NY / Buffalo - U of Buffalo - 2010-16

[Alison]

This is not the first time that the Buffalo peregrines have been interfered with.

Some time back, the former resident female, BB, was removed from the nest (again without any advance notice) and put into captivity. This was allegedly done because she was "aggressive". She had been there for years, and suddenly she was gone.

She was kept in captivity for some time. However, the place where she was being cared for felt she should be released, and this was done. During her absence, her mate, Yankee, had found a new mate, Dixie.

BB did return to Buffalo, but not to her original nest. She found a new mate, Felker (a son of Madame X and Surge at the Hamilton nest), and they raised chicks last year at the Richardson Building.

Apparently they were not wanted there, so the DEC struck again. They removed BB a second time and shoved her back into captivity. For the rest of her life.

The people at the DEC are supposed to be there to protect the peregrines. They are not supposed to be the people from whom the birds need protection.

What is wrong with Buffalo?

[Kinderchick]

That is very disappointing. Do you know who the resident pair are, Alison?

[Alison]

Incubation has continued at the nest, with very few glimpses of the eggs.

But when I checked the site yesterday, I found the cam gone. No advance notice, just gone. This was in its place:

Restoration work to start at MacKay Heating Plant

Restoration work at MacKay Heating Plant, which provides heat to UB’s South Campus, will begin next month.

The 84-year-old tower, which last underwent serious renovation in 1973, will undergo repairs to ensure its structural integrity, prevent water damage and ensure its long-term viability as a peregrine falcon nest site.

It is necessary to repair the tower in late spring and summer, when the heating needs of South Campus are minimal.

To prepare for the project, the university shut off the live video feed of the falcon nest in the tower. The camera will remain off for the duration of the work, which is expected to be finished in September. At that time, UB officials will reactivate the live video feed.

UB officials are working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and local wildlife rehabilitators to ensure the safety of the falcons. Several eggs currently are in the nesting box.

Because the work may interrupt the adult falcons’ ability to care for the chicks, DEC wildlife biologists will remove the chicks two weeks after they hatch, expected to be in the middle of May. The chicks will be placed with a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, Hawk Creek Wildlife Center in East Aurora, and eventually released into the wild.

The tower will remain open to the adult falcons during construction. They are expected to remain in the area, protecting their territory.

International Chimney Corp. of Williamsville was awarded the contract after submitting a bid of $263,000. The work, scheduled from May to September, includes structural repairs to the masonry, painting the window frames and a new liner for the chimney stack.

A pair of peregrine falcons began nesting at MacKay tower in 2009. Since then, 22 chicks have hatched there. While not considered endangered by the federal government since 1999, they are listed as endangered by the DEC.

In addition to UB, there are eight peregrine falcon nests in the Buffalo Niagara region. They are at the Buffalo Central Terminal, Statler City, the Buffalo Outer Harbor, the Richardson Olmstead Complex, the North Grand Island Bridge, the South Grand Island Bridge, the New York Power Authority reservoir and the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

Additional information on peregrine falcons is available on DEC’s website.

http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/featured-stories.host.html/content/shared/university/news/ub-reporter-articles/stories/2015/04/mackay_rehab.detail.html

I have followed this nest for more than a dozen years, and I am totally disgusted at this treatment of the resident peregrines.
 

[Alison]

Yankee and Dixie now have five eggs! Congratulations to them!

[Alison]

March 26; the second egg.

 

Later in the day, the rain turned to snow. The eggs have been incubated pretty much full time, because of the cold weather.

[Alison]

March 24: first egg.

 

[Alison]

2015 NESTING SEASON

The resident male at this nest is Yankee, a Canadian bird from the Niagara Gorge nest. He is banded black/black 42/Y. His bands are also reversed, with the silver band on his left left and the black band on his right leg.

The resident female is Dixie, who is unbanded.

Buffalo has had a long and hard winter. Despite snow and cold, the birds have continued to visit the nest.

January 1

 

February 23 and March 2

 

http://www.buffalo.edu/falconcam.html

[RCF]

2014 NESTING SEASON

Two chicks have hatched so far today, two eggs to go.  



Short Video - http://youtu.be/CikW4vH5aiU

[RCF]

Three chicks have hatched since yesterday....one egg left to hatch.  I caught a feeding this morning.  

http://youtu.be/gRlzL9iT-0w

[The Peregrine Chick]

South Campus advised to use caution as female falcon may turn aggressive when eggs hatch
Cory Nealon / University of Buffalo



BUFFALO, N.Y. – Bird lovers can exhale.  Yankee, the male peregrine falcon nesting at South Campus, has found a new mate. What’s more, the female – bird enthusiasts named her “Dixie” – has produced four eggs.

“The University at Buffalo is delighted that Yankee has found a new partner,” said Ryan McPherson, UB’s chief sustainability officer. “These falcons and their offspring will allow UB to continue to support state wildlife officials in their effort to rebuild New York’s peregrine population.”

The pairing ends weeks of speculation about the fate of Yankee who along with a previous mate named BB became celebrities of sort after UB officials in 2010 installed a live video feed of their nest atop MacKay Tower.  Last month, state Department of Environmental Conservation biologists placed BB in a permanent care facility after she exhibited unusually aggressive behavior by repeatedly swooping down on people on and near the South Campus. At the time, biologists predicted Yankee would find a new mate or be displaced by another pair of peregrine falcons.

Dixie arrived after BB’s departure and laid her first egg April 3. Three eggs followed. They are expected to start hatching around May 12.  While Dixie has not displayed the aggressive behavior that BB did, McPherson nonetheless advised people on and near the South Campus to use caution when going on rooftops or walking near the tower. Peregrine falcons – protective by nature, especially when caring for eggs and fledglings – are known to swoop down on people but seldom cause injury.

Threatened by pesticides, peregrine falcons were considered an endangered species by the federal government until 1999 when recovery efforts prompted their removal from the list. Because they are still listed as endangered in New York, the state and partners such as UB are working to boost their numbers. Since 2010, 15 fledglings have hatched at UB.

source: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2013/04/054.html

[The Peregrine Chick]

2013 NESTING SEASON

State officials to place peregrine falcon in permanent care facility
Cory Nealon / University of Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. – State wildlife officials today safely captured a female peregrine falcon that had been nesting in MacKay Tower on the University at Buffalo’s South Campus. The capture came after the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), determined it was in the best interest of the falcon, as well as UB and the surrounding community, to place the bird in a federally-permitted facility for permanent care.

Since 2010, the falcon has exhibited aggressive behavior by swooping down on people working on rooftops, as well as pedestrians on and near South Campus. The incidents occurred during late spring and early summer when the bird had newly hatched chicks. Two such incidents - one in which a UB employee suffered lacerations to the head - were reported this month, marking the first time the falcon exhibited the behavior before May. The potential for more incidents led DEC officials to decide to relocate the falcon.

“This type of behavior among peregrine falcons is unprecedented,” said Mark Kandel, DEC regional wildlife manager, who led the capture effort. “By placing the bird with a rehabilitator, we will have prevented it from potentially harming someone and vice versa.”  The male falcon will likely find another mate and remain in MacKay Tower or it could be displaced by another pair of peregrine falcons, Kandel said.

Threatened by pesticides, peregrine falcons were considered an endangered species by the federal government until 1999 when recovery efforts prompted their removal from the list. They are still listed as endangered by New York, which works to boost the state’s population of the bird. The effort is working, especially in Western New York which has seven nesting pairs, up from one 20 years ago, Kandel said.

UB supports the state’s effort. For example, university officials installed a nesting box that the falcons used to rear some of the 15 birds that they produced. UB also featured the nest on a web cam to promote understanding of the birds, a practice it plans to continue after the male finds a new mate or a new pair moves in.

Editors note: A previous version of this article stated the bird would be placed in a rehabilitation facility, which could imply that it will be released. The bird will be placed in permanent care facility.

source: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2013/03/017.html

[Kinderchick]

How cute is that chick?! 

[Alison]

An article on the Buffalo banding:

http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/05/25/1061766/falcon-chicks-get-tagged.html

[Alison]

A little more info on the female at this nest, BB, from a 2009 report:

We have report that our BB (Born 2007 at Whittier Apartments in Detroit; b/g N/58) was located on 4-22-2009 forming a pair bond and later nesting at the MacKay Tower, University of Buffalo South Campus, New York - she produced 4 offspring.

http://macombaudubon.net/Falcon_Page_2009.htm

[Alison]

The chicks were banded today, and they are three boys, named Harry, Ron and Herman.

More information and a great photo album of the banding on Sage's blog:

http://pefas.blogspot.com/