Bird Cams Around the World

Thanks for the news Reenie!

SW and Boomer are taking great care of the eggs:

Poor SW & Boomer!

I knew it was snowing in Cleveland from watching our local weather tonight. Am hoping the back end of that system goes by quickly. Poor SW sitting there so faithfully on her eggs. I'm not at all familiar with the nest location, but surely there would be SOME way of providing an overhang or something for the scrape. Maybe somebody can enlighten me on that.

SW has a great deal of experience incubating in the snow. Boomer doesn't have that experience, but he has a great teacher.

Thanks, Alison. Still, it would be nice if there was some sort of overhang for protection from the elements. Hopefully this will be the end of the snow for a LONG time.

I went on the CMNH web page (making new friends in the forum ) and I tried to contact some responsibles to evoke this cruel lack of roof, but I find no one.

In the U.S. and Canada, some sites have nest boxes and some have nest trays. Both have been successful for the falcons. In Omaha, Nebraska, the falcons have a choice of a nest box without a roof and one with a roof. Last year they chose the one without a roof, the year before the one with a roof, the year before that the one without a roof - so it is sometimes difficult to know what they prefer.

I personally like nest boxes for the additional protection they give from cold, rain, wind, snow and predators, not only for the adults but for the eggs and chicks, but some people prefer the nest tray.

I understand Alison.
But do you really think the falcons choose the nest they prefer? Do they not take rather the first available nest they can find ?
From what I read on the site of Cleveland, the population of falcons has increased and causes a very tough competition between them.
source: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/07/downtown_living_proves_perilou.html

That is a difficult question to answer. There certainly is much more competition for suitable nest sites than there was even a few years ago. Some sites are much more hotly contested than others. I would like to see more nest boxes installed wherever and whenever possible. Unfortunately, that is more complicated than just putting up a nest box. It requires finding suitable (and hopefully safe) sites, getting permission from the appropriate Fish and Wildlife Department or the Department of Natural Resources, getting permission from the building owner, funding for the box and perhaps a webcam, etc. In the last few years several building owners have insisted on having the nest boxes removed from their buildings.

But when it is possible, I think that installing additional nest boxes would alleviate the problem of territorial disputes at least to some degree.

Interesting discussion about nest boxes vs trays. It did hit me that there are many birds' nests that aren't covered at all, not just Peregrines, and obviously there are no web cams at the majority of them. Nature is more resilient than we think. I still wish there was an overhang so SW and Boomer and hopefully their chicks would be somewhat protected.

I don't know if a few days old chick has enough strength and if his duvet really protects him if he's subjected to cold, snow or rain (I still have in mind the images of the pindling baby eagle covered by snow, in the nest of BlackWater, I thought I would see him die online ...).
Maybe you're right, nature is more resilient than we think, but what is certain is that nature is not kind to the weak, and very often, only the strongest survive.

Very interesting conversation. I have started asking the biologists in Richmond to put up another box. I think many other areas would benefit. In Virginia, the extra falcons default to bridges, which is worse than any other nest location. I do think its fairly easy to replace a tray with a box, and its seems like it would be the better choice. Great point about the Omaha pair Alison!

Thank you, obxbarb! I hope you will be successful in Richmond. And yes, bridges are the most dangerous locations of all.

In Omaha, the choice of nest boxes truly is the birds' own choice.

Shift change at Cleveland:



Incubating patiently:

SW and Boomer at the nest: