Radisson - 2015 / Smiley & Princess

[The Peregrine Chick]

I guess there really is something wonderful about the east nest ledge - or at least wonderful to peregrines because Smiley, who grew up in a box on a water tower is diligently making a scrape on the nest ledge.     He does seem to prefer the nestbox however and he guards it off and on through the night and first thing in the morning.

Princess has been to, and into, the nestbox quite a few times for this early in the nesting season and he does have one delightful scrape there so it is much too early to tell for sure, but think happy western thoughts just in case!

[Jo]

Welcome back Princess & Smiley!

 

[moka]

So thrilled our Princess has returned for another year of watching!!
Love the way you write, TPC.....always brings a smile and great visuals!!

I agree. It often feels like I am watching the actual birds, great narration!

[GCG]

Your diligence has paid off TPC. Smiley's too! Thank you. Princess is home. With Smiley, she was being coquettish. A lady's gotta do, what a lady's gotta do.....

[mspeach]

So thrilled our Princess has returned for another year of watching!!
Love the way you write, TPC.....always brings a smile and great visuals!!

[The Peregrine Chick]

Wow, your persistence paid off!  What an amazing bird, how old is she?  Great to hear she safely returned.

Princess is a 2002 wild-hatch from Minneapolis.  She has hatched 36 chicks over 10 years: 3 each year with Trey, 4 each year with Ivy except the last when they had 3 and 2 her first year with Smiley.  Of those 36 chicks only 5 (if I recall) have failed to fledge and only 2 who died at fledge age and only 1 before breeding age.  These are just the birds we know about.  Of her 28 remaining chicks - 8 are/have nested somewhere in Canada or the US.

[susha]

As I'm sure I've said before, it feels like a miracle every year she returns!

[Kinderchick]

... all hail, the Princess has returned.   

WOW!!! That's absolutely wonderful news!

[birdbrain]

Wow, your persistence paid off!  What an amazing bird, how old is she?  Great to hear she safely returned.

[carly]

I am so happy to read that Princess has returned 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Okay, female was on the nestbox and the wind was blowing still just enough to make the camera shake so no luck reading her band.  Then off she went.  Shortly after, in popped Smiley with the gift of a meal and she didn't follow him back so off he went as well.  Found her a few minutes later over on the east sign devouring her gift.  She was facing the camera and her coloured band is on her left leg so all she had to do was move over about an inch and I would be able to read the band.  But she was so enthusiastically eating I didn't get so much as a peek.  Then she turned and walked away along the slash, cleaning her beak as she went.  Fortunately, she turned and settled again and I could just make out one letter on her band so I zoomed in again and just waited ... for her to move or for the wind to blow her feathers out of the way, didn't matter which.  And then it happened, up she stood and I got a good, long clear look at her band and I rejoiced!  Then I realized why I was getting such a good look ...   ... thank you Smiley for distracting her with another romantic encounter!  Fortunately this time all I could see was her beautiful bloody yellow feet.   Very familiar feet - all hail, the Princess has returned.    

[irenekl]

Oh man TPC.  I'm standing by wondering when in the heck this ID will finally happen.  That gave me a good chuckle.

[The Peregrine Chick]

1255h CDT

She's on the west side on the nestbox edge in the sun - he's on the slash under the R on the east side preening.

[The Peregrine Chick]

1237h CDT

Okay, my retinas have been seared.  I was zoomed into the female on the Radisson sign and suddenly there was canoodling up close and personal.  Feathers filled the screen!!!  Now she has turned around and I have likely lost my chance (this time) to get a look at her leg band - it is on her left leg and that is tucked in under the sign now.  Probably a good thing, let's my eyes and mind recuperate from the close-encounter of the romantic sort.

[The Peregrine Chick]

1215h CDT

Smiley is on the nest ledge and I'm trying to catch sight of the female's band number as she is sitting close to the spycam - Trey's favourite spot on the slash under the R.  It is pretty sheltered there and she is in a patch of sunlight.  Don't know if she has just had a meal but there is blood on her cere.  She looks fine, can't see all of her but nothing looks amiss.  Given that there was a bit of a set-to in the WW nestbox yesterday afternoon, might be there was one here as well.  If there was a bit of a barney here, it didn't happen in/at the nestbox or at least not while there was enough light to see anything - I've checked all the recorders.  I suspect this is Princess and if it is, then she looks much better than she did a couple of years ago when we know she had a knock-down-drag-out with Joli in the west side box.  So with all of that, entirely possible just a the last remains of a messy meal and not something more sinister.