May 4, 2014 in In the Nest Box
Newly hatched chic
ks weigh about 1.5 ounces and are virtually blind. Covered with only a light coat of fluffy white down, newborn chicks require constant brooding by the female in order to stay warm. Feeding usually commences on day two when the small chick bobs its head looking for food. The female provides small pieces of food for the chicks!
May 1, 2014 in In the Nest Box
Hatching begins after 30+ days when the chicks hammer a hole in the egg with a special “egg tooth” on the end of its beak. The chick makes a neat cut all the way around the egg, essentially cutting off the large end of the egg. This process may take up to 48 hours and requires a great deal of energy!
April 28, 2014 in In the Nest Box
The peregrine falcon couple living in an 8th floor falcon condo in the Ayer Mill Clock Tower will soon welcome their 2014 chicks, or eyases, to the city of Lawrence. The female has laid 4 eggs this year, and we are now at the back end of the normal incubation period of 29-33 days.
Falcons will eventually get rid of eggs if they do not hatch. Two years ago, the couple laid 4 eggs but only 2 eggs hatched. They waited a few weeks before discarding the 2 unhatched eggs.
The first egg was laid March 21 this year! Incubation of the 4 eggs started after the last egg was laid on March 26th. Stay tuned!
April 26, 2014 in In the Nest Box
As of 6:15 pm Saturday night, we continue the vigil awaiting the hatching of the first falcon egg! In the worth noting department: from time to time, the birds stand up and rotate the eggs. This is an important chore, as it ensures that the eggs are uniformly warmed and prevents the embryos from sticking to their shell, which could be a problem during hatching.
An egg is an amazing creation. It is fragile enough for a tiny chick to peck its way out, yet strong enough to withstand the weight of an incubating adult. That wasn’t always true. According to the staff at the Peregrine Fund in Idaho, in the 1960s, scientists discovered that the pesticide DDT caused physiological problems in female Peregrine Falcons, resulting in thin-shelled eggs that broke during incubation.
DDT was banned in 1972 and The Peregrine Fund helped recover this once-endangered species with captive breeding and releases to the wild. It was one of the most successful conservation efforts in history!
April 26, 2014 in Near the Clock Tower
The Peregrines have been incubating the 4 eggs hatched during the 3rd and 4th week of March. The estimated incubation period runs normally between 29-33 days. As of Friday afternoon, at the 30 day mark, all 4 eggs were seen and documented with this photograph. These eggs are ready to hatch and hatching should take place today or next few days! Stay tuned!
March 29, 2014 in Near the Clock Tower
The female has now laid her fourth, and likely penultimate, or final egg. The pair stays close to the nest box with the female performing over 2/3’s of the incubating duties. The male is seen nearby the nest and frequently does a flyby on any nearby intruders to let others know that they are not the least bit welcome in the air space around the Clock Tower! This image shows the male after making numerous aerial loops preparing to land atop the ball at the peak of the weathervane.
March 26, 2014 in Near the Clock Tower
The amount of incubating the male does depends on the couple’s preference. Some males share more incubation duties than others. In the middle of the incubation period, the male is on the eggs 30-50% of the daytime hours. Towards the end of incubation when the eggs are about to hatch, the female spends most of the time on the nest. She wants to be there to assist the chicks as they break out of their shells.
So which parent is on the eggs right now? If it’s the middle of the night, it’s the female. Otherwise, you’ll have to watch closely at “shift change” to see which bird is larger!
March 9, 2014 in In the Nest Box
Peregrine Falcon female resting on perch at nest box in beautiful light minutes before sunset!
March 8, 2014 in Near the Clock Tower
What a blessing to be able to observe, monitor, and document the Lawrence Peregrines over the last 2.5 years. As an update from prior post, the peregrines continue to both be seen daily around the Clock Tower on Merrimack St. in Lawrence. On Tuesday morning, had a strong feeling to dedicate extra time before work to stop, wait, and observe. Just a few minutes before departing, the male peregrine went flying by and then landed on a perch. In an unusual twist, the male then changed perch locations 3 times in a few minutes. He then perched on a stub iron beam just below the roof line above the loading docks at 200 Merrimack St. This a is a regular perch. To my surprise, another peregrine call emerged and really caught my attention! The female was perched 2 floors below. I’m thinking that……this could become interesting! The female continued to call, turned her head, and many times looked up at the male while calling. Well, it is that time of year, and I’ve been fortunate to observe this pair in copulation mode in prior years.
From the Cornell Labs Birds of North America Online, here is a very accurate description of the peregrine copulation sequence: “Either sex solicits copulation. Elements of solicitation displays may begin 3 weeks prior to copulation. Female solicitation begins with vertical head-low bow accompanied by a whine when male is still at a distance. As male approaches, female assumes horizontal head-low posture perpendicular to or facing away from male with panel feathers raised, accompanied by whine, and may be held up to 30 seconds. The male mounts from the air. He flies in and prepares to mount.
The female sleeks her feathers, crouches and leans forward and may move her tail up and to the side. During copulation, the female is at a 45 degree angle with wings slightly lifted and extended from elbow, sometimes with her tail partly spread.The male maintains an upright position during copulation by flapping high above his body and balancing on his tarsi with closed toes and feet turned inward. The male chitters while she gives a copulatory wail. It is fairly loud.
Completed copulations begin at least 2 weeks prior to egg laying. During completed copulations, full cloacal contact ranges about 5 seconds earlier in the season, then up to 10 seconds. The copulation activity is normally conducted in close proximity to the nest. Copulations continue until the final egg is laid.” This sequence was exactly 10 seconds based on the time stamp on the photos!
For those with an interest, full photo sequence posted: http://www.pbase.com/birdshots/image/154741511
CLICK “NEXT” IN UPPER RIGHT CORNER TO ADVANCE FRAMES.
February 25, 2014 in In the Nest Box
The female peregrine is being seen with increasing frequency at, or very near, the nest box located in the Clock Tower. Most likely, we are about 3.5 weeks away from the laying of the first egg. Time will tell if this happens in the clock Tower as in 2012, or over the river in the 250 Canal St. building complex! Stay tuned!
