March 31, 2018 in In the Nest Box, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
A late afternoon view of the female peregrine in the nest box alone. She appears to continue the process of scraping the gravel in the nest box in continued preparation for egg laying. Also the female has been seen picking at pieces of gravel, as if doing a bit of house cleaning.
March 30, 2018 in In the Nest Box, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Made a mid-morning visit tot he nest box and observed an interaction with two peregrines in the nest box. At the time it looked like the ongoing pair of peregrines. But upon closer look, it appears that the new male is in the box. The bird seen has a silver, federal leg band on its right leg and no left leg band. This is consistent with the new male, who may have been making a visit of two over the past few days…..stay tuned! They are engaged in head bowing and vocalizing with each other.
March 29, 2018 in In the Nest Box, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Another series of early morning interactions inside the nest box between the male and female. They continue with bowing and vocalizing where they bow to one another and make an “ee-chup” type sound. During this type of courtship display they may also touch bills. The female is facing the male, and she has no leg bands.
Literature Cited:
Cade, T. J., J. H. Enderson and J. Linthicum. 1996a. Guide to Management of Peregrine Falcons at the eyrie. Boise, ID: The Peregrine Fund, Inc. (Excerpt: Linthicum, Janet. Observing Breeding Behavior)
March 28, 2018 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Another beautiful morning with a few clouds, winds SE 3MPH, and temp around 37F. The female continues to leave the nest box for a while and then return; again she enters the nest box and repeats the process of laying out horizontally and pushing the gravel around. This helps her to fashion the nest bowl to her liking and is all part of the preparing for egg laying!
SCRAPING: Either bird can do this. The falcon runs its breast through the substrate or nest depression, pushing out with its legs behind. The bird is forming the nest cup (scrape), but this is also part of courtship. Scrapes may be made at several potential ledges before one is finally chosen for laying.
Literature Cited:
Cade, T. J., J. H. Enderson and J. Linthicum. 1996a. Guide to Management of Peregrine Falcons at the eyrie. Boise, ID: The Peregrine Fund, Inc. (Excerpt: Linthicum, Janet. Observing Breeding Behavior)
March 27, 2018 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Another beautiful morning with clear skies, bright sun, little wind, and temp around 24F. The female continues to leave the nest box for a while and then return; again she enters the nest box and repeats the process of laying out horizontally and pushing the gravel around. This helps her to fashion the nest bowl to her liking and is all part of the preparing for egg laying!
SCRAPING: Either bird can do this. The falcon runs its breast through the substrate or nest depression, pushing out with its legs behind. The bird is forming the nest cup (scrape), but this is also part of courtship. Scrapes may be made at several potential ledges before one is finally chosen for laying.
Literature Cited:
Cade, T. J., J. H. Enderson and J. Linthicum. 1996a. Guide to Management of Peregrine Falcons at the eyrie. Boise, ID: The Peregrine Fund, Inc. (Excerpt: Linthicum, Janet. Observing Breeding Behavior)
March 26, 2018 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Another beautiful morning with clear skies, bright sun, winds N 12MPH, and temp around 30F. The female continues to leave the nest box for a while and then return; again she enters the nest box and repeats the process of laying out horizontally and pushing the gravel around. This helps her to fashion the nest bowl to her liking and is all part of the preparing for egg laying!
SCRAPING: Either bird can do this. The falcon runs its breast through the substrate or nest depression, pushing out with its legs behind. The bird is forming the nest cup (scrape), but this is also part of courtship. Scrapes may be made at several potential ledges before one is finally chosen for laying.
Literature Cited:
Cade, T. J., J. H. Enderson and J. Linthicum. 1996a. Guide to Management of Peregrine Falcons at the eyrie. Boise, ID: The Peregrine Fund, Inc. (Excerpt: Linthicum, Janet. Observing Breeding Behavior)
March 25, 2018 in In the Nest Box, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Observing the peregrines through the New Balance Falcon Cam under mostly cloudy skies, wind from NW at 17MPH with stronger gusts, and temp in mid-thirties.
An awesome opportunity to observe as the male flew into the nest box and walked to the back near and below the web cam. His leg bands were visible and allowed for positive ID. Minutes later, the female landed on the perch pole, then hopped her way inside the nest box. They looked at each other for a moment and then proceeded to engage in normal courtship behavior known as mutual ledge display, which included touching their bills together many times….not often seen, and a magnificent sight to behold!
Mutual Ledge Display: Often this is precipitated by a male or female ledge display. The other bird joins the first on the ledge and both bow and ee-chup over the scrape, sometimes touching bills. This can also happen outside the eyrie.
Billing: Billing is often seen during the longer mutual ledge displays and occasionally when the pair is perching very close together. Billing involves twisting the head sideway especially by the female, and nibbling between beaks. The female’s head is usually very low with her beak directed upward, while the male faces downward. If billing occurs during a mutual ledge display, the normally loud Eechip vocalization tends to diminish toward Peeping and quiet female Chupping-incomplete variations of the Eechip sound unit.
Literature Cited:
Cade, T. J., J. H. Enderson and J. Linthicum. 1996a. Guide to Management of Peregrine Falcons at the eyrie. Boise, ID: The Peregrine Fund, Inc. (Excerpt: Linthicum, Janet. Observing Breeding Behavior)
Wrege, P. H. and T. J. Cade. 1977. Courtship behavior of large falcons in captivity. Raptor Res. no. 11:1-46.
March 24, 2018 in In the Nest Box, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
The female will leave the nest box for a while and then return; she usually enters the nest box and repeats the process of laying out horizontally and pushing the gravel around. This helps her to fashion the nest bowl to her liking and is all part of the preparing for egg laying!
SCRAPING: Either bird can do this. The falcon runs its breast through the substrate or nest depression, pushing out with its legs behind. The bird is forming the nest cup (scrape), but this is also part of courtship. Scrapes may be made at several potential ledges before one is finally chosen for laying.
Literature Cited:
Cade, T. J., J. H. Enderson and J. Linthicum. 1996a. Guide to Management of Peregrine Falcons at the eyrie. Boise, ID: The Peregrine Fund, Inc. (Excerpt: Linthicum, Janet. Observing Breeding Behavior)
March 23, 2018 in In the Nest Box, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Observing the peregrines through the New Balance Falcon Cam under mostly skies, wind light and variable, and temp in mid-forties. The female continues moving around slowly with very low energy. Some times she just sits inside the box on the gravel with little or no movement, but then hopped out to perch for a while just outside the nest box….all part of getting ready!
March 22, 2018 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts
Observed the gravel lined nest box through the New Balance Falcon Cam for a while late this afternoon under cloudy skies, winds from the NW at 28 MPH, and temps in low twenties. The female was moving around again, quite a bit inside the nest box, especially pushing the gravel around and creating a bowl. She lowers her breast down, stretches her head forward, and uses her feet to push the gravel behind her. This means egg laying is getting ever closer!
Literature Cited:
White, C. M., N. J. Clum, T. J. Cade and W. G. Hunt. 2002. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.660
Nest Construction Process: On ledges, consists of scraping bowl in substrate, frequently initiated by male, but by both male and female. Falcon lies on breast and pushes feet backward to produce depression (see Fig. 18 in Nelson 1970b). Substrate consists of dirt, sand, fine gravel, or sometimes decomposed fecal material or decomposed lining materials of old stick nest. Male may construct several scrapes on same ledge or on different ledges. No material deliberately added, but bones and other debris may be pulled around sitting bird to form circle of material around edge of scrape. Scraping also occurs in stick nests of other birds. Behavior as much courtship ritual as “nest-building” (Wrege and Cade 1977).
