DE / Wilmington - 2009-15

[GCG]

    Post on FB one hour ago...This just in from Dave!

"Intruder just after 2:00. All three chased for a long time (off the nest for 15 or 20 minutes, I think) Two clenched together in midair . I was on the roof, and the battle was at the far end of WSFS (see pic). Trinity came back to nest, then falcon flew from battle area carrying a large bird. Carried it up 11th st and somewhere east. Then flew back empty-footed in front of BB and below the nest box. A few minutes later Trinity flew out of the box and circled high high for several minutes.

 Trinity is ok. One other falcon is around but we don't know who."

[GCG]

https://www.facebook.com/wilmfalcons Another post on FB predicting fledgewatch for approx., May 24th.

[Kinderchick]

Is it usually the younger females who are able to lay 5 eggs, TPC?

[The Peregrine Chick]

I'm always impressed by females who lay 5 eggs - not sure we have a female who can keep 5 eggs covered through incubation - pretty darn sure we don't have a male who could!!

[Alison]

Thank you for the updates, gemcitygemini! What is WSFS? I'm not in Wilmington, so can't quite visualize descriptions like "at Capital One height".

As far as I can tell on the cam, everything seems to be back to normal today. I saved these pics just a short while ago this afternoon. The eggs were uncovered briefly, and they all look fine. By the time I saved the first pic, the eggs were covered again.

   

[GCG]

Update posted on FB. Scary boys and girls.  

Here are two reports about the intruder from Dave!

From 3:20 this afternoon….

“After your email I went to the roof and I caught glimpses of a big falcon patrolling south of WSFS and the Sheraton. Then it patrolled south of 300 Del ave and PNC but way down maybe over 6th or 7th. While this was going on there were a series of eechups from the nest box. Trinity came out of the box and cried from the shelf, but no response. Trinity went back in.


Then a falcon flew in from behind Dupont, flew up and landed on the big antenna on your building (1201). There was more calling, different, like a "barking" eechup. No response from the falcon on the antenna. Then Trinity came out of the nest box and flew to the food cache! Aha, I said, hunting is bad and they are hungry. Then two! falcons emerged from the food stash, Red Girl flew to the antenna and rousted the intruder, both gave chase for a few seconds, then Trinity bolted back to the nest box.

Red Girl chased and caught the intruder some distance to the northeast, made a pass but didn't seem to hit, then both disappeared into the distance. While I was looking that way Trinity made noise, departed the nest box, and sped toward WSFS. I didn't see his return, but he did come back.

There was nobody in sight when I left, but Trinity was in the box.”

From close to 5:00….

“Went back on the roof to find Red Girl on the antenna and the intruder circling at maybe 1000' The intruder's circles started to descend toward the nest box And Red Girl Took off. She chased him behind BB. I had glimpses of the chase occasionally, and she was getting close. When they were in the vicinity of the nest box Trinity came out for a bit, and three falcons were in chase. Nobody was off the eggs for more than a minute, though. . Near the end of the chase Red Girl returned to the nest box for a well deserved lie down. The continued pursuit by Trinity went past Dupont, where they disappeared. Rain ended my vigil.

Changing my probably a male to unknown. Looked like a big bird when it got close to the familiar reference points of the nest box.”

Thanks again Dave! We definitely aren't paying you enough! smile emoticon

[GCG]

I receive posts from this site on FB. This was posted last night. A close call!  


We had an intruder earlier today! Hopefully he/she has moved on!

Here's a report from Dave...

“About 10:10 I was in the park and heard a few cries. I didn't see anything until I was entering my building (11:17 by the big clock). Then I saw a falcon flying west down 11th Street at about Capital One height, flapping fairly hard. It made a big swooping left turn past and around WSFS, out of sight. When I turned back there was another falcon on the same path as the first, going hard and fast and doing that horizontal half-stoop. It turned left at the same place. Both eventually emerged from behind WSFS, but going out of sight in different directions, one climbing, the other pretty level.


I went in and checked the cam, and Red Girl was sitting on the eggs. I knew then we had one too many falcons.

I went to the parking lot. At 11:50 I spotted a falcon flying in the area of 12th and King. I lost it - probably flew east. Seconds later Trinity flew to the nest box, coming from the west and descended to perch two notches down from the nest box. He took off again, flew some big circles like he was checking the other sides of the buildings, then came back and perched 5 notches away. He preened and gave me a good look at his unbanded leg, not seeming concerned in the least.”

Thanks Dave!

[Alison]

The peregrines this year are once again Trinity and Red Girl.

Red Girl laid her first egg on March 7, the second on March 10, the third on March 12, the fourth on March 14, and her fifth egg after dark yesterday!



http://www.dosbirds.org/wilmfalcons

[MayShowers]

Update:

As per conversation on BCAW the condensed version is that Big Red and Trinity went on to have 6 eggs.  
One & two hatched on April 14/14
Three & four hatched on April 15/14
Five hatched on April 16/14
Six hatched on April 19/14

The site was being monitored and the last two chicks were so much smaller than the first four that no matter how hard they were trying to get to the front of the line for food, and Big Red was trying to get food to them they seemed to keep falling or not being in the right place at the right time.  A decision was made to remove them from the nest to try to increase their chances of survival.

Sadly there was a posting on the Wilminton News Blog on April 23

I received an update from Craig and I’m sorry to say that the sixth chick was not able to overcome whatever developmental issues he/she had and did not survive.  The good news is that the fifth chick is doing very well and should be returned to the nest box next week.

Further News on April 30

From the Wilmington Facebook page:  

It's with a heavy heart that we have learned the Chick #5 was unable to survive.

Although Craig worked very hard to keep its health up, it's condition started to deteriorate late last week and #5 was taken to Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research for evaluation and diagnosed with a condition called metabolic bone disease. The tissue and muscle were developing from the food consumed but due to a lack of critical elements and minerals, that were not likely available inside the egg, impaired future bone development. The skeletal system of the falcon was dramatically compromised with irreversible damage and required euthanization.

[The Peregrine Chick]

2014 NESTING SEASON

Big Red has a new mate by the name of Trinity and they are already incubating 4 eggs.  Last egg was laid on March 10, incubation began when third was laid on Saturday, March 8th.  Hatching should be end of the first week/beginning of the second week of April.

[MayShowers]

The two male chicks fledged on May 25th 

[RCF]

Video of the chicks flapping on the edge of the nest. 

http://youtu.be/LgvulYYawgY

video by Kim Steininger·

[MayShowers]

I just read through the BCAW board index for an update on this site.  Here is the shortened version:

Three of the four chicks hatched on April 16th and the fourth on April 19th.  The fifth egg never hatched.  The fourth chick was not eating and there was concern it would not make it through the night so it was removed at one day old and nurtured by USFWS raptor biologist Craig Koppie.  She (as was discovered at banding time) was reunited with her family on May 3.

Unfortunately sometime between April 19-24 the tiercel, CJ, was replaced by an unbanded male.  Although it is very sad to hear that CJ was no longer at this site, the new male has stepped upto the plate and is providing well for his adopted family and is doing a great job defending their territory as well.

The chicks were banded on May 14, with two males (white & yellow) and two females (blue & orange).  The female that was returned is OG (orange girl).  She is a wee bit behind (three days in peregrine is a big difference).  There was some concern that she wasn't getting fed, but she has learnt to grab and run with the food quite well.

They are into full fledge watch at this site expecting them to go at any time.

[MayShowers]

Fourth Hatch - Sometime overnight  April 18-19, 2013 or in the morning of April 19 before 9:26 am.

[Linder]

CJ and Red Girl now have 5 eggs in the scrape.