MN / Elk River - 2008-22

[carly]

Oh my god, territiorial fight in the nest box    Oh my god.  I've turned it off, my hands are shking - I can't watch 

[carly]

7:52 am EST and peregrine on the wrungs outside calling to someone. They are hidden behind the GRE logo so I can't tell who it is 

[maggieblue]

So earlier today I didn't see anyone here but just caught someone in the box vocalizing.  I think that it might have been the dad from last year who has a somewhat distinctive head. All I can say is that it definitely was not 30B as the left leg was fully visible and very much intact.

[carly]

8:02 am EST and someone flew in or should I say flew to the outside.  Can't see who it is but I can hear the noise and it's a peregrine!

And it's 30B, she just hopped into the box.  She has a feather on her beak and was chewing so she's just finished brekkie I take it.  Now she's on the edge of the box chatting to herself it seems.

[Alison]

Ok there are 2 females there it seems - just checked the other board where Alison is and she has pictures and the one we saw the other day is not 30b.  But the one I just saw is 30B they are saying....yikes.!  I hope no one gets hurt  

Today is the first day I have actually seen a peregrine in the box, and it was 30/B. Carly, as far as I know she did not bring her mate from Sherco with her when she moved to Great River in 2007 after their nestbox at Sherco was destroyed by lightning. I also saw the pic of two peregrines in the Sherco nest box today, but couldn't tell who they are. Since the two nest sites are only twenty miles apart, perhaps the female from Great River is there.

I didn't know 30/B had injured both feet - I had only read that one foot was injured, and that it was probably a recent injury when she arrived at Great River in 2007, since the foot seemed to bother her a lot. She has a great deal of trouble walking; she has had a very hard life. She was born in Cleveland in 2002, and in October of that year she was admitted to the Raptor Center with head trauma. At that time she was unbanded. Later she was released at the Mayo Clinic.

I only hope there will not be any territorial battles at this site.

Here are today's pics:

 

 

 

[carly]

She was just calling to someone now Maggie before she flew off.  I'm guessing the females wouldn't bother chatting to each other would they!  Except to say..get out my nest box you cow!! 

[maggieblue]

This afternoon 30B was vocalizing back and forth with another bird and I am sure that must have been a male.  He was probably on the outside bar that isn't visible on the cam.  Perhaps he will reveal himself tommorow.

[carly]

6:34 EST and 30B just came into the box - now I can see her foot, poor girl    She has two toes (talons) missing and can barely walk- she literally hops from the outside beam into the box, kind of like a little long jump!  I found some more out about her on the web, she is one strong peregrine!  Apparently both of her feet were injured and the one with the 2 talons missing - all you can see are stubs and yet she has successfully raised up to 4 young at a time and done a great job providing for them!  I guess as long as you have one good foot for grabbing and can carry your prey, you're set! 

I wonder if the tiercel is around at all or just the 2 females?  Maybe that's why there has been no conflict yet - no male to nest with.  I'm kinda rooting for 30b now, I know, I know, that sounds bad but I always go for the underdog!

[The Peregrine Chick]

Its 5:00 CDT (Winnipeg) and the box is empty.  Its sunny outside the box and doesn't look too breezy, so I rather suspect that everyone/anyone/whomever is off scaring up dinner, its that time of the day.  They'll kill it, eat it, preen themselves, have a last buzz around and then bedtime ....

[carly]

Ok there are 2 females there it seems - just checked the other board where Alison is and she has pictures and the one we saw the other day is not 30b.  But the one I just saw is 30B they are saying....yikes.!  I hope no one gets hurt 

[carly]

Oh gees..I was out shopping and missed it all      Maggie I have a question,  did 30B bring her original mate from Sherco here when she moved here in 2007 for that one year or did she mate with the tiercel who was here last year with the other girl? 

I did remember though that whoever was in the box the other day did not have a damaged foot, for some reason the foot thing stuck in my head and I did look at her feet.  So if you are now saying 30B is back and the timing would be right - it's mid month and the other one is not the one from Sherco then there may be a battle unless the one we saw was a tiercel.

I wonder if by chance the female from here last year decided to play musical nestbox and went to Sherco?  I wish peregrines came with labels    lol...or LARGER bands we could read with the naked eye!!

[maggieblue]

O.K., we may have a little drama here at Elk River as it appears to be 30B, the falcon with the injured left foot, who is here.  She and another peregrine who is out of sight have been calling back and forth.  I wonder if this is the male from the previous two years. 
I checked the latest Sherco pictures and on one image only there was a pair of Peregrines in the box facing each other in the head low position.  This may mean that another female has taken over the Sherco site.   

[maggieblue]

Good News!  There is finally someone back in the box at 13:40 Central Daylight time.

[maggieblue]

There were some posts last October about the Sherco female.  Alison filled us in on the background of 30B. She had nested at Elk River in 2007 and then returned in 2008 to her original home at Sherco which is about 20 miles from Elk River.  She has a missing talon and is also banded so she was identified when she visited Elk River last October.  There was some concern that both females might return here in the spring.

[carly]

Well it's 7:30 am EST here and I've got the cam up again, was hoping to see someone here since it's so early but no luck.

You are probably correct Maggie, that never occurred to me that it might be someone passing through and decided to ride out the storm here.  I do not know that area at all and didn't know there were all those other sites around so that makes perfect sense.  I did check your link and honestly I could not tell if that was the same bird.  Your powers of observation are much better than mine as I didn't notice white on the head.  All I could seem to focus on was 'holy cow' it's a total white out and that bird is shivering in the cold!! 

Hopefully it will warm up there and our pair will return shortly - the web site indicates they usually return around mid month so we may just be ahead of ourselves or perhaps she found a warmer place out of the wind to hang out at until her mate returns.