Columbus Peregrine Falcon Update

2011 in Review

2011-12-27T10:00:00.001-05:00

Despite no young peregrines hatched in Columbus this year, nonetheless, 2011 was an eventful year in Columbus!

A Failed Nest:
The nesting pair in 2011 consisted of Durand, from the 2009 Hamilton, Ontario nest and an unbanded adult male (age and origin unknown). It was likely both birds' first time nesting, as evidenced by some of the behaviors (or lack thereof) we witnessed. 5 eggs were laid in April in two different scrapes in the nestbox. After days of the eggs being apart, nervous viewers were relieved to see all eggs finally in the same depression, moved together by Durand. At first Durand did not seem to have the proper incubation technique mastered, but before long her instincts finally kicked in and the eggs were covered properly. While things went along normally after that point for a time, unfortunately, early in week 4 Durand abandoned the eggs altogether. The eggs were removed from the nest and determined to be infertile--had they been incubated properly and for the required length of time they would not have hatched anyway.

Current Status of Adults:
Early in the season, there were at least 2 instances when a juvenile peregrine briefly came to the ledge before being chased away by the resident adults. Then, in June, a new male was confirmed: Matrix from the Canton, OH 2010 nest. It is not known what happened to the unbanded male. Matrix and Durand remained in the territory until at least fall. Without the cams or reports from folks downtown it is hard to say if one or both birds have migrated out of the area or remain and either aren't being seen or those who may have observed them have not reported it to me. On 12/22/11, the nestbox camera was working and revealed an unbanded adult peregrine in the nestbox. Only time (and properly working cameras!) will tell if that falcon was just passing through.

Status of the Cameras:
We discontinued the live streaming video in July due to the intended change over of streaming services. Further complications have so far prevented us from restoring that service. Then, in October technical problems ended the still images also. We continue to work on restoring both services and it is our intention to have everything up and running again prior to next nesting season.

Blog Traffic:
Of interesting note, below is a summary of traffic to this blog for the time period January 1, 2011 through December 26, 2011. Overall activity was down from previous years but not unexpected due to a failed nest. Nonetheless, interest remained quite high:
Total number of visits: 147,820 (compared to 281,520 in 2010)
Number of UNIQUE visitors: 37,409 (57,969 in 2010)
Highest traffic day with 3,933 visits was April 13, 2011 (the date the 5th egg was laid)
Similar to previous years, traffic came from 70 different countries around the world!!
Ohioans logged over 70% of the visits (104,049)!

THANK YOU to everyone for reading this blog and for your interest in the ODNR, Division of Wildlife's Columbus Peregrine Falcon Project!

Please bear with us while we continue to get the images and streaming video restored for 2012. Happy New Year everyone!

Columbus Peregrines Elsewhere & Local Update

2011-10-06T09:45:00.003-04:00

1995 saw the Rhodes Tower nest hatch and fledge an unusually high clutch of 5 young peregrines. Of that clutch, 2 of 3 males ("Roosevelt" and "Leopold") survived to establish nesting territories of their own.

In 1997 Roosevelt arrived in Ft. Wayne, IN, and remained in that territory fledging a total of 36 offspring over the years. He was last seen in April, 2011 and is presumed deceased. Roosevelt was named in honor of Teddy Roosevelt, who was considered our nation's "Conservation President." During his term in office (1901-1909) he worked to protect wildlife and public lands by creating the U.S. Forest Service and establishing Federal Bird Reservations and National Game Preserves, Forests and Parks.

Also in 1997, Leopold was reported in Monroe, MI. Over the years he fledged 33 young from that location. In June of 2010 he was found on the ground and unfortunately died soon after. Leopold was named after Aldo Leopold, author of A Sand County Almanac. Aldo Leopold was considered the father of wildlife management and was a true conservationist.

In the end, the story of these two individual peregrines reflects the mortality that all creatures face. But it doesn't have to be a sad story if we focus instead on how these two peregrines have contributed to the overall population. It is always interesting to follow the lives of these birds and see how they continue to prosper in urban habitats.

Turning our focus to the Columbus territory, both Durand and Matrix have been checking in at the nestbox fairly regularly. Here they are on the ledge on October 5th:

We are continuing to work on bringing the live streaming video back to the website. Unfortunately, the company we intended to change over to back in July is no longer interested in streaming video for us. Currently we are working on a solution and will have the service back up as soon as all details can be worked out.

Final Ruling on the Loss of Scout

2011-07-15T15:25:00.000-04:00

As many followers of the Columbus peregrine falcons know, last July we lost our nesting female, Scout. There were several news stories afterward. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the ODNR, Division of Wildlife investigated the matter. During the investigation, the individuals responsible for the death of Scout were identified and interviewed. The case was then presented to the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office. After reviewing all of the information and the circumstances that the individuals were faced with at the time of the incident, the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office decided to not file charges in this case.

We certainly regret the loss of Scout. In her time in Columbus she produced 8 young that successfully fledged and hopefully will survive to establish a territory of their own, elsewhere. The ODNR, Division of Wildlife continues to work to educate all aspects of the public about peregrine falcons. We hope that the positive result of this issue is more awareness of the presence of peregrine falcons in our urban areas and respect of how to properly interact with these powerful birds of prey.

Live Streaming to be Interrupted

2011-06-29T16:21:00.002-04:00

As we transition into summer Matrix and Durand continue to bond to the site. One or both falcons can usually be seen at least once a day checking in at the nestbox and occasionally scraping in the gravel.

Beginning July 1 we will be changing streaming video providers so unfortunately, there will be an interruption in the live video feed. It will take some time to get a new contract in place; therefore the service will be down during this transition. In theory, the refreshed still images will not be affected by this change but unfortunately, we are having other problems with the still images that we are currently working to resolve. We will get all views back up and running just as soon as possible. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

On another note, there will be some maintenance work performed on the south side (nestbox side) of the Rhodes Tower in July. Since we had a failed nest this season and they don't have to wait for young falcons to fledge, the building folks will be able to start this work earlier in the year than what would have been scheduled had we had a successful nest. So don't be surprised if you see workers scaling the building via the ledgecam!

New Male on the Scene and Update on Thunderbolt!

2011-06-06T13:20:00.007-04:00

For the past few days a young falcon has been seen off and on at the ledge and in the nestbox. Finally, this morning he cooperated and showed his leg bands: black over red: 19/B. This is "Matrix" from the Canton, Ohio, Bank One/Chase Building 2010 nest! He and Durand have been interacting well so that would indicate that the unbanded, adult male here during this past nesting season is no longer in the territory. Let's hope this bird stays!

On another note, we received word that "Thunderbolt" a female hatched in Columbus in 2006 is now nesting at the University of Michigan! The male at that location is yet to be identified but as you can see from this photo, Thunderbolt posed rather nicely to allow a full and complete reading of her band:
The pair is currently raising 3 chicks. It is always a thrill to hear of "our" Columbus falcons doing well elsewhere in the Midwest!

Unhatched Egg Report

2011-05-13T14:05:00.000-04:00

As stewards of the peregrine falcon population in Ohio, it is the Ohio Division of Wildlife's responsibility to foster these birds and protect them. Part of that protection includes monitoring their reproduction. We note when nests succeed as well as when they do not. Given a failure, the responsible thing to do is to evaluate the eggs to determine why they did not hatch. Productivity information such as this is compiled throughout the Midwest and is used to track the species' progress over time throughout the region.

I had an unexpected opening occur in my schedule this morning so I took advantage of it to go ahead and remove the eggs from the nestbox. None of the 5 eggs were fertile. It is probably good then that Durand gave up early vs. sitting on them past the expected hatch date. This way she can get on with simply being a falcon and defending the territory when/if need be. We will hope for a better outcome in 2012!

There was no sign of either falcon while I was downtown today. As usual, we'll keep the cameras up throughout the summer to help monitor the presence of Durand, the male, and any other falcon(s) that may make an appearance. This is the last of the regular nesting season updates however, if/when anything notable occurs I will post it here. Thanks everybody, for your continued support and interest in the ODNR, Division of Wildlife's Columbus FalconCam!

Incubation is Over

2011-05-12T12:31:00.000-04:00

Durand has not shown any inclination to incubate the eggs since the beginning of this week, therefore, it is pretty safe to say we have a failed first-time nesting attempt. The male has not been observed via the cameras so it is unclear whether he is still in the territory or not. His presence--or lack thereof--is actually irrelevant, as even without him she should have continued incubating to term. Her change in behavior is almost surely related to subsiding hormone levels which dictate the behavior to incubate. Because the eggs were not incubated the full time required, had there been any development the eggs would have perished some time ago. In the near future the eggs will be removed from the nest with the intention of determining if they were fertile or not. As soon as that information is known I will post it here.

Meanwhile, Durand continues to make appearances at the nest ledge spending time perched on the nestbox camera housing or the ledge. It is not likely that she will attempt another clutch this year--but then again anything is possible! It is unfortunate that this year's nest did not work out like many had hoped but nonetheless it is still interesting to watch what transpires and learn a little more about the species each season.

Eggs Alone

2011-05-10T09:50:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately, things continue to deteriorate at the nest. For the majority of yesterday afternoon, overnight and now this morning the eggs have been uncovered. Further, Durand has been away from the ledge more than she has been present.

Earlier this morning she was observed scraping in the corner of the nestbox. This is typical site-bonding behavior that normally occurs prior to nesting and again later in summer after the young have fledged. The fact that she is exhibiting this behavior now is another indication of shifting hormone levels. Even though we categorize these actions as "abnormal" at this stage in the nesting cycle, in actuality abnormal actions can be the norm with a bird that is not yet fully mature as in Durand's case.

We will give her a little more time and continue to observe what transpires. If things stay on this track then in the coming days the eggs will be pulled and examined to determine fertility.

Is There Something Fishy Going On?

2011-05-09T09:30:00.000-04:00

Hmmm....well, after an awkward start to incubation then watching as Durand finally got the hang of it and stuck tight to the eggs for ~3 weeks we might have hit a snag. The past couple of days have seen Durand leaving the eggs uncovered on a fairly frequent basis and for extended periods of time. There are several possible reasons for this including, but not limited to:
1) It is possible that we are once more seeing a result of her not yet being fully mature in that her hormone levels are beginning to fluctuate again which would result in less interest in the eggs and her "maternal duties."
2) There is speculation by some that the male is no longer in the territory as he has not been seen via the Falconcams for several days. While it is possible he is still around but just not in front of the cameras, certainly if it were the case that he is gone, Durand would definitely need to leave the nest for longer periods of time in order to hunt for herself, especially if the cached supplies of food are depleted. Were she fending for herself she would need to eat twice a day or so, however, she is leaving the eggs much more frequently than that.

Will this hurt the eggs? There is a point late in the stage of incubation that the eggs are mostly developed and do not have to be incubated as consistently. It also helps that the weather in Columbus has been more seasonable therefore it is unknown if this on and off the eggs then on again will actually be detrimental. This is assuming that the eggs are actually fertile. Don't forget, we also have that unknown issue to consider.

Lack of focus or hungry? Looking a little closer at her behavior we can note that besides her leaving more often, when she is at the ledge she is spending time in front of the ledgecam and perched on the nest box camera housing. Logic would tell us if she was only leaving the eggs to hunt/feed, then when she got back to the ledge she would immediately get back on the eggs. But since she is spending time in view of the cameras but away from the eggs I believe her apparent change in behavior could be a result of the hormone issue vs. simply having to fend for herself. Were the eggs getting close to hatching (and it is really too soon for that) there would be sounds coming from within the egg (chirping, pecking) that would hold her interest and we would then expect her to be standing over the eggs--not perched at the other end of the ledge.

What's the definitive answer to what is going on here? No one knows for sure. All we can do at this point is continue to watch and wait and let what will happen, happen. The best scenario is we see at least 1 egg hatch, or the worst scenario is still good in that the eggs do not hatch but Durand got a lot of good nesting practice in preparation for next year! We should know more in the coming days and will be monitoring her behavior. I will post updates as soon as anything new is definitive.

The No Update Update

2011-05-04T11:25:00.000-04:00

At week #3 of setting on eggs we are officially into the "doldrums of incubation!" Therefore, it has been awhile since the last post because basically, there has been no change from the last report: Durand continues to do all of the incubation duty. The male occasionally can be seen perched on the ledge or on top of the nest box. Here he is from last weekend:While the male may not be helping with the eggs, he is providing food. Even though there are no visible food exchanges between them, we can assume he is providing because Durand's trips off the eggs are typically very short (sometimes only a few minutes in length). Such a brief respite would not give her enough opportunity to hunt, pluck and eat prey. Because she is gone from the eggs for such little time, she no doubt is getting food from the male either away from the cameras and/or from somewhere he has cached.

I will state again that after an awkward start, once she perfected the incubation technique that she continues to do a good job of staying tight on the eggs. Therefore, the cool, wet weather we have been having in Columbus this week will not affect the development of the eggs, because she is keeping them at a constant temperature regardless of what the actual air temperature is.

Another question I have been asked is are we going to name the male? There are no plans to do so at this time. When a falcon does not have leg bands it makes it very difficult to definitively identify an individual unless there is some distinctive variation in plumage or behavior. This male does not have leg bands and so far, nothing about him has stood out to help us differentiate him from another that could in theory, take his place tomorrow. If he sticks around into next season perhaps by then there may be some type of behavior that we can key in on that will help us have a reasonably good idea that we are dealing with the same individual and we will consider giving him a nickname at that point. Until then I will continue to refer to him only as “the male.”

Should things continue to progress normally we could expect hatching about the 3rd week of this month. More next time on that subject!

(Mostly) Uneventful Week

2011-04-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

Durand is doing really great at incubating now! She has learned and become quite proficient at covering the eggs and is sticking with it on a constant basis. Unfortunately, she is still shouldering the entire load of incubation duty but as long as the male is providing her food, that may work out OK as her breaks off of the eggs are few and far between. He has popped into the nestbox a couple of times to briefly investigate the eggs. Perhaps he will figure out how to incubate before we have a hatch?!

Looking back through my notes I would estimate that she finally began incubating the eggs in a consistent and proper manner around the 15th of April. Incubation generally takes about 33 days. Counting forward that would mean we could see a hatch the 3rd week of May.

So, this week has for the most part been uneventful except that yesterday, there was another sighting of a juvenile peregrine on the ledge. This time the bird was chased off by both the male and Durand. There was no further interactions observed via the cameras, nor did I receive any eyewitness accounts from anyone downtown. If that juvenile bird is going to continue to be around, it sure would be nice if it would land in front of the ledgecam so we could have a chance to read its leg bands and identify it!

The other exciting occurrence this week is that Time.Com has a short article on the Columbus Falcons including links to the FalconCam and this blog! Click on "View the full list for "The Baby Hawks Are Here!" for the link to our Columbus peregrines!

Eclipse In Wisconsin!

2011-04-19T20:10:00.002-04:00

We received word from Greg Septon of Wisconsin that "Eclipse," one of the 4 fledglings from 2009 has taken over a nesting territory in Oak Creek, WI!! Here is what was reported:

FYI, we have an OH peregrine here in WI this year. She is "Eclipse" (b/r) 67/H, a 2009 falcon produced at the Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus. She's nesting at We Energies Oak Creek Power Plant in Oak Creek, Milwaukee, Co., WI. Eclipse replaces 15-yr. old "Atlanta" (b/r) L/*C who nested at Oak Creek for the previous 12 years.

We first got a glimpse of Eclipse's band on a March 25 web cam image. I visited the site today and ID'd Eclipse as well as her mate "Scott" (b/g) M/Y. This is Scott's 6th year at Oak Creek. The first egg at this site was laid on April 15 and today I found 3 eggs.

Click here for the We Energies web site with access to the web cam.

As Greg mentioned, Eclipse hatched in 2009 and was last observed at the Rhodes Tower on June 30, 2009. Here is the blog entry from that sighting. In March, 2010, she was observed in downtown Cleveland! Now she is over 400 miles away in WI! Thanks to leg band codes that allow us to confirm individuals and track their movements.

Eclipse is the same age as Durand. It will be interesting to compare her progress with nesting this year to that of Durand's. Back here in Columbus, Durand continues to shoulder the load of incubating on her own. She is leaving the eggs a few times a day, presumably to feed. The male is making several appearances and perching close by. We should assume that he is providing food for her, albeit off camera.

Incubation Update

2011-04-16T19:15:00.004-04:00

Good news! Durand seems to be figuring out the proper incubation technique! Friday and today (Saturday) more times than not, she was down tight on the eggs as she should be. However, it wasn't unusual for one egg to be uncovered, but then again--5 eggs is a lot to set on! The male, however, has not yet figured out his role as far as incubation duty is concerned. Things looked promising on Friday, as he spent some time in the nestbox. Here is a video of his halfhearted attempt at covering the eggs. It is apparent that his instincts are influencing his behavior but exactly what to do just hasn't kicked in for him yet.

We've always enjoyed how the Columbus FalconCam gives us a unique window into the lives of these birds. But over time, it has been easy to have somewhat taken the opportunity for granted by witnessing more typical nesting behaviors. In a way, this year it is even more exceptional as we have the chance to see how these young birds are learning as they go. What will the coming days bring? Who knows?! But what a show it is bound to be!

Are They On Track Now?!

2011-04-14T12:05:00.000-04:00

Well...Surprise!!! By last night Durand had managed to gather all of the eggs together herself! Here is a photo of the last egg a little closer to the main scrape last evening:From what I have seen so far today she seems to be a little more focused on incubating! But 5 eggs would be a challenge for even an experienced female. Unfortunately, her technique is still lacking. She is not staying down tight on the eggs and when she is setting often one or more eggs is not covered. As I write this at about 11:20 she is in more of a brooding posture:This intermittent incubation likely will not be enough for the eggs to develop--if they are even fertile to begin with. Because of her young age and the presumed young age of the male, it is possible that the eggs are infertile. I know I am sounding like a broken record here, but it will come down to watching and waiting to see how this situation develops! We should all be prepared for anything!

If it weren't enough dealing with eggs in different scrapes and irregular incubation techniques, yesterday there was another situation to deal with: A juvenile falcon was in the area and at least twice landed on the nest ledge only to be run off by Durand! These birds certainly don't "need" another distraction, but again-this is "real life" for a peregrine falcon!

Check out this video of the intruder. (Fast forward to about 55 seconds. Durand lands on the ledge first; the second bird to land is the juvenile.) Note the vertical streaking on the breast that indicates a young falcon. This bird also appears to be banded. Some have wondered if this could be Spirit from last year's nest returning. Anything is possible! It would have been nice to have gotten a look at the leg band code to help figure out the ID of this bird. Hopefully, it is now gone from the territory so that Durand and the male can move forward with learning/figuring out how to properly incubate!

P.S. Thanks for the many calls and emails of support everyone has been sending to me regarding the updates! It's great to know the fans out there appreciate my efforts. You are welcome, everyone!

To Move/Remove the Eggs or Not To Move/Remove the Eggs?

2011-04-13T14:00:00.000-04:00

There are many viewers anxiously watching and waiting for this nest to progress and with that comes suggestions and questions about intervening. Two popular thoughts are emerging: either move all of the eggs together into one scrape; or remove the 2 eggs from the right scrape from the nestbox completely. The third option is to do nothing. Before that decision can be made there are a lot of different factors to consider:

I will stress again that the behaviors and circumstances we are witnessing in the Rhodes Tower nest this year are completely normal for a first time nesting pair of peregrine falcons. I have watched Durand’s actions with the now 3 eggs in the left scrape and can say that even if the other 2 eggs were removed from the nest (or were included with the others so they were all in one scrape) her incubation behavior at this point is sporadic at best – she is off the eggs, on the eggs, and covering some of the eggs, but not all of them at all times. She is leaving the nestbox frequently and perching nearby. These fidgety actions are definitely not typical incubation behavior. We do not know if she will get the “hang of it” or not. Her ability to get the proper incubation technique perfected is dependent on her hormone levels and that is a factor completely separate of how many eggs are underneath her or elsewhere in the nestbox. The “abnormal” events of eggs in different scrapes and intermittent incubation that we are witnessing is a direct reflection of her lack of maturity and inexperience and again, that is normal, given her age.

Besides Durand incubating in proper form, another factor for this nest to be successful is the participation of the male. The male is likely a first time nesting bird as well and thus he also lacks experience and maturity. It will take time for his instincts to kick in properly as well. Even though he has been providing food for Durand, for the eggs to hatch successfully he will have to assume some of the incubation duty. Unfortunately so far he has not shown any indication to do so.

What about moving all the eggs together? Consider that if all 5 eggs were in the same scrape it could result in less efficient incubation for this young, inexperienced bird (provided she starts to incubate as she should). So perhaps it is better that she has fewer eggs to cover then more? Keeping 5 eggs properly incubated for 32 days would be a challenge for even the most experienced female.

Other thoughts to consider with moving (or removing) the 2 eggs: Intervening with good intentions could have unanticipated bad results. What if after moving/removing eggs the nest was abandoned (a very real possibility with a first-time nesting pair)? Or some or all of the eggs did not hatch? Or one or more eggs were damaged in the process? Or an adult was injured trying to defend the nest? No action is without a reaction and even though humans have in mind what we think is best, other unanticipated and potentially very negative results could occur.

Given all of these “what ifs” we must also consider the current status of the population being what it is. The return of the peregrine falcon has been a Wildlife Management success story! There are now way MORE falcons nesting throughout the Midwest then ever before. That is not even to count how many “surplus” falcons are out there ready to take over a territory when there is a vacancy. Perhaps 10, but certainly 20 years ago we would likely have intervened because the population was so low at that time that the extra help was needed to continue the recovery efforts and possible negatives would have been worth the risks. But now we are beyond recovery of the peregrine population and so the need for each and every egg to have the best chance does not apply.

Biologists manage wildlife populations as a whole. Except in the case of an endangered species, individuals actually play a very small role in the big picture of the health and sustainability of overall populations. That can be a hard concept for some to realize and accept—especially when webcams allow us to focus so much on specific individuals. Albeit difficult we must all keep in mind that nowhere in nature does any bird species have 100% success with a nest. As many as 8 out of 10 birds do not make it through their first year.

This is an issue with many different opinions. Given all of the facts, the Division of Wildlife’s standpoint is to not intervene in this situation. Ultimately, it will be up to Durand and the male to sort this one out. We can only stand to learn as we witness how this plays out.

5 Eggs!

2011-04-13T09:25:00.000-04:00

A 5th egg was laid this morning, April 13, just before 8 a.m. It was laid on the left side of the box, in the scrape that she seems to be most interested in incubating. Four eggs is the average clutch but more can be laid (obviously!) especially when we are dealing with a first time nesting situation. More proof that Durand's hormones are fluctuating! Let's just hope that some of the 3 eggs in that scrape are fertile and that she concentrates only on those eggs from here on out and is not distracted by the others.

The primary job of the male during the incubation phase is to provide food for Durand. He should also take over incubation duty when she leaves the nest to eat. Keep in mind this is likely his first time nesting as well, so it may take some time for him to realize what he is supposed to be doing. He has been in the nestbox with the eggs, but as far as I know he has not attempted any incubation duty yet.

Progress?

2011-04-12T10:45:00.006-04:00

As of this morning it appears that Durand's instincts to incubate may be starting to kick in. She is covering 2 of the eggs, however, her body is not tight to the eggs. In this photo she actually appears to be more in a brooding posture than incubation (note how her wings are propping her up). It doesn't appear as though she will move all of the eggs together-at least not now.

If she does get around to incubating "properly" and then moves the eggs together at a later date their viability will be compromised. A successful hatch requires 32-34 days of consistent warmth. As I write this at 8:28 a.m. I see she is now off the eggs(!). I'll stress again that this abnormal behavior is normal for a first time nesting female. It is possible that she may lay another egg even! No one knows how this will play out--all we can do is watch and wait and wonder what will happen--the saga continues!

Mid-morning Update: Now she is concentrating on the other set of eggs! Having two sets of eggs will no doubt be confusing to her. There are no plans at the current time to move the eggs for her--this cycle of events is a natural process for a first-time nesting falcon and what happens will be an interesting learning opportuntity for us all-peregrines included!

4th Egg!

2011-04-10T19:35:00.000-04:00

The 4th egg was laid approximately 6:50 p.m. Sunday, April 10th. Click here to see a video. This egg was laid near egg #1 towards the left side of the box (as we are looking at the box). So now there are 2 eggs in each of 2 scrapes! As I write this at about 7:30 Sunday evening, it does not appear that Durand has started incubating yet - hopefully by morning she will gather all the eggs together and begin incubation. Or, we could be in for more waiting and wondering. Also, even though 4 eggs is the average clutch it is entirely possible that she could produce another egg! Anything could happen with this nest this year!

And Then There Were 3!

2011-04-08T08:50:00.003-04:00

Durand laid the 3rd egg! It was in the nestbox first thing this morning, Friday, April 8th. As you can see in the photo, there is still a separation between the eggs and as far as I can tell so far this morning she has not started incubating yet.

Her behaviors over the past week during the egg laying phase should have reinforced for viewers that she is a young bird and not yet fully mature. For example, after the first egg is laid, scraping usually ceases and the female stays in or very near to the nestbox. But in Durand's case, after the first egg she has continued to scrape in the gravel (which has inadvertently moved the first egg to the middle of the box).

Additionally, so far it "seems" she has been less attentive to the eggs than other female falcons we have watched at this site, namely being gone from view of the cameras for extended periods of time. However, even I have to remind myself at times that the cameras only show about 75 square feet of the downtown area. There are places on the nest ledge that she can perch and still be close to the eggs but out of our view; likewise, the other ledges on the Rhodes Tower would keep her close to the eggs but out of sight of the cameras. The bottom line is "out of sight does not necessarily mean she is not there." This also applies to the male.

What does it all mean? It is important to remember that what might appear to be awkward behaviors outside of what we consider "normal" do actually reflect that her hormones are fluctuating and that is completely "normal" for an inexperienced falcon nesting for the first time. In other words, given her age it is normal for things to not seem normal!

How will this play out? Chances are good that things will "click" and she will transition into the next phase of the nesting cycle and we'll see her start incubating soon (with or without additional eggs). But with her inexperience and lack of maturity we should expect that events throughout the nesting cycle may not occur as smoothly as we've seen with other fully mature, experienced nesting falcons. Which will no doubt result in some drama causing some to bite their nails as they watch! As I say often, "stay tuned!"

More on Egg #2 Including Video Links

2011-04-06T11:00:00.001-04:00

Here is a YouTube video of Durand laying the 2nd egg yesterday. Fast forward to 2:40 for what appears to be the actual moment. And, here is another version of the event saved by Pascal watching from The Netherlands.

Thanks to all of the fans out there watching and capturing these moments and sharing so everyone can review if they were not able to catch it live.
OK, so some may be wondering why did she lay the second egg in a different location? Actually, she did not lay #2 in a different spot. Both eggs were laid in the same scrape, on the right side of the box as we see it via the camera but the first egg has been moved to the left since it was first laid on Sunday. It is likely before the clutch is complete that she will gather the eggs together into the scrape of choice in which she will incubate. This is a first time nesting attempt for Durand thus she has no actual experience going through this process. However, instinct is very strong and dictates what they do. More times than not things work out the way they should.

I think it will be interesting to see in which part of the nestbox she decides to incubate. Right now she seems to favor that back right corner. If I recall correctly, each year since the late 1990s when we 1st had the camera showing the nestbox no peregrines have ever used that back corner of the box to incubate. One reason may be that in previous years when there has been more than one scrape, prior to the nesting season (usually in late February) I have smoothed out the gravel and made one prominent scrape in the best viewing spot in front of the camera. In the past the nesting falcons have always taken to the scrape I made. This year I did not smooth the gravel as I described. Is this the explanation of why the falcons are using a different spot in the nestbox? Who knows! Regardless it is something interesting to ponder while we wait.

Egg #2!

2011-04-05T17:35:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Lori for capturing this image of Egg #2! Laid just prior to 5:30 p.m., April 5, 2011.

Why Is The Egg Alone?

2011-04-04T16:43:00.000-04:00

Many, many viewers were so happy to see the first egg for the 2011 Columbus nesting season. But now that the egg sits alone in the box I have received a few inquiries of concern so that helps me remember that now is a good time to review a bit of peregrine life history:

The normal clutch for peregrines is 4 eggs. Eggs are laid 2-3 days apart. Incubation does not begin until the last (or next to the last egg) is in the nest. In the meantime, egg(s) sit alone and remain in limbo. They can withstand a wide range of temperatures during this time.

The eggs do not begin to develop until they are consistently kept at the proper temperature.

Durand will usually be close by the nest during this egg-laying phase. The male is nearby also, but may not be seen as much as his main duty will be to provide food. He will hunt and either bring food to Durand at the nest ledge or they make the transfer of food away from the ledge either in mid air or at another perch on the Rhodes Tower or even at another building altogether. Hopefully, we will see egg #2 tomorrow or Wednesday!

1st Egg for Durand!

2011-04-03T07:36:00.002-04:00

The answer to my last post, "Will They or Won't They?" is they WILL! The first egg for Durand was in the nestbox this morning (Sunday, April 3rd):

Will They Or Won't They??!

2011-04-01T14:30:00.000-04:00

As spring continues to roll in a popular question is if we will see eggs in Columbus this year.

Durand's actions over the past several days of spending a lot of time in and near the nestbox and scraping are all normal behaviors to indicate her body is gearing up for nesting. But will her hormones be at the level needed to actually produce an egg? And if so, will her eggs be fertile?

No one knows the answers to these questions and all we can do is wait and wonder.

Keep in mind there is plenty of time for egg laying. Last year the first egg in Columbus was not laid until April 8. While most falcon eggs in Ohio are produced in March and April, egg laying can stretch into May especially for second nesting attempts.

One final note, it is unlikely Durand would lay eggs elsewhere in the city. First, the nestbox at the Rhodes Tower provides the best conditions for a peregrine in downtown (gravel to scrape in, southern exposure). There are few-if any-other places downtown that would offer the same amenities to a peregrine considering nesting. And, since they stick tight to where their eggs are we can assume that as long as we are continuing to see her coming to the nest ledge it would indicate she doesn't have something going on anywhere else. So for now we all continue to wait and watch!

Mating on the Ledge

2011-03-24T12:35:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Mary Anne for saving a video of the two peregrines mating on the ledge by the nestbox and sharing it on YouTube. The birds have definitely been more active at the nestbox lately which hopefully indicates that egg laying will be soon...

Durand Working on the Scrape!

2011-03-17T13:30:00.000-04:00

Well, it appears as though this newest, unbanded male will be our resident male in 2011. There have been no sightings of Trooper via the cams or by watchers downtown. Such is how falcons come and go but luckily, the population is healthy enough that when a vacancy does occur it is quickly filled. Unfortunately, without leg bands we will never know the origin of this male or what part of the Midwest from which he came. At this time there are no plans to name the male.

Whether this male and Durand will produce a clutch this year is yet to be seen. Regardless, the time of year and the length of the days tell them to bond, mate and prepare a nest. Both birds have been in and out of the nestbox almost daily working on multiple scrapes. Today was the first time I was able to save a video clip. Here, Durand illustrates perfectly how the nest despression (also called a scrape) is made. Both the male and female will "scrape," i.e., lay on the gravel and push out with a foot. Through this action a depression in the gravel is created and that is where the eggs (if produced) will be laid. The shallow depression helps ensure the eggs do not roll off of the "cliff." (Urban peregrines that use nestboxes and trays no doubt have a higher rate of survival than traditional cliff nesting falcons since the eggs are more protected from rolling away and from predators including snakes.)

If you look closely in the gravel there are 3 different scrapes: up front where Durand was working in the video clip, another right behind it towards the back of the box (these two blend together somewhat) and in the right rear corner. For the best viewing purposes we will hope that Durand will lay her eggs closest to the camera where she was working today!

Nesting Season Nears

2011-02-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a long, cold winter but every day we have a few more minutes of daylight. Even with winter-like weather still in the forecast, it will no doubt be spring soon. The peregrines have been seen at the ledge off and on throughout the winter and this morning they both stopped in the nestbox for a bit of bonding. (I saved an image but it won't seem to load at this time--will attempt to edit this post later and add it.)

So, what can we expect this year? Peregrines normally lay eggs in March and April. However, this is Durand's first nesting attempt. To recap, she hatched in 2009 from the Hamilton, Ontario nest. Being that she is a young bird it is possible she won't even lay eggs this year. Or, she could produce but they don't hatch. A lot can happen in the first year.

As for the male, because of his plumage and behavior it is believed he is a different individual and not the same male from last year (Trooper). As this male is not banded there is no way of knowing his age or where he came from. It is likely it could be his first nesting attempt as well. Again, we could be dealing with infertile eggs--or, everything could work out just fine in that we have a successful first-time nesting attempt with this pair.

Throw in another scenario and this male could just be wintering at this location and in the next couple of weeks could leave the area to return to an established nesting territory elsewhere. Or, if he is claiming Columbus as his territory there is still the possibility that Trooper could return and there might be a fight between them. Lots of things could happen but as we get closer to actual nesting season one thing is for sure - if there will be any upsets we can expect them within the next few weeks. So, it is important for all eyes to be watching to help determine what goes on.

Part of the fun of following these birds is the suspense and drama. As I often say, Stay Tuned...!!!!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T17:00:00.002-05:00

To start off 2011 I thought I would share some statistics from 2010. I am able to track traffic on this blog so I went back and dug up the numbers from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.
Total number of visits to this blog: 281,520 (average of 771/day)
Number of UNIQUE visitors to this blog: 57,969

The highest traffic day was MAY 19, 2010 with 6,097 visits that day from 3,276 unique visitors. Hmmm...what was going on May 19th??! Yup! That was the day the eggs began to hatch! (4,440 of the visits on May 19 were from Ohio.)

The lowest traffic day was January 24, 2010 with 33 unique visitors checking in.

All in all, visits to the blog came from 71 different countries using 45 different languages!!
Within the United States, Ohioans checked in most: 192,658 visits from 606 cities in the Buckeye State.

The most visited page during the entire year was the July 1st update "An Unexpected Loss-Scou t with over 800 page views. [There is still no further news on the investigation but rest assured, when information is able to be released I will have it here.]

THANK YOU to EVERYONE for reading this blog, watching the cams and supporting the ODNR, Division of Wildlife's Columbus Peregrine Falcon Project!

P.S. Although the nestbox cam has been down for a bit, we will be working to get everything operational in preparation for the 2011 nesting season. Thanks for your patience!

Downtown Raptors

2010-12-20T15:45:00.000-05:00

There have been 2 falcons coming to the ledge off and on since early December. One is definitely Durand as evidenced by leg bands. The other one is unbanded and while we could assume it is Trooper, some veteran falcon watchers are suspecting it is a different male. I haven't gotten a close enough look to determine one way or another. Is it Trooper? Maybe. Or, it could be another male spending the winter here and once we get closer to nesting season this bird could take off to return to an established territory somewhere else. Or, it could be a male thinking he has taken over the Columbus territory in which case he could be facing a fight when Trooper does decide to return. If it is a different male, Durand doesn't mind and has accepted his presence. Bottom line, with it being the "off season" we shouldn't draw too many conclusions because a lot can change in a short amount of time - we'll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, other falcon news: I received this photo of a peregrine (likely Durand) from the 28th floor of the William Green Building (a.k.a. the Bureau of Worker's Comp building) taken last Thursday (12/16/10). This location is about 3 blocks north of the Rhodes State Office Tower on Spring Street between Front & High Streets. It is interesting to see these birds in winter with the snow around. It certainly gives a different perspective!

And, today Chris from the Attorney General's Office sent me this photo. Workers in that building at Gay at 4th Streets (about 2 blocks northeast of the Rhodes Tower) at first thought this was a falcon until they looked closer at the Ohio Division of Wildlife's Identify Peregrines webpage. Upon review of the photos on our website they determined correctly that this is actually a Cooper's hawk. The photo was taken with a cell phone through a telescope! Note how the tail extends much farther beyond where the wing tips end - a tell-tale mark of a Cooper's Hawk! The primarily brown plumage indicates this bird hatched earlier this year.Peregrine falcons get so much time in the limelight it sometimes overshadows the fact that other raptors also make the downtown area part of their home range for nesting, hunting and/or roosting. Another example is turkey vultures. These large, dark birds are often seen soaring the skies of downtown in the spring, summer and fall. They are sometimes mistaken for peregrines simply because they are a large bird in the sky. Vultures like the Wm Green Building (BWC) in particular, often soaring above and setting on the upper ledges to sun themselves and dry their wings. Reports of 4, 6 or even more "peregrines" on the BWC building are certainly turkey vultures. For reference, here is a photo of turkey vultures in flight:

I hope that everyone has a happy and safe Holiday Season and New Year. Here's hoping for a productive 2011 for our peregrine falcons and the other raptors in downtown Columbus!

Empty Ledge - Where are the Falcons?!

2010-11-19T09:44:00.003-05:00

Sightings of Durand and Trooper have become less and less over the past couple of weeks. This is normal and nothing to be concerned about. With shorter and shorter days hormone levels are such that the falcons are not so concerned with courting or otherwise bonding to the territory. Rather, their focus is on simply surviving. The end result is less time at the nest ledge which--from our perspective--means less time in front of the cameras.

It is also at this time of year that migratory instincts kick in. Peregrines are notorious for being irregular when it comes to migrating: some do, some don't and even when peregrines do migrate it is not a specific route. The Latin name for peregrine ("peregrinus") translates to "wanderer" which reflects their habits of moving north or south, east or west or all of the above. Since this will be Durand and Trooper's first winter claiming Columbus as their territory we have no idea if they will migrate or not. I haven't received any general reports of peregrines downtown lately so it is unclear if one or both of the peregrines have temporarily moved out of the area or they are just choosing to stay out of view of the cams. Regardless, we can expect activity to pick up again in January once the days begin to get longer.

Despite the tendency of peregrines to wander irregularly during migration some do indeed head south going as far as Central and South America. I received an email from Matt Modlich that included a photograph of a juvenile peregrine perched on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico! Matt reported that on a recent vacation in early November he observed 3 peregrines flying around and occasionally landing on the ship. The location was about 170 miles due west of Key West, FL. Too bad the falcon did not have leg bands--it would have been very interesting to know the origin of this bird!

Packard Takes Flight!

2010-11-12T13:45:00.003-05:00

Who in the world is Packard you ask?! Packard is a fictional peregrine falcon that hatched at the Rhodes State Office Tower - he is the main character in the new children's book by Susan Sachs Levine: Packard Takes Flight. One day, Packard accidently fledges with a gust of wind and winds up visiting many sites around our Capitol City before he finds his way back to the nest on the 41st floor of the Rhodes Tower.

I had the pleasure of providing technical advice for this book! Susan first contacted me about two years ago with lots of questions about peregrines and about the falcon nest in downtown Columbus. As work on her book progressed she kept in touch seeking additional information and updates on the peregrines. Congrats to Susan on a delightful story that highlights many of the treasures found throughout the downtown Columbus area, one of which are the peregrine falcons! For more information goto: http://www.susanlevinebooks.com/

Interloper into the Territory!

2010-11-05T09:40:00.010-04:00

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

Updates - This & That

2010-09-10T14:00:00.001-04:00

We heard recently that Boomer (C/66 hatched in Columbus in 2008), has taken over the nesting territory at the Terminal Tower in Cleveland! The last time he was seen in Columbus was at the end of June, 2008. He had at least one collision with a window after fledgling so it is great to know that he has since fared well. Click here to review the fledging info from 2008. Be sure and check out the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's FalconCam coverage of the Terminal Tower nest and the associated falcon forums.

Durand and Trooper have both been making appearances at the nestbox every day or so and while there they have been demonstrating pair bonding behavior (bowing and vocalizing to each other). This activity is in preparation for next year: we are well beyond nesting season this year so there is no chance of another nest attempt in 2010. Both birds have also been working on the scrape in the gravel - again, this is bonding to/claiming of the site as theirs in preparation for next spring.

We also had a separate report of Durand "buzzing" around the 25th and 26th floors of the Franklin County Courthouse. Thanks to the Human Resources staff at the courthouse for snapping and sharing this photo of her on a window ledge taken on Tuesday, September 7, 2010!

Camera Update: In this the off-season we have begun experimenting with different camera settings to see if we can tweak the system to provide better viewing in late day conditions when the sun is in the west and the nestbox is in shadow. Bright sun shining towards the camera combined with a dark corner of the ledge confuses the iris of the camera and results in the dark corner being too dark to see any detail. The process of adjusting camera settings is by trial and error so expect that sometimes the image may not be ideal if the settings are not correct-viewers may notice the image being extremely bright or dark. Each time a setting is changed we will leave it for at least 24 hours to see how the image looks at different times of day/in different lighting conditions. We appreciate every one's patience as we work through this process of fine tuning the settings with the ultimate goal to make viewing our site more enjoyable in the long run.

Finally, the investigation concerning Scout's death is still ongoing. State and Federal investigators take the matter very seriously and are cooperating fully. Information, when available to the public, will be posted here on the blog but these matters can sometimes take a very long time to get through. No details or information can be disclosed until the matter is fully closed otherwise risk compromising the investigation. Thanks for your patience and thanks for watching the Columbus Falcons!

Nestbox Maintenance

2010-08-12T14:25:00.001-04:00

The nestbox was spruced up today thanks to summer intern, Alexis Sakas. Dirty gravel was removed, the inside walls painted and fresh gravel put in. We also cleaned the camera lens. The new gravel put in was damp, so that is why it looks a little darker in this photo (especially in the rear of the box):Interestingly, neither of the two unhatched eggs were anywhere to be found so we won't be able to say for sure if they were infertile or if the embryos died during development (but my educated guess would be the eggs were infertile). So where did they go/what happened to the eggs? As the nestlings got larger and more mobile over time the eggs likely could have been broken by accident and then decomposed and/or even been consumed by the falcons. As usual, the nest box was a total mishmash of dusty, dried and smelly falcon feces and bits and pieces of prey remains including feet, feathers, wing fragments, etc. therefore egg shell fragments (if any were present) could have easily gone undetected as the mixture was scooped out.

Overall, maintenance was pretty uneventful. No peregrines made an appearance while we were working but then again as hot and muggy as it was it was best for them to sit tight where ever they were!

Surprise Visit From Spirit, Ledge Maintenance Update

2010-08-01T14:22:00.005-04:00

Those still following the cams caught a surprise visit from Spirit this morning, Sunday, August 1, 2010. While no band codes confirmed the sighting, it is very probable this was Spirit, as another juvenile passing through the area would have likely been chased out of town by Trooper and Durand. Additionally, this bird popped in and out of the nestbox with distinct familiarity. Great to see she is doing well!

I'm hoping to run maintenance on the nestbox in the next week or two. The gravel will be changed out with new, clean stone. The inside of the box will receive a fresh coat of paint and the camera lens will be cleaned. The two eggs that did not hatch (if still present) will be retrieved and examined to see if they were fertile or not.

I will also look at the back corner behind the nestbox to come up with ideas to lighten that area up so as to help alleviate the extreme dark conditions experienced during late day viewing. The problem of the corner going so dark occurs because bright light is coming into the camera when the sun is in the western sky in the afternoon. That makes the camera want to adjust for extreme light conditions. But, at the same time the corner (by the nature of the color of the walls and shadow at that time of day) is very dark, which makes the camera want to adjust to dark conditions. Between the two extremes, the afternoon sun ultimately wins and the cam's iris adjusts for the light which makes that dark corner even darker. Unfortunately, building management won't let us paint the walls (can't say I blame them!) so perhaps a possible solution will be to install light colored panels to help brighten up that corner to make late day viewing better. So another goal of the trip is to brainstorm.

The video feed to the cams will be temporarily disabled while we are accessing the ledge for the work.

New Female Identity Known!

2010-07-18T20:15:00.003-04:00

Thanks to several volunteers out there keeping close watch on the ledgecam, the new female's leg bands were read today! Her color band on the left leg is all black with the code: 32/X. This bird is "Durand" from the 2009 nest in Hamilton, Ontario Canada!

The nest in Hamilton, Ontario is located on a Sheraton Hotel. There is a webcam on that nest (although discontinued for this season) and detailed information from each nesting year is provided by the Hamilton Community Peregrine Project. To find information on the 2009 nest, follow this link, click on "History" then click on 2009 at the top of the page.

Despite being only a second year bird, believe it or not, this is not the first time Durand has been seen in Ohio. Before showing up in Columbus, this female was observed in April, 2010, at the I-80 Turnpike Bridge nest in northeastern Ohio where the resident male chased her out of the territory. Here is a photo of the aerial fight:

Thanks to all of the volunteer efforts that helped to document her back in April and now at the Rhodes Tower.

Nestbox Camera Problems - Season Wrap Up

2010-07-14T12:30:00.000-04:00

The nestbox camera is malfunctioning so we have temporarily discontinued the live streaming video for that view. The refreshed still images will continue for now although at times no image will be available.

Fortunately, the ledge camera is fine, as that is the most important view at this time. The ledge view is most useful to monitor what falcons are on the ledge and to hopefully get leg band information from the new female.

As we wrap up another nesting season and reflect on all that has happened 2010 has to be, by far, the most memorable season since peregrines began nesting at the Rhodes Tower in 1994. But at the end of the day, despite all of the ups and downs, the happy ending is that at this point we consider Spirit to be successfully fledged and well on her way to independence.

We are hoping that the rest of the summer will be uneventful. Given that expectation this is the last regular report for the season. Additional updates will be posted of any notable information pertaining to Spirit, Scout, the new female or any other occurrences in the Columbus area as information becomes available. Camera and nestbox maintenance is also on the agenda for later this summer and I will post updates on those issues as I have details.

Thanks to everyone for your support of the

ODNR, Division of Wildlife's

Columbus Peregrine FalconCam!

Spirit Makes a Brief Appearance

2010-07-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

Last evening at about 9 p.m. Spirit followed Trooper up to the ledge begging for food. Thanks to Mary Anne for sharing this video. Trooper made a hasty exit after which Spirit followed. She appears to be doing very, very well.

The new female was seen again on the ledge today, but no idea of leg band codes yet.

Another New Female!

2010-07-12T07:14:00.006-04:00

Interesting news - another adult female showed up yesterday and was observed in the nestbox! This falcon is banded but the color combination of the leg bands and codes have not been obtained yet. We'll continue to keep watch and hopefully this peregrine will stand in front of the ledge camera where we'll be able to get details on her markers.

This makes the 2nd new falcon to come into the Columbus territory in a week. As I have stated in the past, there are any number of "floaters" out there - unmated peregrines that are traveling about looking for the chance to establish a territory. Sometimes it takes many months to get a new mate in a territory (like Trooper), other times it takes much, much less. Of course, there's no guarantee that this female will stay...even though she has already been observed interacting with Trooper only time will tell if she remains here in Columbus to become our next nesting female. What might make her leave? She could have a territory of her own already somewhere else and is simply passing through. Or there could be yet another female that comes in and challenges her. Regardless, web viewers will no doubt have a lot to watch for in the coming months making the Columbus FalconCam one of the best "reality shows" around.

Spirit is assumed to be doing well. There have been no actual sightings of her but vocalizations heard via the audio on the live streaming over the weekend indicate she was buzzing the nest ledge. She no doubt is well on her way to mastering flight and likely is even pursuing prey on her own by now. Even with an adult female around, Trooper will still keep watch and provide food if needed.

Update on Spirit

2010-07-09T13:00:00.000-04:00

Continuing good news on Spirit – I received a report that two falcons were soaring above the Rhodes Tower yesterday at about 2:30 in the afternoon. Spirit is really getting the hang of flying and gaining a lot of altitude in the process.

Update on Scout – many may have seen the recent reports in the media that the ODNR, Division of Wildlife and the US Fish & Wildlife Service are investigating the circumstances of Scout’s death. As this is an on-going investigation I cannot comment at this time. However I can say that progress is being made in the investigation and we hope to have the matter resolved quickly.

Good News, Bad News, Best News

2010-07-07T15:15:00.000-04:00

Good News: Last evening the new adult female spent time in front of the ledgecam. Lighting conditions weren't the best for reading the leg band, but we believe the code is *S/*X (the "*" indicates that the letter is horizontal on the band).
*S/*X is the adult female that has frequented the stadium area of The Ohio State University for the past 2 seasons, named Clementine. (Note: Even though falcons have claimed OSU as a territory, there has not been a successful nest at that location.)

Now the Bad News: the opportunity to confirm the band seen via the ledgecam last night, but in a way we do not prefer...I was contacted today by Petersen Thomas who was downtown last evening about 7:30 p.m. He witnessed a large bird of prey dive head first into the street at 3rd and Gay Streets. He retrieved the bird from the road (it was DOA) and reported to me that it was banded: a purple band on the right leg and a black and green band on the left leg. The black and green band code was *S/*X - Clementine. So, Columbus is again without an adult female falcon. It is unknown what exactly happened--it may be that she was stooping after prey and just misjudged the ground. Another example of how when these birds end up in trouble the Division of Wildlife is notified. [A quick "Thanks!" to everyone who has taken the time to call in to report a falcon, including Petersen in this case.]

Now the BEST NEWS: Two falcons were observed landing on the next ledge over from the nest ledge this morning at about 8:15 a.m. Since we are once again down to only two falcons in town that we know of (Trooper and Spirit) we can assume that the birds seen were indeed Trooper and Spirit. So, the best news is that, as presumed, Spirit is doing well and has been able to make it up to the 41st floor of the Rhodes Tower. I hope that she will come back to the nest ledge and even show her leg bands to the ledge camera so we can confirm it for sure.

Commentary: The number of peregrines lost in Columbus in recent days is truly unusual and out of the ordinary. Some concerns I have received via email include comments on how dangerous an urban area is to these birds and "why would we entice them to nest in an unnatural area?" It is a fact that peregrine falcons as a species have adapted to urban environments on their own. While ~30 years ago it was unheard of, cities are now considered a natural habitat for these birds to nest in. The falcons benefit from man made structures: tall buildings mimic a cliff, the historical nesting place for a peregrine. Further, many other types of avian species also utilize urban areas; therefore, peregrines have a very varied menu of other birds to prey on. Each peregrine nest in Ohio is considered a natural nest because the falcons have chosen the territory on their own accord. Bottom line, cities provide an excellent and natural habitat for peregrine falcons as is proven by their overwhelming success in nesting in these areas throughout the Midwest.

Despite the many benefits of a city environment, urban areas do present some hazards for the peregrines (reflective glass, guy wires, antennas, etc.). However, hazards also exist for peregrines nesting in rural cliff sites as well: great-horned owls, snakes, deep caverns, etc. So while both urban and rural nesting peregrines face many dangers, the main difference between the two types of nest sites is that with urban nests humans are able to view a nest via webcams (where available) and when a falcon is injured in the city, people are there to help it. In a rural habitat, when a falcon chick falls from a ledge, fails when flying or otherwise becomes injured it surely succumbs to starvation, the injury and/or predation. No people are there to see it or to intervene.

Despite the unusually high number of losses this year, the Peregrine Falcon Program in Columbus has been especially successful. Since 1994, over 40 young peregrines have been produced at this site, with many surviving to raise young of their own elsewhere in the Midwest (see a list at Tracking Columbus Falcons). While it is easy to dwell on what birds we have lost recently I ask folks to not forget the successes. Many young hatched in Columbus have survived to establish territories of their own elsewhere and raise young - thus a true measure of how resilient peregrine falcons are.

Update on Spirit and a New Female!

2010-07-06T09:30:00.002-04:00

There's been no word on Spirit and in terms of peregrine fledge we take NO NEWS to be GOOD NEWS. Experience over the years has shown again and again when the birds end up in trouble usually someone is aware and makes me aware. So, no reports indicate to me that the bird is doing well. She may or may not come back to the nest ledge--in past years some fledglings have left never to return, others like some of the young from last year's nest came back to the ledge frequently which extended the opportunity to watch the action via the cams last summer. But there's no guarantee we will see Spirit again and if she doesn't come back to the ledge it should not be taken as there is something wrong. There is no reason to expect anything other than the best for this bird. When she left the ledge it was a strong and deliberate flight so I have complete confidence that she is doing well.

Another development is the observation of a new adult female in the territory! The new bird is banded (purple band on the right leg, black over green band on the left leg) and was observed last evening in the nestbox with Trooper. Both Trooper and the new bird were seen on the ledge this morning as well. Here is a video of their interaction last night. One thing I noted is she was not shy about entering the nestbox. When Trooper first showed up it was some time before he would even come to the nest ledge let alone enter the nestbox--it took him awhile to get used to the layout of the Rhodes Tower nest ledge. The female's lack of intimidation with the nestbox could indicate she hatched out of a similar structure. Hopefully we will get a leg band code soon and be able to track her origin (another benefit of banding these birds).

As I indicated there are many unmated falcons out there and a mate change can occur rather rapidly. This is a excellent example of that, however, there is no guarantee that this bird will stay...but without a resident female to defend the territory she won't be chased out of town. What we don't know is if she already has her own territory somewhere else and is just passing through. Only time will tell if she stays or not.

The next logical question is, how will the presence of this new female affect Spirit? At this point I don't believe it to affect her one way or another. Spirit is likely working on perfecting her flight and hunting skills and Trooper will still keep watch and provide food as needed.

Prior to the female showing up Trooper was observed scraping in the nestbox--a common behavior that occurs at the end of nesting season to reinforce the bond to the site. The timing of his scraping and the new female showing up is completely coincidental, although since she is here that has instigated other bonding behaviors as shown in the video.

So, the drama in Columbus continues! How fascinating to have a window into the lives of these magnificent wild creatures who have chosen Columbus as their home. Just think - the same types of dramas play out at other nests around the world but without cameras it is easy to forget that similar life and death situations occur whether these birds are nesting in an urban or rural location and whether people are watching or not. Such is the life of a peregrine falcon.

Spirit Update + Red, White & Boom Info

2010-07-02T13:20:00.002-04:00

Spirit is still on the LeVeque Tower as of this morning. Yesterday witnesses reported that Trooper did bring food to her. Thanks to Irina we have this photo of Spirit on the top of the Tower. Trooper was also observed perched atop the antenna above her.Columbus' big fireworks event, Red, White & Boom is tonight. Every year I get asked what the falcons do during the show--will it scare them, etc. By the time the fireworks are going off the falcons will be at their chosen roost for the night and the fireworks show will be much the same to them as would be a big thunderstorm-just a lot of lightning and thunder. All of the people downtown for the event won't bother the birds - they see people and cars in the streets everyday.

An Unexpected Loss - Scout

2010-07-01T16:15:00.003-04:00

What a tough week for falcon watching in Columbus....first the loss of Swoop and now I'm sorry to report that Scout, our adult female, was found dead this morning. I received a call shortly before lunch from a downtown worker who saw her on the edge of Broad Street. The cause of death is believed to be head trauma likely from hitting the LeVeque Tower.

I mention frequently about how the fledglings need to learn to avoid obstacles like windows. It is easy to forget that these same obstacles still present a danger to even the most experienced adult falcon.

I believe that Scout was likely flying near where Spirit may have been perched. Perhaps she misjudged and hit the building. Or maybe she was in pursuit of prey. We probably will never know.

Looking back on Scout's history: she first was observed in Columbus in November of 2006 having hatched in 2005 from the New Center/Fisher Building in Detroit, Michigan. Ironically the adult female that reared Scout was "Alpha" fledged from the 2001 Columbus nest!

In Scout's first nesting attempt in 2007 4 eggs were laid but were infertile. Along with Orville she produced 4 young in both 2008 and 2009. This year two young were reared with Trooper.

Now that Scout is gone, it opens the territory for a new female. While you may have heard that falcons "mate for life" this means something very different to people than it does to peregrines. Basically, peregrines (as well as other birds of prey and even Canada geese) keep the same mate for as long as the two are alive. However, when/if something happens to one of the pair, the remaining bird will readily accept a new mate. In the case of peregrines, sometimes a new mate is had in a matter of hours! There's no room for being picky or mournful when your "job" is to reproduce and carry on the species! So while watching Spirit's progress, we will also need to be alert to the possibility of a new female coming into the Columbus territory. There are so many unmated falcons ("floaters") out there it could happen at any time but likely won't be until fall or winter. Here is one of the most "famous" photographs of Scout taken by Tim Daniel, Division of Wildlife photographer.On a much more positive note, Spirit was sighted on the LeVeque Tower around 1:30 this afternoon and all appeared well. Trooper will continue to provide food until Spirit masters her own hunting skills.

Spirit Takes Flight

2010-07-01T08:55:00.002-04:00

This morning Spirit flew of her own accord at 6:04 a.m. - it was a deliberate liftoff from the ledge. Several folks were watching and saving video. This clip includes a slow motion replay at the end (thanks to Pascal for the clip). If you watch closely you can see one of the adults follow her from the next ledge over. We really like to see a falcon leave the ledge "on purpose" like this vs. an accidental fall as happened Monday to both nestlings.

More on Swoop...additional details are known now after video and witnesses on the ground have come forward. It appeared from the video that Swoop was simply making her way down the ledge when she lost her balance and went over the edge. Again, this is not an uncommon way for a peregrine to make its first flight. Eyewitness reports from the ground indicated there was no flapping when the bird was falling. When I retrieved her from the sidewalk I noted that she had an abrasion on the top of her head. I first believed the injury to have occurred when she landed. However, later reports from witnesses indicated she landed flat on her back on the sidewalk. Therefore we can figure that she must have hit the building on the way down. It is likely that the building strike may have stunned her or even knocked her out, thus the explanation to why she was not flapping as she fell. A very unfortunate incident but nothing anyone could have done would have saved this bird.

We wish Spirit much success and hope that she conquers the skies with enough expertise to make it back to the nest ledge. I will post any sightings that I hear of.

A Lot of Activity Today

2010-06-28T16:00:00.005-04:00

Spirit (09/Y) was the juvenile that fledged this morning.

About 10 a.m. I received a call from Josh Williams from the Ohio Senate Office. He reported that a co-worker, Jason Phillips, noticed a peregrine just outside on a windowsill. He was able to give me the band number. The bird was not injured so I opted to capture her and place her back on the nest ledge. Thanks to Jason and Josh for taking notice and contacting me.

The capture happened without incident. I got back up to the 41st floor of the Rhodes Tower about 11 a.m. It is a bit tricky to put a falcon back out on the ledge when you know another fledgling is out there because you don't want to accidently cause the other bird to flush from the ledge. I looked out the door and saw Scout on top of the nestbox (squawking at full volume since she knew I was there!). At this point I had another potential danger: there was a chance that Scout would attack the bird as I put it back out. Scout wasn't about to leave so, I had to move slowly. I put Spirit in the doorway so she and Scout could see each other and simply closed the door. After a moment she hopped up on top of the nestbox with Scout. Mission accomplished successfully!

Fast forward to just after lunch. In the midst of trying to update the blog I got another call from downtown about a falcon on the sidewalk in front of the Rhodes Tower. Unfortunately this story doesn't end so well. It was Swoop (08/Y) and from reports it sounded like she was exercising on the ledge and then was gone from the ledge. Other accounts indicate she fell down to the ground with little or no flapping. As I have reported many times, flapping is instinctual so the fact that this bird came straight down would indicate there may have been another underlying issue. A necropsy will likely be done.

So, a busy day. Swoop's absence will be noticed much more by all of the fans out there watching than it will be by Scout and Trooper. They concentrate on what they see at the moment and so will focus all of their attention on Spirit. Hopefully she will be well fed and thus will wait to leave the ledge until she is good and ready.

Possible Fledge This Morning

2010-06-28T09:27:00.002-04:00

I haven't gotten any concrete confirmation but a couple of reports indicate that one of the juveniles may have fledged earlier this morning. The accounts indicated that the bird was flapping near the edge and basically fell off the ledge while turning around. Since then only one chick has been observed on the ledge.

At this point they have all of the feathers necessary for flight. So, even if the "take off" wasn't deliberate, once over the edge the bird will instinctively flap. It is important at this point to try and get leg band codes via the ledgecam to help tell which bird(s) are on the ledge.

Why No Peregrine Patrol?

2010-06-25T09:36:00.004-04:00

I have gotten a few emails wondering why the Division of Wildlife is not organizing volunteers to help keep watch over the juveniles as they take their first flights as is done in a few other cities. Here's the scoop: Back when we were first hacking/releasing peregrines in the beginning stages of the Division’s peregrine program (~1988-90) we had an organized fledge watch (officially called Peregrine Patrol) since young birds were out on their own with no adult falcons to care for them and at that time the survival of each and every bird was crucial to contribute to the restoration effort. The project was also brand new and not many people downtown knew about peregrines, the program or would know what to do in the event of a downed falcon—if they would even recognize the bird to be a peregrine.

After the hacking portion of the project was complete and for the first few years that we had nesting peregrines in Columbus we continued the Peregrine Patrol (~1993-95). Over the years the species became more rooted and successful in Ohio. Nesting situations differ from hacking in that fledglings have experienced adults watching out for them. The population had recovered to the point that the survival of each and every bird was not as critical as in the beginning. Further, the knowledge of the program was much more known by folks working downtown thus, we have seen over the years that when there is a downed bird it doesn’t take long for the general person to recognize it as a peregrine and take the appropriate steps. Sometimes people may not know to contact the Division directly, but through our coordination with the Columbus Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol and downtown building managers they can usually get a hold of someone fairly quickly who does know who to call. Because of these factors and waning interest in watching during fledge we discontinued the organized volunteers-on-the-ground effort, i.e., Peregrine Patrol.

Each year at fledge I continue to alert select downtown building managers when the young are expected to start flying and provide basic instructions and emergency contact information should any of their building folks become aware of a downed peregrine. The word is out—the program is well-known—and many folks that work downtown are on alert and even if they don’t personally know what to do, they can usually find someone relatively quickly who does.

Over the past couple of years a few individuals have expressed interest in resurrecting a volunteer effort to watch from the street level. It never hurts to have extra eyes out there, however, the Division of Wildlife will not actively pursue organizing an effort for the reasons explained above. Even though this agency is not taking a lead role in organizing volunteers, we fully support the interest of individuals who do want to be out there and where appropriate I have provided direction on how to handle a "falcon emergency" as well as who to contact should intervention be necessary. Ohio's peregrine project continues great success throughout the state whether folks choose to watch via their computers or make a trip to watch birds at their local nest. We thank everyone for their interest!

5 Weeks and Almost Ready to Fly

2010-06-24T13:30:00.006-04:00

It is absolutely amazing that in 5 short weeks these birds can go from an egg to ready to fly. Most of the white down has been replaced with brown juvenile feathers. The nestlings are on the verge of becoming FLEDGLINGS!

Peregrines generally fledge at about 40 days of age. In general, female chicks tend to take their first flight a little later than males, probably since they are physically larger. The first flight could occur at any time now but I predict it will likely be the weekend before either makes a serious attempt.

As the birds get closer to flying you'll notice them doing a bit more practice flapping. They might even flap hard enough that they'll hover a couple of feet up over the ledge. A flight could occur by accident if a chick happens to be too close to the edge of the ledge and a gust of wind pushes it off or, if they are fighting over food and one happens to fall back during a tussle. Another scenario is lunging towards an adult flying by with food. At any rate, they have the necessary feathers they need so once there is nothing below them but air they will automatically start flapping.

Once airborne, flying is not the hard part. The tricky part for an inexperienced falcon is landing. The young birds will have to hone their skills of maneuvering: using their tail to steer, slowing down and most of all, learning what they can and cannot land on. Reflective windows pose one of the biggest problems because the birds will not be able to differentiate between what is a reflection of sky in a window and what is really sky. Consequently, we can expect the birds to hit windows during the first couple of days on the wing as they learn some important life lessons: keep in mind that bumps and bruises are a normal and necessary part of a peregrine learning to fly in the city. The adults will still provide food for a time but it won't take long after the young master flying that they start learning to hunt for themselves.

There are several ways we confirm the status of fledging. One way is by eye witness accounts-observers that are able to see either from the street or the falconcam. The view from the falconcam does give us a window to what is going on, but it also has its limitations--areas of the ledge that are not in view and other ledges on the building we cannot see. Another way we track is by leg band reports via the falconcam. These reports are extremely important at this time to confirm which falcons are still on the ledge and which leave but make their way back. Finally, we can also ascertain the status of a fledgling if/when a bird ends up on another building or somewhere else downtown where witnesses can confirm its ID by reading the leg band. (This year's bands are: o8/Y=Swoop; 09/Y=Spirit)

For the most part Scout and Trooper will be keeping track of the young where ever they land. The Division of Wildlife will only intervene if a falcon is seriously injured or winds up in a location that it cannot get out of. Many people downtown are familiar with the falcon project and so if/when a mishap occurs we are notified. Here's a nice photo to help us remember what was just a few short weeks ago:

Another Milestone

2010-06-18T08:30:00.004-04:00

This morning marks the first time one of the chicks has made it to the upper ledge! I know folks will be worrying about a chick falling off the ledge and/or being blown off by a gust of wind. That is certainly a possibility given the nature of a cliff-nesting bird. However, in 15 years of hosting nesting peregrines at this site it has never happened so while technically it is possible it could occur, I would categorize it as not probable. While we hope it does not happen, keep in mind that peregrine falcons have been successfully raising young on cliffs (natural and man-made) all over the world for centuries and the species has been successful despite certain inherent dangers of that type of habitat.

A couple of points of optimism about the situation:
1) at many other sites the layout of the ledge and nestbox/tray puts the chicks closer to the edge much sooner than here in Columbus. As I have explained in previous posts, the layout of our ledge keeps them further from the edge until they are older.
2) their feathers are coming in so quickly that it won't be long until the chicks have enough flight feathers that even if one should happen to go off the ledge prematurely, it should be able to flutter to the ground. And don't forget, a week from now we will be talking about them flying anyway!

Another common question is what is that blob in front of the ledgecam? It is a "casting" or in other words a mass of undigested bones and feathers that the falcons expel after eating. It is very similar to an owl pellet but is called by a different name.

4 Week Mark

2010-06-16T14:05:00.003-04:00

They are growing fast! Head to toe, their body size is now very close to that of an adult. But they have a long way to go in terms of muscle development, strength and feathers. As their wing feathers grow in, expect to see a lot of flapping to help build the muscles they will use in flight. Because they are mostly sedentary up until the time when they fly for the first time, while they might be the same size as an adult they are usually a bit heavier.
Here you can see the brown juvenile feathers are coming in.

Where are the Chicks?!

2010-06-14T14:25:00.007-04:00

Well, part of the nestbox lens got hit with poo, thus the blurry right third of the picture. It is just as well though since the nestbox is empty more now than not because the chicks are mobile and venturing out on the lower part of the ledge.

I've gotten quite a few emails of concern asking if the chicks were "removed" from the box, or folks knowing they are outside and wondering if we "will we put them back in," etc. The chicks are at a normal stage in development where they start exploring their ledge. No one removed them-they are completely able to come and go as they please. And, there is no fear of them falling at this stage!! Looking at the ledge view you will notice that the nestbox sits down in a recessed area of the ledge that is at least 10 inches lower than the upper ledge. Thus, it will be some time before the chicks are physically able to jump up to the upper part of the ledge where they can get close to the edge. Since they are able to walk around, they will be exploring up and down that lower part of the ledge and so will be out of view at times.

On this view from the ledgecam you can see them huddled together, likely napping, just outside of the nestbox:

The camera angles are basically the same as we've had since we first started the cams in the late 1990s and cannot and will not be changed. There is obviously limitations to the view but that is how it has always been. The chicks will be most visible when food is brought and at night when they will likely return to the nestbox to sleep.

I hope to capture an image this week to show how they look at 4 weeks old. Their fluffy white down is starting to be replaced with their brown juvenile feathers. They will really transform quickly over the next 2 weeks.

Media Coverage of the Banding

2010-06-10T10:23:00.004-04:00

The chicks continue to do well and I'm happy to report that (so far) the nestbox lens has stayed clean! The banding has received a lot of publicity. All three TV stations in Columbus (Channels 4, 6 and 10) were there to cover the event on Tuesday. In addition, print media was in attendence as well. As I become aware of published stories I will provide links. To continue the coverage even after the banding, I was a guest "Live" on this morning's Good Day Columbus program on Fox 28. Hopefully they will post the video of the interview on their website.

Here's a nice synopsis of the banding posted on YouTube.

In the past few days I've gotten quite a few inquiries on the whereabouts of Trooper, the male. Folks aren't seeing him via the cams and are worried that he isn't around. He is present, he just hasn't been perching within view of the cams much. He is doing his part to care for the chicks by hunting. He is providing food but handing it off to Scout to feed to the chicks.

Banding Goes Great!

2010-06-08T13:51:00.003-04:00

The Columbus banding event went extremely well. We believe, based on overall size that both chicks are females. The kids who won the naming contest were extremely enthusiastic to help put one of the leg bands on "their" falcon.

Believe it or not we sometimes get criticism from a few individuals for banding these birds. It's a shame that people do not undertand the significance of banding. The process is important for research purposes (how else would we know where our Columbus young disperse to and that it is Scout nesting in Columbus and where she came from?); and 2.) the actual banding event really helps to raise awareness about the species and wildlife conservation in general. Only a handful of people actually are able to attend the banding, however, live streaming the event makes it available to the world.

Regarding the naming contest, we are able to educate an entire school about peregrine falcons and increase the appreciation of the kids for wild creatures in their communities. Besides each individual student, through conversations the interest, knowledge and excitement is transferred to their parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, neighbors and so on and so on. Consider it an investment in the future!

While the chicks and adults may be stressed during the event they recover very, very quickly. We know from many years of banding many nestlings, that an hour out of the lives of these birds is well worth the exposure that the species receives resulting in increased education and awareness of people all over.

Here are the details on names/bands. Each bird received a purple U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service band on the right leg and a black over red band (b/r) on the left leg:
Swoop: 08/Y
Spirit: 09/Y

At some point in the near future we should have a video of the banding available on our website. It will take a little time for editing. As soon as it's ready and posted, I'll post the link here. Thanks to everyone for watching the banding! Now we prepare for the next stage--fledging! It won't be long!

Names are Chosen -- Update on Banding

2010-06-07T14:06:00.006-04:00

The votes are in (over 5,000 of them!) and this year's Columbus falcon chicks will be named:

"Spirit" and "Swoop"

Thanks again to the students of Benjamin Harrison Elementary School in Marion for participating in the contest and thanks to everyone for voting.

The chicks are nearing their 3rd week birthday and continue to grow! Today I was able to watch as the chick that had its foot stuck in a crack last week walked around and repeatedly grasped at one of the unhatched eggs. I also saw it hold the remains of a wing from a recent meal. All good signs that there was no damage to the leg or foot. Interesting to see also that the chick was holding its own food and picking at it. They grow and develop so quickly. Hard to imagine that in only a few weeks from now they will be fully flighted and catching prey on their own. Here is the ~3 week old photo:

Banding is set for tomorrow at 10 a.m. and will be shown on the nestbox live streaming feed. The normal 8 minute timeout of the live streaming will be disabled to allow viewers to watch the banding without having to reload the page. The banding is scheduled to begin at about 10 a.m. If you happen to be watching earlier do not be alarmed if you see Division of Wildlife personnel out on the ledge. Sometimes we need to access the ledge ahead of time to prepare for the banding. Further, with last minute testing there may be times when the video feed is temporarily unavailable. We are sorry for this inconvenience but it is necessary to have things ready to go for the "main event."

If you missed it, please check out my post from yesterday regarding the live streaming issue.

Live Streaming - Important Notice!!!!

2010-06-06T08:41:00.003-04:00

Many, many people all over the world enjoy the ODNR, Division of Wildlife's Columbus Peregrine Falconcam and we are glad!!! However, along with the popularity has come an unanticipated problem.

To provide the live streaming video service we pay for every minute every user is playing each of the video streams. That is why we set up the streaming service to time out after 8 minutes - to help limit the time folks are on and thus limit the costs involved. However, through technology some people have figured out a way to get past the 8 minute timeout and thus run the streaming for longer periods of time. Every minute costs the Division of Wildlife money.

The Division of Wildlife operates on a fiscal year basis and are currently almost at the end of 4th quarter for FY10. The new fiscal year will begin in July. We are authorized to spend only previously approved budgeted monies and unfortunately, we are already overspent in this quarter for the Falconcam and we still have most of June to go. Costs for the live streaming are up over 30% from last year. This increased usage of our site that has resulted in increased costs were completely unanticipated and is why we are over budget.

How did this happen? Since the overall number of viewers to our site is similar to past years, it is likely from increased numbers of users bypassing the timeout and running the live streams for extended periods of time.

What does this mean? Worst case scenario is we may be forced to shut down the live streaming service until the next quarter budget is available to spend. Obviously, we don't want to do that since the rest of June will be prime time viewing.

What can be done? We are requesting approval to spend more than what we had budgeted for the final quarter this fiscal year. However, with strict budget restrictions statewide mandated by Governor Strickland there is no guarantee we will receive permission to do this. We may shorten the video sessions to timeout sooner than 8 minutes but that won't make a difference with the folks who are bypassing the timeout altogether. So, I will put out the request to anyone who is bypassing the timeout to please only run the live streams when you are actively watching. Please do not pull up the live streams for hours at a time to just have on so you can check in now and then.

I wish that I could just request everyone hit the "Support Falcons" donation button on the screen to keep us up and running. While we always appreciate donations and I don't want to deter anyone from being generous, the problem right now is immediate and donations go into a fund to be appropriated through a budget approved in the future.

On behalf of the Division of Wildlife, I thank everyone for your support and understanding during this time. Rest assured, we will continue the live streaming as long as possible and it will be available on Tuesday, June 8 for the banding with no timeout during the event. Regardless of what happens with the live streaming, the refreshed still images will still be available.

There is still time to vote for your choice of names for the two chicks. The webpoll will remain up until midday Monday, June 7.

Two Weeks Old

2010-06-03T20:32:00.007-04:00

It's been two weeks since hatch and the nestlings are growing fast! Both chicks look healthy and normal--even the one that had its foot caught earlier this week. Banding will take place on Tuesday, June 8. The event is scheduled to be shown via live, streaming video on our website beginning at 10 a.m.

When there has been unhatched eggs in past years we have removed them at banding, however, Jennifer Norris, our statewide peregrine biologist has advised that she wishes the eggs to be left in the nest until later this summer when the box is cleaned out during usual post-nesting maintenance. Therefore, we won't be able to answer the question of if the eggs were infertile until later this year.

Don't forget to cast your vote to name the chicks! Click here to go to the webpoll. The Marion Star ran a great article about the students at Benjamin Harrison having the opportunity to name the chicks.

Name Webpoll Up!

2010-06-01T10:04:00.009-04:00

Thanks to the students at Benjamin Harrison Elementary School in Marion for hosting this year's naming contest. Check back in the archives from Sept, 2009 for a post about the students at BH who inspired their classmates to learn about birds.

Because of their above average initiative and interest in our program, this year we picked Benjamin Harrison to host the naming contest.

The kids are asked to submit names that reflect the power, agility and majesty of this raptor. As always, the final names chosen fall within the following guidelines:

-not a human name

-non gender specific

-not used in Columbus in the past 10 years (Stealth was previously used in Columbus in 1996)

-not used anywhere in Ohio the current or previous year

Students submitted over 180 names! A panel of local wildlife enthusiasts narrowed the names down to what appears on the webpoll. Voting will continue through noon on Monday, June 7.

We hope that everyone votes! Click here to go to the webpoll!

Both Chicks Fine

2010-06-01T08:27:00.006-04:00

The front of the nestbox camera has a bit of whitewash on it now-part of the view is blurry because of the poo. It sure would be nice if the chicks could "perfect their aim" and keep from decorating it much more!

Yesterday afternoon, one of the chicks got a foot caught in a crevice just outside of the nestbox. We monitored the situation yesterday. When it was apparent that the bird was not able to free itself we did access the ledge this morning and freed it. When I first went out on the ledge, both chicks were lying down together calmly.

What probably happened is that the foot went down in the crack but when the chick made a fist with its foot, the foot wouldn't fit back up through the crack. The good news is there wasn't any pinching or obvious injury.

Of the two chicks, one has more bluish feet, the other yellow feet. For monitoring purposes, it was the left foot of the chick with the yellow feet. Again, there was no broken skin or cuts so the chick was put back into the nestbox. We will give it a closer look next week at banding, which is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8.

Here is a photo of the area in front of the nestbox. You can see the crack. Know that in over 15 years of this site hosting nesting peregrines we've never had an incident. For now there is a white towel shoved into the crack to keep this from happening again in the next couple of weeks. The white towel is visible on the ledge view - so it might appear as though a chick is under the camera housing but it is only the towel! We apologize in advance for any confusion, but it was the only thing we had with us at the moment.

Where's the 2nd Chick?!

2010-05-28T17:08:00.005-04:00

A little over a week old and the chicks are starting to get mobile. This is the time we start to get anxious inquiries wondering why there is only one chick?! The simple answer is that the chicks can walk around and there are places in the front of the nestbox that the cam doesn't show. So, don't be alarmed - they are both still safe - if you don't see any chicks or just see one, it is because they are starting to wander and explore their surroundings outside of the view of the camera.
When they are out on an "excursion" there is no danger of them falling off of the building though - by looking at the ledgecam view you will notice the nestbox actually sets down in a recessed area of the ledge. The upper part of the ledge is a good 10 inches higher than where the nestbox is and at this young age the chicks cannot make it up that "step" so there is no danger of them getting anywhere close to the actual edge of the ledge where they might fall off.

One Week Old!

2010-05-27T09:07:00.004-04:00

I always like to post photos of milestones to help put into perspective how fast these birds grow. Here is a saved image at about one week of age. It is interesting also with the unhatched egg in the frame for comparison. Within a week they have at least tripled their size!

Unusually hot temperatures with clear skies (=brilliant sun on the ledge) this week has resulted in the chicks needing less brooding than they would normally get at this age. That allows us to get good looks at them doing what they do best: sleeping and pooping!

The unhatched eggs (if still present) will be removed from the nestbox at banding, which will likely be the week of June 7.

The students at Benjamin Harrison Elementary School in Marion County have submitted their choice of names for the chicks. Tomorrow a panel of wildlife enthusiasts will pick finalists from over 180 entries received. This group of names will be set up on a webpoll next week to allow the public to select the winning names. Stay tuned!

Final Count: Two Chicks - Two Unhatched Eggs

2010-05-24T09:20:00.006-04:00

The chicks aren't even a week old and they have already more than doubled in size. It is amazing how fast they grow! The nestbox is starting to get a little messy with feces. Soon, they will be pooping on the front of the camera housing and it may block our view. However, if the chicks stay towards the east end of the nestbox where they have been lately then perhaps the camera will stay cleaner longer!

There was concern yesterday that one of the chicks was "caught" at the rear of the box. Despite whatever was going on--if anything--all seems fine now.

If any of the remaining eggs were going to hatch, they would have by now. Scout may continue to brood them along with the chicks but as time goes on and the chicks continue to grow, the unhatched eggs will eventually be moved aside. It is possible the adults may even remove them from the nest.

Columbus Falcons in the Media

2010-05-21T11:37:00.003-04:00

A lot of media has covered the hatching this week! I was interviewed yesterday by WBNS (10TV). WSYX (channel 6) will air an interview on tonight's newscast, plus they put a blurb on their Facebook page. There have also been blurbs in the Columbus Dispatch and other outlets as well.

Still waiting for another hatch...it is possible we could only have 2 chicks this year. The two chicks appear healthy and are eating well and only time will tell if we see another hatch...

For those of you who missed it, this video of the 2nd egg hatching was put together by Pascal Gerding in the Netherlands. Enjoy!

Still 2 - Trooper's Antics

2010-05-20T15:45:00.004-04:00

Still only 2 of the eggs have hatched as of mid-afternoon today. There have been a lot of feedings and all looks normal. Here's a video clip from yesterday when Trooper was messing around with one of the egg shells. Some think it looks like Trooper was "wearing the shell like a hat." It was actually just momentarily caught on his beak--one of those awkward moments in nature that we aren't supposed to see!

Second Chick and 1st Feed

2010-05-19T13:45:00.003-04:00

Things are progressing well! The second chick hatched a little after 11 a.m. today, 5/19/10. The chicks were fed awhile later:

#2 on the Way...?

2010-05-19T10:50:00.004-04:00

Nice picture sent in by Terry shows a very prominent pip!

1st Chick

2010-05-19T09:35:00.003-04:00

The first chick revealed this morning, Wednesday, May 19th:All looks well. The chicks don't need to eat for at least a day or two after hatching, as they are still being nourished by the yolk sac.

Late last evening, watchers reported hearing the chick vocalizing from inside the egg and a video was posted to YouTube. One fan even reported "watching" a dark screen in the middle of the night but was still able to hear the chick(s). I'm glad we were able to get the nestbox audio working in time! Hopefully, more hatching to come!

We have a Hatch!

2010-05-19T06:10:00.002-04:00

Definitely sign of hatch - egg shells in the box! But we'll have to wait a bit to see the first chick:

Hatching Expected Soon...

2010-05-17T08:40:00.003-04:00

No hatch over the weekend but it could start at any moment. The weather forecast for Columbus today and tomorrow calls for rain and temps in the 60s. This will likely result in Scout staying tighter on the eggs than those of us who want a good view of things would prefer! But keep in mind that the chick working to free itself from the egg generates a lot of heat (think of it along the lines of exercising vigorously inside a wet suit!). So, when it comes to actual hatch she will be up forming a tent around the eggs with her wings. Let's just hope she doesn't have her back to the camera! In the meantime, expect to see a lot of up and down, up and down, looking down at the eggs, etc. Here is a short video clip of typical behavior:

We plan to work on the nestbox mic today - evidently there is a problem in the wiring between the microphone and the computer that sends the audio with the live stream. More on that later....

Nearing the Home Stretch

2010-05-11T08:26:00.005-04:00

Incubation in total takes around 33 days. We are in the final days before hatch, however, it was difficult to predict when the birds actually began setting full time so I don't have an exact date to expect hatch. My best estimate is that hatch will occur between May 16-19th. Keep in mind this is only a prediction and so could be off. Don't be surprised if hatch begins earlier and don't panic if hatch is late!

The eggs usually hatch over a couple of days time. Here is what to watch for to help tell when hatch is close: A day or so prior to hatching the chicks will begin vocalizing from inside the egg and pecking to work their way out. The adult birds can hear the chirping and feel the vibration and so their behavior will change. While throughout the majority of incubation they have set tight on the eggs we can expect the incubating adult to become very restless. It will get up and look down at the eggs more often, settle back down, and be up looking again within a short time.

Eggs can hatch at any time of the day or night but we usually see the most hatching during daylight hours. The process will start with a pip--a small hole pecked through the shell from the inside by the chick using it's "egg tooth." It will take some time from pipping for the chick to actually come completely out of the shell.

Don't be surprised if you see Scout eating the egg shells. This is one way for her to replenish calcium in her body that was lost from her system when she produced the eggs initially. After hatching the chicks will need to be kept warm so Scout will brood the hatchlings. This may look similar to incubation but she will actually be sitting up higher and may hold her wings out from her body more than we see during incubation.

There is still some troubleshooting to be done (from inside the building) to get the nestbox mic back to 100%. We hope that work will be completed this week and it restores the audio to what it should be.

As for whether the "odd egg" will hatch or not...we'll all be watching to find out the answer to that question together! Here's a picture of one day when it appeared as though Scout was using the egg as a pillow!

The Forgotten Egg...?!

2010-05-04T12:46:00.006-04:00

More and more we are noticing that Scout seems to be "forgetting" about the egg that lacks pigment. Oftentimes it has been left out at her side and not incubated while the other eggs are warm beneath her. This afternoon it is even cast off to the side away from the others. We can't say for certain what is going on, but I suspect that because the pigment it did have seems to have faded, it could indicate a “dead” egg. If the egg is infertile or the embryo has died then it isn’t developing as the others and so it would be a different weight/mass then the other eggs. This would make it not “roll” the same as the other eggs. The adults would be able to pick up on this difference when they are moving the eggs and settling down on them. It will be very interesting to see if it hatches but if it continues to be left out and off to the side it doesn't look promising. At least we can assume that the other 3 eggs are doing well!

Trooper vs. Scout vs. Trooper - Which Falcon is on the Eggs??!!

2010-04-27T11:11:00.003-04:00

Here are some ways to help tell which adult is incubating. If you click on the photo, it should open to a larger window for easier reading and/or printing:

Tick-tock, Tick-tock, Tick-tock....

2010-04-23T10:14:00.006-04:00

So....the second week of incubation is looking a lot like the first week did: Scout on eggs...Trooper on eggs...Scout on eggs sleeping...eggs alone...Trooper on eggs...Scout standing over eggs...Trooper on eggs sleeping...and so on and so on. While it may not be the most exciting thing to watch, it is good that incubation is so mundane--because it implies everything is progressing normally.

There was a brief interesting moment yesterday when 2 pigeons landed on the nest ledge just outside of where Scout was incubating. Scout didn't seem to mind and did not leave her post.I was trying to capture video at the moment but wasn't quick enough. Thanks to a dedicated fan for these saved still images.

In the coming days I will attempt to save and post images of the two adults in incubating position as a comparison to help viewers better tell Scout from Trooper and vice versa.

Incubation on track!

2010-04-15T11:09:00.004-04:00

Well, it seems that Scout is now focused on incubation. It is possible there could be another egg, but four is the normal clutch size. We were able to get a better look at the egg laid yesterday and it appears to be intact, just lacking pigment on both ends. It's likely just a "cosmetic defect" and the egg should develop normally.

What to expect during incubation...? For the most part it will be watching a bird sit on rocks - basically, one of the adults will be on the eggs almost 24/7 for the next +/-33 days to keep them at a consistent temperature for development of the embryo. In general, not too dramatic! Scout will assume most of the incuation duty, while Trooper's role is to provide her food and take her place on the eggs while she eats.

However, we can expect some variation in the action: combine a south-facing ledge with unusually warm temperatures and there will be times, especially on bright sunny days, that Scout won't be as tight on the eggs, in fact, she may even shade them. This is to prevent the eggs from being too warm. In past years she has rolled them to a different location within the box and then back to the main scrape. So, there will be some different behaviors to watch for over the next several weeks.

Egg No. 4

2010-04-14T13:08:00.005-04:00

As of midday today, 4/14/10, there are now 4 eggs in the nest. So far, Scout has not been very focused on incubation duty. This lack of attention won't hurt the eggs as they will remain in limbo until they receive consistent heat through incubation. However, it will make estimating a hatch date a little tricky...

The new egg looks like it is lacking pigment on the end, or maybe is stained with feces. The other end in the shadows looks odd also, almost like it could be broken. However, if the egg is cracked it's very likely the falcons would have removed it from the nest. Or not(!). All we can do is continue to watch and monitor the situation to see how it plays out.

We hope to get the sound situation corrected later this week. Right now both microphones are coming through on the ledge live streaming and no sound is with the nest box streaming. The work to correct this will be done inside the building with no affect on the birds whatsoever.

And, the winning name is.....

2010-04-12T12:41:00.006-04:00

TROOPER!
28% of 3452 votes chose Trooper! It was a tight race! The name Mystery was a very close second and Drifter also received more than 20% of the votes.

The name Trooper was submitted by four individuals. One name was picked at random to determine the ultimate winner: Congratulations to Karen Lee of Mount Vernon, OH! For the entry, Karen will receive a peregrine falcon hat from the Wild Ohio Shop. The other folks who submitted the name suggestion (Deb Karr, Betsy Harmon, and Robbin Lee Sneddon) will receive Division of Wildlife water bottles.

Thanks again to everyone for each of the 748 suggestions submitted and for all of the votes. We really appreciate the participation and hope that everyone had fun.

By the way, please be advised that technical difficulties with the live streaming are to be expected and we sincerely apologize for when the service is down. However, in most cases the refreshed images will still be available, so there is that opportunity to continue to watch what is going on at the nest when the streaming is not operational. Note that we do monitor the site but are usually unable to troubleshoot or perform reboots after normal business hours. Feel free to email to alert us to problems with the website but after reading a few emails from this past weekend I would like to ask if you do write in, to please refrain from being rude in your emails! Thank you very much!

And, a 3rd!!!

2010-04-12T07:24:00.006-04:00

Egg #3: Monday morning, April 12, 2010!

2 Eggs!

2010-04-11T18:51:00.003-04:00

The second egg was visible as the day broke on Saturday, April 10.

Incubation usually starts with the next-to-the-last egg (the normal clutch for peregrines is 4 eggs). In the meantime, the egg(s) are in limbo. There isn't any development until the eggs are kept at the proper, consistent temperature.

1ST EGG & info on name choices

2010-04-08T08:29:00.005-04:00

The first egg has FINALLY appeared! It was first observed by some viewers as early as 6:47 a.m. when the nestbox was still very dark, but the egg was barely visible. Additional daylight a few minutes later brightened the box to reveal the egg for sure! Thanks to Ethel for this photo of the male with the egg early in the day:Eggs are laid every 2-3 days so we can expect the 2nd egg over the weekend.

The voting continues for the name for the male. Several of the finalists were submitted by more than one individual. If a name wins that was suggested by more than one person we will pick the final winner at random, just like we do with the childrens' naming contest for the chicks. Here are a few comments submitted with the name choices:
Astro: "came flying in like an astro (star)"
Drifter: "drifted into town," "no leg bands, no way to know where he came from"
Flint: "Ohio's state stone," "feathers are flint colored, strong powerful name"
Mystery: too many people submitted this choice to list all the comments but most remarks referred to the fact that he is not banded therefore it is a "mystery" as to where he came from
Trooper: "embarking on a bold new phase of his life, which requires a lot of bravery, tenacity, and commitment," "a real "trooper" and came through when we needed him," "correlates well with Scout"

Many suggested "Wilbur" to complement Orville, however, the name "Wilbur" was already used for a nestmate of Orville's in Dayton in 2003. Names playing on a "new" theme were not chosen as finalists because we genuinely hope he sticks around in which case the "new" would not apply in subsequent years.

We thank each and every person who took the time to submit name suggestions. There were SO many wonderful choices and it was very apparent that everyone put a lot of thought into their choice. Regardless of what we call him, we are glad he has claimed the Columbus territory!!

Time to Vote for a Name for the Male!

2010-04-05T09:57:00.002-04:00

Still no eggs and everyone is anxious...evidently, Scout's system is taking more time to cycle and produce an egg than WE would like, but there should be an egg soon...We do know that she is an accomplished egg-layer, so it is only a matter of time. Meanwhile, the online poll is now live to vote for your choice of name for the new male in Columbus.

We had over 700 submissions and it was very difficult to narrow down the choices for the online poll. Many names that made the final cut had to be eliminated last minute because we found out about some naming guidelines that are in place in the Midwest that we were previously unaware of. Our statewide falcon biologist also did not want us to use a name that was already the name of a nesting falcon elsewhere in Ohio or a name of a falcon that may not be nesting in Ohio but has recently been observed and so could be seen again. With over 700 to choose from we think we still have a good selection and appreciate everyone's vote!

Name survey closes tonight; Mating video

2010-04-01T16:24:00.002-04:00

The name survey is scheduled to go offline tonight at midnight. When I checked the other day, there were over 500 submissions! Tomorrow we will narrow the choices in preparation for an online poll next week to pick the winning name.

Here is a link to a video that shows mating that was posted on YouTube by a dedicated falcon fan. The birds have been together for two weeks now, and that is the length of time that it typically takes for the female to cycle and produce eggs. So...hopefully we will see eggs in the next couple of days!

Name Survey Launched!

2010-03-26T09:08:00.004-04:00

The survey to submit your choice of name for the new male peregrine at the Rhodes State Office Tower is now live!

A couple of guidelines to know:
1) names that have already been used for young hatched in Columbus are not eligible
2) the names Aurora, Bandit, Victory and Orville are also not eligible
3) non-human and gender-neutral name suggestions are preferred
4) submit one name per entry only and provide the contact info requested
5) submissions without contact information will not qualify
6) survey will be active until midnight April 1, after which the ODNR, Division of Wildlife will narrow the choices submitted. The winning name will be determined through public vote via a online poll beginning on or about April 5th.
7) the person submitting the winning name will receive a token of appreciation from the Division of Wildlife
8) if more than one person submits the name that is ultimately chosen, one person will be selected at random to receive the prize.

Thanks for your interest! Click here to goto the survey.
The survey can also be accessed from the home page of the ODNR, Division of Wildlife's website: http://www.wildohio.com/

Mating and a Name for the Newbie

2010-03-25T08:57:00.007-04:00

Courtship is progressing and all looks normal at the nest. This morning mating was observed on the ledge at approximately 8:25 a.m. Scout is often seen with prey, no doubt caught by the newbie male and presented to her as part of the bonding process. Scout continues to work on the scrape in the nestbox which is another form of pair bonding and helps to integrate the pair.

Off-camera the two are probably also engaging in cooperative hunting and flight displays. So, anyone that can spend some time downtown would likely see this additional element of the birds' lives that the cameras don't show. All of the courtship and mating behaviors are a definite great sign for a productive nesting season but given all of the processes involved, it usually takes a couple of weeks for the female to cycle and produce eggs.

While we wait for eggs, we've decided to allow the fans to pick a name for the new male! As many folks out there know, the names for the nestling falcons at the Columbus nest are chosen through a contest held by a local school. And most times, a new adult falcon coming into a territory is usually already banded and named, so our general pool of fans out there doesn't have too many opportunities to help name a peregrine in Columbus. This year will be your chance! In the very near future we will launch a survey whereby anyone can submit their choice for a name for the new male. The survey will be up for several days, after which a few of us here at the Ohio Division of Wildlife will narrow all of the choices submitted to a list of finalists. The names making the final cut will then be up for public vote via a webpoll in early April. So, stay tuned and start thinking of your choice of name!

Update on cams and a peek at Eclipse!

2010-03-24T12:57:00.006-04:00

The cameras seem to be adjusted properly now...or so I hope! We had to change a setting in the nestbox after it was too bright yesterday. Seems normal now but the downside is no picture after dark like we had the first night after install. Oh well-daytime viewing is most important.

We still need to correct the sound but that adjustment can be made from the inside. We'll be working on that in the near future.

Both Scout and the male have been around this morning so it appears that courtship is progressing normally. Hopefully we will have eggs within a couple of weeks.

If you are wondering, the yellowish feathers in the nestbox are from a Northern flicker. Some were there on Monday and at that time I tidied up the nestbox and picked them out. Now there are more. Either another flicker was consumed or perhaps the wind blew them back in.
One of the young from last year's nest, Eclipse, was observed in Cleveland on 3/22/10! I don't have any further details at this time but it is always exciting to hear about "our" young after they have moved on.

New Nestbox Cam and a good look at the newbie

2010-03-22T21:45:00.000-04:00

This afternoon we installed the new nestbox cam. When we first went out on the ledge, both Scout and the new male were there. Scout was in no hurry to give up her turf to us! The male made several passes and you can even see him in this photo "backing up" Scout: The new cam is a bit more technologically advanced than what we had previously and hopefully will offer a more even picture in harsh lighting conditions. As I write this after 9 pm I notice the inside of the nestbox is still very light so we'll have extended viewing anyway! Here we are trying to troubleshoot the audio. Right now both microphones (nestbox and ledge) are coming through on the ledgecam live streaming, and no audio is coming through on the nestbox live stream. So, more work to be done on the audio but luckily, that is work that is all done on the inside of the building so we won't be disturbing the birds.
Finally, for more "behind the scenes" photos of today's ledge visit, be sure to visit the Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp page on facebook and Become a Fan!

More on the New Male & Cam Update

2010-03-22T10:01:00.003-04:00

Later this afternoon we will replace the nestbox camera but until then expect the picture to be blue and green. While we are working, all video feeds will be temporarily disconnected. Our work out on the ledge will be done as quickly as possible so as to minimize disturbance to the "new bird."

It appears as though the new male does not have leg bands. Therefore, we have no idea where he came from or his age. His plumage looks to be full adult which would make him at least 3 years old. Mary Anne posted this video of the male and Scout with prey that he likely caught for her. Here is another photo showing a bare leg (thanks to Mary Anne for this picture as well):

New male finally shows himself!!!

2010-03-21T19:49:00.006-04:00

The suspicion of a second bird is finally confirmed! Here's a photo courtesy of Margaret K. The male is the falcon closest to the ledge camera in this shot:

Over the past couple of days a second bird has been seen flying by and perching on the next ledge over while Scout has been very vocal and has been coming and going/in and out of the nest box. Also, Scout has been seen with prey on the nest ledge which would indicate some courtship behavior (the male catches prey for the female). But his failure to perch on the nest ledge has frustrated many watchers who have been anxious to get a good look at him! On Sunday, 3/21/10, he finally was caught on camera at the nest ledge! And the best news is he appears to be an adult bird! More information to come soon!

March is Marching on and Still No Mate - or could there be?!

2010-03-19T12:16:00.004-04:00

Several times this week Scout has been very antsy: vocalizing, going and in and out of the nestbox, flying off the ledge, coming right back, etc. A couple of times a 2nd bird has been seen flying by or landing on the next ledge over but so far no concrete sightings to confirm if the bird is a male or another female threatening the territory. It certainly seems as though she is acting like a potential mate is near, but no good view yet. So, we continue to wait.

Early next week we will be replacing the nestbox camera and experimenting with settings on the ledgecam to help lighten up the back corner behind the nestbox to make for better viewing in the afternoon hours. While we're on the ledge we hope to see two falcons flying by!

Visitors

2010-03-11T08:50:00.002-05:00

Various visitors to the ledge to report:

On Sunday, 3/7/10, a brave pair of pigeons spent some time on the ledge and even investigated the nestbox!

Thanks to Mary Anne for saving and allowing me to share these images.

Then, on Weds., 3/10/10 an adult peregrine was observed!! I was at the Division of Wildlife's annual Wildlife Diversity Conference all day so I missed the action. Luckily, others were watching and saving videos. A video was posted on YouTube. Looking at the footage, it appears that Scout was aggressive towards this bird therefore, it may have been another female that was investigating the area.

Meanwhile, we are looking into a new camera for the nestbox since it seems to be intent on glitching out, as evidenced by the lovely yellow-green tone in the photo above and flashing to blue on the live streaming. We are working in a very small window of time to get something purchased and installed since it is so close to nesting season. However, without a male (thus no eggs in the immediate near future) it does give us a little extra time. Stay tuned!

Cam seems to be acting up...

2010-03-05T13:22:00.004-05:00

Still no evidence of a male but Scout has been pretty active this week. There has been several times she has been vocalizing and taking flight from the ledge in what seems like an urgent manner only to come back quickly and leave again. This seems to indicate another falcon in the area but since there's been no sign of another bird on the ledge it could likely be that she is defending the territory from another female that may be around. The cams show us so much more than we'd ever have the chance to see but there's a lot that they DON'T show, too! A reminder that the cams are no substitute for eyewitness observations.

Meanwhile, the cams have been acting funny. Oh, how frustrating! The nestbox cam in particular was flashing a plain blue screen. The blue screen is usually a result of the video feed being interrupted. My theory is perhaps there is some work being done in the building that is jiggling a cable and causing a break in connection. The nestbox is also now markedly pink-toned for no apparent reason. We're in the process of troubleshooting and hope to make some adjustments to camera settings next week. Thanks for your patience!

When are we going to get a new male...??!!!

2010-02-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

I know some viewers are anxious and getting nervous that we still don't have a new male in Columbus. Some of the questions on people's minds involve what Scout will do if she doesn't find a mate; will she leave and might we get a different pair in Columbus, and so on.

First, let me say that there is still PLENTY of time for a new male to fly into town for our nesting season to proceed on schedule. We are still a month away from egg laying. Given that a male can come into the territory and mate with Scout within a day's time gives us a very wide window. As the days continue to get longer it will increase the number of unmated peregrines on the move so again, the arrival of a new male could literally happen at any moment.

OK then - for all of the doubters out there...what if it doesn't happen? Will Scout leave? Not likely. This is and has been her established territory for many years. The absence of a male would not be a reason for her to up and leave. Would we get an entirely new pair? Also doubtful. Once a pair has a territory, they don't "shop around" for a new area. They stay on territory the same as Scout will stay on her territory. There's always the possibility that a lone female could wander into town with an interest in the territory, however, Scout would defend her area against a female intruder. The only way we'd get a new pair completely is if an umated female usurped the territory from Scout and then a new male came in after that. For those who track peregrine nestings around the world you'll know that scenario is always possible but it really doesn't happen very often.

Regardless of how the Columbus situation plays out, this is an exciting time. The next few weeks will be prime time for the arrival of a new male and everyone is in suspense. Over the years the Columbus FalconCams have given us a peek into the lives of these birds and many have enjoyed watching eggs hatch and young grow. It's easy to be distracted about what we don't have/what we aren't seeing via the cams-we aren't seeing a new male. But looking beyond what we don't have, I hope that everyone realizes the educational opportunity that the cams are continuing to give through this different (and completely normal) phase of a peregrine's life-a change in mate. Even if the view isn't of the type of activity and behaviors we might want to see, it is nonetheless an important time in Scout's life and we are all witnesses! You might say this is the best reality show on the web!

Interesting Shadow

2010-02-02T13:14:00.013-05:00

A break in the clouds today produced an interesting shadow. Scout was sitting on top of the nestbox and projected on the back wall of the nestbox was a clear shadow of her tail and wing tips. The shadow illustrated just how long the wings of a peregrine are.

This is remarkable because I often get calls from people reporting a peregrine falcon they saw in their backyard. While such a report is certainly possible, it is far more probable that the typical suburban caller observed a Cooper's hawk--not a peregrine. These two species of raptors are similar in size and plumage and both prey on small birds, thus they are often confused. But the main difference between the 2 species is how their bodies are built that defines the typical niche they hunt in. Cooper's hawks have short wings and a long tail that is used as a rudder to maneuver amongst trees and shrubs found in the typical backyard. Peregrines, on the other hand, have extremely long wings and a short tail. They need a wide open space to pursue their prey and wouldn't do well chasing a songbird through tree branches--their wings would simply get caught up in the tangle.

This difference in their wings and tail is extremely evident when one knows what to look at. When the bird is perched and wings folded against the body, notice where the tip of the wings fall in relation to the tip of the tail. On a Cooper's hawk, the tail will extend several inches beyond the end of the wings. On a peregrine, the wing tips will be as long or even longer than the tail. I thought Scout's shadow today showed how long the wing tips are on a peregrine in quite a unique way.

Audio, too!

2010-01-15T08:17:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention in my post yesterday that we were able to reinstall the nestbox microphone also! So, sound is now available on both views of the live streaming.

I noted watching the cams yesterday there appears to be a color shift on the nestbox view and the ledge view was very dark later in the afternoon. No doubt there are some camera settings we will have to tweak. But at least we have plenty of time to work out the bugs prior to nesting!
Enjoy!

"New" Cams!

2010-01-14T13:20:00.005-05:00

This morning we switched out cameras...not really to new cameras but different cameras. Actually, we dug out cameras from storage, blew off the dust, replaced a couple of missing parts and re-installed these "old" cameras. So, you may notice a slightly different view from last season, but if you compare back to 2008 you'll see the very same camera angle and views. The best part about going back to the old cameras is that we will not have the strobing/flashing/blinking effect that was so bothersome with the IP cameras.

We did not see Scout any of the time we were working on the ledge. It would have been nice for Jason and Doug (the installers) to have the experience of seeing a peregrine up close, but then again, it is much easier to work up there without the distraction.

Meanwhile, one floor below the nest, Michael Limes of i5 Consulting and Lindsay Deering, webmaster with the Division of Wildlife, were hard at work on the computer/software end of the project. Good news, the still images of the nestbox view are working again as are the floating windows!

Welcome to 2010

2010-01-12T09:22:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

In anticipation for the coming nesting season we will be working on the cameras soon. Right now, we are tentatively scheduled to be working on the system on Thursday morning, Jan 14. Expect the cams to be down at this time. Hopefully, our efforts will result in better viewing. Stay tuned...!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-22T13:00:00.005-05:00

Well, it has been an eventful 2009 and we are looking forward to a productive 2010. However, we'll need to get a new male in the territory to complete the productive part...(!) No sign of a new bird yet, but there is plenty of time before nesting season for that to happen and we will continue to be optimistic.

With the end of the year approaching, I thought it a good time to review some statistics for the blog. In 2009, over 42,000 unique visitors logged over 186,000 visits!!! Most of the traffic was during the nesting season (April-June), however, even in the "off-season" there is still a fair amount of traffic. Here are the extremes:
the high was April 30 with 2,923 visits
the low was January 4 with 28 visits
yesterday, December 21 there was 218 visits

In all, visits came from 70 countries around the world! Within the United States, Ohio was #1 with 123,000+ visits from 413 cities! 48% of the Ohio traffic came from the Columbus area.

I've reported these types of numbers before but it really never ceases to amaze me the following our Columbus peregrines have. Thank you to all of the fans out there for making our program so successful!

Happy Holidays!

Cleveland's Loss Hits Close to Home

2009-11-19T13:07:00.008-05:00

Got word today that Buckeye (*R/K), the adult male from the Terminal Tower nest in Cleveland died on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009. He was found on the sidewalk in Cleveland with injuries consistent with a building/window collision.

This makes news in Columbus because he fledged from "our" nest in 1996--one of 4 young produced that year (all males!). 1996 was notable in my mind for two reasons: it was the first year I was in charge of monitoring the nest in Columbus and it was also the first year of the Columbus FalconCam! The adult pair was Aurora and Bandit. About a week after fledging Buckeye was found grounded. He was stablized then shipped to the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center. He had a small fracture, however, it had healed by the time the falcon reached Minnesota and he was able to be returned to Columbus for release a week later. At the time, due to the peregrines being classified as an endangered species, Northwest Airlines shipped them for free!

Over the years I have accumulated a lot of falcon memories from working with the species in Columbus. With so many birds coming through the program there are some I don't remember at all. But one thing I will always remember is releasing Buckeye on July 22, 1996, after he was shipped back. I was with Sara Jean Peters a great mentor to me who is now retired from the Division of Wildlife. We were on the 41st floor of the Rhodes Tower on the east side of the building (where the hack box was for those of you who have followed our falcon program from the beginning). I set him down in a corner of the balcony area and backed away. He composed himself then jumped up on the ledge and looked at us long enough for Sara to snap a photo. (I know I still have that photo somewhere, albeit a 35mm slide). It was very exciting 2 years later when he showed up at Case Western Reserve, then assumed the Terminal Tower territory in 2000. He's had his own share of experiences over the years producing 34 young in 9 years. This photo from Scott Wright:

Scout in Scrape

2009-11-16T15:55:00.003-05:00

Not a whole lot to report over the past couple of months. Scout has been on and around the nest ledge fairly frequently and as far as we are aware, no new mate yet. This morning Scout visited the nestbox for a few minutes. When you look at the gravel there is definitely a large scrape (depression) she has been working on.

We have met with our web consultants to discuss camera options for next season. If all goes well we will have a new system in place by the end of the year to allow plenty of time to troubleshoot before the nesting season begins in 2010. At least that is the plan at this point. We'll hope things continue on schedule. Further updates as information becomes available!

"First Grade News!" & New Falcon Update

2009-09-21T13:10:00.000-04:00

As summer winds down we're seeing more of Scout. Before she had been spending most of her time away from the nest ledge (and view of the cameras), however, in the past two weeks she has been seen more days than not. On 9/17 she was in the nestbox. It appears there is the beginnings of a new scrape in the fresh gravel. This is a factor of the amount of daylight during this fall season and not because a possible new male is in the area.

Speaking of such...there has been no sign of that second falcon that was seen last week so it is possible he was "just passing through" and has a territory of his own established somewhere else. With as many peregrines that are on the move right now for fall migration, it's possible we could be in store for a number of these teases! Regardless, the activity last week has surely renewed interest in watching! As always, we appreciate all of the extra eyes out there on the lookout for leg band information when the opportunity presents itself.
Something else I've had on my list to share: The 1st graders at Benjamin Harrison Elementary School in Marion, OH, were very busy this past spring. At the same time they were enjoying watching Scout and Orville at their nest in downtown Columbus via the Falconcam, their teacher, Mrs. Shade, told them about a nest of robins in a hanging basket at her house. The kids kept track of the progress of the robin nest via photos from their teacher. They had a fun learning experience as they compared life history facts of peregrine falcons and the American robin. They made charts of what they learned and posted them where the other students in the school could see. Thanks to Mrs. Shade and the 1st graders for recording the two events to help the entire school learn more about wildlife! Here are photos of the posters they made:

New bird sighted!!!

2009-09-17T15:22:00.003-04:00

No kidding, the very moment I was working on a blog entry that stated no new male in town that we know of...I heard Scout vocalizing on the live streaming. I called up the window which I had minimized on my desktop and watched as Scout sat on the ledge calling. Something in her tone told me to watch, then low and behold, I saw a shadow go by! Another bird was flying by! So, I quick set up the video and saved this clip of another pass. The way she was vocalizing this was definitely interaction between a male and female. I saw the "new bird" pass by at least three times.

Sorry there isn't any audio on the video...I'll have to check my settings for next time. But, this is excellent news and we'll have to watch to see what happens next and hope he sticks around. Right after this clip, Scout flew off the ledge. Wouldn't it be great to be downtown right now with a much broader view!!!