OH / Columbus - Rhodes Tower - 2008-16

[Elaine L]

Falcon pairs seem to communicate very well, going by what I have seen on other sites, notably at Wilmington, so I am wondering if Durand has told Flyboy to get on those eggs and stay there, and he has found excuses not to do so because he is still young and seemingly immature.  Methinks if he does not get on the job of egg covering, she will dump him before next year's breeding season.  Of course, this is just my way of looking at the situation.

[jadoo]

...yes, i'm curious to see how many, if any, eggs hatch...she's pretty consistent in her incubating now, but, as evidenced by a nearly 3 hour absence the other day, Durand may be getting a little frustrated at doing all the work....

[carly]

Does anyone happen to know if Flyboy has started to help Durand with the incubation yet?

If by help you mean is he providing her with food and guarding the nestbox when she is on breaks then YES.  If you mean is he actually incubating the eggs yet...NO, not that anyone has seen as of yet.  She is pretty much doing all the incubating.

[MayShowers]

Does anyone happen to know if Flyboy has started to help Durand with the incubation yet?

[Pam]

It will be very interesting to see how this unfolds....

[The Peregrine Chick]

Could successful incubation be affected if Durand is off the eggs several times a day, and with no backup covering from her mate?

Depends when she's off.  Madame, Princess' predecessor at the Radisson, was known for regularly being off the eggs and it didn't affect incubation.  Now, it was usually when it was warm/hot and the sun was on the eggs which maybe she just understood how to use effectively, can't really say.  Can say, she often left the eggs uncovered in the mid to late stages of incubation.

[Pam]

Got to think it would be a factor!  Doesn't look like he is quite getting the hang of it!

[bcbird]

Could successful incubation be affected if Durand is off the eggs several times a day, and with no backup covering from her mate?

[The Peregrine Chick]

He may want to be hands on, but keep in mind how much smaller males are ... he literally may not be able to get the eggs under him.  Trey used to have problems at times with four and he was very experienced!  Maybe that Durand is just going to have to be the one to do most the incubating this year.  Madame (Princess' predecessor at the Radisson) did most (80-90%) of the incubating with a couple of her mates as I recall ...

... sometimes being an overachiever is not a good thing 

[Elaine L]

Just too a quick look at this site, to be welcomed by Flyboy's rear end right smack on the camera.  Durand is still on the eggs.  I think Flyboy has not yet figured out his role here; I am sure that he is a good provider of food for his lady-love, but we need him to realize that perhaps a more "hands-on" role would be really helpful.

[MayShowers]

There was an update on the Ohio Division of Wildlife Website that noted the following....

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.

(Eclipse is another sighting and she has taken over a nesting territotory in Oak Creek, Wisconsin)

[MayShowers]

I have checked on these two periodically, and while I can only view through the refreshed photo images and not the live streamline, I have always seen somebirdy sitting on the eggs.  I have a rather soft spot for these two with the difficult start they had.  

[Elaine L]

Durand is still on the eggs, but now she is looking around, calling Flyboy.  I don't see any sign of him yet, but surely he will hear her eventually and provide relief and refreshments.   I do believe they are getting the hang of this parenthood thing; hope it is soon enough and long enough for this season.

[Doreen]

She looks like she has all the eggs covered.
Maybe just maybe there will be chicks this year. 

[Kinderchick]

Sure is nice to see Durand tightly incubating her 5 eggs this morning. A look at the nestledge view shows heavy rains in Columbus right now... The website blog says that we will just have to wait and see what will happen with these eggs, given that Durand was initially sporadic in her brooding of the eggs and also the fact that it took so long for her to get the hang of it. Apparently, though, this is perfectly normal for a bird of her maturity. There was even some mention that perhaps some, if not all of the eggs could be infertile, given Durand's very young age.