May 2010
6 posts
6 tags
Walk About
The three young falcons in Richmond have become mobile. As in past years, the young have left the box and begun to explore the ledge. The ledge is fairly extensive and the young may at times be out of view, but all three are accounted for. The adult falcons have access to entire ledge and will continue to feed and care for the young birds.
There are several locations where the chicks can...
Arachnids!
Once again spiders have woven webs across the camera dome. Riverfront Plaza (the building that this nest box is located atop) is adjacent to the James River, meaning there are plenty of flying insects around. The plentiful insects, along with the many nooks and crannies of the ledge make for great spider habitat!
Biologists only access the nest ledge for necessary managment activities. The...
5 tags
Meal Time
The Richmond falcon chicks are doing well. All three are active and taking part in the frequent feedings by the adults. In this photo you can see the full crop on this young bird. The crop is an expandable, muscular extension of the esophagus that allows the birds to rapidly consume large meals. The food is later released into the stomach to be digested at the bird’s leisure in a safe...
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Third Hatched and Surprise Dinner
The third egg has hatched in Richmond. The third chick is resting and is drying out. Its older siblings were quite hungry for the first meal the male brought in for them…a bat! The youngest didn’t raise its head to eat, but given the tiring ordeal of hatching this is no surprise. While birds generally make up the bulk of a peregrine’s diet, bats are not that unusual a prey...
3 tags
Two Have Hatched!
Sometime before 11:30am two of the eggs hatched. We’ve only had brief glimpses of the chicks so far as the adults are brooding them, keeping them tucked under their breast most of the time. The number of broken eggshells is definitely a good indication of how many chicks have hatched! Stay tuned while we watch for the next two eggs to hatch.
5 tags
No Chicks Yet
This morning didn’t reveal any chicks at the nest, but as the male stepped away from his incubation duties we got a good look at the eggs. The pips have been expanded in two of the eggs and there was a hint of a pip in a third egg as well.
