Peregrine Falcons: Taunton Green

March 11, 2018 in Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

_W7I1441-001Made a short visit to downtown Taunton to look for the local pair of Peregrine Falcons.  They popped up right away in flight mode over Taunton Green, and then on one of nearby buildings.  After watching a bit, the the female landed on a roof level, rounded granite post and called out to the nearby male.  A few moments later, he swooped in, and started copulation sequence.

In this instance, the male falcon mounted from flight onto female. Typically, as the male prepares to mount, the female sleeks feathers, crouches, and leans forward, and may move her tail up and to side. During copulation, the female is normally at an angle of about 45° with wings slightly lifted and extended (from elbow), sometimes tail partly spread. The male makes every effort to maintain an upright position throughout copulation by flapping wings high above body and balancing on his tarsi with closed toes and feet turned inward. During copulation, the male’s neck is extended and curved; he chitters while she gives copulatory wail.

_W7I2039-001After about ten seconds, the male departed and landed at a nearby perch, while the female remained atop the granite post, then departed and perched atop proximate rooftop

Known breeding pair in downtown Taunton; banded female and unbanded male;                                                                                                                                                    Band numbers: 1687-01294, and 64/V black over green                                                                                                                                                                                                    Banding date and location: May 20, 2008, NY, Long Island, Nassau Co.                                                                                                                                                                      Sex: Female

Reference cited:

White, Clayton M., Nancy J. Clum, Tom J. Cade and W. Grainger Hunt. 2002. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.660

Peregrine Falcons: Taunton Green

October 15, 2017 in Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts

_W7I0376-001The pair of Peregrine Falcons in downtown Taunton remain close to each other in the off season.  On most visits, it is easy to locate and observe both adults from Taunton Green and other nearby vantage points.  They remain active and engage in territorial defense of their home territory.  After arrival, the male was found perched atop one of the granite turrets on the Courthouse and launched into flight mode.  Soon after, the female landed on an upper granite ledge and extended her left leg just enough to allow positive ID of her left leg color-coded band.

Here is male launching into flight mode!

_W7I0584-001The black/green left leg band revealed the alphanumeric code: 64/V; Banding date and location: May 20, 2008, NY, Long Island, Nassau Co., East Meadow, Nassau University Medical Center.

 

Peregrine Falcons: Taunton Green

April 9, 2017 in Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts

_W7I2799-001The world’s fastest animal continues to make a home atop a historic courthouse in downtown Taunton. A pair of peregrine falcons formed a nest in 2013 on the Taunton Superior Courthouse, making the Silver City landmark one of only 30+ locations in the state to host a nest for the aerodynamic bird of prey since the species disappeared entirely from Massachusetts in the mid-1950s.

“The peregrine falcon nesting in Taunton was a great new finding,” said Tom French, assistant director of MassWildlife, who oversees the agency’s Natural Heritage program. “Five years ago it would have been unheard of. … The courthouse is clearly working well for them. It’s absolutely another sign that the peregrine is coming back strong.”

MassWildlife found out in 2013 about the two peregrine falcons nesting at the Taunton Superior Courthouse. After further investigation, they also discovered that the couple hatched a clutch of four chicks there earlier that year, French said. Two of the baby falcons died during the learning-how-to-fly stage, French said, while the other fledglings left the nest successfully.

_W7I3439-001French said city residents should expect peregrine falcons to stay as permanent fixtures next to the Taunton Green.  This photo shows the banded female with the black over green 64/V alphanumeric state band on it’s left ankle.  The male, seen here launching into flight, is unbanded.