Manitoba Falcon Cam Forum
Manitoba Peregrines => UND, Grand Forks, North Dakota => Topic started by: The Peregrine Chick on May 16, 2011, 18:11
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Peregrines return to Grand Forks
Grand Forks Herald Online - 15 April 2011
Grand Forks’ resident peregrine falcons are back in town for the breeding season, local bird watchers have confirmed.
Dave Lambeth, a prominent area birder, said Terminator, the female, and Roosevelt, the male, arrived last week. The birder community has been on the lookout for the pair, who nest on UND’s water tower, he said.
“It’s marvelous, just one of the mysteries of migrations,” he said. Nobody knows where they fly off to — they’re not tracked rigorously — but they can always find their way back to their old home, he said. He’s heard of birds that breed near Greenland in the summer and live in Chile in the winter, he said.
Before the end of the month, Terminator will probably start laying eggs, which will hatch in early June, Lambeth said.
Terminator, who was born in Brandon, Man., first came to Grand Forks in 2008 where she met with a Fargo-born male named Bear. Bear didn’t return but his brother Roosevelt came in 2009 and has returned every year since with Terminator.
According to the Midwest Peregrine Society, the pair had three chicks, last year: Clifford, Lux and Lex, all names associated with UND. Tom Clifford was the university’s most celebrated president, and “Lux et Lex,” or “light and law,” is the university’s motto.
The society’s database indicates their location and condition are unknown.
Their lineage started about 25 years ago when the then-endangered species was reintroduced to the Minneapolis area, Lambeth said.
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/200108/
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Any updates on these guys TPC? I am going to Grand Forks on Saturday and might try and locate them if there are indeed chicks.
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I haven't heard anything and I can't see any new photos on the gallery so I'll email my contact tonight ... also haven't found any news stories, which is unusual, or maybe they were just that delayed ...
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Looks like I'm going to GF tomorrow instead of Saturday. If I get a chance I will drive my the water tower and see if there are any falcons in residence...
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Looks like I'm going to GF tomorrow instead of Saturday. If I get a chance I will drive my the water tower and see if there are any falcons in residence...
You should be able to see them quite easily Leana, the tower isn't that high - and if I recall the box is on the northeast side on the railing. If I get an update today I'll be sure to post it asap in case that helps you see them better ...
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OK thanks. Just to make sure I've got the right tower, it's the one located at DeMers and Columbia right?
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OK thanks. Just to make sure I've got the right tower, it's the one located at DeMers and Columbia right?
Yes. But if I remember correctly, you really can't view it from DeMers, its not that high and there are buildings around it, not to mention the railway lines. You'll need to access it from the UND campus side, so north of there.
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The update from Grand Forks is that once again, Roosevelt and Terminator have had three chicks and again they are two females and a male. This pair has been together for three years now, and this their third year together and each year it two females and a male. Haven't heard if they have names yet (still waiting for that email response) but I do know that they are a couple of weeks behind the Fargo birds. The Fargo chick fledged early so I think these three still have a couple of weeks, maybe more until fledging. They are mobile enough now to go walking on the catwalk where their nestbox is located.
More information on names etc when I get it ...
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Well now a visit to the UND water tower tomorrow is DEFINITELY in my plans. I will attempt to take some pictures if I see anything and can actually get a picture. Like msdolittle said, my camara is a toy compared to Dennis'! How exciting... maybe the GF girls and make friends with the Winnipeg/Brandon boys!!! ;D
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Like msdolittle said, my camara is a toy compared to Dennis'!
Pretty much everyone's cameras are toys next to Dennis'! :D
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That's great that you are going to visit this GF nest site, Leana. :D I always find it so interesting to visit other nest sites, if I get the chance.
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Last Friday (July 8th) I went to Grand Forks for the day. On our way home we detoured past the UND water tower to check out the Grand Forks nest box located on the tower. Sure enough, it is exactly where Tracy said it would be (NE side) and perched on the edge of the box were two beautiful chicks. Both parents were sitting on the railing not far from the box and not all that far apart from each other. We drove up to the base of the tower on the UND campus so the viewing angle was not the greatest. But the tower isn’t all that tall so the birds were clearly visible. We only saw 2 chicks – assume the 3rd was snoozing further back in the box out of sight. I would guesstimate these chicks are a few days behind the Brandon chicks. They still had lots of fluff in amongst their beautiful brown juvie feathers. I did take some pictures… but they aren’t very good. The lighting was wrong, the angle poor, and my camera just doesn’t have enough zoom power! However, they do show the nest box, the two chicks and the location of the parents in comparison to each other and the box. Anyone going to Grand Forks in the next couple of weeks should definitely check out this site!
These should be clickable thumbnails – if you click on the photo it should open up to full size (I hope!).
Both parents...
(http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/th_IMG_0411.jpg) (http://s1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/?action=view¤t=IMG_0411.jpg)
Nest box...
(http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/th_IMG_0407.jpg) (http://s1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/?action=view¤t=IMG_0407.jpg)
Mom or Dad...
(http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/th_IMG_0408.jpg) (http://s1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/?action=view¤t=IMG_0408.jpg)
Dad or Mom...
(http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/th_IMG_0409.jpg) (http://s1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/?action=view¤t=IMG_0409.jpg)
Nest box...
(http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/th_IMG_0410.jpg) (http://s1112.photobucket.com/albums/k492/lhodge123/Grand%20Forks%20Falcons/?action=view¤t=IMG_0410.jpg)
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Great pictures Leana! ;D
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Thanks Leana! All these peregrines in the air within a relatively short radius, Fargo,Grand Forks, Winnipeg, and Brandon...........sure hope they all get to be parents and live a long life!
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Great pics Leana, you've done it again! But they don't have a weedy playground like our chicks. :)
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This looks like a very interesting nest box.
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These are GREAT pics, Leana! :-* Must have been very exciting to see the actual nestsite. I know that I was thrilled to have been able to see the Calgary & Ottawa nestsites last summer! 8)