OH / Columbus - Rhodes Tower - 2008-16

[Elaine L]

Scout is on the ledge right now - I can barely see her, but she is there - still alone, unfortunately.  I hope we will have something more promising to see by Monday; the biologist reports on the site that there has been another falcon flying around, but nothing solid yet.

[carly]

She's back and chupping again!

[allikat]

Keep our talons crossed....Let's hope it's a tiercel comin' to romance Scout.   

[carly]

Two falcons being sighted again...reported on BCAW thread.  No one is sure if it's a tiercel or that intruder again... they are aren't staying landed long enough... One is back now...she's chupping so that is a good sign..please let it be a tiercel.

She's all quiet now and looking around...poor Scout, please let it be a mate for her.  She's been so patient waiting.  And off she goes again.

[bev.]

I wondered about the red also but I have been watching that for a week now and I think it is the cam

so far so good. Would like to see a male though.

[bcbird]

Thanks, Bev.  Is that blood on her talon or just a shadow effect?

[bev.]

I was watching this and did a slideshow.  this is typical.  At least that is how  it was at Edmonton. the intruder feels things out and the defending female goes to box first. when Radison came she was on top of the box while Miss Balzac was in inside.



Season is young and I hope Scout gets  male soon.

A few picutres of when Scout came back

 

[bcbird]

Thanks, Carly, for the link.  I went back to KittenFace's videos and was surprised to see how long the other falcon was on the ledge, while scout was in the nestbox, before Scout came out to defend and chase away.  Those videos were on page 9 of the link you sent.

[carly]

SGB has made a slide show (from kittenface's video) of Scout defending her ledge against a female intruder today.  Link to BCAW post and scroll to her 'slideshow', really well done!

http://www.peregrinefalcon-bcaw.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=478&start=220

ps: There are no disturbing/gorry images on the slide show - for those who may be worried.  I know I like to be warned about those types of things.

[carly]

From the Columbus Blog Site:

March 05 - Cam seems to be acting up...

Still no evidence of a male but Scout has been pretty active this week. There has been several times she has been vocalizing and taking flight from the ledge in what seems like an urgent manner only to come back quickly and leave again. This seems to indicate another falcon in the area but since there's been no sign of another bird on the ledge it could likely be that she is defending the territory from another female that may be around. The cams show us so much more than we'd ever have the chance to see but there's a lot that they DON'T show, too! A reminder that the cams are no substitute for eyewitness observations.

Meanwhile, the cams have been acting funny. Oh, how frustrating! The nestbox cam in particular was flashing a plain blue screen. The blue screen is usually a result of the video feed being interrupted. My theory is perhaps there is some work being done in the building that is jiggling a cable and causing a break in connection. The nestbox is also now markedly pink-toned for no apparent reason. We're in the process of troubleshooting and hope to make some adjustments to camera settings next week. Thanks for your patience

[carly]

The blog reads that there is still tons of time for Scout to find a mate....a read it the other day.

Yes I know that but a few years ago, there would have been males fighting for the site is my point.  There should be enough of a floater community to supply another male in a heatlhy population - I know the juvies migrate but in urban centres alot of them don't anymore and look at Quest, she's barely an hour from home - not much of a migration.  It shouldn't be that you go a few years waiting on a tiercel - if that is the case, wouldn't they then still be endangered...get where I"m going with this.

I can see out West where the majority of the PF's migrate due to the climate that you'd have to wait until they come back but there have been several young females here that have spent the winter hanging out in trees and down by the lake...but no males...nada zip save for one juvie last September that we heard of.     

[allikat]

The blog reads that there is still tons of time for Scout to find a mate....a read it the other day.

[Pam]

I agree, saw her earlier today - she did look kind of lonely!  Hope there is not a real shortage of tiercels!

[birdcamfan]

Good points Carly. She looks kind of quiet and lonely there right now.

[carly]

I would have hoped, given the great location of this site that a new tiercel would have shown up by now.  I know there is alot of time but it just underscores to me the lack of males.  In other Ohio areas two longtime males have also recently presumably been lost and no one was there to take their place - one of the females, my own Lara had to leave her territory and fight another female (who sadly perished as a result and she was only 3 years old) to find a potential mate.

Here in Toronto - still 5 nest sites with no tiercels and instead 2 doing double duty.  It doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies.  Every time I read about an injured falcon down in the US, most times it seems to be a young tiercel.  I wonder also if the falconers now being allowed to take juveniles are not also going take tiercels which will also contribute to the shortage while females sit alone waiting...

Yet I see Rochester and 1 or 2 other nest sites along the great lakes where tiercels are killing each other for nests.  Are the nest sites we have not attractive to them?  Perhaps when the program initially started up and there was a good population base to start with - they chose any nest site they could and now that their numbers are diminishing they are being more selective?