Lawrence Peregrines: female wailing at the male!

April 17, 2018 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

It’s Marathon Monday in the extended Boston area, and the day is starting with light rain with fog and mist, strong winds blowing from the NE at 18MPH with gusts close to 30MPH, and the temperature at 37F.  For the peregrines, the west facing nest box is shielded from direct winds. 

The forecast calls for rain off and on throughout the day. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Patchy fog. High near 50. Breezy, with an east wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

2018.0416.3-001During incubation, an observer may spend lots of time watching very little activity.  The peregrines take turns brooding the eggs. Typically, the female incubates about 2/3 of the time, often for four or more hours before the male relieves her. Males brood for shorter periods– typically 2 to 3 hours, and they brood less frequently. While one adult is brooding, the other may be out hunting. Brooding falcons still need to eat, after all. If they’re not hunting, the other falcon usually stays close to the nest.  The photo on the left shows the female sitting on eggs quietly and with great comfort.  She will adjust as she needs to but is not fidgety as the male tends to be!

2018.0416.1Sometimes while the female is brooding the eggs, the male will bring her food that he has hunted. She’ll eat the food, sometimes inside, and other times, outside the nest box while he takes a turn incubating, but then she’ll come back and take over– provided she can get him to move off the eggs. If he doesn’t move right away, she may stand in the nest box and wail at him. Wailing has different meanings for falcons, but in general it indicates dissatisfaction with the current situation.  Here they are together, inside the nest box at around 10:35 AM today, and she is wailing on him big time.

2018.0416.2So if this female wails at her guy while he’s incubating, or in the nest box it’s her way of telling him she’s not happy that he’s still standing around, or sitting on the eggs. As with most other interactions between male and female peregrines, the female usually gets her way, though sometimes it takes a while for him to get the message!  Guess who’s walking away, with his head bowed low, after getting wailed at….the male….note right leg silver leg band.

Literature cited:  Imprints Blog, The Journal of the Rfalconcam, Rochester Falcon Cam.  The Genesee Valley Audubon Society is the local chapter of the National Audubon Society in Rochester, NY. GVAS sponsors the Rochester Falconcam (Rfalconcam) as part of their education and awareness programs.

Peregrine Falcon pair: Haverhill, MA

February 13, 2018 in Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Haverhill, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

_W7I7691-001Made a pass through downtown Haverhill and found both adult falcons atop the apartment building at 170 Washington St. They were perched facing east and into the morning sun. After 12 minutes they both departed, a few minutes apart, for another regular perch, atop the Post Office and the Bank of America building to the east.  To the right is the unbanded female.

The male falcon  ‘black/green 72/AB’ – color-banded in NH in May 2012, and now approaching  6 years old.

This wild-hatched male was one of two chicks fledged from the falcon nesting box located at the Brady-Sullivan Tower in Manchester. Christian Martin banded him as a 25-day old chick, along with his 21-day old sibling, who later died after falling into an uncapped chimney at the nearby National Guard Armory, and was trapped out of sight in a basement boiler room.

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Black/green 72/AB has been present in Haverhill since at least December 2014, when he was spotted and identified by local resident, and well-known NH birders, Steve & Jane Mirick.

Peregrine Falcon pair: Downtown Haverhill

December 4, 2017 in Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Haverhill, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

_W7I0581-001Pair of Peregrine Falcons on the weathervane at the Post Office in downtown Haverhill. This adult pair was first discovered by Steve and Jane Mirick.  They were not successful in breeding attempts in 2016.  The male is perched atop the weathervane with the female below to the left. 

They both departed in pursuit of prey and returned a short time late. They were observed under bright sun and clear skies with little wind and temps in low thirties.  This pair has not been sighted for the last few months, so this is a welcome sighting and a promising sign of continued pair bonding!

_W7I0900-001The male provided nice looks at his leg bands.  The alpha-numeric black over green left leg bands showed 72/AB.  According to Chris martin at NH Audubon, this was a 2012 hatch year chick, 1 of 2 banded at Brady-Sullivan Tower in Manchester NH on 5/10/2012.

Peregrine Falcons: Haverhill

April 12, 2017 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I4707-001After months of observing the peregrines in downtown Haverhill and comparing notes with many other local falcon watchers, the pair of Peregrines in Haverhill have again laid eggs int he downtown area.  Last year, they laid eggs under the Basiliere Bridge over the Merrimack River.

Mass Wildlife then built out and placed a nest box in a tower on the bridge with hopes that the peregrines would find and use the nest box.  It looks like they settled in and dropped eggs on top of an apartment building near the railroad bridge.

_W7I4733-001Here the female had been perched atop a rooftop antenna and then launched into flight out over the Merrimack River!

 

 

 

Peregrine Falcons: Haverhill

March 16, 2017 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I4390-001The Peregrine Falcons in downtown Haverhill continue to hang out atop the roof at apartment building on the east side of the railroad bridge.  No indication of where the nest will be this year, but we should know within the next week….stay tuned!  This morning,one of the adult peregrines was enjoying the morning sun!

Peregrine Falcons: Haverhill pair

March 9, 2017 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I3451-001The Peregrine Falcons in Haverhill have been spending a lot to time in the local downtown area.  They are frequently found on a number of regular rooftop perches with expansive views overlooking the Merrimack River.  A nest box was put in place on the bridge but it remains to be seen if that will find favor with the female when she prepares to lay her eggs for the 2017 breeding season!  Here the unbanded female takes off in flight from one of the rooftops by the railroad bridge.

Peregrine Falcons: Haverhill

February 24, 2017 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I2404-001Made a late afternoon pass through downtown Haverhill and found both peregrines atop the east side of the roof at the Viewpoint Apartments located at 170 Washington Street. The east side is all shade late in the day, so both photos less than clear, but help to provide sense of where they are perching in late winter.  They have view looking east of the Merrimack and the bridge.

 

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Peregrine Falcon: Haverhill

February 8, 2017 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I0444-001Made a pass through downtown Haverhill under dark overcast skies in  search of the Haverhill Peregrine Falcons.  Looked high and low and then pulled into parking lot and river walk overlook next to Haverhill Bank.  Scanned the river, the west side of the bridge, and proximate rooftops.  Finally found one of the peregrines perched atop the east edge of the Bank of America rooftop.  It’s crop was bulging a bit, but otherwise unable to see leg bands during short visit.

Peregrine Falcons: Haverhill lovebirds!

November 16, 2016 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_w7i7098-001Made a visit to downtown Haverhill on this morning in search of the local pair of peregrine falcons under overcast skies, light winds from the west, and temps in low 50’s.

Lo and behold, they were perched together on the weathervane atop the Post Office, next to the busy bus station. No ability to observe leg bands!

Peregrine Haverhill: female on rooftop!

October 24, 2016 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_w7i2460-001As the sun was setting, made a late day visit to downtown Haverhill in search of the Peregrine Falcons.  After searching high and low, and with quite a bit of luck, was able to locate the unbanded female on a rooftop corner on the north side of the Merrimack River, just on the east side of Riverfront Park.  After a bit, it made a short flight to the rooftop to the west and joined the male who had been perching on the east side of that building….so BOTH!