Richmond Falcon Cam
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Monday, May 14, 2012
Banding Scheduled
Biologists with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will band the Richmond peregrine falcon chicks this Thursday May 17th. Biologists will access the ledge and retrieve the chicks who will be weighed, measured and fitted with two bands. The first band is green aluminum and has a unique 9 digit numerical code. A second green and black band has letters and numbers large enough to read with binoculars or telescope. This auxiliary band is meant to assist with identifying birds in the field without having to capture them.
Bird banding is an important tool in avian conservation that helps researchers and wildlife managers answer important questions about longevity, migration and what habitats birds use. If you should encounter a banded bird it can be reported to the US Geological Survey Bird Banding Lab at http://www.reportband.gov/
While the banding is being performed a pen will also be erected at the nest box. There is a history of premature or accidental fledging at this nest. The pen ensures that the young birds have plenty of time to develop before taking their first flight. The door is opened remotely on the release date and ensures that VDGIF is able to position staff and volunteers on the ground the day the birds fledge to provide assistance if any of the young birds run into trouble. Check out the blog archive for video footage of chick banding and the chicks exercising in the pen.
These three chicks are doing well and by all indications are very well fed. They are standing on their feet for extended periods of time and moving around the ledge near the nest box.
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Monday, May 7, 2012
Out of the Box
The nestlings who each weighed a mere 35-40 grams when they hatched (about as much as 7-8 U.S. nickels) are well fed and growing quickly. At 19 days old we can see flight feathers emerging from their sheaths along the edges of the wings and the tail.
The chicks have become much more mobile, and over the weekend clambered out of the nest box. Although they don’t appear able to hop back in yet there is a variety of cover available along the ledge. Soon the chicks will be able to stand for extended periods of time and we will likely see their explorations of the ledge expand.
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Friday, April 20, 2012
Three In Richmond
Views of the nest yesterday seemed to show that one of the eggs had been removed by the adults. Two chicks could clearly be seen during feedings and one egg was visible. There was no sign of either a third chick or egg. It is not unusual for an egg that fails to finish hatching or a chick that isn’t viable to be removed by the adults. There are many potential causes for a failure to hatch and no way to tell what might have caused this egg to fail.
By this morning the third chick had hatched and all three were being fed. It was also apparent that the other eggs had been removed. Viewing has become challenging as spiderwebs over the camera dome create a glare which prevents us from seeing any activity during portions of the late morning and early afternoon.
* Thanks to Mary Anne from the BCAW forum for the image above
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Thursday, April 19, 2012
Videos from the first egg hatching
Below are a series of videos from the first egg hatching yesterday evening.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Hatched
The first egg has hatched in the peregrine falcon nest in Richmond this afternoon. We’ve been observing closely over the past two days to look for signs of a pip - the initial opening the chick makes in the egg as it begins to hatch. The female has been diligently keeping the eggs covered and weren’t able to get a good clear view of the eggs.
Checking in on the nest this afternoon we found the first chick almost fully hatched out.
Almost immediately the female began to eat the remaining yolk and eventually the membranes and eggshell itself. This allows to her to recapture valuable calories, proteins and calcium.
Peregrine falcon eggs typically hatch synchronously with a clutch of 4 eggs generally hatching over a 24-48 hour period. We’ll keep close watch over the coming days. This chick seems active is moving well.
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Friday, April 13, 2012
Brood Patches
Temperatures in Richmond took a dip in early April, with night-time temperatures getting into the 40’s and 30’s. This means that the adults must keep the eggs warm by incubating. Many bird species, including peregrine falcons, have a special adaptation that helps them keep their eggs warm. The birds develop featherless areas on their breast called brood patches. These areas develop thickened skin and an increased blood flow that helps the birds pass body heat along to the developing embryos inside the eggs. In this video clip from March 10th we can see the female falcon plucking feathers from the area of her brood patch in preparation for egg-laying. Male peregrine falcons also develop brood patches and help with incubation, but as the female will do the majority of this work her brood patch is much more developed.
We will continue to keep a close eye on the nest over the coming week as the eggs should be due to hatch. Peregrine falcon eggs are typically incubated for 33-35 days beginning with the second to last (penultimate) egg of a clutch. We aren’t sure when the penultimate egg was laid but believe it to be on or around March 15th.
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Monday, March 26, 2012
Finally a Clear View
Early this afternoon we were finally able to capture a clear image of all four eggs at the Richmond nest. While the female does the majority of the incubating the male takes turns as well and it was during a “switch” that got a good look at the eggs.
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Thursday, March 22, 2012
Four Eggs
It has been hard to see how many eggs the Richmond Falcons have. The first egg was laid on March 11th followed by a second on March 13th. Falcons typically have four egg clutches with 24-48 hour intervals in between egg laying. At times it seemed as if the female might be laying another egg - but we have been unable to see into the scrape to confirm any additional eggs. Over the weekend the falcons began to incubate the eggs almost full time which typically begins with the second to last egg. Finally on Tues. March 20th a falcon cam viewer captured an image which shows all four eggs.
We continue to try to catch a glimpse of all four eggs, but the falcons are diligently incubating and the eggs typically remain out of view. Falcons incubate their eggs for between 33-35 days. We’ll watch for these eggs to hatch around the third week of April.
Due to the constraints of changing technology many viewers had a difficult time viewing the Falcon Cam on Windows Internet Explorer. Our web staff has worked to stabilize the feed and viewers should now be able to see a consistent image.
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012
2nd Egg
Sometime over the previous evening or in the early morning of March 13th, the second egg of 2012 was laid. It is still hard to see the eggs but in the video below you can just see the edge of the second egg over the edge of the box. As the female prepares to incubate the eggs she moves them and we get a clearer view.
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Sunday, March 11, 2012
1st Egg of 2012
Both the male and female peregrine falcon have spent a great deal of time in and around the nest box over the past few days. The female has been spending nights in the nest box and has frequently been seen lying in the nest box. The adults formed the scrape,a shallow depression that the eggs are laid in. All of these behaviors indicated that eggs might be laid soon.
This year the falcons have made their scrape very close to the front of the nest box resulting in a partially obstructed view. Both the male and female at times appeared to peering at an object in the scrape. Furthermore, both have spent time laying in the scrape as might be expected to keep an egg from being chilled. While the behavior of the birds indicated an egg might be present, we weren’t able to confirm it until early this afternoon. In the photo below the edge of the egg is just visible over the rim of the nest box. We’ll continue to watch for more eggs over the coming days.
