Hey everyone!
Made my first visit of the new season at JC today. I was on the corner of Columbus Ave. and Hudson St. from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. I picked that spot to stay in the shade of Exchange Place (no sun glare to contend with in the scope), but boy did I shiver! The Peregrine action more then made up for it though!
Upon arrival at 10:30 a.m., Mom was at 101 Hudson, perched atop the parapet behind the nest box.. About 8 minutes later, Dad flew up and mated with her for about 6-8 seconds. He then flew over to Exchange Place. Around 11:10 a.m., Mom flew a few blocks north between Hudson & Greene Streets. She returned to the nest box parapet a few minutes later. At 11:31 a.m., the pair mated again, on the same parapet as before. Dad then circled over Montgomery St. and headed west.
At 11:43 a.m., Dad was back, circling around the west and south side of 101 Hudson. While he was behind the building, a juvenile Peregrine appeared out of nowhere, flying west over Montgomery St. about half-way up the north side of 101 Hudson! When Dad came around east side of 101, he spotted the intruder and began chasing it west over Montgomery St. Mom (still atop the nest box parapet) either saw or heard this, and dove off the parapet, joining her mate in chasing away the juvenile falcon. I lost the trio behind the 30 Montgomery St. building.
Mom briefly returned to 101 Hudson around 11:50 a.m., then flew off and glided west over Columbus Ave., then turned to the Northwest and disappeared behind Plaza 4A. She returned to 101 shortly before 12:00 p.m., on a parapet near the middle of the 41st floor ledge (same level as the nest box). Shortly afterward, she stooped off the parapet and dived out over Greene St., behind 30 Montgomery St. It was reminiscent of the stoop I watched her do last June (she came out of it as she passed over me by maybe 40 feet; I was 2 blocks northwest of 101 Hudson that day). This stoop, however, was much steeper, but don’t know if she got what she was after.
Around 12:15 p.m., I spotted Dad perched on the same 41st floor parapet as Mom before her stoop. After a few minutes of preening, he flew to the top of Exchange Place, facing west. He was still there at 12:30 p.m., when Mom was spotted on the 39th floor, perched on the eastern bracket.
Very happy I got to see the pair so active today!! The juvenile Peregrine was a big surprise. I didn’t get a good enough look to see if it was banded (actually I didn’t even know it was a juvenile until I looked at my pics, it all happened so fast). I’ll try to find out when the cam will be turned on, but I imagine it’ll be sometime this week.
Here are a few pics:
Dad after the 1st “canoodle”
Mom after the 1st “canoodle”
The juvenile Peregrine