Lawrence Peregrines at Verizon Tower

February 6, 2017 in Verizon Cell Tower

_W7I0328-001Took some time to look for the Lawrence Peregrines….no where to be found around the Clock Tower.  Crossed over the Merrimack River for a closer look at the hot air exhaust vents on the Verizon Cell Tower….sure enough, both falcons were on the same ledge enjoying the warm air outflow from the exhaust vents.  Very normal this time of year, especially when temps are well below freezing overnight.

With falcons on the same ledge, it provided a nice moment to appreciate the visible size difference between the male and the female!  The annual courtship process should begin in the next week or two!  Stay tuned!

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Lawrence Peregrines: male at Verizon Tower

January 5, 2017 in Verizon Cell Tower

_W7I6536-001Another beautiful sunny morning with the male Peregrine Falcon basking in the sun on the 5th floor ledge on the south side of the Verizon Cell Tower, taking full advantage of the hot air exhaust vents…..warm air, warm sun…a nice combo in the deep part of winter!

Lawrence Peregrines: male at Verizon Tower

January 5, 2017 in Verizon Cell Tower

_W7I6536-001Found the male peregrine this morning perched on the 6th floor ledge on the south side of the Verizon Cell tower on Canal Street in Lawrence.  With temps in the 20’s, this is a favored perch this time of year due to hot air exhaust vents from the cell tower.  It was a sunny morning with light winds….and no sign of female peregrine nearby.

Lawrence Peregrines: male on Verizon ledge!

December 20, 2016 in Verizon Cell Tower

_w7i4255-001Another cold morning with the male Peregrine resting on a ledge at the Verizon Cell Tower on Canal Street in Lawrence.  The female was not seen this morning.  As temps push below 30 degrees, and often with wind chill making it feel colder, the peregrines are often found on one of these ledges, taking advantage of the warm air exhaust vents at the cell tower!  The photo provides a clear view of the black over green left leg band with the 6/4 numeric code.

Lawrence Peregrines: unbanded female

December 16, 2016 in Verizon Cell Tower

_w7i3238-001Made a pass by the Ayer Mill Clock Tower this afternoon about an hour before sunset in search of the peregrine falcons.  The wind was light, out of the west with the temp about 17 degrees and a wind chill making it feel about 8 degrees.  At these temperature levels, the peregrines will shift over to the hot air vents on the south side of the Verizon Communications Tower on Canal St. between Hampshire and Franklin Streets. Sure enough, found the female perched on one of the upper vent ledges.  Just happened to catch the peregrine take off in flight into the fading late day sun, with less than an hour of sunlight left in the day.  It circled four times and landed on the NW corner of the roof and then flew off and landed again with a closer look!  The male arrived and perched on a nearby hot air vent ledge.

For those with an interest, four photos posted:

http://www.pbase.com/birdshots/image/164709980

Lawrence Peregrines: male and female on Verizon Cell Tower

August 11, 2016 in Verizon Cell Tower

_W7I0510-001The Verizon Cell Tower has been a very regular perch locations for the Lawrence Peregrines these past two months.  Both the adults and two of the hatch year chicks have been seen with some frequency.  This sighting was  just the two adults.  It was nice to zero in on the alpha numeric bi-color  leg band (6/4) in the photograph and to confirm yet another sighting of this long-time male peregrine.

According to Christian Martin at NH Audubon, the male (6/4) in Lawrence was born in Manchester, NH in 2001 to a first year nesting pair. There were four chicks in the brood and he was the runt of the brood. The big question at that time, was, will this runt of the brood make it to adult life?

As of February 2012, the runt of the 2001 brood is the only one to survive from the original group. This Peregrine Falcon has a very healthy breeding history with a history starting in 2003 at this site in Lawrence.

His leg bands are 6*/4* black over green. The “*” indicates that the numbers are not vertical, but are laid over on their sides on the band. The service number on his other leg band is 2206-59866.  As of August 2016, the champion breeder has just turned 15 years old!

The second photo shows his new number one girl and the mother of the 2016 hatch year brood of 4 chicks!

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Lawrence Peregrines: male perched Verizon Cell Tower

August 8, 2016 in Verizon Cell Tower

_W7I0414-001A number of the Lawrence peregrine falcons have been seen with regularity in perch mode on the Verizon Cell Tower in Lawrence.  Both the adults and the 2016 hatch year fledglings have used this as a recent perch location. The cell tower is located at the corner of Hampshire st. and Canal st. in Lawrence.  The lighting was a challenge for this image.  The temp was 87 degrees with clear skies and winds from NW at 9 miles per hour.

Lawrence Peregrines: adult on Verizon Cell Tower

July 28, 2016 in Verizon Cell Tower

_W7I8296-001The Lawrence Peregrines continue to be seen in a variety of perch locations over last few weeks.  Both adults and at least two of the 2016 hatch year fledglings have been seen on the Verizon Cell Tower on Hampshire St.  This has typically been a cold weather perch location so it was a bit of a surprise to find the falcons here!

Lawrence Peregrine: fledgling perched on Verizon Cell Tower

July 18, 2016 in Verizon Cell Tower

Stopped by the Clock Tower late afternoon and scanned for peregrine falcons.  After scanning for over 15 minutes, finally made a sighting of a distant peregrine perched on the Verizon Cell Tower located about 1/2 mile away in NW direction.  After getting closer, was able to get good enough looks to determine it was on the of the 2016 hatch year fledglings!_W7I5144-001

Lawrence Peregrines: male in the sun!

February 18, 2016 in Verizon Cell Tower

CF2C0173-001The male continues his daily routine of staying close to the hot air exhaust vents at the Verizon Cell Tower.  This week the female has been seen very little.  With courtship time ready to happen, we should them together more often and the center of activities back to the Clock Tower!