Richmond Falcon Cam

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Hatching Begins!

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:55:00 +0000

Today (April 30th) marks 33 days since the second to last egg was laid by this peregrine falcon pair. At this point full time incubation typically begins. Incubation for peregrine falcons is generally between 33-35 days so we have been watching closely today.

The female has been especially restless today, peering at the eggs and turning them often and vigorously. This evening we got the first glimpse of a pip in one of the eggs. A pip is the initial hole made in the egg. It is a chick’s first contact with the world outside the eggshell.

The hatching process began with the chick shifting inside the egg, bringing its head close to the air space inside the wide end of the egg. The chick pierced this airspace and took its first breath – no longer relying on oxygen brought across the egg’s membranes. With this first breath the chick was able to begin calling – soft “peeps” that the adults can hear and react to. During this stage the adults will often stare intently at the eggs listening as the chicks begin the hatching process. The chick began rasping against the shell with a sharp hard point on its bill – called the egg tooth, eventually creating the pip we can see in this video. Glimpses of the eggs through the day hinted at a pip – but this was the first clear indication. It is possible that a second egg has pipped as well, but the view was inconclusive. Peregrine falcon chicks typically hatch closely together, so we’d expect to see pips in multiple eggs. The hatching process can take anywhere from 24-48 hours. We’ll watch and hope to see chicks in the nest come morning.

When will They Hatch?

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Peregrine Falcons typically incubate their eggs for 33-35 days. Incubation generally starts with the penultimate (second to last) egg. This helps to ensure that the eggs hatch closely together which can reduce the disadvantage a younger chick might face. Cold temperatures in Richmond while the clutch was being laid caused the adults to sporadically incubate the first two eggs to keep them viable. We'll have to wait and see if this results in staggered (asynchronous) hatching or an earlier than usual hatch date.

Full time incubation began on March 28th with the third egg and April 30th will mark 33 days of incubation since that point. Over the next few days we'll watch closely to see any signs of hatching activity. The first sign that something is happening will be the behavior of the adults. they will become somewhat restless while incubating, standing often to peer closely at the eggs. Check back soon for a discussion of what happens inside the eggs as hatching grows near.

Richmond Offspring in Baltimore

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:41:00 +0000

Once again a male peregrine falcon that fledged from the downtown Richmond territory has nested in Baltimore. This marks the second year that this male (auxiliary band *7/*U) and a female from a bridge site in MD have nested in downtown Baltimore. The pair have five eggs this year! The male fledged from downtown Richmond in 2003 when the nest site was located on a ledge at the nearby BB&T building. Photo (C) Craig Koppie

The building (formerly known as the Legg Mason Building and before that the US Fidelity & Guarantee building) is a significant location in the recovery of peregrine falcons. In 1979," Scarlett" a captive-reared female peregrine nested on a ledge at this building. She originated from a hack-site on Carroll Island at the U.S. Aberdeen Proving Ground at Aberdeen, Maryland and is believed to be the first reintroduced falcon to claim a nesting territory in the eastern states! Click here for more info.

Do Birds Blink?

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:36:00 +0000

The summer like temperatures of 89 degrees in Richmond today seem to have made the female a bit drowsy. We can see her eyes slowly closing. Birds eyelids function much the same way ours do, closing to protect the eye and block out light. Unlike our eyes, a bird's upper eyelid is relatively immobile and the lower lid moves up to close the eye.

Birds (and many other animals) actually have a "third eyelid" called a nictitating membrane. As you can see in the video below the nictating membrane sweeps from front to back, cleaning and moistening the eye. This membrane is translucent, allowing birds to retain some vision even while cleaning or protecting the eye. This is as important as closing their eyes during flight could be very risky. This is especially true for birds like peregrine falcons whose stoops (steep dives over prey) can reach speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. A peregrine falcon's nictitating membrane is relatively transparent as compared to other birds, allowing them to track prey even with it covering the eye.

Fourth egg

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 23:54:00 +0000

The fourth and most likely final egg was laid sometime today, March 30th. The camera's autofocus had a temporary issue and we weren't able to determine exactly when the egg was laid. The first clear view of four eggs was seen shortly after 6:00pm.

The female has continued to incubate although one egg doesn't seem to tucked under her. It is likely that the female is exhausted after the labor of laying four eggs. Hopefully once she's had a chance to rest she'll get all of her eggs in order

And Then There Were Three

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:53:00 +0000

The third egg was laid sometime after 11am on Sunday, March 28th. The falcons have begun to incubate these eggs regularly, an indication that we might expect one more egg to round out this clutch. Delaying full time incubation until the clutch is almost completed ensures they hatch hatch somewhat synchronously ( hatch together although laid somewhat apart). In general, a clutch of four falcon eggs will all hatch within 24-48 hours of each other. The cold weather that returned to Richmond during the egg laying period caused the adults to incubate the 1st two eggs more frequently than normal. It will be interesting to see if this creates a more staggered (asynchronous) hatch.

The female will do most of the incubating, although the male will take regular turns as well. The adults keep the eggs warm through use of a brood patch. This is an area of the belly in which the feathers fall off (some may be plucked by the bird) and the skin thickens. This area develops a network of blood vessels that will help warm the eggs. Both adult peregrine falcons have this patch, although the female's is more developed as she'll do most of the incubating.

Second Egg

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:24:00 +0000

This morning found a second egg in the nest atop Riverfront Plaza in Richmond. The female took wing to hunt with the male taking a turn at egg guarding. Although we see some incubating with these early eggs - most of the time the eggs are unincubated at this point.

One question asked frequently is how can one tell the male from the female?
Female falcons are generally about 1/3 larger then males, a pattern that holds true for most raptor species. There are multiple theories as to how this size difference evolved. One holds that the difference in size reduces prey competition between the male and female, for an in depth discussion of this topic check out this link.

For this pair it is even easier to tell the male and female part. The male is banded with both a numeric USGS aluminium band and a colored auxiliary band. This male was part of cooperative program (VDGIF, CCB and Dominion Virginia Power) that hacked (released) young falcons from the nearby Dominion Tower from 2000-2002. In 2002 the male paired with the female (not a part of the release program). The pair have nested together since 2003.

First Egg of 2010

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:28:00 +0000

The first egg of the 2010 was laid sometime overnight on March 24th. A typical peregrine falcon brood consists of 4 eggs - so we'll continue to keep a close eye on the nest. Eggs are generally laid approximately 24-48 hours apart, although this can be quite variable. The small reddish speckled eggs average a little over 2 inches long and 1 2/3 inches wide, weighing about 1 2/3 ounces. For point of comparison, the average "large" chicken egg found in the grocery store weighs about 2 ounces.

Although the female has spent some time sitting on her egg this morning, full time incubation doesn’t generally begin until the second to last (penultimate) egg is laid. This helps the eggs to hatch more closely together, reducing the disadvantage that younger chicks might face. Peregrine falcons typically incubate for 33-35 days, so we'll watch for hatching at the end of April.

Watching and Waiting

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:11:00 +0000

We continue to watch and hope that the falcons settle on this nest site. Yesterday the female spent much of the day perched atop the box, and this morning (3/18) spent some time scraping gravel in the nest box.

Viewers my notice that the camera is not following the falcons or zooming in on the nest box. We have observed that the falcons appear to notice and respond to camera movement. At this sensitive stage of their breeding cycle we have decided to minimize any possible disturbances. The camera is being left in a position which allows us to see the nest box, as well as the adjacent ledge and the top of the box. Once eggs have been laid and the pair is committed to the site we will resume adjusting the camera position as appropriate.

Nesting Preparations?

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We are rapidly approaching the time of year when we expect the Richmond peregrine falcons to nest. For the past few weeks we have been monitoring the falcon cam regularly. We have been receiving reports from observers with vantage points in the surrounding buildings and falcon watchers who have been keeping a sharp eye from the ground in downtown Richmond. We have noted the falcons spending time on a variety of the regular downtown perches and have seen falcons in and around the nest box as well.

In the past (2007 archive and 2009) the falcons have had difficulty settling on a nest location, sometimes attempting unsuccessfully to nest in various other downtown locations. Following these unsuccessful attempts the birds eventually returned to this site and successfully fledged broods of young falcons.

Finally after no clear indication of where they might choose to nest, both the male and female falcon spent time in the nest box over this weekend (March 13-14). They have been working on their scrape (the shallow bowl that the eggs will be laid in) and spending time in the nest box and on the adjacent ledge. In this video from Sunday March 14th, you'll see the male of the pair pressing his breast against the gravel and digging with his feet. The female has been inspecting his progress. The photo shows the female perched next to the nest box. Hopefully this behavior indicates that the pair is preparing to nest at this site. We'll watch closely over the coming days.

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:56:00 +0000

On Feb 2, DGIF biologists accessed the 17th floor balcony of the BB&T building in order to once more modify the site so as to make it unsuitable for nesting. The falcon pair had nested there from 2003 to 2005 before moving to the Riverfront Plaza nest site in 2006. Following the move, we covered the nest box on the BB&T building in order to discourage the birds from nesting at what we consider to be an unsafe site. However, in May of 2009, we removed the cover from the nest box when it looked like the pair was focused on the site and might not otherwise nest elsewhere (see May 22, 2009 post). Because the falcons went on to nest successfully at the Riverfront Plaza, we have once again outfitted the BB&T nest box with a cover and placed blocks of wood on the remaining surface areas of the balcony to preclude nesting at that site. While we were working, we were paid two separate visits by a falcon, which swooped by the balcony window a few times before perching on another building. This is not unexpected, as the BB&T building site remains part of the broader territory defended by the falcons. Following the work, we confirmed the presence of both falcons in the downtown area.

Brrr!

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:18:00 +0000

Its a good thing peregrine falcons aren't breeding yet. The snowstorm that's impacting the mid-Atlantic region has filled the falcon box in Richmond! Plenty of time for this melt away and make room for falcon eggs.

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:11:00 +0000

The falcon spending time on the roof of the nest box finally raised a leg - showing off its aluminium USGS band. This identifies it as the male of the pair.

Comparing the size of this bird to that of the previous video and photos indicated that the visits over the past few days have all been the male. This most recent video capture shows the male calling repeatedly - perhaps communicating with female nearby(see video below). The breeding season is still a month or more away - but the male spending time at this site is a positive sign.

Peregrine falcon nests are simple affairs. The birds will simply scrape out a shallow bowl in the dirt or gravel of a nesting ledge (or nest box). The male selects potential nest sites and will generally initiate a scrape. The female will ultimately decide which site the pair use.

Falcon Sightings

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:10:00 +0000

For the past three days (Jan 26, 27 and 28) a peregrine falcon has visited the nest box in Richmond. We have had sporadic sightings of falcons in the area and as far as we know our nesting pair remains in the Richmond region throughout the year.

Given the angle of the camera we have been unable to get a good look at the bird's legs which would let us determine if this was our male (banded) or female (unbanded). A brief glimpse seemed to hint at a band.

The video clip clip below shows the falcon quite alert and with an extremely full crop - indicating a recent meal. A bird's crop is a muscular, expandable pouch that allows them to rapidly consume food and move somewhere secure to continue to process and digest.

Final Test Results

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:43:00 +0000

In 2009 we reported the results of heavy metal contaminant testing on an intact egg and remnant eggshell fragments recovered from the Richmond pair’s two initial failed nesting attempts (see July 16th post). The results documented high concentrations of lead, which prompted the collection of blood samples from the three chicks when they were banded on July 27th. The remains of the 4th unhatched egg of this year’s successful clutch were recovered on August 1st and also sent for testing.

Test results have been reported back to us. In contrast to the eggs from the first two clutches, no lead (or pesticides) was detected in the egg remains from the last clutch. Because the pathway for lead deposition into eggs is through the female parent, this strongly suggests that the female of the pair is not suffering from chronic lead exposure. The bird likely had limited exposure to a lead source and was able to pass the contaminant out of its body by depositing it into the eggs from the first two clutches.

Lead was detected in the blood of both female chicks, but was not detected in the blood of the male chick. Lead concentration in the females was consistent with exposure to a lead source, but was not high enough to produce clinical illness. Generally, lead in the bloodstream is the result of recent exposure, which usually happens through ingestion of contaminated prey. It is likely that both female chicks were fed one or more contaminated birds, whereas the male chick was not. Prior to being penned, the male spent much time away from the nest box area where the females were normally found. In addition, the male was smaller than the two females, and probably less able to compete with them for food items being brought to them by the parents. We can speculate that these characteristics may have prevented his exposure to the contaminated prey item(s).

There are a number of sources that can contribute to lead contamination of falcon prey. Lead can be ingested by potential prey such as pigeons through exposure to contaminated dust while foraging. Contamination of soil and dust dates back to the days of leaded gasoline, and contaminated soil can be exposed through disturbance or construction events. There are also a few local ongoing, small-scale lead release sources in the greater Richmond area as well as an old lead smelter (operated until the 1980's) about 2.5 miles away from the nest site. In addition, lead contamination of falcon prey can occur through ingestion of particulate lead in the form of shotgun pellets or fishing weights, or through wounding by a lead pellet (ex. a dove). The overall test results are consistent with the presence of lead sources within the environment used by the falcons.

Although the falcons are periodically exposed to lead through contaminated prey, at present such exposure does not appear to be frequent enough to result in high cumulative levels of lead that can impact their survivorship. However, high concentrations of lead passed on to eggs can result in failed clutches and ultimately impact the reproductive success of the falcons.

These circumstances highlight the challenges in successfully managing the recovery of this species. We will continue to monitor lead exposure of the pair by testing any future addled eggs that we are able to recover.

Pen Removed

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:38:00 +0000

DGIF biologists accessed the ledge yesterday to remove the pen. The pen was initially installed to keep the young birds from leaving the ledge before capable of flight. Following the successful fledging of the falcons - it was decided to leave the pen in place to allow the adults to become acclimated to it during the post-fledging period. Our hope is that allowing the adult falcons as much time as possible to become accustomed to the pen will reduce any stress that it's installation during the breeding season might cause.

Given the history of early fledging attempts with this pair, and the young male chick's fall from the ledge this summer - it is likely that we will continue to employ the pen to ensure the safety of the chicks.

The adult falcons are not being seen as regularly in the downtown Richmond area over the last several weeks. This is not unusual for this pair, which although non-migratory does seem to expand their area of operation during the non-breeding season.

Sept 1st Update

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:40:00 +0000

Many thanks to the local observers who have provided us with updates as to the activities and whereabouts of our three falcon fledglings. All three of the fledglings were reported in the vicinity of the nest area as recently as Saturday August 29th. Observers report that all three of the birds are flying well and perching on various buildings in the downtown area. Both adults remain in the area as well - and are sometimes seen hunting at a well known Purple Martin migratory roost in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond. At the time of this post, we can see two falcons with the falcon cam - although we are not able to focus closely enough to determine if they are adults or juveniles. It should be noted that many of the birds' favored perches are not within the camera's field of view.

Young falcons may remain close to their nest area for 5-10 weeks following their fledging. During this period of time they will continue to follow the parents in flight and beg for food - calling loudly (they can be heard clearly from the ground - even over the traffic noise of downtown Richmond). The young will continue to perfect both their flying and hunting skills until they become self-sufficient and eventually disperse away from the nest area.

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:42:00 +0000

After a morning in which it appeared that all three chicks were beginning to master basic flight skills, Female AD/03 continued to have some challenges yesterday. She again made multiple attempts to alight on banks of glass windows on the building surrounding the nesting area. Predictably, she was unable to find purchase and would lose altitude - eventually finding a perch within about 4 stories of the ground. This process was repeated twice during the course of the afternoon. In each case DGIF staff and volunteers were able to locate and monitor the female until she flew off to a higher perch. The fact that she was able to recover in each case and eventually regain altitude gave us increased confidence in her abilities.

We were able to observe the adults utilizing food to help teach their young birds. The female adult would use a food tidbit to tease the young into the air - where she would lead them on an extensive flying lesson before dropping the food on a ledge. As we closed the day yesterday evening all five of the falcons were accounted for. This marks the end of our official "Falcon Fledge Watch". DGIF staff will continue to periodically check on the area and we continue to receive reports from observers with "high-rise" vantage points in the area. In fact an observer reported that as of 8:30am this morning all five falcons were in view.

Our thanks to the many building managers for allowing us access and of course to our volunteers for dedicating many hours in the Richmond heat.

Updates will be posted to the blog as we receive any reports of significant events.

Grounded Female Up and Flying

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:44:00 +0000

One of the juvenile females spent the evening perched on a lamppost on the Federal Reserve property after attempting (and failing) to perch on windows at the reserve. She was uninjured and in a secure location. This morning, shortly before sunrise, this female finally took flight. She looked good and was able to gain altitude, perching on a 10 story building adjacent to the Reserve. From there she continued flying and gaining altitude, eventually joining her siblings and parents atop the Riverfront Plaza where they shared in a morning meal.

All three of the chicks continue to fly well and are being attended to by the parents.

All three have flown

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Following the first successful flight of the young male, the two juvenile females were somewhat more cautious. One of the females slowly scaled the roof line using a strand of holiday lights (the lights are unplugged) and finally reached the apex of the roof. The other perched on the box that houses the camera equipment. Both females practiced getting the wind under their wings for some time before finally taking flight. Both of the two females flew strongly and were able to gain altitude.

One of the females did quite a bit of flying - eventually attempting to "land" on a window at the Federal Reserve building. She was unable to gain any purchase and was able to fly back to the Riverfront Plaza West Tower. A short time later she attempted the same maneuver again. This time she was unable to regain lift and fluttered to the ground. DGIF personnel were able to enter the Federal Reserve property with an escort from Federal Reserve Police. The female was located - unhurt- perched on a small single story structure on the grounds. Although she was able to move to a slightly higher perch she made no concerted effort to regain the air. She was monitored at this location for some hours. As the site is extremely secure it was determined that the best course of action was to let her rest and try again tomorrow. Our past experience has shown that birds which have similar experiences often do well after an evening of rest. We will closely monitor the bird on Wednesday.

The other two fledglings were not seen for some time during the afternoon - although the adults made regular flights to favorite perches. Not until late in the afternoon was the juvenile male seen again - chasing the adult male and begging loudly. The adult male soon flew off to hunt. During his absence the second juvenile female was resighted and she joined her brother atop the Federal Reserve.

When the adult male returned the mother and juvenile male met him in the air - where he dropped his prey to them. It was caught (we're unsure by who) and the three flew to the roof of the Riverfront Plaza West Tower (nest building). They were joined by the juvenile female who had been on top of the Federal Reserve. In all, the day was largely successful. The difficulty encountered by the juvenile female demonstrates the potential hazards encountered by these birds fledging in highly urbanized areas. We are hopeful that she will be able to take flight on her own tomorrow morning. Should intervention be warranted DGIF staff will be on hand.

Fledged!

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:51:00 +0000

The male has fledged! He took strong flight gaining altitude before landing atop the Riverfront Plaza west tower to rest and enjoy a new perspective. Both of the females have left the pen. 02/AD is perched on the ledge and 03/AD is perched atop the camera housing. We will post more updates later today.

Fledging

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:11:00 +0000

Our three young falcons have grown quickly. Only a few scattered tufts of down remain and their juvenile plumage is almost fully grown in. Peregrine falcons typically fledge between 40-45 days after hatching.

The door-opener apparatus will be installed on the pen door on Tuesday morning, August 18th. This will mark 47 to 48 days since hatching for these falcons. The extra time ensures full feather development, and allows these birds to strengthen their flight muscles before attempting their first flights.

The “apparatus” is comprised of a weight, bungee cords, and a plastic bottle of ice attached to the pen door. As the ice melts it releases the weight and the door is slowly pulled open by the bungee cords. Depending on the temperature on the release date, the door should open about 2-4 hours after the trigger is attached. We have used this method successfully for three years. Though the adults become aggressive when we attach the device, they quickly calm down after we leave. Past releases have gone very smoothly, with the chicks typically walking from the pen or flying to the ledge, surveying their surroundings for a few minutes or hours, and then taking successful first flights.

DGIF personnel and skilled volunteers will be stationed in the area surrounding the nest building. This will allow us to track the young birds’ first efforts and ensure that they are capable of sustained, controlled flight. This monitoring effort will continue until we are confident in the flight abilities of the fledglings. Should one of the fledglings encounter difficulty and end up on the ground, DGIF staff will recover the fledgling and either return it to the ledge or ensure prompt treatment and transportation to a licensed rehabilitation facility if necessary.

4th egg was Found

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:27:00 +0000

When DGIF biologists were on the ledge installing the pen for the falcon chicks, they discovered the remains of the fourth egg from this clutch wedged under the ramp. The eggshell was cracked and its contents dried out. The remnants of this egg were sent for toxicology testing along with the blood samples from the chicks collected during the banding.

Camera Positions

noreply@blogger.com (VDGIF Wildlife Biologist) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:14:00 +0000

With the installation of the pen camera operators have a bit of a quandary. It is not possible to simultaneously provide a view of both the nest box where the chicks spend much of their time or the feeding area where the adults bring food and pass it through to the chicks. Providing a good view of one area means a poor (or non-existent) view of the other.

Unfortunately camera operators are simply not able to monitor the cam continually (as much as we like watching falcons). In an attempt to provide the best possible coverage of activity at the nest we are utilizing some of the camera's built-in features. The camera had been programmed so that when motion in detected in a section of the camera view ("a trigger" area) the camera can be instructed to move to a preset position. As these cameras were not designed with the flapping of wings in mind - calibrating the detection can be somewhat tricky. A number of things (including rapidly changing light levels) can "fool" the camera temporarily. There are a limited number of triggers and positions that can be programmed. We have selected those that provide the best overall chance of seeing what's happening. When a camera operator is logged in the view can be set manually.

While this solution does not work perfectly, it does allow for our viewers to see more of the action at the nest then otherwise possible.