Radisson - 2010 / Ivy & Princess

[The Peregrine Chick]

Birth Announcement in the Winnipeg Free Press ....

Princess and Ivy, the Radisson Hotel's peregrine falcons, have hungry new mouths to feed.

The raptors' four eggs hatched on Monday and Tuesday.

The live-streaming "falcon cam" that broadcasts from the wooden nest box on the hotel's roof appears to show four healthy chicks, although they're so squashed together that it's difficult to count the downy babies.

"They all look good. They all have been sitting up, begging for food," said Tracy Maconachie, co-ordinator of Manitoba's Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project.

In mid-June, Maconachie and her team will put identification bands on the chicks' legs and determine their sex.

The mother, Princess, usually keeps the chicks tucked under her between meals. The father, Ivy, has been bringing home prey such as pigeons and gulls. The chicks have their first feeding at about 5 a.m. and get fed every two to three hours.

Maconachie is posting videos at www.youtube.com/theperegrinechick, so falcon fans can see what feedings are like.

Manitoba's other two pairs of breeding peregrines, one in Brandon and one in west Winnipeg, are each incubating four eggs, expected to hatch in June.


And here is the original link: Winnipeg Free Press (27 May 2010) Hotel falcons proud parents of four babies

And thanks to Alison Mayes at the WFP for tracking me down in a parking lot to get all the details!!  

[The Peregrine Chick]

In past years, I don't remember the egg shells around in the nest.  I guess it was Trey who used to clean them up.  Missed the feeding this morning. Got up too late.  Guess I will have to wait until after work.

Sometimes it can depend on how long between hatches and if the eggshells are out of handy reach.  If they are close by or the chicks are hatching out slowly, Mom can nibble on the eggshells between the egg-citement ( ).  Princess usually eats most of them.  In this case, the wind blew a couple of them close to the camera, think one below right out of the nest.  They will disappear either on their own, or with peregrine assistance or I'll retrieve them when I'm next at the box if they are still there.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Around 9 pm I saw the babies alone for a bit.....then Iv came and inspected them.......Tracy do they have a predator that they must be aware of? Like a crow or another big bird?

Great Horned Owls are their primary predator, but don't have to worry about those at the Radisson.  Crows will harass the adults some but going into the box after the chicks wouldn't be worth the risk.  And yes, crow is on the peregrine list of menu items.  The chicks are fine uncovered for short periods of time so long as its not wet or particularly cold.  And when they are by themselves, one or both of the adults is very near - in the box, mostly the adults sit on the sign below, so about 25 feet below - they can hear the chicks and it gives them the ability to drop off the sign and come up at full speed if there is trouble. And trouble is unlikely, all looks very good in the box, the chicks look to be developing nicely and the parents don't appear to be having problems keeping up with their food requirements or keeping them warm/cool and dry.

[jadoo]

...finally, caught a short feeding (about 8:50 am) without any skipping or delays, and managed to see all four chicks...yippee!

[Mother Hen]

Around 9 pm I saw the babies alone for a bit.....then Iv came and inspected them.......Tracy do they have a predator that they must be aware of? Like a crow or another big bird?

[Moonstar]

In past years, I don't remember the egg shells around in the nest.  I guess it was Trey who used to clean them up.  Missed the feeding this morning. Got up too late.  Guess I will have to wait until after work.

[carly]

6:08 am EST and I've logged into a feeding this morning 

[GCG]

May 27th and Day 3 for the chicks. From this point we should begin to see a growth spurt. They grow so quickly from all that protein they devour. (Shudder)    Ivy will have to pump a lot of pigeon to bulk himself up to cover all the chicks. He will have to splay himself out. Before long, the chicks will begin to pump Papa.

[allikat]

Tis a grand view they have from this nestbox! 

[Liz]

 

[Cara59]

It's 8:36 p.m. and they are having another meal . . . 

The sunset is shining in the camera, so hard to see it all . . .

If it makes you feel any better Stormy...I really cant see anything either...blinding sunset(and we should complain  )

[Stormy]

It's 8:36 p.m. and they are having another meal . . . 

The sunset is shining in the camera, so hard to see it all . . .

[Kinderchick]

There are 4 chicks now, LittleSpy!  

[LittleSpy]

REALLY?? - Are there 4 chicks now?  -

i dont think so yet.   but i may be wrong. 

[LittleSpy]

Day 2. Sure wish there was a night vision cam. I just have to be patient and wait about another hour for daybreak.  Hoping that we have a fourth chick. 

not yet but i think we are getin' real close