Manitoba Peregrines > UND, Grand Forks, North Dakota

UND Tower - 2018 / Marv & ?

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Alison:
The lone peregrine chick will be banded on Monday, June 25.

Peregrine banding set for Monday near UND water tower

By Brad Dokken on Jun 19, 2018 at 4:57 p.m.

It has become a popular attraction in recent years, and the annual banding of peregrine falcon chicks is set for 1 p.m. Monday below the UND water tower adjacent to Starcher Hall, 10 Cornell St.

There appears to be only a single peregrine chick this year, said Tim Driscoll, local raptor expert and licensed bander.

During Monday's event, a climber will scale the water tower and carry the chick to the ground for Driscoll and Erika Kolbow of Turtle River State Park to band. The chick, which is about 20 days old, give or take, then will be returned to the nest box.

Monday's event is open to the public. For more information, contact Driscoll at (701) 772-1222.

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/outdoors/4462419-peregrine-banding-set-monday-near-und-water-tower

Alison:
An update on the Grand Forks nest this afternoon:

Only one peregrine hatches in Grand Forks this spring

By Brad Dokken Today at 4:05 p.m.

There could be more, but by all indications, only one peregrine falcon chick hatched in the nest box atop the UND water tower, where patriarch Marv and a new female of unknown origin set up shop this spring.

"The good news is we have one baby; the bad news is we only have one baby," local raptor expert and licensed bander Tim Driscoll said Thursday.

Terminator, the longtime matriarch of Grand Forks' contribution to the peregrine recovery, didn't show up this spring, and the speculation is she died. Hatched in 2006 in Brandon, Man., where she was banded, Terminator before this year produced every Grand Forks peregrine chick since 2008, when peregrines first nested locally. Marv has been the male breeder in Grand Forks since 2014.

The new female, who isn't banded, could be a first-year breeder, which might explain the scarcity of chicks this year, Driscoll said.

"I don't know how old she is, but I'm guessing this is her first go-round at incubation," Driscoll said. "I'm a lot happier with one than none."

Poor production isn't unprecedented among new breeders. Last year, a female who laid four eggs in Crookston only hatched one chick, Driscoll said, and only two of four eggs hatched last year in a Moorhead nest.

The Grand Forks chick likely is 10 or 11 days old, Driscoll said.

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/outdoors/4460582-only-one-peregrine-hatches-grand-forks-spring

Alison:
Finally, there is an update on the Grand Forks nest, posted today.

With every passing day, the likelihood that Terminator would return has become even more faint, but I still had hope that perhaps she was injured somewhere and was delayed while she recovered. If she is truly gone, it is a huge loss. Terminator is one of the greatest peregrines of all time, in addition to being an exceptionally beautiful falcon.  As the only matriarch at the Grand Forks nest until now, she has made an incalculable contribution to the restoration of peregrines in North Dakota and farther afield. She is one of a kind, and without her Grand Forks will never be the same.  :'(

At least one peregrine hatches at UND water tower

By Brad Dokken

How many remains to be seen, but the peregrine falcons nesting atop the UND water tower appear to have at least one baby, observers say.

Parents are Marv, the patriarch of Grand Forks peregrines since 2014, and an unbanded female that showed up this spring in place of Terminator, who had produced every peregrine chick since 2008 when she first nested in Grand Forks.

Terminator didn't return to the nest box this year, so the speculation is she died. Local raptor expert and licensed bander Tim Driscoll banded Marv, named after the late Fargo TV personality Marv Bossart, in 2013 in Fargo.

Terminator hatched in 2006 in Brandon, Man., where she also was banded.

Driscoll, who keeps close watch on the local peregrines, said the female is sitting higher in the nest box, a subtle change in body language that suggests she has at least one chick. Marv also is providing prey and sits closer to her when he's at the tower, Driscoll said.

The female also has been observed feeding a baby or babies in the nest box, he said.

"It's too soon to tell" how many babies are in the nest box, Driscoll said."They need to get bigger so their heads go up over the rail."

As much as he misses Terminator, Driscoll said he's glad a new female flew in this spring to take her place. Peregrine pairs don't migrate together but return to the same nesting site every spring.

"We're lucky—we've got (nesting peregrines) 11 years in a row," he said.

Figuring the hatch occurred May 31 or June 1, Driscoll said he tentatively will plan to band the chick—or chicks—sometime around June 20, give or take a few days.

"I haven't set the date yet," he said. "I like to get them when they're 20 days old."

Through extensive recovery efforts and the banning of DDT and related chemicals, peregrine falcons have recovered from widespread population declines that led to their listing under the Endangered Species Act in 1970. They were removed from federal protection in 1999. Grand Forks and Fargo have the only known nesting sites in North Dakota, Driscoll said, while Minnesota now has more than 70 nesting pairs, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/outdoors/4456056-least-one-peregrine-hatches-und-water-tower

The Peregrine Chick:
Terminator may or may not return home - she's the same age as Radisson (12 years old) and a couple of years younger than Alley.  Alley is back in Nebraska and Radisson we know was fine as recently as a couple of months ago, so it may just mean they are taking their time.  By this time last year, all 16 of our adult birds were back in Manitoba and on their territories.  Yesterday we only had four birds in the province.  Today we have six that we know about.  Tomorrow may be T2's homecoming and Radisson's the day after!!

Alison:
Terminator has still not returned to Grand Forks.  :(

Terminator the peregrine still missing in action in Grand Forks

By Brad Dokken

Today at 4:31 p.m.



Photo of Terminator in March 2017 by Tim Driscoll.

Terminator, the matriarch of Grand Forks' contribution to North America's peregrine falcon recovery, appears to be terminally missing in action, and an identified female who first showed up more than a week ago continues to occupy the nest box atop the UND water tower with Marv, the peregrine patriarch for the past five years.

Hatched in 2006 in Brandon, Man., where she was banded, Terminator has produced every peregrine chick in Grand Forks since nesting first was documented in 2008.

Now, that streak appears to be in serious jeopardy, and her whereabouts are unknown, said Tim Driscoll, local raptor expert and licensed bander who follows the comings and goings of Grand Forks peregrines. Terminator has never shown up later than April 10, Driscoll said.

"This is as late as I remember Terminator coming in," he said Tuesday. "It's been a slow, late spring, so I haven't totally given up hope, but she should have been here by now."

If she doesn't show up within the next week, Terminator could be dead, Driscoll said. On the upside, the new female, first spotted March 28, appears to be setting up territory and sitting on the nest box, which Driscoll calls a "step up" in the courting process with Marv, who Driscoll banded in 2013 in Fargo.

"We've got a peregrine female who looks pretty healthy, and she's huge and Marv is feeding her, and they're on their way," he said.

If all goes according to plan, the mystery female should lay eggs and begin incubating April 22 or thereabouts, Driscoll said. Terminator last year began laying eggs about April 15.

"I don't think she's quite ready to incubate yet," he said. "I suspect they're holding it off as much as they can because of the cold temperatures. All that said, I'm guessing we're not too far away."

In related news, Walsh, a UND-hatched peregrine, is back in Moorhead for another breeding season, this time with a new mate, a female named Susan who was banded in 2015 in Winona, Minn., Driscoll said.

Grand Forks and Fargo have the only two peregrine nests in North Dakota. The falcons, which nest on cliffs and high structures such as water towers and tall buildings, often are mistaken for merlins and Cooper's hawks. Relatively abundant in Grand Forks, merlins and Cooper's hawks commonly nest in trees, which peregrines wouldn't do, Driscoll said.

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/outdoors/4429821-terminator-peregrine-still-missing-action-grand-forks

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