U of Alberta - 2009 / Damon & Radisson

[bev.]

I woke up early and started thinking. Never wake up thinking.


We assumed it was the female tucking in but did not see her land . He?she was just getting organized on the ledge.

Last year if we saw both tucked in on the same side, the male tucked up high and the female was lower down.

The other night, she was tucked in on ledge 6(do not always go to same ledge)

Tonight the falcon was on the 2nd from to ledge. 

So did we just see the male last night, or did we just see the female , or did we see both???

I did leave unsettled last night(probably why I am up so early today) as they have always come in quietly until now and gone to bed quietly.
Last night the falcon was chupping on the corner???

I am just thinking out loud.  I did not go  the night before so I do not know.

[bev.]

Hi Tracy,
No one has red the band numbers yet??/ As far as I know.  I am just going by what I saw last year and where they are hanging out.
I do not have a scope and since they have not been at nest box really yet,  I have not seen the bands.
because of the weirdness so far, they have not been close enough to read bands either. 

I went down tonight and got there later than I wanted.  I got there about 6:45pm

There was a raven on a light standard on the road that leads into the area(around the field where I saw them) I could not get a good look, as I think the cars behind us would have killed us if we had stopped. Very busy street.

When I got to the top of the parkade, I saw nothing at the nest box. I hope you saw nothing also.

After a few minutes I did see a raven soaring up high  just to the east of the heart building. It just soared, made a bit of noise and then just flew east and ended up on an aerial way down east. I could see because of my binoculars. ( I was holding my breath)

Peter was supposed to watch it while I looked around, but the old boy missed it fly off because his nose was in his Suduko  book
I am not really watching them but I wanted to make sure they were not at the nest box.

I did not see them there and  we left  at 9:15 pm

The falcons did not come in together  tonight. We might have missed it earlier on.  Things change as mating begins. I am assuming they are ready to start.

 It was about 8:20pm when I saw a  falcon circling high above.  Then I am sure I saw another one way above. Unfortunately I did not have Peters eyes as he was checking to see if any were tucked in(when we did not see any) And he did not understand what I was saying as I was shouting to him from the parkade, and pointing up.
 Other people probably understood but Peter did not hear it all.    (So you people in Winnipeg, do not be afraid and go out and shout nest on the west.)
They already think I am nuts here

Any how I watched a falcon circle  high above the clinical science and I thought, as it went west, Here we go. But nothing. It slowly started coming back toward my area and I started watching the other one that was way up there and going more southeast.

All of a sudden I heard chupping and I looked up and there was a falocn on the corner of the Campus tower. My heart stopped. I thought , Oh no, 3 falcons.
The one on the corner belonged there and I thought mom at first. I thought it had food, but I was distracted by the thought of 2 more falcons.  The other falcons, I think , soared out of sight.

The one on the corner of the building chupped some more and then flew of and soared around the building a few times and then flew off north.
Now I am really confused.

I can tell falcons from below and I am sure I saw 2 soaring above, but they may have just been passing through. So Peter and I checked out where they tuck in  and no one.

I did not want to leave yet so we went to Hortons for a bite and when we came back we checked again and the female   had just got in and was tucked in for the night. We did not see the male, but last year we rarely saw him tucked in until the end of the season.
On discussing it with Peter , that may have been the male on the Campus tower because it did look smaller.

So a confusing night. I am praying tonight and have to think how to talk Peter into going down tomorrow night. I know he does not want to but I want peace of mind.

so are you as confused as me?

[The Peregrine Chick]

Do we know for sure it is Radisson - I mean has anyone read her band number to confirm?
And the male - do we have an ID or a name yet?

[bev.]

I would be surprised if this was not RAdisson becasue she is sleeping exactly where she slept last year.
and the male is on the same building as he always has, soooo

[The Peregrine Chick]

What is likely to happen to the left behind egg?
Would the Peregrines ignore it or destroy it? 

Probably pitch it out even though Radisson is a lousy housekeeper.  They may just pitch out the front door or as is usual with peregrines, take it elsewhere and drop it.

[bev.]

Yes, RAdisson arrived last Friday evening and  the male arrived Saturday , I think sometime between 5-6:30pm So April 10 and 11th

I have not seen copulation yet. But that does not mean there has not been any.  right now they seem content to just enjoy the skies.

They have returned almost a week and half later than last year so.....

I will be going down around 6:30pm tonight . That is really the best time to go right now.  We at least see them coming home.   

I am hoping to see no ravens.

[carly]

While watching, I met a fellow who lives on the top floor of Windsor Park, and he said that two falcons arrived here, one yesterday and one today;  

From Eli's post on April 11th, so one arrived on the 10th and one on the 11th.  And the 11th was the day Radisson was photographed at the nestbox.  Well we think it was her just due to size and she is a beauty 

[bcbird]

What is likely to happen to the left behind egg?
Would the Peregrines ignore it or destroy it?

[The Peregrine Chick]

Just a thought - Bev/Eli - when was the first confirmed sighting of the first bird and then then the second bird in Edmonton?  What about first time copulation was observed?  I'm thinking I would like to start posting dates on our calendar to make it easier to track timing of laying, hatching, banding, fledging etc.

If you have the dates, post them here ...

[The Peregrine Chick]

The peregrines will consider it the spoils of war and will happily defend it to all comers.  The fact that something else was there before them won't make any difference to them.  If they are going to nest there, they are going to nest there, ravens (past, present or future) or no.

They haven't been back for long, egg-laying usually starts about 2 weeks after copulation begins, and that doesn't usually start as soon as they return, so best to start counting about 3 weeks after return date for first egg.

[carly]

Haven't see them at all today, not even in the early morning.  I think it was just the egg she was coming back for, she would just gaze at it sadly... I know, I know, she's a bird and probably thinks of it as a failed nest but watching her I got the feeling that she  was reluctant to leave it.

I wonder if the falcons will go to the nest at all, or would they be reluctant and not consider it safe with all the confrontations they've had with the ravens TPC?  I know I've read they take over abandoned nests of ravens in the wild but  the ravens were here already.  I'm just surprised they've not even landed there other than the first day Radisson came back before she knew about George and Weezie.  Or is that a strategic 'not put myself in a spot where they could attack me' move.

[ballywing]

Well......hmm......No news today???.......At this point, maybe no news is good news......Hope this week will bring a new beginning with G&W moving on to a better home and our Peregrines moving into their assigned apartment.  - Fingers crossed!! 

[ballywing]

GOOD!!

[carly]

7:25 EST and no sign of the ravens yet this morning-I've been watching since 6:30   

[ballywing]

Even though they made an appearance at the nest later today, it still looks hopeful that they're in the process of moving on... The fact that nobody saw them in the nest all day long, and Bev saw them in other areas 'fooling around'    near another nest is hopeful - it's a huge change in their routine from anything we've seen so far - and the first time that they've stayed away from the nest for so long - the quick appearance may have been a final 'goodbye' to their poor egg. 
Don't apologize for anything Bev - your focus is aimed at the Peregrines, and that's why we're all here in the first place. Doesn't stop us from caring about other creatures that come along - but everything possible has been done to help the Ravens evacuate the nest peacefully. Your frustration at their persistance is understandable.