Bird Cams Around the World

Kim, they do canoodle in the nest and anywhere in Harrisburg. Very active pair there.

First egg in Harrisburg this morning!!! Come on Delaware Falcon's it's time!!!!

Are the Harrisburg pair both veterans from last year? That would give them a head start over Wilmington, where the old female was just replaced. I don't have the right notes at hand, but if I remember right the Wilmington pair was producing eggs earlier in March in recent years compared to older ones. The birds here don't know each other yet. If they produce a clutch before the end of April they have time to launch young successfully.

Yes, the Harrisburg pair are real veterans . . . they've been together since 2005. Last year they raised five chicks.

I agree that the Wilmington falcons will probably take some time to get used to each other, so we shouldn't expect to see eggs right away. Actually, there's quite a range of dates for the appearance of the first egg among the U.S. falcons we track on this forum. If you're curious, we maintain nesting calendars for falcons, eagles, ospreys, and kestrels (plus a new one for owls, hawks, etc. was just created). To see the new nesting calendars for 2010 and the previous ones for 2009, use this link....

Oops, I forgot to post this before. Not a great picture, but at least one of the falcons was in the box around 7:00 tonight.

I decided to head into town and photograph the falcons this morning. I'm so glad I did!!! Besides finding out that our new girl is from somewhere in PA, I also caught them in the act!


This poor Red-bellied Woodpecker didn't stand a chance.




I'm not sure if he was flying off to eat some of this before he shared it with her or if he wanted to pluck all the feathers off for her first. He left for a while with the bird but eventually flew back and gave her something.






I will let you know as soon as I find out where this gal is from!!!

Very productive reconnaissance, Kim! Good to see they're getting on.

Some pictures show the male's dangling left leg, but you can also see (from the last shot for example) that he can grab with the left foot. I hope he and the new lady have several productive years together before she has to break in a greenhorn.

OT, but this morning bluebirds were fighting, males with males and females with females, over our house at home. It's not the best location (fairly enclosed), and bluebirds have ignored it for several years, leaving it to chickadees and wrens. But today it's prime real estate, and the bluebirds' manners are no better than the falcons'.

Thanks, Kim, for the really spectacular pictures this morning! That was quite a catch, capturing them in the act . . . now I'm starting to think of eggs and cute chicks coming soon. But I must admit, I was a little sad that they caught a Red-bellied Woodpecker instead of a pigeon.



P.S. You mentioned that the female comes from somewhere in Pennsylvania. Did you happen to catch the band numbers/colors? It would be great to find out exactly where she originated from.

Some info from Art McMorris on our new female!

"I banded A/53 Black/Green at the Rachel Carson State Office building, Harrisburg, PA on May 22, 2008. (How's that for fortuitous coincidence - falcons nesting at the Rachel Carson building!) Her federal band is 1687-10857, and I placed red tape over it. (Her sister A/55 got blue tape.) She hatched May 1 or 2 and fledged ~June 11. Local observers rescued her at least once soon after fledging - the young at that nest often get into trouble on the sidewalk, etc. I'm glad to hear that she's doing well, but sorry to hear that she was the demise of your resident female. Do you think she was involved in the ruckus at your nest last year and the mysterious disappearance of the young?

She indeed does have fierce bloodlines. Her grandmother, the nesting female at the Girard Point bridge in Philadelphia from 1998 to 2005, was one of the most aggressive peregrines I've encountered, and her mom at the Rachel Carson building (2000 - present) is also pretty intense. It makes banding the young an adventure each year, but we like them that way - they're tremendously protective of their nests and young."

RED GIRL from 2008! Wow! This is awesome!

Thanks for those great pictures and for getting the band number, Kim.

Yeah Kim! I'm so excited that it's Red Girl from Harrisburg's 2008 season! I just posted your info on the Harrisburg topic, and I know there will be lots of excited people there - it's so rare that we hear anything of the offspring after they've fledged and left the nest area.

Thanks so much for checking and providing us with that info!

Here is Red Girl at banding. She was proclaimed to be the feistiest . . . and largest of 4 girls:

Taken by Reenie on May 29, 2008:

Taken by Reenie on June 9, 2008: