Author Topic: News: Other Falcons  (Read 25980 times)

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Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Merlins
« Reply #78 on: August 11, 2016, 11:39 »

Thanks for posting this GCG, had forgotten all about it!

Offline GCG

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Merlins
« Reply #77 on: August 10, 2016, 08:50 »
While reading our community paper this morning, I saw this article about Merlin Falcons here in River Heights. TPC was contacted and responded in this article.  ;D

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/souwester/Predators-fly-high-in-River-Heights-389327721.html

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #76 on: January 06, 2016, 08:10 »
Huge gyrfalcon said to be hanging out in LaSalle. Gyrfalcon, largest falcon species in the world, found near Windsor, Ont., thousands of kilometres from home.

Marion Nash, the director of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation told CBC News in an email that it appears the bird Hass photographed is, indeed, a gyrfalcon, which looks very much like a peregrine.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/woman-photogrpahs-gyrfalcon-near-lasalle-1.3390354


Offline Alison

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #75 on: August 21, 2015, 16:42 »
An unusual member of the falcon family showed up in Jasper National Park earlier this month. The bird, a Crested Caracara, is normally seen only as far north as Arizona, Texas and Florida. Of course, when birdwatchers descended en masse to view the bird, they scared the bird away.

Crested Caracara Spotted in Alberta for the First Time

A birder discovers a tropical falcon 3,000 miles from its home.



Photo by Dale Wilde.

It was going to be just another day of birding for Dale Wilde at Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, in the height of July. The vacationing 53-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, was out at the crack of dawn, exploring the park’s rugged backcountry when she saw a brown-capped head bobbing in a pine tree just 50 yards away. Instantly she knew it was a Crested Caracara—the first ever recorded in Alberta.

“I was shocked to see a Crested Caracara so far north,” says Wilde. “I knew immediately this must have been a rare occurrence.”

Wilde flagged down a tour van stuffed with other tourists and pointed out what she saw. The driver, tour operator Joe Urie, thought he’d seen the bird a few days earlier, but questioned whether there could really be a caracara so far north. Now it was confirmed. And he got proof with a video of the bird jumping from branch to branch.

Wilde watched the falcon for about an hour, snapped a long series of photos with her 600mm zoom lens, and then continued on her birding expedition. She later reported her encounter to the Alberta Bird Record Committee at the Royal Alberta Museum, where it was officially accepted as the province’s first caracara.

So how did the distant land of Alberta end up with a caracara? Listed as threatened in the state of Florida in 1987, the species has experienced a gradual decline in the state as a result of habitat loss and hunting. However, it remains common along the southern U.S. border, where it’s sometimes known as the “Mexican eagle”.



Photo by Dale Wilde.

Alberta’s surprise visitor was likely a vagrant, says Christian Artuso, the Manitoba program manager for Birds Studies Canada. Scavengers, or part-time scavengers like Crested Caracaras, which also pursue live prey, have a long history of wandering outside their normal range: There have been nearly a dozen sightings in California. This year, caracaras have also been recorded in Seattle, Washington, and British Columbia.

“Local, short-term conditions such as drought or habitat change in core areas of the southwest, and/or population dynamics may have resulted in these western vagrancies this year,” Artuso says.

Based on photos of the bird, Artuso predicts that the displaced caracara was a young one—probably no more than a year old. “The breast pattern is halfway between a spotty juvenile and a barred adult, the browner tones of the plumage, the yellow legs, which would be pale bluish-grey in a hatch-year bird [a bird that was born this year], plus the admixture of coloration in flight feathers,” are all helpful clues, he says.

Whatever the reason for this orange-faced outsider’s visit, its presence made quite a stir among Canadian fans. Apparently the caracara remained in its hideout in the trees for about a week and was even reported feasting on a grizzly bear’s leftovers by one of the park’s rangers. But once the bird’s whereabouts went public on social media, photographers and birders converged, probably causing it to flee to parts unknown.


https://www.audubon.org/news/crested-caracara-spotted-alberta-first-time

Offline Jazzerkins

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #74 on: January 01, 2014, 21:43 »
Since others didn't seem to have any problems, I over-rode my security and opened these very beautiful pictures.

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #73 on: January 01, 2014, 20:02 »
All links opened just fine for me, as well, without any warnings of malicious URL's. I am using Internet Explorer at the moment.

Offline sami

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #72 on: January 01, 2014, 16:42 »
I had no trouble opening all three, but I'm also using Firefox.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #71 on: January 01, 2014, 14:01 »
Jazzer reports that she had some trouble opening the three blog entries I listed below ... the error she got warned of malicious URLs.  I use Firefox and didn't get any warnings and my firewalls are set pretty high/aggressive.

Am running a virus check now just in case, will post results when it's done ...

... virus check came back all clean and clear ...
« Last Edit: January 01, 2014, 16:38 by The Peregrine Chick »

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #70 on: January 01, 2014, 01:43 »
3 neat stories about Prairie Falcons with truly wonderful photos!!!  These are from Ron Dudley's blog entitled Feathered Photography.

Montana Prairie Falcons And Hordes of Grasshoppers - 29 July 2013
http://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/07/29/montana-prairie-falcons-and-hordes-of-grasshoppers/

The Tamest Prairie Falcon Of Them All - 30 July 2013
http://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/07/30/the-tamest-prairie-falcon-of-them-all/

Banded Prairie Falcon – A Fascinating Update - 1 Aug 2013
www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/08/01/banded-prairie-falcon-update/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=banded-prairie-falcon-update
 

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #69 on: January 01, 2014, 01:19 »
UC research into which predators attack NZ falcon nests
Monday, 6 May, 2013 - 08:00 / Voxy.co.nz

University of Canterbury (UC) researchers have found that that feral cats, stoats and hedgehogs are likely to be the biggest threats to ground-nesting New Zealand falcons. The New Zealand falcon is a nationally threatened species. Populations have been shown to be in decline and are likely less than 4000 breeding pairs.  UC biology researcher Dr Sara Kross says the research, supervised by Dr Ximena Nelson, is the first confirmed indication of which predators are likely to be an issue for falcons. Previous studies have only been able to use field signs to identify predators at failed nests which is relatively inaccurate. The data from our research is the first to identify potential predators using video and artificial nests,’’ Kross says.

The falcon was voted the native New Zealand bird of the year. It can reach speeds of up to 230kmh and catch prey mid-flight.

The UC research, seeking to help guide the reintroduction of the birds into low-lying country such as vineyards, was supported by Brancott Estate Wines and Canon New Zealand. Te Papa Museum assisted Dr Kross in identifying predator teeth marks on wax eggs.  Stoats and hedgehogs are likely to be the main predators among introduced pests of falcon eggs. Nests in the hills were attacked by predators faster than in the vineyards. Our results indicate that vineyards hold considerable potential for the protection and conservation of falcons.  These results demonstrate the important implications of habitat type on pressure associated with introduced predators. These may well prove a fruitful avenue of management if breeding can be fostered in safer vineyard areas, as in the case of this threatened falcon.  Nowhere is the detrimental impact of these introduced species more apparent than in New Zealand, where pests have been implicated in the decline of most of the 58 native bird species that have become extinct since the arrival of humans. To reduce the impact on agricultural activities and increase the biological value of land being utilised, we are aiming to establish a population of falcons in the Marlborough vineyard- dominated valleys of the country’s largest wine-growing region.

Falcons can provide ecosystem services for vineyards in the form of pest control and they exhibit more attention to their nests,’’ Kross says. The falcon is the country’s only remaining native bird of prey and ongoing monitoring of nests in both habitats is needed along with controlled management to ensure falcon nests in both habitats receive a similar and consistent amount of predator control. 

Dr Kross is programme manager for the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust, a charitable trust she co-founded during the first year of her thesis. She has recently been awarded a postdoctoral position with the Smith Conservation Research Fellows in the United States.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #68 on: January 01, 2014, 01:09 »
Merlins magicians when in flight
by  Sandy Fairfield - Comox Valley Record
24 Jul 2013 at 11:00 AM

  fledge age merlin chick

Aerodynamically designed for speed, merlins belong to the family of falcons.  The peregrine falcon is the fastest-flying falcon but the merlin is a close second, attaining cruising speeds in excess of 70 kilometres an hour.

Also known as a "pigeon hawk" this name not only implies their partiality to dining on pigeons, but also reflects the similarity in the air to the flight pattern of a pigeon with rapid wing beats and lengthy swoops.   In ancient times, merlins were a popular falconry bird especially suited to the ladies of nobility as they were considered to be dainty and easily managed by a lady.

Merlins are migratory birds but during the spring and summer can be found in B.C. in open coniferous forests, by lakes and ponds and along the shoreline. They are becoming more at home in urban areas and are a common site at the backyard bird feeder. Unfortunately, they are usually on the prowl for an easy meal!  Comparable in size to a blue jay, merlins can be recognized by a dark line that extends down the face from the eye resembling a moustache or sideburns.

Seen from above, the males' back and upper wings are a dark gray-blue-black; the females and immatures are a dark brown.  From below, their breasts and bellies are streaked with brown and cream; their long pointed wings have a spotted pattern, their long tails are banded with dark brown and cream.  Like all raptors, the merlin has a hooked beak that is black with a yellow band across the nostrils, and like the peregrine falcon, are equipped with pea-like "baffles" that reduce the impact of air rushing into the nose during high speed flight. These little falcons are extremely active and vocal; their sound is very distinct they emit a piercing "kee-kee-kee."

Rarely seen perching unless they are consuming their prey, merlins are in the air, where they capture their prey on the wing. Once prey is spotted, they chase relentlessly and close in, hitting the prey with their talons and killing it instantly. Due to their power and speed they are able to capture birds the same size as themselves.  Although birds make up over 90 per cent of their diet, they will also catch insects, especially large dragonflies and moths, and will occasionally eat small rodents.

Merlins are one of the few raptors that do not mate for life. They usually nest in trees or cliffsides. They do not build their own nest;  rather they will reuse an old crow or raven nest, or use a tree cavity.  The female bird will do most of the egg incubation and the male will bring her food and also feed the young when they are first hatched.  During the nesting season the merlin is very territorial and this is the time when they are extremely vocal. Two to five eggs are normal for these birds and the young fledge 29 days after hatching but will continue to be dependent on their parents for another month.

Crows and ravens pose a significant threat to the eggs and the young, but the greatest threat facing these birds now are cats, particularly feral cats. Cats are preying on our local songbird populations, resulting in a shortage of food for the merlins.  In addition to predation by cats the songbirds, in certain areas of North America, are also showing signs of sickness due to the West Nile virus. Ultimately this could have a dramatic effect on the merlin populations if they lose their valuable food source.

The latest merlin at MARS arrived from Quadra Island where it was ambushed by a group of feral cats — fortunately it was rescued none the worse from the encounter.  This is only the second a merlin has been rescued at the centre in the past two years as their numbers seem to be on the decline. It is estimated that there are over 100 million cats in North America, which will continue to add to the decline in songbirds.

Small falcons and hawks are difficult patients to rehab in captivity, especially the young due to their methods of capturing prey; they are also very hyper and easily stressed. Normally we return our patients to the territory they came from but in this case this may have to change to a more suitable area that is cat-free.

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #67 on: January 12, 2013, 23:36 »
Awful! Awful! Awful!  :'( Signed petition.

Offline Doreen

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #66 on: January 12, 2013, 14:27 »
I signed it.  :'(

Offline Pam

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #65 on: January 10, 2013, 13:04 »
Horrible story, I have signed.

Offline Gingerlee

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #64 on: January 09, 2013, 21:20 »
read & signed, but did not watch.

Offline irenekl

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #63 on: January 08, 2013, 15:56 »
Reading about it was plenty enough for me, signed

Offline MayShowers

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #62 on: January 08, 2013, 05:48 »
signed the petition but just can't read about it or watch it.  It disturbs me too much.
Same for me as well.

Offline Moonstar

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #61 on: January 06, 2013, 13:31 »
signed the petition but just can't read about it or watch it.  It disturbs me too much.

Offline allikat

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #60 on: January 05, 2013, 18:42 »
Signed the petition... won't watch.

Offline bccs

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #59 on: January 04, 2013, 14:17 »
Read and watched, senseless murder. >:(  I signed the petition.

Offline bcbird

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #58 on: January 03, 2013, 21:11 »
Thank you for the specific instructions, TPC.

I hadn't wanted to click any link when you first mentioned the disturbing pictures.

Now I have signed the petition, and avoided the video. 

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #57 on: January 03, 2013, 12:04 »
After opening the first link, which was heartwrenching, I immediately closed it and cried. :'(

When I opened the email it was because it was about a falcon with the transmitter that was migrating astounding distances.  The reason I posted it here was because of how lucky (or smart) she was to be able to make these migrations successfully!

If you can't bear to open the links, avoid the first 3 but open the petition and do not play the video.  The page provides a little information and the opportunity to act by signing a petition - and not just a petition, you can add a note as well. 

Remember environmentalists are often viewed as extremists these days (even by our own federal government at times) so if you do leave a message in support of the petition, remember you can "catch more flies with honey".  Doesn't mean you don't plan to hit them with a rolled-up newspaper but you have to get them to come close and not be afraid of the "newspaper".  Often its just a case of how you word it - i.e., don't let them see the newspaper!

Offline GCG

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #56 on: January 03, 2013, 05:10 »
After opening the first link, which was heartwrenching, I immediately closed it and cried. :'(

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #55 on: January 02, 2013, 09:47 »
I also meant to include on my original post that I apologize for not being able to start the year off with a happier "news" story.  :'(

Offline Jazzerkins

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #54 on: January 02, 2013, 06:00 »
Absolutely horrendous.  :'(

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #53 on: January 01, 2013, 20:43 »
Here's a disturbing email from one of the birding loops I belong to ... our peregrines have enough dangers to face, glad their migration route is limited to the Americas!!

NOTE, PHOTOS ARE DISTURBING

One of our satellite-tracked Amur Falcons, an adult female, was fitted with a 5g tag in early January 2010 in South Africa. This spring it was tracked for the third time over the Indian Ocean to its breeding grounds some 470 kms west of Peking in China. It left the area during the first half of October to arrive on 4 November at Doyang reservoir in eastern India, now world famous for the slaughter of theses small falcons - see

http://www.conservationindia.org/campaigns/amur-massacre

http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/channel/newsitem.asp?c=11&cate=__13205

http://www.birdlife.org/community/2012/11/help-required-to-end-hunting-massacre-in-nagaland-india/

120,000-140,000 birds are estimated to be killed every year at this largest congregation anywhere in the world.

*Please sign a petition:*
https://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/please-stop-amur-falcon-massacre-in-nagaland-india


Our bird had already visited the area last autumn.  We had again anxious days. Would the female survive? Finally on 14 November she left the area to start crossing the Indian Ocean on 17 November some 400 kms south of Mumbai (Bombay). This is further south than in the previous years.

We just received the last fix for 20 November 6.47 h (GMT), when she was only  240 kms from the coast of Somalia in East Africa. Two years ago she arrived in Somalia on 21 November and on  22 November in 2011. The crossing of the ocean occurs considerably further south this year.

After almost three years, this falcon must be the world champion as for long-term satellite tracking of a small bird with a 5 g PTT.



Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #52 on: November 14, 2012, 22:50 »


Same kind of band as Jules  ;)
And glad to here this bird appears to be doing as well as Jules

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #51 on: November 14, 2012, 21:11 »
!!! Some additional photos of the wayward Gyrfalcon escapee hanging out in Scarborough’s east end.

........given that the Gyrfalcon was produced in captivity and is privately owned as evident by the much smaller breeders type leg bands on its legs.

http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/w/2012/11/sightings/some-additional-photos-of-the-wayward-gyrfalcon-escapee-hanging-out-in-scarboroughs-east-end/

 
« Last Edit: November 14, 2012, 21:12 by RCF »

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #50 on: November 14, 2012, 18:52 »
Rare white falcon spotted at Scarborough shopping mall

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1286192--rare-white-falcon-spotted-at-scarborough-shopping-mall

Another very interesting story! Sounds as if the bird is an "escapee". Would he/she be owned by a falconer? I wonder how they plan to capture her? ???

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #49 on: November 14, 2012, 18:37 »
Exhausted kestrel hitches ride back to shore on sailor's shoulder after flying 25 miles out to sea

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2230410/Exhausted-kestrel-hitches-ride-shore-sailors-shoulder-flying-25-miles-sea.html#ixzz2C2hhXcAh

What a great story! Thanks for posting, RCF. :-*

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #48 on: November 13, 2012, 18:08 »
Scarborough Gyrfalcon

 8)  There are some great photos of the white morph gyrfalcon at the link below.  8)

http://www.paulreeves.ca/html/nature/birds/gyrfalcon.html

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #47 on: November 12, 2012, 16:56 »
Nice story RCF - thanks for finding & posting it!

Could just be a bird migrating through, maybe the long way around, but they do go south.  In this part of the continent Gyrs migrate to South Dakota.  Island Girl the tundra peregrine migrated right by Sault Ste Marie on her way south to Chile ... a bit further west but she was going a whole lot further south as well ...

 :)
« Last Edit: November 12, 2012, 21:58 by RCF »

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #46 on: November 12, 2012, 16:50 »
Exhausted kestrel hitches ride back to shore on sailor's shoulder after flying 25 miles out to sea

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2230410/Exhausted-kestrel-hitches-ride-shore-sailors-shoulder-flying-25-miles-sea.html#ixzz2C2hhXcAh


 

This is something like Island Girl this year over the Gulf of Mexico - she hitched a ride as well on a northbound ship this fall.  Love that everyone has a camera these days, so many more chances to get photos of these occurrences!

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #45 on: November 12, 2012, 16:48 »
Nice story RCF - thanks for finding & posting it!

Could just be a bird migrating through, maybe the long way around, but they do go south.  In this part of the continent Gyrs migrate to South Dakota.  Island Girl the tundra peregrine migrated right by Sault Ste Marie on her way south to Chile ... a bit further west but she was going a whole lot further south as well ...

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #44 on: November 12, 2012, 16:46 »
Update on Scarborough Gyrfalcon from BCAW.

November 12, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:

I was up to check this bird out a few times in the past several days. It is thriving, hunting pigeons at the mall/plazza. It catches 2-3 each day, so is eating very well. It is in very good health(to see it at least). It has some local competition, with a Coopers Hawk that hunts the same pigeons, a local Redtailed Hawk that hunts the hydro field just north of the plaza and apparently a Peregrine Falcon who it had a tussle with on Sunday afternoon.

Leslie provided this account of the interactions of the Peregrine and the Gyrfalcon.


http://www.peregrinefalcon-bcaw.net/viewtopic.php?p=210869#p210869



Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #43 on: November 12, 2012, 14:44 »

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #42 on: November 12, 2012, 14:38 »
Exhausted kestrel hitches ride back to shore on sailor's shoulder after flying 25 miles out to sea

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2230410/Exhausted-kestrel-hitches-ride-shore-sailors-shoulder-flying-25-miles-sea.html#ixzz2C2hhXcAh


 
« Last Edit: November 12, 2012, 14:41 by RCF »

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #41 on: September 01, 2012, 13:00 »
Heart warming story of the Merlin but very sad ending. Sounds like what similarly might have happened to our Maya in Brandon - starvation & dehydration. :'( The good news is that so many people appreciated and valued the life of little "Blue Bomber". :)

Offline noellat

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #40 on: August 25, 2012, 20:27 »
It is sad.  I'm glad he was in a safe place for his last few days.   :'(I now realize how hard it must be for these young birds to get and maintain their survivor skills

Offline Doreen

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #39 on: August 25, 2012, 19:47 »
Very sad!  :'( :'(

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #38 on: August 25, 2012, 15:02 »


Winnipeg Free Press photo

Offline Jazzerkins

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #37 on: August 25, 2012, 07:44 »
Very sad :'(

Offline GCG

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #36 on: August 25, 2012, 06:09 »
Printed in the Winnipeg Free Press, today, Saturday, August 25, 2012

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/a-fitting-symbol--of-a-trying-season-167414215.html

 :'(

Offline noellat

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #35 on: August 19, 2012, 19:48 »
Thanks all for your answers and also to RCF for showing the pictures.  I didn't know how to post them.

Offline dupre501

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #34 on: August 19, 2012, 13:53 »
Quote
Dupre 501 On Global news yesterday they showed a bird that was dive bombing the crowd at the Bomber game on Thursday.  This bird looks like a peregrine to me.  He/she remained at the stadium for the whole game and is pictured very close to people in the stands.  Can you look at the pictures and let me know if it was one of our peregrines.
.  You can see the pictures if you go the Global Winnipeg. com and then to the weather for August 17.  The weather girl invites people to send in their pictures which are shown at the end of her weather spiel.  So you will have to listen to a few minutes of old weather till the pictures are shown.  Also behavior seems a little odd since since peregrines aren't crazy about people.  thanks
WOW! Quite amazing to see a wild bird perched so close to people. And these are some good shots.

As Dennis pointed out, the darkness of the mylar bar is missing on the cheek. But now we can see the similarity in overall colouring that a merlin has with the peregrine. It could be very easy to miss identify the bird if there were only a brief glimpse.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #33 on: August 19, 2012, 10:49 »
Yup, its a Merlin - female or young of the year, can't tell by size in the photo ...

Offline photosbydennis

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #32 on: August 19, 2012, 08:37 »
I have watched Merlin's feed on the big screen at the North end during a football game before...notice the missing mallar stripes, it's a Merlin
http://www.pbase.com/photosbydennis/image/100431873

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #31 on: August 18, 2012, 23:12 »
At sundown yesterday, one falcon at the Bleachers.
Dupre 501 On Global news yesterday they showed a bird that was dive bombing the crowd at the Bomber game on Thursday.  This bird looks like a peregrine to me.  He/she remained at the stadium for the whole game and is pictured very close to people in the stands.  Can you look at the pictures and let me know if it was one of our peregrines.
.  You can see the pictures if you go the Global Winnipeg. com and then to the weather for August 17.  The weather girl invites people to send in their pictures which are shown at the end of her weather spiel.  So you will have to listen to a few minutes of old weather till the pictures are shown.  Also behavior seems a little odd since since peregrines aren't crazy about people.  thanks

Here are the pictures
The pics start at 2:43 in the weather forcast
http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/video/winnipeg+weather+forecast+august+17/video.html?v=2269784761&p=1&s=dd#weather

 

Offline noellat

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #30 on: August 18, 2012, 22:26 »
At sundown yesterday, one falcon at the Bleachers.
Dupre 501 On Global news yesterday they showed a bird that was dive bombing the crowd at the Bomber game on Thursday.  This bird looks like a peregrine to me.  He/she remained at the stadium for the whole game and is pictured very close to people in the stands.  Can you look at the pictures and let me know if it was one of our peregrines.
.  You can see the pictures if you go the Global Winnipeg. com and then to the weather for August 17.  The weather girl invites people to send in their pictures which are shown at the end of her weather spiel.  So you will have to listen to a few minutes of old weather till the pictures are shown.  Also behavior seems a little odd since since peregrines aren't crazy about people.  thanks

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #29 on: January 21, 2012, 10:49 »
When I went into the site to see the "wee one" it was being said that the parents would eat it.  Is there something wrong with this situation or is it because they are in captivity that this would happen.  I'm confused as RCF's info states that they raise their  young the same as our Peregrines do.  Maybe I'm not reading this correctly???
I was confused about that article too, Ellie. I was actually shocked to read that the parents would eat the chick if it were not removed within 20 days and certainly did wonder how preserving this species would be possible, if that were the case. Perhaps this only happens in captivity, as you say, because this is in contrast to the article that rcf posted. I'm thinking I might try to e-mail someone at the Staglands Wildlife Reserve to ask a few questions about the species.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #28 on: January 20, 2012, 22:03 »
I want to think its an error on the part of the reporter Ellie - the parents would need to continue feeding the chick while it learns to hunt on its own but perhaps the birds are very territorial and in a breeding situation this territoriality can turn deadly when chicks are fledgish age - the adults see them as competition.  But this is purely speculation that the reporter made a small error in wording rather than a big error.  Killing the chick for food would be an evolutionary flaw in which case saving the NZ falcon from extinction would be doubly difficult.

More research is required  ;D I'm afraid if we want to understand the whole picture ...

Offline Ellie

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #27 on: January 20, 2012, 16:59 »
When I went into the site to see the "wee one" it was being said that the parents would eat it.  Is there something wrong with this situation or is it because they are in captivity that this would happen.  I'm confused as RCF's info states that they raise their  young the same as our Peregrines do.  Maybe I'm not reading this correctly???

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #26 on: January 17, 2012, 20:37 »

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #25 on: January 17, 2012, 20:02 »
Interesting article about a New Zealand Falcon chick that recently hatched at Staglands Wildlife Reserve near Wellington...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/6252931/Fast-life-for-little-predator

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #24 on: July 08, 2011, 20:41 »
...Sabaa is one of four Saker Falcons being used at the site, and yes, they are flying a peregrine as well as a few hawk species.
Right, you did say that. I guess I was skimming. ::)

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #23 on: July 08, 2011, 19:50 »
Sabaa is one of four Saker Falcons being used at the site, and yes, they are flying a peregrine as well as a few hawk species.

The Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) is a very large falcon. This species breeds from eastern Europe eastwards across Asia to Manchuria. It is mainly migratory except in the southernmost parts of its range, wintering in Ethiopia, the Arabian peninsula, northern Pakistan and western China. During the end of the last ice age–oxygen isotope stages 3-2, some 40,000 to 10,000 years ago–it also occurred in Poland (Tomek & Bocheński 2005).

Saker - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saker_Falcon

« Last Edit: July 08, 2011, 19:51 by The Peregrine Chick »

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #22 on: July 08, 2011, 19:11 »
Is that a gyrfalcon in the photo, TPC? :-\
It's a Saker Falcon, I think they are European.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/saker_falcon.htm

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #21 on: July 08, 2011, 18:35 »
Is that a gyrfalcon in the photo, TPC? :-\

Offline Saoirse

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #20 on: July 08, 2011, 17:43 »
Wow, I don't live far from there -- definitely time to take a drive over and see what I can see!

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #19 on: July 08, 2011, 17:34 »
I heard about this on the news yesterday.

The contract was signed a few months ago and the birds have been flying since April or May and its working nicely so far from what I hear  :)

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #18 on: July 08, 2011, 17:20 »
I heard about this on the news yesterday.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #17 on: July 08, 2011, 16:54 »
Ballywing sent me this link

Falcons drop in, gulls flee



WINNIPEG — Where 4,500 gulls used to interfere with workers at the Brady Road landfill, even defecating on them and their bulldozers, only 400 remain, thanks to the work of a team of falcons and hawks.

Even those few hundred brave gulls that have stuck around rise up en masse and flee when they see Sabaa, one of the falcons, flying around.

Read more .... Falcons drop in, gulls flee  



Sabaa is one of four Saker Falcons being used at the site, and yes, they are flying a peregrine as well as a few hawk species.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #16 on: July 08, 2011, 09:18 »


Actually, duck hawk is the name given to the peregrine (Audubon called it the Great-footed Bird) and for exactly the reason you mentionned Moka - the big feet.  Merlins are called pigeon hawks.  Don't recall ever hearing if there was another name for American Kestrels ...



American Kestrels are also known as Sparrow Hawks.

Quite right Cadria, how did I not remember that?  :o Brains going ...  :'(

Offline Doreen

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #15 on: July 08, 2011, 08:53 »
These chicks are cute.

Offline cadria

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #14 on: July 08, 2011, 08:48 »


Actually, duck hawk is the name given to the peregrine (Audubon called it the Great-footed Bird) and for exactly the reason you mentionned Moka - the big feet.  Merlins are called pigeon hawks.  Don't recall ever hearing if there was another name for American Kestrels ...



American Kestrels are also known as Sparrow Hawks.

Offline bcbird

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2011, 14:39 »
Lovely pictures of these cute merlin chicks.
Fierce Raptors they may become, but they don't have that fiercely cute factor of the Peregrine chicks.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2011, 14:23 »
Very cute chicks!  Wings and feet seem quite a bit daintier than our babies :-X

Thanks for the links to the pics dupre.

Ben Franklin or someone of his ilk, called the peregrine a duck hawk because of the size of their feet ::)

They do make the merlin chicks seem cute and dainty! ;D

Actually, duck hawk is the name given to the peregrine (Audubon called it the Great-footed Bird) and for exactly the reason you mentionned Moka - the big feet.  Merlins are called pigeon hawks.  Don't recall ever hearing if there was another name for American Kestrels ...

Interestingly (small) ducks are as big a prey as peregrines can handle and mostly they eat smaller prey.  Same for the merlins, pigeons is as big as they can get, and mostly its smaller they rely on.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2011, 14:25 by The Peregrine Chick »

Offline moka

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2011, 13:40 »
Very cute chicks!  Wings and feet seem quite a bit daintier than our babies :-X

Thanks for the links to the pics dupre.

Ben Franklin or someone of his ilk, called the peregrine a duck hawk because of the size of their feet ::)

They do make the merlin chicks seem cute and dainty! ;D

Offline susha

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2011, 12:37 »
Very cute chicks!  Wings and feet seem quite a bit daintier than our babies :-X

Thanks for the links to the pics dupre.

Offline dupre501

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2011, 12:22 »
On The Weather Network (Winnipeg), someone posted photos of merlin chicks. The remind me of the Brandon chicks.

I don't know how long the photos will be there, but here are the current links.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/your_weather/details/620/4546179/3/camb0244/plpcities/?ref=ugc_city_thumbs
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/your_weather/details/620/4546163/4/camb0244/plpcities/

Offline irenekl

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #8 on: June 26, 2011, 10:28 »
got it.....thankyou pmg :)

Offline pmg

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2011, 15:03 »

Offline irenekl

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2011, 06:42 »
What a beauty and what a story!  I'm certainly interested to learn more about these birds.

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2011, 16:27 »
Very interesting article, pmg. Thanks for posting it. :-* What beautiful birds they are. :)

Offline pmg

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2011, 20:46 »

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2011, 20:02 »
23 January

Just heard on the Manitoba birding loop that a gyrfalcon was spotted along Hwy 12 moving northeast.  They usually overwinter in the South Dakota area.  Not time for their northward migration, so someone has decided on a bit of a walk-about ... hopefully it isn't because prey (small mammal) populations are low down south ...

Offline Alison

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2009, 18:25 »
Migratory route of Eleonora's falcon revealed for first time in the Western Mediterranean

16-Oct-2009

Satellite tracking has allowed a research team to uncover the mysteries of the migration of Eleanora's falcon for the first time. In total, the bird flies more than 9,500 kilometres across the African continent from the Balearic and Columbretes Islands before reaching the island of Madagascar. Some of the previously-obscure secrets now revealed by the scientists show that these falcons migrate by both day and night, and cross supposed ecological barriers such as the Sahara Desert.



Until recently, the scientific community had almost no knowledge of the biology and life strategies of Eleanora's falcon (Falco eleonorae), a migratory bird of prey with low population numbers that nests on marine islands. However, researchers from the Universities of Valencia (UV) and Alicante (UA) tagged 11 individuals (7 adults and 4 chicks) in the colonies of the Balearic Islands between 2007 and 2008 and in the Columbretes Islands in the province of Castellón in 2008, with a further five individuals tagged in 2009.

"This represents a landmark in the study of this species, because to date nobody had been able to catch any Eleanora's falcon individuals and tag them using satellite technology anywhere in their colonies in the western Mediterranean", Pascual López, a researcher at the UV and lead author of the study, which has been published recently in the journal Zoological Studies, tells SINC.

The tagged falcons started their migration of more than 9,500 kilometres in the autumns of 2007 and 2008, travelling from the Balearic Islands to Madagascar. The new discovery made by this study was that the falcons do not fly over the waters of the Mediterranean and along the East African coast, but instead cross straight over the African continent.

The satellite tracking data have also shown that "Eleonora's falcons can migrate by both day and night (a new discovery among birds of prey of their genus), and cross supposed ecological barriers such as the Sahara Desert, the Equator and extensive stretches of open sea in the Indian Ocean", points out López.

During the two-month migration undertaken by the falcons in order to winter in Madagascar, the biologists received hundreds of position signals for the adults (throughout 10 countries) and the juveniles (in 14 countries). Their migratory route to return to Europe in the spring once again crosses the African continent, "but they follow a completely different path from that used for the autumn migration, flying for more than 1,500km non-stop over the Indian Ocean from Madagascar to Somalia, a phenomenon that has never before been described in birds of prey of this genus, and which pushes them to the limits of their physiological capacity ", says the researcher.

A very special bird

Some of the peculiarities of this bird of prey, which migrates over long distances and evolved only recently, include "a reproductive cycle adapted to the migration of other bird species, starting at the end of the summer and not in the spring (the latest among all European birds of prey). This makes it a model organism for looking into questions about its phylogeography and evolution", adds López, who also wants to find out how the Eleonora's falcons manage to navigate during such a long journey.

Eleonora's falcon was named after Giudicessa Eleonora de Arborea (1350-1404), a Sardinian princess who fought for Sardinia's independence from the Kingdom of Aragon, and who drafted the first laws in Europe protecting birds of prey.

References:

López-López, Pascual; Limiñana, Rubén; Urios, Vicente. "Autumn Migration of Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae Tracked by Satellite Telemetry" Zoological Studies 48(4): 485-491, julio de 2009.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/f-sf-mro101609.php
« Last Edit: January 03, 2011, 20:35 by The Peregrine Chick »

Offline carly

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News: Other Falcons
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2009, 15:50 »
2,500-year-old bird's nest found


Good for generation after generation

A 2,500-year-old bird's nest has been discovered on a cliff in Greenland.  The nesting site is still continually used by gyrfalcons, the world's largest species of falcon, and is the oldest raptor nest ever recorded.  Three other nests, each over 1,000 years old, have also been found, one of which contains feathers from a bird that lived more than 600 years ago. However, ornithologists fear climate change may soon drive the birds from these ancient nesting sites.

Gyrfalcons live circumpolar to the Arctic. The birds range in colour from being almost exclusively white in Greenland to usually black in Labrador in Canada. Like many falcons, they do not build nests out of sticks and twigs, but typically lay eggs in bowl-shaped depressions they scrape into existing ledges or old nests made by other birds such as ravens.

But while stick nests are often frequently damaged, preventing their repeated use, gyrfalcons will often revisit some ledges and potholes from year to year. To find out just how long the birds return to the same site, ornithologist Kurt Burnham of the University of Oxford, UK and colleagues decided to carbon date the guano and other debris that birds leave at various nest sites around Greenland.



An ancient nest, this one dated at a mere 1000 years old.  

The cold dry climate of Greenland slows the decay of the falcons' droppings and various nest sites had built up levels of guano almost 2m deep. But Burnham was still surprised to find out just how old these nests are.

Carbon dating revealed that one nest in Kangerlussuaq in central-west Greenland is between 2,360 and 2,740 years old, the researchers report in Ibis. Three other nests in the area are older than 1,000 years, with the youngest nest site first being occupied 520 to 650 years ago. These ancient nests are still being regularly used by gyrfalcons.

"While I know many falcon species re-use nest sites year after year, I never imagined we would be talking about nests that have been used on and off for over 2,000 years," says Burnham.

Within the nests, Burnham's team also found intriguing clues as to the past inhabitants. In the 13 nests sampled, they found three feathers belonging to previous tenants. The youngest came from a bird residing in the nest 60 years ago, while the oldest came from a falcon that used the nest some 670 years ago.

The ancient guano samples also gave an indication of what the birds ate in times long past.



The world's largest falcon.
 
Those gyrfalcons living in central-west Greenland, which is farther from the ice sheet and nearer the ocean, fed from a diet much richer in marine animals, such as little auks and black guillemots. Falcons living further north closer to the ice fed on terrestrial prey such as rock ptarmigan and arctic hare.

"These findings put new emphasis on just how important nest site characteristics can be for raptor species, particularly large raptors," Burnham says. "Something, be it nest ledge depth, or the amount of cliff overhang above the nest, is so attractive at these locations that gyrfalcons are re-using them for thousands of years."

Yet the fact that gyrfalcons remain faithful to certain nest sites for hundreds of generations suggest that they may be especially vulnerable to climate change, says Burnham.

"As a result of a warming and ameliorating climate other bird species, such as peregrine falcons, are moving further north. As peregrine populations continue to increase in density they will likely use more and more of these traditional gyrfalcon nests, forcing gyrfalcons to find alternate locations to nest in which may not offer the same amount of protection from the harsh Arctic environment in Greenland."

Similar studies have been used to show when whole colonies of birds first took up residence at certain sites.

By carbon dating solidified stomach contents, peat moss deposits and bone and feather samples from various moulting sites, researchers have in the past shown that colonies of snow petrel have returned to the same sites for 34,000 years and adelie penguins for 44,000 years.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8103000/8103872.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/5558845/Falcon-nest-in-Greenland-is-2500-years-old.html
« Last Edit: January 03, 2011, 18:36 by The Peregrine Chick »