West Winnipeg - 2014 / Beau & Beatrix

[burdi]

Nice catch dupre, thanks for your updates

[dupre501]

Went out today and spotted Beau on one corner of the building. Beatrix then flew over the nest box a few times, then landed on the corner kitty-corner from Beau, so they were watching the entire roof.

I downloaded and reviewed my pictures from the past few days and realized that I captured one of the chicks with Beau on the wall on July 10 at 6:45 pm.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Belle is in the nestbox napping even though it is breezy.  One of the boys is across the roof out of the wind and mostly out of the rain - think it might be Bishop.  Beaumont and Bristol were with him but I think they decided to relocate to under the nestbox.

[Kinderchick]

...there is a sandbag there to hold the bottom of the ramp in place so it doesn't get caught by the wind and all the kids love it to sit on and to nap on...

A sandbag, you say? Must be kind of like being at the beach, for these guys. LOL! Glad to hear they are all accounted for - for the time being, that is.

[The Peregrine Chick]

2005h

Bishop, Bristol and Beaumont are all sitting on the nestbox ledges and rooftop doing some preening and there are white feathers blowing everywhere!  Belle has decided that she wants some alone time and is on the other side of roof curled up on a cool spot out of the wind and out of the sun.  There is an adult with its back to me midway between the two camps, can't tell for sure who, but I think Beatrix ...

[dupre501]

We were out shopping in the WW area and left just as it started to rain. By the time we got home we were getting tiny hail.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Winds have come barrelling in on West Winnipeg, only dry spot seems to be under the nestbox - can't see the chicks because the cover on the camera is totally wet and the cam is shaking like crazy.  But no one is moving and no parents in sight - even they are hunkered down!

Airport has been reporting gusts up to 73km/h in the last 10 minutes and the temperature has dropped 8 degrees in the last 11 minutes.  Heavy rain in spurts, no hail but boomers periodically.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Thought Bishop might have fledged this morning when I couldn't find him on the roof for hours.  Took a trip down to check and Beatrix was kakking at me and took a fly over so I thought he must have gone down and I was getting close.  After checking vegetation, concrete, building rooftops, you name it, she was still annoyed with me but no Bishop.  So went home, started stalking the chicks via camera and waiting for them to show me their colours - yellow - Belle is easy, she has the most white still on her, then red, Bristol has less white on her head than Beaumont which always confuses me when the run out of camera range.  Then blue, well, didn't actually see the blue as Beaumont was tucked up in a small hollow on a wall facing the wrong direction.  He did obligingly show me his band number though - either way will work.  And still no silver band with no tape.  No Bishop.  After checking everyone's bands again (I should mention that the kids are all spread out on the roof, they all find spots they like).  Then Bristol was missing and I had to sweep the whole roof again - Beaumont, check; Belle, check, Bristol with two heads, check; wait a minute, zoom, zoom, zoooooooom.  And there is Bristol and Bishop sitting side-by-side at the base of the ramp - there is a sandbag there to hold the bottom of the ramp in place so it doesn't get caught by the wind and all the kids love it to sit on and to nap on.  There is always one little that stresses you out more than the others ... this year at this site, it may be Bishop ... 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Okay, now I remember, I don't like cam-chasing the chicks on this roof!!! I can see half of the roof, but not the other half and peregrine chicks do like to wander so it becomes a case of me poking napping chicks with my cursor so I can check the tape on their legs.  AARRGGHH.  Actually not too bad as the do tend to go where there is shade and that makes it a bit easier to discern colours even when you only see them for a second.  The Radisson girls are much more considerate ... they like to stand in front of the outer-box-cam.

Can only see 3 of the chicks at the moment ... Bristol & Belle for sure not sure who the boy is ...

[The Peregrine Chick]

All the chicks were in the box last night to sleep then until about 0530h this morning when Beaumont took off onto the building roof and Bristol staked out her spot on the nestbox roof while Bishop tried to yak up a pellet and Belle finished off breakfast with mom.

Beatrix parked herself on a post on the roof after breakfast with Belle and then just before 0600h, Belle hopped off the box onto the roof to go join up with Beaumont and Bishop joined Bristol on the roof (the names are working out better than anticipated  )  With Beau watching intently, Bishop flew about 20 feet across the building roof from the box roof (figures our pilot is the first to get air under his wings).  Bristol took a few minutes longer and was doing a lot of practicing with her her tail gear before she jumped down from the box roof - she's further along than Belle but Belle is much more gung-ho, very little hesitation when she decides to do something it seems so far.

Kids remained out of the box until Beaumont checked out what Beatrix and Beau were "up to" at the nestbox around 0800h, then he returned for a private snack from Beatrix around 0900h leaving a sibling - I think Bristol - playing with some roofing fabric that has come loose (they all like playing with that stuff!) in a shady spot not far from the box.  Bishop and Belle/Bristol are out of camera view, likely in the shade (there is a lot of shade on this roof at all times of the day - nice feature).  Beaumont hopped down on the roof and ran off to Bishop followed by Bristol (?) a few minutes later.  Beatrix in the meantime finished off the snack and parked herself for kidsitting by the nestbox.

Since then, Belle every so often runs in and out of camera view, occasionally followed or following one of the boys - I'm inclined to think Beaumont but can't be sure.  The box has been empty for the last 1.5 hours with just Beatrix watching from the roof of the box.  The wind is starting to pick up and it is clouding over - will be interesting to see if the kids come back to the box as the winds come up (gusts in the area are already up to 40km/h)

[The Peregrine Chick]

Since this box has more height (compared to Brandon) I’m thinking it might be helping the chicks gain wing strength quicker - and in turn, perhaps feel a little braver?

Actually the WW nestbox and the wall box at McKenzie Seeds are pretty much the same size and design.  Certainly the Brandon chicks when they fledge from the wall box do hop up on the roof but I think it is easier for the WW because they have a wide ledge around the box edge - they have a better/wider surface for hopping up/landing on.  The distance from the box ledge to the building roof is about the same as from the box ledge to the nestbox roof is about the same so between running up/down the ramp and jumping down from the ledge, the roof was just one more level for them to hop to.  The wall box at McKenzie Seeds doesn't have that many levels.  The roof top box at McKenzie Seeds does though - between the box (which also has a ramp) and the skylights the Brandon chicks have more places/things to practice hopping and flying on on the McKenzie Seeds roof before they are get up on the wall around the edge of the roof just in advance of fledging.  More things to practice on than WW.  Both work though and that is really all that matters! 

[burdi]

Don't think I am going to watch this cam today ... WAY too stressful.  The little terrors have been all over the place - in the box, on the roof top, sometimes running up and down the ramp, just as often jumping off the box with their wings out! 

Since this box has more height (compared to Brandon) I’m thinking it might be helping the chicks gain wing strength quicker - and in turn, perhaps feel a little braver?

[newchick]

  Love the names, but hope they stay put to get stronger for a little while longer.   

[The Peregrine Chick]

Don't think I am going to watch this cam today ... WAY too stressful.  The little terrors have been all over the place - in the box, on the roof top, sometimes running up and down the ramp, just as often jumping off the box with their wings out!  Yesterday Belle (our largest female & homebody) finally figured out how to get up on the box ledge and holy cats has she been making for lost time!  The other female Bristol was the first to walk along the wall edge (gave me a heart attack) and she and Bishop (smallest of our males) showed the other two how to get up on the roof of the nestbox.  Beaumont looks to be the one who has been flapping the most though Bishop has a glint in his eye I just don't trust.  Little terrors I tell you!! At the moment only Belle is in the box everyone else is either in the shade under the box or out of camera range in the shade on the roof.  When the sun goes overhead they'll have to move again and we'll track them down - actually, they are pretty good about coming back to the nestbox and letting me count them a couple of times a day.

[dupre501]

Stopped by today at 6:20 pm. Beatrix was on the east side of the Diner. Then found Beau hanging out by the nest box. Could see the tops of some wings flapping furiously at the nest box. The chicks must be growing so quickly.