MN / Great Spirit Bluff - 2016-22

[The Peregrine Chick]

The eyases have ravenous appetites. Newman has proven to be a great provider of prey and Zooey still has to learn how to feed her chicks in bits and pieces. 

Some females never get the size right, their aim improves but not their portion sizes!  Princess had a good eye for that - so much so that when they first hatched it as to even seen the pieces they were so small - their little crops filled up so you knew there was something but otherwise!we did have a female or maybe even a male (I can see it in my head just not who it was) who used to be so shocked that that he could feed the chicks ... I think it may have been Smiley  and he was around for a number of years ... I wonder if really hungry chicks make a parent try to feed faster and therefore their portion control is a little haphazard ... like dancing faster when the beat of the music increases .... Smiley's kids were always hungry - he was a bit haphazard in his duties as a "provider".... hmmm, something to think about there maybe ... 🙂

[GCG]

3 of the eggs have hatched. Unfortunately, the 4th not viable. The eyases have ravenous appetites. Newman has proven to be a great provider of prey and Zooey still has to learn how to feed her chicks in bits and pieces. 

[GCG]

As of this morning, there are 2 hatches, including the damaged egg. Zooey has matured over the last year and is proving to be a great mother.

[The Peregrine Chick]

32-25 days from penultimate egg is the statistically norm for hatching ... and today is day 34 so things could definitely get interesting here today.

Was just watching her and she was doing some housekeeping & sliding off the eggs so hard to know if the kids are making noise inside the eggs yet, would have thought they might be, but maybe not quite yet.  Certainly you can tell when Princess' kids were starting to "talk", she was hard to shift, hard to keep off and she kept looking down as though listening very hard.

Nice to have chicks hatch here - so long as the bees/wasps/whatever bugger off ...

[GCG]

Just a day before estimated hatch, Zooey has had to battle bees while incubating her 4 eggs. Apparently she was so aggravated, she began to swat at the bees and now one appears to be "crushed". It is quiet for now, but the bees will likely become restless at daylight.

https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/gsb-falcons/

[GCG]

1st 🥚 Apr 3
2nd 🥚 Apr 5
3rd 🥚 Apr 7
4th 🥚 Apr 9

[GCG]

Zooey & Newman have Egg#4!  April 9th at approximately 8:00 P.M. CDT

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At approximately 10:50 CDT... three eggs!!!!! 

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The 2nd egg of the season was laid by Zooey about an hour ago. When I looked again, Newman was seen announcing (loudly) the arrival of the egg.

https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/gsb-falcons/

[GCG]

Adults
Adult male is Newman, an unbanded male,
Adult female is Zooey, an unbanded 3 y/o female.

Egg Laying
Egg #1: Zooey laid her first egg on April 3, 2021 @ 12:31 AM

Egg Hatching
In 2021, Zooey’s first egg hatched on May 31 @ 12:30 PM

Peregrine falcon Zooey was a first time mother. While she seemed to understand the importance of feeding her young, she didn’t understand how to do it. The first two hatchlings died on June 2nd. The third survived and fledged successfully.

Banding: June 19, 2021
Chance | F | 1947-50644 | P/46

Fledging
July 19, 2021 @ 8:23 AM CDT

https://www.explore.org/livecams/falcons/falcon-nest-cam
The first egg for this couple was laid early this morning. 

[GCG]

https://www.explore.org/livecams/falcons/falcon-nest-cam
The first egg for this couple was laid early this morning. 

[GCG]

https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/gsb-falcons/

Last year’s adults were Newman, an unbanded male, and Zooey, an unbanded 2 y/o female.

Newman courted several females this year, but ended up nesting with Zooey. Former resident female Nova disappeared after her battle with Nina on March 9.

Egg Laying
In 2021, Zooey laid her first egg on April 16, 2021 @ 3:36 PM

Egg Hatching
In 2021, Zooey’s first egg hatched on May 31 @ 12:30 PM

Peregrine falcon Zooey was a first time mother. While she seemed to understand the importance of feeding her young, she didn’t understand how to do it. The first two hatchlings died on June 2nd. The third survived and fledged successfully.

Banding: June 19, 2021
Chance | F | 1947-50644 | P/46

Fledging
July 19, 2021 @ 8:23 AM CDT

[The Peregrine Chick]

   
Welcome to 2022 at Great Spirit Bluff

[The Peregrine Chick]

At long last, at 8:24 A.M. CDT the wait is over. Chance fledged. 

Right on schedule 😉 ... would have been nice if she had shared her schedule with her legion of fans!
Congrats Chance!

[GCG]

At long last, at 8:24 A.M. CDT the wait is over. Chance fledged.