NE / Omaha - Woodmen Tower - 2009-21

[Kinderchick]

I really like the names of these Woodman Tower falcons.

[Linder]

This is from an email I received on June 23 from the Woodsmen Falcon Watch:
Welcome Ponca, Oto, Kiowa and Dakota

The Woodmen Tower falcons have names. This season, the young peregrines were named in honor of four of the many Native American tribes located in the great plains. They are:

Ponca, male, band #25/C
Oto, male, #24/C
Kiowa, female, #51/H
Dakota, female, #52/H
The four young falcons bring the total number of birds hatched by Zeus and Hera to 19.

The falcons have left the nest and will be flying soon. You can still see them on the cameras occasionally.

[bcbird]

Thanks Alison and TPC for listing the intertwining histories of these sites.
It is fascinating to see names reappear, and appreciate the importance of recording and researching both family history, and site history.

[Alison]

Four active chicks in the nest box:

 

[Kinderchick]

Thank you so much for the historical information, TPC! It's amazing how strong the links are between the Woodmen birds and the Winnipeg birds.

Very interesting historical connections, indeed!

[Alison]

Thanks for the info Alison ... and is the way with our birds, we have more linkages to the Woodmen Tower ....

Thank you so much for the historical information, TPC! It's amazing how strong the links are between the Woodmen birds and the Winnipeg birds.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Thanks for the info Alison ... and is the way with our birds, we have more linkages to the Woodmen Tower ....

1988 - Willa, a captive-bred female is released from the Woodmen Tower, Omaha, Nebraska
1989 - T-Rex hatched at the Radisson; Madame hack-released in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
1990 - T-Rex & Willa unsuccessfully try to nest at the U of M; Burnsie hack-released in Brandon
1991 - T-Rex hangs out (no nesting) with Madame at U of M - T-Rex takes over care & feeding of captive-bred chicks to be released at U of M, he feeds Madame too
1992 - T-Rex & Burnsie have first successful nest at U of M
1993 - T-Rex & Burnsie have second successful nest at U of M
1994 - T-Rex & Burnsie have third successful nest at U of M - one of whom is Winnie
1995 - T-Rex moves to the Radisson to nest with Madame; Burnsie spends summer alone at U of M
1996 - Winnie & Zeus have first successful nest - Atlanta & Olympus; Trey is hatched at the Radisson
1997 - Winnie & Zeus have second successful nest but all chicks die in the box
1998 - Winnie & Zeus have third successful nest - Omaha, Husker (Red Wing), Offutt, Maverick, Tower (Kansas City); Burnsie hangs out with Trey downtown beneath the resident pair's (Simba & Madame) radar
1999 - Winnie & Zeus have last successful nest - Spike, Doorly (Topeka), Goldie (Fargo), Joslyn
2000 - Winnie doesn't return to Omaha; Trey takes over Radisson nest

Half sibs Winnie & Trey - two years apart in age, he starts nesting the year she disappears.

[Alison]

Alison, would you happen to know if the box/box location is the same as it was back in the 1990s when Winnie (an older half-sister of Trey) was the resident female here?

I'm not sure, but I'll try to find out for you. As you know, there are two nest boxes available to the falcons.

Early years at the site:

In 1988, the center, in cooperation with the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission and the Audubon Society of Omaha, set up a hacking program in Nebraska. 8 birds were released from the Woodmen Tower in Omaha, Nebraska. Nest boxes were placed on top of the building to encourage use by breeding birds. In 1989, 9 birds were released from the Woodmen Tower and the Mutual of Omaha building. In 1990, there were 4 birds released from the Mutual of Omaha building. Finally, in 1991, birds were seen returning to the nest site. No more birds were released this since, as adult birds would be quick to drive out any fledgings. Peregrine falcons have nested in Omaha since 1991. Once our educational peregrine, Papillion, was a casualty of the release project. After being released, the falcon bolted from the roof and disappeared. He was found a week later near Tekamah, NE, starving. He had not bonded to any specific locality and would not stay long enough in one place to learn hunting skills, he could not be released. Papillion is no longer with us but he was a valuable education bird and is missed.

The nest boxes are not actually on top of the building, but close to the top.

History:

2000 Zeus returns to the Woodmen Tower without Winnie, who is never sighted again. An unbanded female falcon(later to be named Amelia) arrives in mid-February and is courted by Zeus.
 
1999 Zeus and Winnie produce five eggs, hatching three male and two female falcons. One of the males later dies. The two remaining males are named Spike and Doorly, while the females are named Goldie and Joslyn.
 
1998 Zeus and Winnie hatch five chicks — two females (Omaha and Husker) and three males (Offutt, Maverick and Tower).
 
1997 Zeus and Winnie lay four eggs which all hatch successfully, but are found dead a few days later due to unseasonably hot weather.
 
1996 Two new peregrines, Zeus (from Rochester, NY), and Winnie, (from Manitoba, Canada), migrate to the Woodmen Tower. Zeus wins a territorial battle with an unknown male peregrine, believed to be Sky King, who is later sighted in Lincoln, NE. Zeus and Winnie produce four chicks. Two survive and are named Atlanta and Olympus in honor of the 1996 Olympic Games.
 
1995 Sky King and KayCee return and hatch one chick which does not survive.
 
1994 Windy returns and is killed in a fight for territory by KayCee, a falcon hacked at a building in Kansas City in 1992. Sky King returns and produces three chicks with KayCee. Only one—Sokol—survives.
 
1993 Windy returns to the Woodmen Tower and lays three infertile eggs. Woody disappears.
 
1992 Woody and new mate, Windy (from Des Moines, IA) hatch three chicks — Aerial, Zenith and Skywalker. They become the first chicks to hatch in Nebraska in nearly 100 years.
 
1990-
1991 Woody returns to the Woodmen Tower.
 
1989 Five falcons are released. Two of the chicks, Woody and Sky King, would return in later years.
 
1988 Seven falcons are hacked. They were named Woody, Newf, L.C., Happy, Falco, Willa and Pappy. Happy and Pappy die and none return the following year.

http://www.woodmen.org/falcons/timeline.cfm

After the tragic loss of all four chicks in 1997 due to hot weather when they were very young, a roof was added to the nest box on the east side of the Tower.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Alison, would you happen to know if the box/box location is the same as it was back in the 1990s when Winnie (an older half-sister of Trey) was the resident female here?

[Alison]

Don't anyone count the little one out right away - Mistral was half the size of her sibs (who we thought were males but two of the three have subsequently been found to be females!) and she did just fine!  Not that it couldn't go the other way, we've had a number of smaller chicks die this year at sites we've been watching.

I'm certainly not counting out the littlest chick! I only wanted to indicate the difference in size. The littlest chick has been active and feisty, and very interested in being fed. Zeus and Hera are very experienced parents, and they will make sure that the littlest chick is well fed and cared for.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Don't anyone count the little one out right away - Mistral was half the size of her sibs (who we thought were males but two of the three have subsequently been found to be females!) and she did just fine!  Not that it couldn't go the other way, we've had a number of smaller chicks die this year at sites we've been watching.

[Alison]

Staying close to the chicks:



One of the chicks is several days younger than the others; in the next few pics you can see how much smaller he/she is:

 

 

[Kinderchick]

Whoo Hoo! 4 chicks for Hera & Zeus! Hopefully Princess & Ivy will have 4 chicks here in Winnipeg by the end of the week!

[Alison]

Hera and Zeus now have four chicks! It's difficult to see them clearly.

 

 

I think it's possible to see four chicks in these pics which I just saved:

 

[Alison]

The chicks today:

 

Being protected by Hera: