The recent south winds didn’t just bring warm weather for the first day of spring, it also has brought peregrines. Joining Ella and Wingo Starr were three more birds, one at one of last year’s nestsites, a pair at the other – there might be fourth but we can’t be sure we aren’t double-counting! Interestingly on Friday afternoon during one of Ella’s absences, another bird appeared on the east-side ledge at the Radisson with some lunch.
Even with the camera being buffeted by the wind, the bird was definitely not Ella. Took a bit of patience, a pigeon for lunch and a lot of luck but finally we were able tell it was a male by his size and to confirm that the bird was unbanded. Because we never know who will return, perhaps this male will become Ella’s newest mate and the Radisson’s next resident male!
This morning, Dennis was enjoying his first cafe au lait (sans the lait) while he checked the Radisson cams – Ella prefers visit earlier rather than later in the day. It came as a surprise to find that Ella wasn’t alone and that her companion was someone we know … someone we’ve been waiting for … yes, Hart is home!
Last year Hart was back on March 21st and was the first bird home – this year he is our fifth but he’s making up for his faux-late arrival by courting Ella from almost the moment he arrived. Now we wait and see if Pip comes home and pushes Hart out or if Hart stands his ground to ensure he has a family this year or something else entirely happens at the Radisson.
And for those wondering how we can tell when birds are newly back – we know that resident birds make a beeline for their nestsites and while they may not stay long, they do tend to spend a couple of days close by and they eat like they are starving. Ella, Hart and the unbanded male were all ravenous and eating like they hadn’t seen pigeons since last October! Peregrines are normally enthusiastic diners but this is enthusiasm cubed.