Poor Harriet and Ozzie. They are such pros and still obviously have the ability to raise chicks. But she is at least 16 and the odds were never good at this location.
Here are this mornings shots:
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| RICHMOND, VA~2016 http://www.peregrinefalcon-bcaw.net/viewtopic.php?f=534&t=2145 |
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| Author: | obxbarb [ Sun May 01, 2016 2:38 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Poor Harriet and Ozzie. They are such pros and still obviously have the ability to raise chicks. But she is at least 16 and the odds were never good at this location. Here are this mornings shots:
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| Author: | obxbarb [ Sun May 01, 2016 2:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Here are photos from the egg cracking and Harriet eating the yolk sack. Ozzie is the last 2.     
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Sun May 01, 2016 2:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Thanks obxbarb! I have nothing but the utmost respect for this pair!  And have you ever seen a falcon more beautiful than her ...
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| Author: | skygirlblue [ Sun May 01, 2016 8:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Thanks so much for the pics, Barb...tho' hard to look at...but, I guess we knew this was gonna be a strong possibility.  The fact that they even had eggs was a minor miracle...  I was so hoping they could have just one more chick!!!...but...probably not to be..I just love this pair...time for a well earned retirement...I sure hope they will continue to do it together...and I hope we can continue to watch them do it!!! sure hope we can watch them grow old (er) together...
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| Author: | skygirlblue [ Mon May 02, 2016 8:40 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Mon May 02, 2016 9:06 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
 Just found this update. Pics @ site.Nest Failed; Remaining Eggs to be Collected for Testing With the expected hatch date for the first egg well behind us, it is certain that this year’s clutch has, unfortunately, failed. Yesterday afternoon (May 1) at approximately 1:20 pm the female was observed consuming the yolk from one of the eggs, which was revealed to be cracked when she stood up from incubating. The undeveloped embryo was removed shortly after by the male. (See below for photos of the egg eating.) Consumption of a broken egg is not uncommon in peregrine falcons: damaged eggs are no longer treated as an egg by a parent, whose instinct is to eat them. A second egg was consumed today (May 2) at ~2:50 pm, again by the female. Egg failure in peregrine falcons can be due to several reasons. The birds’ reproductive potential decreases as they age past their reproductive peak. The banded male of the pair was hatched in 2000; he is 16 years old. We cannot confirm the age of the female because she is unbanded, but she has been recognizable as the same individual since at least 2006 or 2007 via available photographs; as such, she is likely at least 10 years old. According to the US Geological Survey, the maximum lifespan documented for a banded falcon in the wild is 19 years and 9 months (http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/longevity/ ... y_main.cfm). We do not know the extent to which declining reproductive vigor may have been responsible for this year’s loss of the nest. Generally speaking, not all peregrine falcon eggs are hatched in all years. Reasons for hatching failure include egg infertility, death of embryos, and breakage and removal of eggs. Since 2003, the Richmond falcons have only hatched all of their eggs on 4 occasions; in 2013 they lost all 5 of their eggs in their first of 2 nesting attempts that year. Including this year’s nest loss, the pair has produced 61 eggs since 2003, of which 33 (46%) have hatched; of these, 30 chicks survived to flight age. We plan on accessing the nest box on May 3 (weather permitting) in order to collect the remaining two non-viable eggs. These will be analyzed for potential contaminants. Although it is late in the season, there is a possibility that the pair will re-nest at this or at another site in the greater downtown Richmond area; collecting the eggs increases the probability of this happening. Re-nesting typically takes place within 2-3 weeks of nest failure. |
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Tue May 03, 2016 7:54 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Has it been raining there? I've never seen her look this way. |
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| Author: | obxbarb [ Tue May 03, 2016 8:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Yes, it has been raining. Glad they are taking the eggs so they can move on. I think Shawn, who installed the box, is sure this is still the original female. She is uniquely aggressive and has been the same since the beginning. |
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Tue May 03, 2016 8:23 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Meaning she is also probably 16? |
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| Author: | obxbarb [ Tue May 03, 2016 9:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
SWINWK wrote: Meaning she is also probably 16? Yes, I'm sure she is the original. Shawn had some ways to ID her including her ferociousness. CCB banded these falcons for a long time. |
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Tue May 03, 2016 9:41 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Tue May 03, 2016 9:51 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Unable to get cam, maybe they are collecting the eggs. |
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| Author: | catwoman [ Tue May 03, 2016 10:24 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Yes, eggs are gone now. Well, at least they won't be incubating for weeks when it wouldn't do any good. Thanks for posting that info, SWINWK! |
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Tue May 03, 2016 10:29 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
I am relieved also ... I kept thinking of Lady @ Loch of the Lowes ... |
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Tue May 03, 2016 12:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Finally see someone in the nest. It's Zeus digging a scrape in same spot as previous and looking around bewildered! |
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Tue May 03, 2016 2:07 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
They have 3 intact eggs, so they went back in previous posts and changed the numbers. Harriet did not consume a 2nd egg yesterday. Must have been some of the previous shell they saw yesterday. I know I saw her moving a piece yesterday of the previous one. Update of blog with pic @ site: Remaining Eggs Retrieved At ~9:55 am this morning, we accessed the ledge with the nest box and collected the remaining three eggs. All three are intact with no visible cracks. They will be sent to a lab for contaminant testing later in the year. |
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| Author: | Beth [ Tue May 03, 2016 2:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Photo from this am...   Many thanks for the update news... |
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| Author: | catwoman [ Tue May 03, 2016 6:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
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| Author: | obxbarb [ Tue May 03, 2016 6:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
Thanks Nancy, that's Harriet. She has been there a while. Now she walked behind the cam. |
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| Author: | SWINWK [ Tue May 03, 2016 9:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: RICHMOND, VA~2016 |
 I'm so glad she came by ... I had watched for her all afternoon ...
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