The Woburn Peregrines have finally laid their 2017 clutch of eggs!  As with all Peregrine Falcons nest locations, clutch sizes vary from one to five. Three or four seems to be the norm. Eggs are laid at intervals of two to three days. Incubation usually does not start in earnest until the clutch is almost complete. The female typically does most of the incubating, and during this period is fed by the male. The incubation period is approximately 29 – 33 days. The young then spend up to six weeks in and around the nest ledge until they are old enough to make their first flight, or “fledge.”

Here the female is finally hunkered down in incubation posture with the male nearby watching over the nearby area!

A bright sunny Monday morning with blue skies and spring in the air with temp almost at 60F and gentle SW winds at 10MPH.  Only the male was seen this morning perched on a rocky outcropping near the nest ledge but the female was not around.  It seems like she has yet to go into incubation mode but no doubt we are very close!

Courtship behavior continues between these two adult peregrines with food exchanges and other activities. The male and female frequently visit the nest at the same time, leaning toward each other in a bowing fashion. They may also be seen to exhibit other bonding behaviors. The birds continue to clean up around the nest ledge in preparation for egg laying. Eggs should appear sometime in next few days if not already. The falcons typically lay between 3 or 4 eggs, spaced 1-3 days apart. They don’t start incubating until they’ve laid their next to last egg. Both adults take turns incubating the eggs, which hatch in about 29-33 days after incubating starts in earnest. During incubation, prey is brought into the nest box by the foraging adult for the pair to share. The pair will exchange incubation duties about every 30 minutes to an hour. During incubation eggs are repositioned and rolled, this often occurs after an incubating exchange.

Made a late afternoon visit in search of Peregrines in Woburn under dark overcast skies, wind E at 7MPH, and temp in low 40’s.  the adult female was quietly perched on a favorite utility pole near the Vinkari Safari Indoor Playground.  She reminded quietly perched , very alert, but with no distractions.

Made a very enjoyable visit to observe the Peregrine Falcons in Woburn under partly sunny skies and broken clouds, winds from NW at 12 MPH and gusts over 20MPH, temp around 40F.  Both male and female seen perched and in flight around the local quarry area.  At one point, the female flew off and landed on a rocky outcropping about 165 yards SW of the nest ledge on the west wall of the quarry.

A beautiful Sunday morning, partly sunny, wind from the East at 12 MPH and temps in low 40’s.  The female was perched on a utility pole near entrance to Vinkari indoor playground.  The male was nearby and launched into flight and zoomed away.  The female kept looking over her shoulder and above to something in the distance. Turns out the male had flown off to soar with another adult peregrine. The soaring together was very peaceful with no signs of aggression!

During the courtship process, the peregrines will typically engage in some type of food exchange as a way to strengthen the pair bond. Peregrine Falcons feed almost exclusively on birds, such as doves, waterfowl and songbirds, but occasionally they hunt small mammals, including bats, rats, voles and rabbits. Insects and reptiles make up a relatively small proportion of their diet. On the other hand, a growing number of city-dwelling Falcons find that feral pigeons and starlings provide plenty of food. Because of their high metabolic rates, Peregrine Falcons must consume more food in proportion to their size than most animals. To be efficient flyers, the digestive system of birds has to be both as light as possible and as efficient as possible.

A bright, sunny morning with breeding activities in full swing!  During copulation, the female leans forward and moves her tail to one side. The male rests on his tarsi (part of the foot above the toes, like the foot), on her back flapping his wings, and presses his tail underneath the female’s. Copulations are usually accompanied by wailing on the female’s part, and chittering or “ee-chupping” by the male. When the male departs, the female usually “ee-chups” a few times, and often rouses (shakes her feathers).