Bird Cams Around the World

Kim, your photos are gorgeous! I hope you are wearing a hard hat around these feisty falcons. Its so funny that the fledgling would be dive bombing you like that too! Its a good sign for that young falcon.

It seems like there are a few distinctive features about both of the resident falcons that might help identify them when the intruders are around. I was looking back through the history, and side shots and the sideburns are pretty distinctive. Also, mom has a very flat head!

One was just there a few minutes ago:

About the Wilmington Falcon Cam Event

After getting postponed due to snow last week, the event celebrating the new falcon cam was finally held tonight . . . after hours in Wilmington's downtown library. There were lots of people there to celebrate, and it was nice to meet Kim and see her gorgeous photographs displayed.

Unfortunately, we missed the official ceremony as we had to leave early due to other commitments. But we did get to meet Abigail, the live peregrine falcon in attendance. She was a beauty, and it turns out that she's a "falconry" falcon, not a rehab falcon as I'd expected.

Nice meeting you too!

Craig got the bird because it was imprinted so in a way it's a rehab bird. Someone had either found it or taken it from the nest and took it home with them and after a while of sitting around with the family watching tv...
What are people thinking??? Obviously they aren't!

Those pictures are awesome Kim. Hope to meet you and the others sometime. Thurs. nights are Hand Bell practice at our church. Maybe later on after our "season" is over.

Just caught some visitors at the nest, but I'm not sure if they're residents or intruders.

Not sure about the male but the female is an intruder.

Thanks! Unfortunately, that's not good news for the resident female.

The intruder female was in the box again.

This intruder female was in the nestbox at least four times today. I know it was an intruder because I saw the green band on the left leg and red on the right leg earlier. When I couldn't see her legs, I could tell by the little feather sticking out on the upper right that you can see here.


Does anyone think the red on the band on the female's right leg looks like it might be tape? I'm thinking it does.


I ask because Craig, the guy who banded our birds, used different colored tape over the federal bands so that we'd be able to tell them apart when they were flying around. I'm starting to wonder if this is one of the female birds that hatched at this site. I sent an email to Craig asking if there were any females with red tape over the band but haven't heard from him yet. Will let you know if I hear anything.

Great sleuthing, Kim. Unfortunately, it's not sounding too good for the resident female at this point.

I really wish we could get a better look at the bands, especially the letter and number codes. There are several members on the forum who are adept at tracing the origin of falcons based on the banding codes. It's been fascinating to learn where some of our nesting falcons originated from based on their bands.

I almost forgot to mention that many other falcon nesting sites also add colored tape - red, green, blue, yellow, white - over the metal bands to help ID the juveniles. For those of us who view the falcon cams, that colored tape is always a great help.

Good point about other sites using colored tape. I guess we'll just have to wait until banding day and hope we get a look at the bands on the adults.

I'm not sure if these are Wilmington birds or intruders although I think I saw a green band on the left leg of the male. I didn't see the feather sticking out on the female but she could have fixed her feathers. The male on the right has prey that he wouldn't share. Guess he must not be courting her huh?!

hmmmmmmmmm...

So disheartening to see an intruder! Oh! Nature throws us humans into "fits" sometimes. Always a concern. But I guess we have to patient and see what takes place. The history of the banding is interesting.Just to be able to see up close is such a gift.

I'm guessing this is the male...brief visit...

Ah, the intrigue continues at this nest! I just hope that the resident female is OK . . . it seems as if we've only been seeing the intruder female the past few days.

If anyone can get a band number here, its possible that the green banded falcon came from Virginia. I had a discussion with one of our biologists about the situation here, and he mentioned that they use green anodized federal bands here for easier id. I hate to think the intruder is a Virginian, but it seems possible.

Brief visit by the falcons this morning . . . first there were two, then there was only one. I'm wondering if the top falcon in the first picture is an intruder: It looks like there's a green band on its left leg.

Yes it's an intruder. There was just another / same? intruder in the box. You can see red on the right leg.