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

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 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!

Peregrine Falcon: Haverhill fledgling!

June 16, 2016 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

CF2C5979-001One of the fledglings was seen along this roof edge atop a 12 story building located at 170 Washington St. beside the Merrimack River.  The adult male (leg bands 72/AB) was perched nearby on the southeast corner of the roof top. Shortly after fledging, young falcons remain close to the local nest site and are frequently observed perching on nearby buildings. The youngsters beg for food from the adults, often loudly vocalizing. In addition, the chicks must develop and perfect their flying skills. For the first few weeks, when perching on a ledge, the young birds are often described as “dragging their wings,” “almost toppling over,” or “tilting.” Although they may appear in distress, these are all normal behaviors. Once they leave the Haverhill area, avian biologists are unsure where the young falcons go.

CF2C5896-001

Peregrine Falcon: Haverhill male perched on rebar…

June 15, 2016 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

CF2C5298-001Under bright sunny skies, the male peregrine with leg bands (72/AB) was observed perched on the outstretched piece of rebar from the bridge.  in the morning the rebar remains in the shade until much later in the morning.  The peregrine was unfazed by nearby light pedestrian traffic this morning.  This side view provides an informative view of it’s bill and more specifically, the tomial tooth.

Found in falcons, kites, and accipiters, the TOMIAL TOOTH is  the outer, or cutting edge of  of the beak.  This “tooth”  is the protrusion that extends from the tomial edge of the beak and is thought to be used to deliver the killing blow to prey. The tomial tooth of the upper mandible is often matched by a mandibular notch, or divot, in the lower mandible. 

This tomial tooth system is important because not all raptors rely solely on their muscular feet and talons to dispatch their prey. Birds like falcons may grab their prey and then use the lever-powered beak to sever the spinal cord of the prey that they catch. They slide their beak over the neck of their prey and use the upper and lower mandible to sever the spinal column. This sounds cruel, but it’s quite efficient and puts the prey out of discomfort very quickly.

Peregrine Falcon: Haverhill fledgling!

June 10, 2016 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I0552-002One of the fledglings in Haverhill found a comfortable ledge on the bridge for loafing and snoozing.  This chick showed little concern for passing traffic and less frequent passing pedestrians.  The ledge, in the middle of the bridge on the west side, was just right for snoozing in the sun.  It would sit up for a bit and then lay back down. Mom was nearby perched on a branch in a tree on the south side of the Merrimack River.  A few remaining white down feathers are seen on the crown and sides of this young falcon.

Peregrine Falcon chick: Haverhill

June 8, 2016 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I0507-001Made a visit to check on the peregrine falcon chicks under the bridge in Haverhill.  Looks like one of the chicks has fledged, with three still to fledge.  The smallest remains on the nest ledge in the dark.  The other larger two chicks were seen at the east end of the bridge on a large catching some sun and loafing around.  This chick walked back and forth a few times and then settled again, and laid down in the sun!

Peregrine Falcon: in flight Haverhill

June 8, 2016 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I0429-002The female peregrine in Haverhill continues to keep a tight patrol around the fledglings and the still to fledge chicks under the bridge in Haverhill.  She makes regular aerial loops close to the bridge, sometimes due to pedestrian traffic, car horns, nearby construction equipment, or motor boats going under that section of the bridge!

Peregrine Falcon in flight: Haverhill

June 6, 2016 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I0167-001What a sight to watch the peregrines in flight around the Basiliere Bridge over the Merrimack River in Haverhill.  As the chicks have started to fledge, the female has made intermittent aerial loops around the bridge especially when nearby construction workers pass from one end of the bridge to the other!  More flight photos:  http://www.pbase.com/birdshots/image/163429558

Click “next” in upper right corner to advance frames!

Peregrine Falcon chick: Haverhill

June 6, 2016 in Peregrine Falcons Haverhill

_W7I0066-001Just down the river in Haverhill, the other group of peregrine chicks are also ready to fledge.  This is a view front he bridge looking straight down on one of the chicks.  The last little bits of down feathers remain on the crown….so it is just about fledge time!