food

 

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 10

May 14, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines

The forecast today calls for showers likely with patchy drizzle before 10am, then patchy drizzle with a chance of showers between 10am and 1pm, then a chance of showers after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 44. Northeast wind around 9 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Tonight, a chance of showers, mainly after 11pm. Cloudy, with a low around 38. North wind 5 to 7 mph. Again, the chicks are out of direct wind!

2019.LP.0515.1Just before 6 AM, the female was seen in the nest box preening, wind stretching, and watching over the little ones.  She departed and returned moments later, again with food in her talons. The hungry chicks were happy to receive a morning meal.  The egg has been moved back into the huddle!  After the feeding session, the female now may move to the perch outside the box for a while, and then hop back inside the nest box.

By day 10, the chicks have already grown visibly, but remain covered in white down with pink patches of skin still showing through in some areas. Around this time, the young peregrines grow a second coat of down. From this age onwards, nestlings become more active and strong though the nature of their movements does not change markedly for another week or so. They are brooded less and less during the day and become more vigorous in their movements about the nest box, including backing up to squirt their feces outside the nest box. Vision develops strongly and the young, when hungry, scream and clamber towards an arrived parent. Most of the day is spent sleeping, up to about 16 days, but the comfort movements, become more developed, and include foot nibbling and hitching of the wings into adult position.

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: chicks in a huddle!

May 13, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines

2019.0513.3The forecast for today calls for a chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Light northeast wind becoming east 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. For tonight, rain, mainly after 7pm, fog after midnight, low around 39F. Northeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. The nest box faces to the west, so the chicks will be out of the direct wind. The female will start taking more breaks like this, from active brooding.

Now let’s take a look at an overview of growth and development over the total 40 days.  Here’s a bit of what to expect:

At 5 days after hatch, their mass has doubled. The eyas can sit with relative ease, and the open eyes are more round.

At 6–8 days of age the second down (mesoptile or preplumulae) starts to emerge, first on humeral and alar tracts but no down visible on belly at 6 day, although on the legs and belly at 8 days. Also second down is well out on the wings and looks a bit blueish and sheaths of primaries breaking skin on wings.

By 10 days of age the second down is complete and uniform and outer rectrices are breaking skin. At 10 days, primaries growing at 2–3 mm/d, rectrix sheath not yet split.

At 14 days the second down is dense and long, rectrix sheath about 2 mm and typically ninth primary emerges from sheath.

By day 17 the contour feathers start to push out prepennae and only pale (buffy) tips of rectrices have emerged but growing at about 2 mm/d (since day 13).

By 10 days of age the second down is complete and uniform and outer rectrices are breaking skin. At 10 days, primaries growing at 2–3 mm/d, rectrix sheath not yet split.

At 14 days the second down is dense and long, rectrix sheath about 2 mm and typically ninth primary emerges from sheath.

By day 17 the contour feathers start to push out prepennae and only pale (buffy) tips of rectrices have emerged but growing at about 2 mm/d (since day 13).

At 20 days while still with heavy coat of second down, brown contour feathers are visible on margins of wings, tail, and faintly around the eyes.

By 30 days young appears about half down-covered and half feathered; while side of face well feathered, crown still covered with down.

At 35 days while mostly feathered, large conspicuous patches of down around legs, under wings, and on crown.

At 40 days almost fully feathered with traces of down on crown and under wings and outer several remiges; rectrices not fully grown but bird capable of weak flight.

Literature cited:

Veldhuis, Froona, Eyases growth and development                                                                                                                                                          http://falcoperegrinus-froona.blogspot.com/2008/04/eyases-growth-and-development.html

Unhatched “addled” egg remains?

May 12, 2019 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines

Today started off under light winds, overcast skies and temp at 47F. How nice to see the little ones starting to move around a bit more.  They were first seen tightly huddled around each other and the remaining unhatched egg.  It almost looked like they were trying to incubate the egg themselves!

2019.0512.2The female was observed around 9:20 AM this morning taking a break, moving to front edge of nestbox, and calling for food!  The fourth egg has not hatched, and at this point, it is unlikely to hatch.  In prior years, the falcons have had unhatched eggs.  An unhatched egg, may also be referred at as an addled egg.  This is an egg in which the developing embryo has died. Not to be confused with a clear or infertile egg, though in common usage the term is often applied to any egg gone bad.

2019.0512.3Around 9:25AM, after a lot of vocalizing, the female was provided with another meal, by the male for the chicks.  The photo shows the female returning to the huddled chicks, with prey in her bill.  The bird in her bill has been stripped of feathers and is ready for her to rip apart for feeding purposes.  Also visible is the remaining unhatched egg. Addled eggs are usually left, and may survive after the young have gone as dried and bleached relics, kicked to the side of the nest box, but they are often broken and trampled to pieces!

Literature cited:

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