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Subject: [de-birds] Wilmington Peregrine Falcon Update
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:22:06 -0400
From: Gonzon Anthony T. (DNREC) <>
Reply-To: Gonzon Anthony T. (DNREC) <>
To:
Greetings all,
Hopefully everyone has had an opportunity to check out the action at the Peregrine Falcon nest box in Wilmington via the Wilmington Peregrine Falcon Webcam Project. The last few days have been very enlightening and I would like to share a brief summary regarding our falcons. Throughout the past few months, and well back into Summer 2009, reports of "intruders" have been recorded. It seems as if nature is currently working itself out and it is all unfolding right in front of us.
Friday, March 12, 2010 - I received a report of a dead falcon on the roof of a building adjacent to the Brandywine Building in Wilmington. The caller was able to provide the colors and letter/number combination from the color band on the bird. After contacting Craig Koppie with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the bird was identified as a juvenile male, one of the 2009 offspring that was banded by Craig in May 2009. Craig noted that the young were fledging early and how the juvenile made it to the other building is unknown. The cause of this mortality is also unknown, but it appeared as if the juvenile had been deceased for some time.
Monday, March 15, 2010, morning - I received a call from Bill Stewart, urgently suggesting I check out the action on the webcam. From approximately 9:17 AM until 10:15 AM, two male falcons were observed in a dispute within the nest box. One male, based on known characters, was identified as the resident male. The two birds fought throughout the entire time. At times, they would stand facing each other, nearly breast to breast, with wings outspread - called the Upright Display. At other times, one of the males would lunge and pin the second on its back, all while grappling with their talons. Although we could not hear it, you could visualize the vocalizations of the birds during their periods of physical grappling and posturing. This dispute was likely over the territory and the female was not observed in the box during the dispute. According to Craig Koppie, we should expect this conflict to resolve itself within the next 2-3 days, if it has not already.
Monday, March 15, 2010, afternoon - I received a call from DE Division of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement regarding a dead falcon located at the Carvel Building, several blocks away from the Brandywine Building. Again, after recording the leg band information, I called Craig Koppie to see if we could identify this bird. Sadly, this falcon had been our resident female. Judging from the state of decay, she had been deceased for some time and we can say it was not a very recent mortality. The female, originally banded in New York, had been present for several years in Wilmington. It is not clear how she died, but hopefully Craig will be able to shed some light on that after he examines her.
As you can see, life in the world of a falcon can be full of drama. At this time we know that we have three Peregrines in Wilmington - 2 males and one female. In the very near future, we can expect one of the males to pair with the new resident female and begin nesting. The falcons are still returning to the box - I observed the larger female and one of the males at 11:00 AM on Tuesday. Both were exhibiting the Vertical Head Low Bow - a nest ledge display where the falcons stand upright with their heads oriented below the neckline. This is a typical pair bond display and I am eagerly anticipating their next steps!
Stay tuned as the drama unfolds high in the skies over Wilmington!
Anthony
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Anthony T. Gonzon, Jr.
DE Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program
DE Division of Fish and Wildlife, DNREC
4876 Hay Point Landing Road
Smyrna, DE 19977
Phone: 302-653-2880 ext. 123
Mobile: 302-531-5165
Fax: 302-653-3431
Visit Delaware's Breeding Bird Atlas online: www.fw.delaware.gov/bba<http://www.fw.delaware.gov/bba/Pages/BreedingBirdAtlas.aspx>
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Maurice Barnhill
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716 |