FALCONS IN TEMPLE SQUARE - Necropsy test results update

FALCONS IN TEMPLE SQUARE

here in salt lake city, we have a family of peregrine falcons nesting in a box on the north east side of the joeseph smith building.

PEREGRINE FALCONS have used nesting locations in downtown Salt Lake City since 1984. 

the LDS church hosts a web cam, there are 2 cameras inside the  box....

we have had 4 healthy falcon chicks grow up in this box this past 2-1/2 months...
and right now, they are fledging.

3 of the 4 are already out.

i live about 2 miles from here, so i come down in the evening, and volunteer to 'catch' the birds if they go to ground during their first flight.
if they do, a worker from DWR puts the bird in a box, checks it to make sure it's healthy, and bands it...
then puts it back on top of the building, and lets them start over.


here's the link to the webcam if you're interested.....
http://wildlife.utah.gov/...ore/peregrine-cam.html


the peregrine that's still in the box, is the youngest, at least a week and half behind the siblings....but is really wanting to go.


here are some vids of the fledgling flights

1ST FALCON FLEDGE (FIRST FALCON WAS NAMED 'AMELIA' AND WAS BANDED
http://www.youtube.com/wa.h?v=_6XSahTHjus&NR=1


2ND FALCON FLEDGE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcYVMN_W9kI


3RD FALCON FLEDGE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMj8gmYohhI

SUPER HUNGREY BABIES GET FED- A GOOD WAY TO LOSE A BEAK
http://www.youtube.com/wa...k&feature=youtu.be

No...   there it is... 

In Chicago, in the 1980's, they tried to reintroduce Peregrine Falcons to the area.  The thought was that the tall buildings would be similar to cliff faces.  There was an extremely heated political debate that raged for some time. 

Some folks were terrified that these predators would swoop down at 200 m.p.h. and shred a poor, defenseless pigeon in mid flight.  Worse yet, they might strike within a park, right in front of an elderly bird lover, cooing to her beloved pigeons.

Other folks were gleeful, even giddy about the prospect of seeing one of these predators swoop down at 200 m.p.h. and shred a filthy, vile pigeon in mid flight.  Even better, they might strike within a park, right in front of a whack-o bird lady, surrounded by her flying rats.

Sadly, neither side has been satisfied.  There are several nests in the Chicago area, but very few (if any) "attacks" have ever been witnessed.  :(

Bubba,

There is an equally heated debate over the proper use of Am in The CHB songs.

Why we seem to think people would actually listen is another debate for another time post.

Watching this bird sit there is definitely better than watching me play an Am note.
(if you've heard one, you've heard them all)

I don't think this bird is really there or even exists.

It's just a government plot to make us believe that birds can nest in buildings.

Have I ever told you about my "man walks on the moon" theory?

Here's the utube link to the 4th falcon falling rather than fledging from the box:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJopu_elYXs
 
All four birds have taken a tumble, been retrieved and banded.  Current status:
 
#1 (Amelia) - is still on the JSMB.
#2 (Charlie) - has been taken up to the beehive
#3 & #4  - are on the ground being banded
 

one thing's for certain----
they're a LOT bigger than they look on the little web cam:


fledgling being held in a towel




and the BUSINESS end of things:

 
Hey Batsy, that's incredible stuff - thanks for posting this.
 
 
We have Peregrine Falcons here in Worcester, nesting on the parapet about half way up St Andrew's Spire - here's one of my shots of the spire from across the River Severn...
 
 

 
 
 
There's much more information, and webcams etc HERE
 
They certainly are the most beautiful things in flight.
 
 

I remember when crows decided to make a nest on the ledge just outside an executive meeting room (the windows were one-way).  The secretary put up a camera to watch and gave reports as eggs were noticed or starting to hatch.  One day she ran around excitedly saying that all four eggs were hatching.  This was followed not long afterwards with her running out of the meeting room crying and yelling "She ATE two! She ATE two!"

Apparently, "Mom" had decided which two babies had the best chance of survival and made a meal of the losers.  Definitely NOT the way the American government would have handled things, eh?  They would have supported the two weakest (at least until they died anyway) and over-taxed the two healthier fledglings until they also died.  At least that would have been fair just like life is meant to be, right?  Oh wait...

SALLY

Is anyone else thinking that the next picture will show Sally attempting to get off the ground while carrying the photographer's face in her talons? 

mike_mccue


What would happen to the falcons if someone didn't carry them back up the tower?

They'd be ripped to shreads by a band of marauding polar bears and a Amadillo...  Dontcha just love natural selection?
 
 
No wait.  I think that was one of Bubba's dreams...

It was, Karyn.  I don't want to go back to the tower.  At least, not until they've rounded up the last of those invisible leeches.

Not all Science is good...

Peregrine Falcons have been recorded diving at speeds of 200 miles per hour (320 km/h), making them the fastest-moving creatures on Earth.

In February 2005, the Canadian ornithologist Louis Lefebvre announced a method of measuring avian intelligence in terms of a bird's innovation in feeding habits. The falcon and corvids scored highest on this scale.

The life span of Peregrine Falcons in the wild is up to 15.5 years.  Mortality in the first year is 59–70%, declining to 25–32% annually in adults.

The Peregrine Falcon became an endangered species in many areas because of pesticides, especially DDT.  In several parts of the world, such as the eastern United States and Belgium, this species became extirpated (locally extinct) as a result. Since the ban on DDT from the early 1970s, populations have recovered, supported by large-scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.
The Peregrine Falcon was removed from the U.S.Endangered Species list on August 25, 1999.

The Utah peregrine population is recovering statewide, and the species continues to enjoy protection under Utah State Code and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.