Had time for a brief visit this morning to look for peregrine falcons in Woburn under clear skies, bright sun, winds from SW about 13 MPH and temps inching towards low 50’s.  The male was seen perched on the nest ledge with no signs of the new female.

Made a short visit to observe the Peregrine Falcons in Woburn with beautiful bright sun and clear blue skies.  Upon arrival, found well know bird photographer and celebrity author, John “GARP” Harrison on location and taking terrific photos of the peregrines!  The new female was perched in the now dormant Common Raven nest.  She seemed to not have a care int he world and remained perched for quite a while with the male nearby in the nest ledge.  The male looked down quite a few times but remained in the nest ledge preening and soaking in the bright morning sun!

Under overcast skies and temps pushing towards high 50’s, made a short visit to observe the Woburn Peregrines.  Upon arrival found an adult on one of the utility poles in the SW corner of the main parking lot.  It had captured prey and was enjoying a mid-morning feast.  It appeared to be the new kid with the same buff coloring and dot pattern on its underparts!

For those with an interest, 6 photos: http://www.pbase.com/birdshots/image/164474490                                             Click “next” in upper right to advance frames

Another bright sunny morning with blues skies and light winds.  The male peregrine was found perched on a rocky outcropping just to the east and below the nest ledge.  The best views were from the far east end of the back parking lot.  This looks like the continuing unbanded male based on the fine lateral chest barring.  The male appears to have a full crop from a recent meal.  A crop is the name of the part of the falcon’s anatomy that serves as a storage area for food until it is passed to the stomach – often seen as a bulge in the upper part of the bird’s chest area when it is full.

Another bright sunny morning with blue skies and great light!  While stopping by to look for the Woburn Peregrines, discovered the new kid in the nest ledge.  It nestled in like the nest ledge has been home for some time.  Had a nice look at hooked bill. Raptors have sharp, hooked beaks they use to pierce prey, pull off fur, tug away skin, pluck out feathers, and tear meat into bite-sized, easy-to-swallow chunks. In addition to the specialized shape of their beaks, raptors also have a unique “tooth” tucked inside their upper mandible (upper beak). This “tooth” is shaped like a small triangle and is called a tomial tooth. The tomial tooth helps a bird kill its prey quickly by cutting the prey’s spinal cord. After the prey is dead, a raptor can fly away with it and eat in a safe place.

After a short visit to scope out the Peregrines on a partly cloudy weekday morning in the middle of October, discovered the new kid in town Peregrine on one of the utility poles on the south side of the big parking lot.  This new Peregrine has no leg bands, but a clearly different pattern on its underparts!

Made a short visit this morning looking for the Peregrine Falcons in Woburn. An unbanded male? was seen perched atop a utility pole, in the SW corner of the larger parking area. It was just basking in the sun with a few passing clouds. It took off twice in pursuit, and then returned, and landed back at same perch.  Both male and female have been seen with regularity over past many weeks, but this falcon was a bit different with dots on the chest underpart feathers and not the usual lateral barring on the regular unbanded adult male.

Had a chance to capture a nice clear sequence of takeoff photos…..

For those with an interest, 4 photos posted:

http://www.pbase.com/birdshots/image/164307060

Click “next” in upper right corner to advance frames

A nice Saturday afternoon visit to look for both Peregrines.  It was just after 4 pm and the light was fading behind the west wall of the rock quarry.  The male was seen to the right and above the nest ledge in a regular perch location.  It was unbanded male with horizontal barred underparts and no leg bands.  After 20 minutes, it launched into flight to the SW and then out of sight!

The male peregrine falcon was perched this morning on one of the regular perch locations near the top of the quarry. The perch is a vertical rocky outcropping above and just to the right of the nest ledge.  It is normally covered with whitewash and easy to locate.  A beautiful sunny morning bursting with fall foliage all around!