News: Peregrines

[The Peregrine Chick]

And nor should you believe it ... peregrines don't eat pork chops .... no matter how well Mr Marks bbq'd it

[Jazzerkins]

I am not sure where this type of post belongs but I am sue TPC does.

This was in the Winnipeg Free Press today:

Don Marks, editor of Grassroots News, was barbecuing on the 26th-floor balcony of his penthouse apartment in Osborne Village last week when a large visitor flew in and stole a pork chop. "I was sitting there in my living room and I saw this big shadow. It was a bird with a four-foot wingspan. I think it was a falcon, just gorgeous with a grey-and-white chest. I guess he smelled the meat." Marks wanted to see him again, so left another pork chop on the balcony table, and it was gone by morning. "It had to be him, because we never get birds up this high." The next day, Marks left a wiener. Not interested. The next day, the big bird brought his own prey, ate it on the balcony and left a pile of feathers as a hot hint to the human -- REAL MEAT! Marks laughs and adds hastily: "He doesn't live here. I think he lives at the Radisson. I'm just having fun and I'm hoping I can get a good picture. But I am a little nervous about leaving my bedroom balcony window open now."

I find it hard to believe that a falcon would go after a pork chop, but TPC could answer this best.

[deedream]

I was very excited to read today on cbc.ca about a couple of peregrine falcons who have made a home in Moncton, NB. That's only a little over an hour and half's drive for me! Yahoo!! They have laid 4 eggs and are expected to hatch mid May! here is the link to the article.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/04/22/nb-peregrine-falcons.html

[RCF]

From the Montreal Gazette

Animal rights activists, concerned about falcons performing in Vancouver Opera's upcoming production of Aida, have succeeded in getting them dropped from the show.

http://shar.es/rIu2t

[The Peregrine Chick]

Falcons Force Trail Closures
Fenceviewer / 26 March 2012

ACADIA NAT’L PARK — To protect the nesting efforts of peregrine falcons, park officials closed hiking trails at the Precipice and at Valley Cove as of March 20. Spotters have observed peregrines defending nesting territories and exhibiting courtship behavior at the two sites. The trails will remain closed until late July or early August when chicks are no longer dependent on the nest sites.

Research has shown that nesting falcons are particularly vulnerable to human disturbance in the immediate vicinity of nest sited. Continued disturbances can lead to chick mortality or complete nest failure, both of which further slows the recovery of the species in Maine where the birds are listed as endangered. On a national level, peregrines are listed as threatened.

Trails closed at the Precipice include the popular Precipice Trail on the east face of Champlain Mountain and the equally popular East Face Trail. In addition to the trails, the closure applies to the surrounding cliff face area. The closure at Valley Cove includes the north section of the Flying Mountain Trail and the entire cliff area directly west of Valley Cove and below St. Sauveur and Valley Peaks. The closed trails are clearly marked with signs that identify the reason for the closure, the dates, and include a map delineating the area of the closure.

Link to story: Fenceviewer = Falcons force trail closures

[The Peregrine Chick]

Peregrine falcon lays egg on Wrexham Police Station
27 March 2012 Last updated at 11:56 ET



Telescopes and binoculars are at the ready in Wrexham to monitor a peregrine egg laid on the town's police station.  For the fourth year running Royal Society for the Protection of Bird (RSPB Cymru) staff and volunteers will monitor the nest allowing visitors a close-up view of the birds.  Last year the pair laid five eggs, three of which hatched and fledged.

The peregrine is the largest British breeding falcon with a wingspan of 95-110cm (37-43in). This latest egg will be incubated in around 30 days with hatching due at the end of April.

"There peregrines are here all year around the city centre and returned to their traditional nest site at the start of the month," said Julie Rogers from RSPB Cymru. "Last year the pair laid five eggs, three of which hatched and fledged - we hope the family will be as successful this year," she added.

link to story (with photo): BBC News (Wales) - Peregrine falcon lays egg on Wrexham Police Station

[carly]

Ohio has had a bit of a tough year losing some legendary falcons.  A while back Hillary from the Hilliard Road Bridge was displaced by a new female named Mckees.  Not sure if she went on vacation shortly after but a few weeks ago yet another new female Green Girl (GG) moved in and set up house with Titan.

Well Mckees came back last week and an epic battle ensued between her and GG which Chad and Chris just happened to witness.  I don't mean to be the bringer of doom and gloom however the sequence of photos they shot are quite outstanding.  As Frank commented, they are National Geographic worthy.  Rapid fire shots of the entire fight from begining to end.  I've never seen anything like it.    

Both females survived so no worries,but Mckees was injured but she did fly off so hopefully she has survived.  The shots are quite graphic and intense but for those of you who can appreciate them for what they are, here is the link to the page that starts the story and photos.

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?63402.90#post_64244

[Kinderchick]

These are great stamps, TPC! Going to see if a friend can get some, when she is in the States.

[The Peregrine Chick]

US Postal Service - Birds of Prey Stamp Series



more information:
https://store.usps.com/store/browse/uspsProductDetailMultiSkuDropDown.jsp?productId=S_115240&categoryId=subcatS_S_Sheets

(if I posted this before, sorry for the duplication!)

[RCF]

Peregrine Falcon found dead in downtown Canton...
Canton Repository (Jan. 5, 2012)

http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x1569737054/Peregrine-falcon-found-dead-in-downtown-Canton

The falcon found dead is Maverick from Columbus who was nesting in Canton Ohio with Mystic and is the father of Matrix.

Matrix 19/B. Matrix - son of Mystic and Maverick - fledged from Bank One (now Chase Bank) nest in Canton, Ohio, in 2010.
He arrived at the Columbus nest in early June, 2011.

Durand 32/X. Durand – daughter of Madame X and Surge – fledged from the Sheraton Hotel nest in Hamilton, Ontario, in 2009. She arrived at the Columbus nest on July 11, 2010.

Durand and Matrix are the resident falcon pair on the Columbus ledge. The nest is located on a ledge of the 41st floor of the Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus, Ohio.

[Kinderchick]

Peregrine Falcon found dead in downtown Canton...
Canton Repository (Jan. 5, 2012)

http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x1569737054/Peregrine-falcon-found-dead-in-downtown-Canton

[Kinderchick]

Traffic Warden "honoured" by Peregrine Falcon rescue...
BBC News (Jan. 3, 2012)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-16397848

[The Peregrine Chick]

Genomic Sequences of Two Iconic Falconry Birds -- Peregrine and Saker Falcons -- Successfully Decoded
ScienceDaily (Dec. 16, 2011)

A group of scientists from United Kingdom (UK), China and United Arab Emirates (UAE) jointly announced the complete sequencing of peregrine and saker falcons genomes at the 2nd International Festival of Falconry held in Al Ain, UAE. The study is a part of Falcon Genome Project, launched and funded by the Environment Agency -- Abu Dhabi (EAD) in this January. The results will enable biologists to better study the basic biology and genetics of falcons and provide new insights into understanding the origin and populations of these species.

Two particular species of birds, peregrine and saker falcons, are widespread but heavily exploited birds of prey that exhibit migratory habit and are popular hunting falcons commonly found in the country. In particular, the saker is the national bird of United Arab Emirate. In the past century, the two falcons have been listed as endangered species with population decline, caused by a wide range of factors including migration obstacles, environmental changes, habitat loss, use of pesticides (e.g. DDT, PCBs), among others. In the late 1990s, the peregrine has been successfully removed from the endangered species list through the increased recovery efforts, but the saker is still facing this challenge.

Since this January, researchers from UK, China and UAE have been working together to conduct the genomic studies of peregrine and saker falcons, aiming to identify the genome sequences of the two species and enhance their future conservation to face the unforeseen challenge of the rapid changing environments and human activities. Abu Dhabi's Falcon Hospital (ADFH) provided the blood samples collected from male specimens of peregrine and saker falcons, and BGI were responsible for sequencing these samples on its large-scale next-generation sequencing platforms and producing high-quality data output. The bioinformatics analysis is conducted by the scientists from the School of Biosciences, Cardiff University (UK) and BGI.

Dr. Ning Li, CEO of BGI Europe, said, "The complete genome sequencing of the two falcons will lay a solid scientific foundation for identifying the origin and populations of falcons and accelerating the selective breeding of high-quality varieties. We believe we will make more breakthroughs in this project to help researchers better protect these endangered species."

"This study will open the door to an unparalleled understanding of falcon biology and help us to manage and conserve wild falcon stocks in the future" said Dr Andrew Dixon, Head of Research at International Wildlife Consultants Ltd (IWC).


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111216112802.htm

[Kinderchick]

Very interesting article about flame retardants., bcf. I imagine there may be other chemical pollutants possibly affecting the viability of eggs. Very important research, for sure.

[birdcamfan]

We often see unhatched eggs on the various webcams and it is sometimes mentioned that they are removed and used for research. I often wondered what type of research was done. This short article describes some important research done on PF eggs in Spain and Canada.

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2011/04/18/new.pollutants.detected.peregrine.falcon.eggs