WI / Alma - 2009-10

[Alison]

2010 NESTING SEASON

Once again this year, the Alma falcons opted to nest on the nearby cliff instead of in the nest box.

I did catch one visiting the box today:

 

webcam link: http://www.dairynet.com/environment/bird_cam_2010.php

[allikat]

Great news!!! 

[skygirlblue]

Alma nesting site update (June 11)

The Alma falcons chose a natural cliff dwelling on 12 Mile Bluff across from Dairyland’s Alma Site this year, versus nesting in the power plant box. This is the second year falcons have chosen their natural habitat over the man-made nesting box; they first nested on the bluff in 2007.

Four Peregrine falcon chicks, two males and two females, were banded by Bob Anderson of the Raptor Resource Project on June 9 in Alma. Dairyland Senior Environmental Biologist John Thiel assisted during the banding. Bob and his crew rappelled down the face of the bluff to retrieve the falcon chicks from their “eyrie” (natural nesting site) and attached US Fish and Wildlife bands for tracking purposes.

As yet, the adult falcon pair in the Alma area has not been able to be identified; however, we do know they are both banded birds.

[Alison]

It will be neat to find out, its not often that we have reports of birds that were formerly nesting on structures to move to cliff ledges.  And even rarer is having a cam on a nest on a cliff-ledge.

The Alma pair has moved back and forth between the nest box and the cliff since 2007. Last year, they raised four chicks in the nest box. In 2007, they checked out the nest box for a while, but moved to the cliff. This was their first year nesting on the cliff, and they raised four chicks there, all female. They were: K/60, Zephyr; K/61, Chinook; K/62, Mistral; and K/63, Diabla. One of the chicks, Zephyr (K/60), was found in August 2007 with a wing injury.

This year, they spent time at the nest box initially (I posted pics of a territorial dispute there), but they decided to move back to the cliff, known as 12-Mile Bluff.

[Liz]

what she said.   

[allikat]

I love all these new links to MORE falcons....
Gotta love it! 

I just want to write, " thank you to everyone who is involved with the peregrine recovery projects.  It seems that every year, there are more and more webcams to view and more stories to read about our beloved falcons.  This can only get better!!!  Way to go and I tip my hat to everyone out there involved!"

[The Peregrine Chick]

2009 NESTING SEASON

Looks like this pair is going to nest on the ledge again this year - perhaps because of this altercation in the nestbox last month ...

 
(photos by Alison & posted on CMNH)

This pair are part of the Midwest peregrine population so there could be connections to the Manitoba birds ... when they are identified we can see if there are connections.