U of Alberta - 2013 / Chase & Radisson

[bev.]

It was amazing. I am so glad Gord is doing this. We had a disastrous season this year. I would love to see them all in nature .

[RCF]

Loved all the photos bev!  It would be amazing to just sit and watch them interact and play together.   

[Jazzerkins]

Such wonderful pictures bev.  Thank you so much for sharing. 

[bev.]

I will post a few picutres. and then you can click on last picture and follow arrow to right and see rest. I tried to let you see some of area and one of hack boxes and the falcon tree and some antics of some of the peregrines. I have tons of pictures and remember we were on the bridge down from boxes
Steve , the falconer is speaking at fundraiser at Bin 104 , so should be very informative.

there is lots to see if you clikc on last picture and go to right with arrows

it was very emotional for me as I knew 5 of ours were flying there. It was magic

[bev.]

this tree is along the pembina  river. Peter and I went out Thursday morning. fThere are two hakc boxes there.

And there are lots of cliffs. it was amazing to see them flying and talon touching and ;laying and soaring . we saw two falcons  in that tree, and some on the cliff ledges and some flying along the river banks ,

this hack site is in a natural setting. lots of trees, cliffs and open spaces. a falconer monitors this site 24 hours a day.

the young birds are put in these boxes before they can fly. This way they imprint on this site, and hopefully migrate back to this site or a site like it. . They are fed quail and such every day. When they are ready to fly , box is open, and they test their wings.They fly at will, no adults to feed them.
They learn from instinct and do they ever learn. We saw it with our eyes. If one gets into trouble, falconer helps out. he swam the river last year to help on e back to box that he thought was not quite ready.
It is truly amazing. It is not ususual to see them perch in tree after a flight. ( if you watch orange , in Australia, the adults and young perch in trees across from box.)

I will  be right back with a few picutres so you can see site. I think I posted it last year but I will post again

[RCF]

Thanks for this explanation of the difference between a nestsite & a hacksite, TPC. I had noticed that it looked more like a perch than an actual tree.

It kind of looks like a dead fir tree to me, great for perching in though! 

[Kinderchick]

Thanks for this explanation of the difference between a nestsite & a hacksite, TPC. I had noticed that it looked more like a perch than an actual tree.

[The Peregrine Chick]

bev, where exactly is this tree with all the juvies hanging out? It is unusual to see PF's hanging out in a tree, is it not? You mentioned earlier that it is in an enclosed area. Is this a rehab place or a hack site? I'm not sure exactly how a hack site's work.

Peregrines aren't woodland birds like Merlins so they don't sit in trees because they like to sit in trees.  They will sit in trees when they give them clear views of hunting grounds (like wetlands or farmers fields) - peregrines hunt in the open, either above cities or in clear areas like wetlands, along shorelines, over farmers' fields, that kind of thing.  If you notice the tree doesn't have needles or leaves, its more perch than tree, nothing to get in the way when a peregrine's metre wide wingspan is open.  Another option could be if there were few or no other perch sites near a nest or hack site, given a choice between sitting in a tree or sitting on the ground, peregrines would prefer some altitude.

And a hacksite is the same as a nestsite, the only difference is the way birds are released.  From a nestsite, the chicks fledge when they are ready from a nestbox or whatever the adults have used for a nest.  From a hacksite, captive-bred chicks are able to fledge (again when they are ready) after the hackbox is opened for them. 

[Kinderchick]

bev, where exactly is this tree with all the juvies hanging out? It is unusual to see PF's hanging out in a tree, is it not? You mentioned earlier that it is in an enclosed area. Is this a rehab place or a hack site? I'm not sure exactly how a hack site's work.

[susha]

Wow!!  What a sight!  Thanks Bev

[Shocka88]

Thanks for the great and unusual photo!

[Kinderchick]

That is an amazing photo, bev!

[RCF]

Pretty cool to see eight peregrine chicks sitting in a tree!!  Thanks bev! 

[bev.]

I just received this from Gord. I am so excited so we will go out to the hack site tomorrow and see what we can see

All doing extremely well at the Pembina River – all, including your U of A and Weber birds are accounted for and flying like champions.  A photo of the mob enclosed. 

[sparkster]

Thank you for sharing the photos and the good news that everyone there is doing well. I hope it continues. It is also interesting to see the world around the nest box.