Author Topic: Radisson - 2008 / Trey & Princess  (Read 464497 times)

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Offline Pchemist

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #466 on: May 31, 2008, 11:47 »
How funny - I finish watching the video that showed the morning feed, and there is a new feeding happening!  Looked like a big meal coming in, too.   8)

Offline Pchemist

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #465 on: May 31, 2008, 11:45 »
Thanks so much for posting the morning feed video - it was great!  ;D  Those of us who are still sleeping at that time really do appreciate the effort.

Offline LouLouBelle

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #464 on: May 31, 2008, 11:29 »
I watched the thunderstorm pour down about an hour ago and thought there might even have been hail too although it may just have been very large droplets. I was amazed to watch the fastest switch ever (3 seconds) during the storm and was so impressed at their efficiency in maintaining cover for the chicks! Also was fortunate to watch an earlier feeding with full view of the chicks and the wonderful attentiveness at ensuring all were well fed. Well done mom and dad!!

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #463 on: May 31, 2008, 10:50 »
For those of you far away, there is thunder rumbling at the moment though to the west the sky is cloudy but bright-bright.  Might get some sun on that ledge yet this morning!  Temperature is nice outside but a little sun would go a long way to drying things up for the Radisson birds.  Still a chance for thunderstorms later, and a lesser chance of rain tomorrow, then sunny on Monday & Tuesday.  At least that's the forecast for right now.  If you want to see for yourselves what kind of weather the peregrines are having to contend with, Click Here to go to the post with a great link to a construction cam a couple of blocks from the Hotel.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #462 on: May 31, 2008, 10:46 »
I'm trying to get a bunch of errands done so that I can get back and post a bunch of photos and update the Project website.  I'll try to get to the photos first, particularly the photos I have of prey remains, that way those of you who want to know what kinds of things the Radisson birds are eating, can see for yourselves.    And no worries folks, there will be a warning on the gallery so that someone doesn't accidentally stumble across photos that might cause them distress.

The Chick

Offline skygirlblue

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #461 on: May 31, 2008, 10:34 »
Tracy, thanks so much for all that information!!!  I have never heard of a sora rail....gonna have to go look that one up!!!

Offline deedream

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #460 on: May 31, 2008, 10:25 »
oh my is it ever pouring down. Here and there it would seem.  Fairly windy as well. 

Offline ballywing

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #459 on: May 31, 2008, 10:07 »
Super video, great view of the chicks!!! - So no rodents. Good to know, and it makes sense, can't picture these majestic birds running around on the ground....chasing furry critters... ;D..Tracy your answers are so informative, we'll all be experts in no time!!!   8)

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #458 on: May 31, 2008, 10:04 »
lol :D maybe she was perturbed at the less than 5 Star offering! ;D ;D ;D

If it was a sora rail, she may have been more startled at getting a 5 star offering.  A prey study we did quite a number of years ago, showed that for the downtown peregrines, 60% of their diet was composed of four species - pigeons (that because of the sheer number in close proximity), sora rails (shorebirds), northern flickers (also called yellow-shafted flickers) and black-billed cuckoos (I'd never seen one until I saw it dead on the Hotel years ago.)  The rest of their diet are similar species, mostly shorebirds and ducks - the teals in particular are popular because they are a common duck and a bit smaller, therefore easier to transport short distances.  You won't ever see a whole duck come to the nestledge though, part of one, probably, but it would be hard to tell, they adults would probably only bring the torso, or part of the torso. 

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #457 on: May 31, 2008, 09:59 »
I intro'd my Mom to the wonders of this Falcon world yesterday, (another convert!!) ;D - anyway she told me she saw a 'mouse' being delivered yesterday - I wondered about that but I guess maybe they DO eat rodents too.. ???

Sorry mice aren't worth the effort to catch - no meat and catching them is difficult and dangerous for the peregrines, they do kill themselves when they hunt too close to the ground or other obstacles.

Sorry Mom!  :D

Offline Doreen

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #456 on: May 31, 2008, 09:59 »
Great video, I only got to see the end of the feeding when I logged on.
Now I saw it all because you recorded it. Thanks so much  ;D

Doreen

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #455 on: May 31, 2008, 09:57 »
I've been watching the falcons for two years and have only ever seen them deliver/eat various birds. This morning, however, at roughly 9:00AST it seemed Trey delivered a rodent to the nest. Do peregrines occasionally substitute rodents when a bird might not be readily available?

It was a shorebird actually, a sora rail I think.  The head was taken off (not unusual, that's the best part so the hunter usually gets it) and the floppy part were its long legs.  As for substituting rodents, not here.  To catch them you have to get to the ground and that's really just too dangerous for the birds in an urban environment.  These guys need lots of open space to hunt in.  Some bats have been taken by peregrines.  Some bat caves in the US have peregrines that specialize in bat hunting.  They wait for the bats to emerge en mass and they can be pretty confident of getting a couple before all the bats have dispersed.  Not much eating on them, so probably a case of lots of bats, so lots of opportunity to be successful - the best equation for a predator sometimes.  I think there is also a northern European or Asian subspecies that will hunt more rodents, but that is a result of their environment, open, flat terrain and an abundance of rodents that aren't too big to catch.  Keep in mind that peregrines weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 lbs on average (the females are bigger & heavier) and they can only carry so much weight when they fly.  Rodents, being mammals, are quite heavy for their size, whereas peregrines are much lighter in relation to their size.

As an aside, there seemed to be a funny exchange between Princess and Trey. She seemed to look at him with some puzzlement when he arrived, he fretted about for a moment, and then Princess appeared to shoo him away before tearing into the little critter.

May not have had anything to do with the hand-off, could have been another bird nearby, an strange sound, a sound from the chicks, lots of things.  Keep in mind when you are watching them that they use one eye to look at things closely, so when you see them brooding the chicks and they turn their head sideways, the upside eye is looking at something overhead, not straight ahead.  Its also why yous see them with one eye open and one eye closed lots of the time.  

Offline skygirlblue

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #454 on: May 31, 2008, 09:52 »
In case you missed it, here's a short video of Breakfast!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_fK1DLiZUE

Offline Doreen

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #453 on: May 31, 2008, 09:52 »
This morning the breakfast at 9:20 was ? Looked like a rat or rabbit, something with fur.  :o
Princess was finally off to the side and we could see her feed the little ones.
Took a picture but it's fuzzy ah well, it was so exciting.  ;D
Everyone is quite now.

Doreen

Offline ballywing

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Re: Radisson - May 2008 / Trey & Princess
« Reply #452 on: May 31, 2008, 09:43 »
I intro'd my Mom to the wonders of this Falcon world yesterday, (another convert!!) ;D - anyway she told me she saw a 'mouse' being delivered yesterday - I wondered about that but I guess maybe they DO eat rodents too.. ???