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KS / Topeka - Westar - 2019-20

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The Peregrine Chick:
2021 NESTING SEASON

The Peregrine Chick:
2020 NESTING SEASON

Please note the YouTube Live Webcam links below - they are live and streaming as of Feb 24

The Peregrine Chick:
repeat banding news that I posted on Twitter ...

https://twitter.com/mbperegrines/status/1139263489418190848

The Peregrine Chick:
As a summary, the adults here are Boreas a 2007 wild-hatched male and Nemaha is a 2009 wild-hatched female.  Both are offspring of Alley (2004 Radisson) and 19K (2001 Des Moines Iowa) who have been nesting in Lincoln for the 15 years.

This year they have two chicks - 1 male, 1 female - they haven't had their names reported anywhere yet.

The Peregrine Chick:
2019 NESTING SEASON

Just a note, Zeus & Hope were not together until 2010. From 2004 to 2008 Hope was with Doorly.  There are unfortunately gaps in the records, that we may or may not be able to fill at some point.


Two peregrine falcon chicks banded Wednesday atop Westar building
Phil Anderson / Topeka Capital-Journal Online / 29 May 2019

In what has become an annual rite of spring over the past 15 years, two peregrine falcon chicks that hatched earlier this month atop the 12-story Westar Energy building in downtown Topeka received metal identification bands around their legs Wednesday morning. The bands allow the birds to be tracked as they are spotted in different parts of the country — or world.

The fluffy little chicks put up a squawk during the brief ordeal. And, as they do each year, the concerned parents, Boreas and Nemaha, circled menacingly overhead, screeching and occasionally swooping down above the three people who were placing the bands around the chicks’ legs. But everything was fine, and in about 20 minutes, the chicks were returned to their nest.

The chicks, a male and a female, hatched around the first of May inside a metal perch on top of the Westar Energy building, 818 S. Kansas Ave. It marked the ninth consecutive year that falcons Nemaha and Boreas have produced offspring in the perch, said Westar Energy spokeswoman Kaley Bohlen. A total of four eggs were laid around April 1, with two of the four hatching. Westar Energy officials said the 50 percent hatch rate was about average.

Those who took part in the banding on Wednesday morning were Ben Postlethwait, manager of the biology conservation sustainability group for Westar; Eric Johnson, biology coordinator for Westar; and Michele McNulty, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based in Manhattan. McNulty is a “permitted bander,” meaning she is authorized to carry out the banding process. In addition to peregrine falcons, McNulty also can band bald eagles and golden eagles in Kansas. Someone with her credentials must be present for the banding to take place.

Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, Postlethwait and Johnson retrieved the 3-week-old chicks from their nest and brought them down a flight of stairs to another level on top of the building for the banding.  One worker would hold a chick while another fitted a band around its leg. The numbered bands were placed on opposite legs for the male and female chick, further helping the identification process.  Female chicks are considerably larger than male chicks at this early age, Westar officials said, making it easy to tell them apart.

Westar personnel said they enjoyed the banding process, adding that the birds have become a fixture in downtown Topeka.  “We’ve been banding these birds for quite a few years,” Postlethwait said. “It’s kind of an annual event for us.” 

Of the two eggs that didn’t hatch, one was recovered in the nest on Wednesday morning, Postlethwait said. The other was nowhere to be found and may have been knocked out of the nest by one of the adult falcons after it was determined not to be fertile. 

Johnson said the chicks aren’t ready to fly on their own just yet but could be in about a month.  “These little guys will be taking flights after a while,” Johnson said.  “I’ve got to imagine by the end of June, they’re going to be taking a leap.” The parents will let them stay in the nest until they are about 2 months old. At that point, it will be time for them to fly the coop.  “They may hang around for a little while,” Johnson said, “but then they’ll get to an adult stage, where they’re competitors with the adults, so those adults will kick them out.”

If the winter is a warm one, Westar officials said, Boreas and Nemaha may stick around Topeka. Otherwise, they will head south to avoid extreme cold.  The adult falcons have been returning to Topeka in the spring.  McNulty said some high-powered cameras are able to zero in on the leg band numbers. People can call wildlife officials to report spotting the birds.

When the young birds first take flight, they are a common sight downtown. “People do see them in downtown Topeka,” McNulty said. “When they start to fledge, we’ll get reports that they’re sitting in the office windows, so people are pretty excited.”  The falcons do quite well for themselves in downtown Topeka, consuming such birds as pigeons and starlings, Westar officials said.

The first falcons came to the Westar Energy building in 1993 and 1994 but didn’t return after that.  Then came Hope and Zeus, a couple that showed up each year from 2004 to 2010.  After that came Boreas and Nemaha, who have been holding forth at the Westar building since 2011.  The Topeka location isn’t the only one in Westar’s territory where falcons can be found, officials said. In all, there are six Westar locations with falcons.

source: https://www.cjonline.com/news/20190529/two-peregrine-falcon-chicks-banded-wednesday-atop-westar-building

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