WILMINGTON ~ MAY 2010, PART 1

REENIE · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:57 pm **Posts:** 19893

bev. wrote:

I am wondering if she is eating

UNLESS IT'S JUST THE CAM, SHE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE MOVING ENOUGH TO BE EATING.

Kim Steininger · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 7:56 pm

Maybe she's talking to her new boyfriend? :)

Kim Steininger · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 8:05 pm

It will be interesting to see if she's on the eggs in the morning.

ParaWings · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 8:20 pm

I had only looked periodically before, but I've been following most of the day today. Disheartening news about the current eggs, but very encouraging news about a possible new mate and a possible new brood :eggdance:

. Is there any confirmation/evidence as to what happened to the missing male?

Can't seen anything now, but a few minutes ago 'someone' was still at the far (upper left our view) corner of the box...could just barely see the wing tips/tail.

Someone mentioned earlier, possibly 'Catwoman', about never having seen/heard the loss of a male after eggs laid, etc. I did come across a site last year, and for the life of me I can't remember where it was, but in mid-stream the male went missing......the eggs (I believe 3) did hatch and the female did take care of the chicks by herself, as best she could. I don't know what the outcome was (if the chicks fledged, etc.). Wish I could remember where it was.

I pray that all works out well for Red Girl and this new potential mate :openrose:

Jane · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 8:27 pm

As Reenie said, I had to work today. Would LOVE to make another spin to Delaware. Boy, what a lot of reports in five hours! I checked some records that I have here too, regarding surviving males from Harrisburg. We had one in 2007, another in 2006, one in 2005 who has last been reported nesting in Reading (no updates this year), and one more in 2004. I can go back farther than that. Have NOT been able to access the Wilmington cam tonight for some reason. Would like a look at this new male myself. Also wondered about leaving Red's eggs there, or at least one or two of them. I'm sure people that know MUCH more about this than I do will know and do what's best. Thanks SO MUCH to all of you for posting all the information on here.

CorvaCXVI · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 9:03 pm

REENIE wrote:

I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE'S STILL UP AT THAT END! IT DOES LOOK LIKE SHE IS STILL SCRAPING NOW AND THEN. MAYBE SHE WANTS THIS SCRAPE AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE FROM THAT FIRST ONE WITH THE EGGS?

That was my thought too. Maybe she thinks it has something to do with why her mate didn't come back, so she's trying a different spot out now. This has been one interesting season so far at this nest site. I'm sorry about whatever happened to Caesar and that these eggs are in all likelihood not going to hatch, but at least we might be seeing a positive outcome for Red Girl's future, and that makes me happy.

mikeg713 · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 9:36 pm

Hello,

I mostly follow my (fairly) local Peregrine scrape in Jersey City, but have been caught up in the drama here at Wilmington. Like everyone, I hope and pray for a happy ending to this story. A similar scenario happened in Jersey City in 2005: the male lost his right wing in a wire collision about a week before hatching. The female was off her 4 eggs for long periods of time, but 3 of the 4 eggs did hatch. Biologists delivered a few quail, and a new male showed up and seemed to be helping the female hunt. She successfully raised her 3 chicks (2 females, 1 male) to fledging! 1 of the females unfortunately died in a window collision, but the other 2 survived (in fact, the surviving female has been found nesting on a cliff in Connecticut!).

Keep the faith!! :thumbegg:

Mike

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 64346

That's an incredible story!! Thanks for those encouraging words Mike!!! I think we're keeping the faith and trying to be realistic at the same time!!! I certainly would like to "have my cake and eat it too", so to speak..4 hatching eggs and a new, loving adoptive father...

Greg Inskip · **Joined:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:47 pm **Posts:** 1081

I second Skygirlblue; careful but upbeat stuff, Mikeg713. I hope that the male that was here today (and yesterday, apparently) stays and helps rear the chicks that hatch from the eggs here now (if they do hatch) or sires and helps rear a new brood. Sometime today the local lady (Red Girl, a chick hatched in Harrisburg in 2008) seems to have leaned toward the latter scenario, even though the biologists advise that it's at or beyond the outer edge of likelihood.

kittenface · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 10:19 pm

catwoman wrote:

bev. wrote:

look at Gulf nest,
the new female is incubating old eggs of resident female with her new eggs. will be eintersting to see how that plays out. They will be hatching any day now.

I was thinking about the Gulf nest, but I don't think Dori realizes that all those eggs she is incubating aren't hers. Kate St. John said that she wouldn't incubate Tasha's eggs, but like you said "just when we think we have them figured out, they do something different"!

Dpn't forget about Pleasant Prairie, WI super mom sat on the first females egg and her own first one hatched and hers didn't she was great with the little one

normangelo · **Joined:** Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:46 pm **Posts:** 410

I just hope we have a good outcome and there is a nice ending to this story. I keep thinking of soap operas that keep going and going, and never finish..It took Scout in Columbus quite some time and lots of effort to finally get her new male to come to the ledge. I reckon the males have to be sure of their lady before they commit. It looks like Red is ready to start all over! Good for them if that happens. You watchers are doing a great job - now we need a falcon fan with a long lense to take some pictures of the aerial courtship!

Catbird · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 10:47 pm

Mike - Thanks for sharing the inspiring story of what happened in the Jersey City nest in 2005!

Like SGB and Greg (and so many others here), I'm hoping for the best-case scenario: that the four eggs will hatch and our "mystery" male will become an adoptive father to the chicks and a loving mate to Red Girl.

catwoman · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 11:13 pm

Catbird wrote:

Mike - Thanks for sharing the inspiring story of what happened in the Jersey City nest in 2005!

Like SGB and Greg (and so many others here), I'm hoping for the best-case scenario: that the four eggs will hatch and our "mystery" male will become an adoptive father to the chicks and a loving mate to Red Girl.

I'm hoping for that scenario, too. If just one of those eggs would hatch, I think that would settle it, but that isn't something we can control.

Mike, thank you for sharing your Jersey City story, and glad you can join us in watching this nest!

bev. · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 11:27 pm

Thnaks MIke for sharing your story.

It would be nice if they put dummy eggs in here and then looked to see if the eggs were going to hatch and then hatch them. that way if it looked like she had a mate and they were going to care for the eggs, they could put in a chick or two
But tomorrow will be an interesting day.

We will hope for best case scenario, whatever it is.

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WILMINGTON ~ MAY 2010, PART 1

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