Interloper into the Territory!

Well, all has been pretty quiet so far this fall. Durand and Trooper have been seen almost on a daily basis checking in at the ledge, scraping in the gravel and otherwise maintaining their bond with each other and to the site. I have been continuing to work on adjusting camera settings to fine tune the exposure hoping for the end result of a better view of the nestbox on bright, sunny afternoons when that corner of the ledge is usually in shadow. More work is needed but I am confident I should be able to find a happy medium. Later this month we will be updating computers which should help keep the streaming from going down so often. Keep your fingers crossed and think positively for us that the updates and adjustments result in the improvements we anticipate!
Yesterday afternoon there was excitement on and around the ledge--a third falcon appeared and caused quite a stir with Durand and Trooper. Thanks to Mick in Seattle for capturing video of altercations on the ledge as well as dramatic fly-bys.

If you missed it (like I did!), below are links to 3 videos on YouTube that highlight the action. I believe the intruder was an unbanded adult female and is the bird closest to the camera in the second clip and in the photo above. Overall, it appears as though Durand and Trooper successfully defended their territory although we will continue to closely monitor all sightings of falcons via the cams to determine any changeover in individuals. I've said it before and will say it again: this is one instance where having these birds banded really, really assists in knowing who is who. Without leg bands it is so much more of a guessing game!

Video links:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3