State Capitol - 2010 / 19K & Alley

[Alison]

The three chicks will be banded tomorrow:

The three Peregrine Falcon chicks will be banded at the Capitol at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 4. Each chick receives two bands, one with a 10 digit number that can only be read on close examination. The other band is bi-colored (red and gray this year) and has a letter and number and can be read from a distance. Both bands are used to identify birds (similar bands are used to identify the adults at the Capitol each year). Blood is also collected from each chick as part of an ongoing genetic study conducted by the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota.

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/story/1275463266j3ju9u7m9sk

Red and gray bands??

[bcbird]

Kinda neat to see the view from the nestbox ...

I've often thought the same.  
It is quite interesting to see the different horizons across the continent, as viewed from the nest boxes.  Not surprisingly, for a born and raised bcbird, a lot of the landscapes seem very flat, and there is a lot of sky!

[Kinderchick]

OMG, Alison, those last photos are beautiful, especially the last one! Thanks for posting them!

[The Peregrine Chick]

Kinda neat to see the view from the nestbox ...

[Alison]

Well, now I know - there are three chicks.

An article on the Lincoln falcons:

Three falcon eggs hatch at Nebraska Capitol

Three of the four peregrine falcon eggs at the State Capitol hatched last week, and it appeared there were three chicks in the nest box.

The fourth egg did not hatch, said Joel Jorgensen, nongame bird program manager with the Game and Parks Commission.

Occasionally birds lay infertile eggs, Jorgensen said.

In the first days after hatching, the chicks are nearly blind and unable to regulate their body temperature, so the adult birds cover the chicks almost continuously, according to a news release from Game and Parks.

The chicks double in size during the first five days and the adults begin to leave the nest to hunt food.

The chicks will not be able to fly until they are more than 40 days old.

You can watch the falcon nest videos at the Game and Parks website, www.ngpc.state.ne.us.

This is the fifth year the peregrine pair has successfully hatched eggs.

A name-the-chick contest, held in previous years, will continue this year if the chicks survive.

Peregrine falcons almost disappeared in the lower 48 states after World War II because of eggshell thinning caused by the pesticide DDT, according to the release.

The falcon was listed as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act in 1970.

It was removed from the endangered species list in 1999, after successful recovery efforts that included the release of falcons at tall buildings in urban areas.

http://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_5842faae-68ef-11df-96df-001cc4c03286.html

Photos from the article:



 

[Alison]

I think there are at least three chicks in the nest, maybe even four:

 

 

[Alison]

At least two chicks now for Alley and 19/K, maybe three:

 

[carly]

Yay!!  It's so hard to tell with this cam!  Thanks Alison 

[Alison]

First hatch at the Lincoln State Capitol!

[Kinderchick]

That sure is an interesting looking nestbox.

[Alison]

According to the site, the eggs were expected to hatch during the second week of May. It's hard to tell what is happening in this nest.

 

[Alison]

I think the falcons are still Alley and 19/K . . . I've been watching them since they raised Pioneer.

Incubation is continuing:

[The Peregrine Chick]

Hmmm, haven't heard from my contact yet (may need to email again) but that sure does sound like it could be Alley and 19/K doesn't it ...

[Alison]

An article on the Lincoln falcons today, but no indication of who the parents are:

Capitol falcons produce eggs
By David Hendee

LINCOLN --- A pair of peregrine falcons has produced eggs in a nest box outside the 18th floor of the State Capitol for the sixth consecutive year.

FalconCam, a video camera mounted atop the capitol provides streaming video of the nest box and may be viewed at OutdoorNebraska.org. Streaming video also is available on a television in the capitol rotunda at the peregrine falcon display.

After observing mating and apparent egg-laying via the webcam, Joel Jorgensen, nongame bird manager with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, checked the nest box Monday and counted four eggs. The pair had four eggs each of the last two years. The eggs are expected to hatch about the second week of May.

In 2005, the pair raised one chick that was named Pioneer via a contest. In 2006, Willa, Bess and Sterling, named for Nebraskans Willa Cather, Bess Streeter Aldrich and J. Sterling Morton, fledged. In 2007, Boreas, Notus, Eurus, and Zephyrus, named for the four wind gods from Greek mythology, fledged. The pair laid eggs in 2008 but was unsuccessful in raising young. Last year, Nemaha, Niobrara, Calamus, and Platte, named for Nebraska rivers, fledged. If the pair raises young again this year, the naming contest will be renewed.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100421/NEWS01/100429901

[The Peregrine Chick]

I'll see if I can perhaps find my old contact for this site, maybe I can get them to divulge the identities if they have them ...