Falcon Cam Final Update – July 27, 2018

By ELIZABETH TOTH

Unfortunately, all three fledglings have experienced trouble.  Each of the young falcons has struck a building in downtown Dayton while learning to fly.  The first chick was injured on July 9 and the second fledgling struck a building on July 13.

The first two injured fledglings were doing fine and able to be released in downtown Dayton on July 17.  The third fledgling is now at Glen Helen Raptor Rehabilitation center in Yellow Springs with an injured wing and will require additional rehabilitation before its flight capabilities can be evaluated.

Editor’s Note: The Falcon Cam has been discontinued due to a lack of activity at the nesting site.

Elizabeth Toth is the Associate Curator of Live Animals at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Falcon Cam – July 9, 2018: Fledglings Aloft!

By LIZ TOTH

July 9, 2018

The chicks have taken their first flights!  It is likely the two chicks that hatched first were the first to fly.  One chick remains on the ledge on the south side of the building which could indicate his flying skills are not as strong as the others yet.

The fledglings are now as large as their parents even though they are only about 6 weeks old.  Fledgling falcons have longer flight feathers than the adults to make it easier to learn the flying skills needed to become an excellent hunter in their first year.  The parents will continue to provide food for the fledglings.  Dayton was seen dropping off food for the youngster on the south ledge this morning.

This image shows the ledges on the east side of the Liberty Savings Tower with the nest box circled in red:

Liberty Savings Tower

These ledges and the other buildings around provide good landing spots for short flights for the young peregrine falcons.  Since they have taken their first flights they are referred to as fledglings but will be dependent on their parents for food until they can hunt for themselves (about 4 weeks later).

Once the fledglings are adults and experienced flyers they can fly at about 60 mph when flying level and they are known to reach speeds of up to 200 mph when hunting in a stoop, or dive. Occasionally they will make it all the way down to the ground and land safely but are not skilled enough to make it up to a higher location from the ground.  If this happens the young peregrines may need help to make it to a higher location.

The young peregrines need close observation in downtown Dayton during fledging and will be monitored over the next several weeks.  The nest box, as viewed on the Falcon Cam, will often be empty until they can increase their flying skills and may return to the nest box as a safe location while they practice hunting with their parents.

Liz Toth is the Associate Curator of Live Animals at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery

 

Falcon Cam – July 1, 2018

By LIZ TOTH

July 1, 2018

The chicks are getting so big!  They are now about 5 weeks old and could take their firsts flight this week or next.  If you do not see them in the nest box it is because they have figured out how to move from the ledge of the nest box to the large roof area behind the nest box.

In this large space they can begin to stretch their wings in preparation for their first flights.  This is also a good space to take practice hops and flap their wings to gain strength.  The chicks do not have all of their flight feathers and the younger chick still has quite a bit of white downy feathers.

With the weather being so hot the roof provides a good breeze and also a three foot high wall around the roof to provide protection.  Their parents are always close by watching for danger as the chicks prepare to take their first flights soon.

As of Wednesday they were still spending quite a bit of time in the box but were very close to the ledge:

The older chick, who is darker and has more adult feathers, seems to have led the two younger chicks around to the rooftop so you may see an empty box.

We are monitoring the chicks at the Liberty Savings Tower site even when they cannot be seen on the Falcon Cam to make sure they are doing OK and do not need any assistance.

In the image below you can see what the back of the nest box looks like and the pebbled roof with the wall around it where the chicks are spending a lot of their time.

Liz Toth is the Associate Curator of Live Animals at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Falcon Cam Update – June 14, 2018

By LIZ TOTH

June 14, 2018

The chicks are growing very fast.  They are now about three weeks old.  At this age, the diameter of their legs is full size so in the past they were banded by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife at this age.

In 2015 they were removed, or “downlisted”, from the list of threatened species in Ohio.  The Division of Wildlife will continue to monitor select peregrine falcons nests in Ohio.  The Dayton nest is one nest of a sample monitoring program to assess the health of the peregrine population.

Data collected includes the presence of the falcon pair at the site, whether or not eggs are laid, how many of the eggs hatch, and how many chicks are successfully fledged at the nest.  Fledging is when the chicks take their first flights around six weeks old.

The two chicks that hatched earlier than their siblings already have dark flight feathers showing through their downy fluff.  By six weeks old the chicks will be as large as their parents.

The three chicks seem to be doing well.  It is hard to say why the fourth egg did not hatch, but we have only had four chicks three seasons in the 16 years of the Dayton Falcon Cam.

Now the chicks are much larger and are able to move around inside the nest box.

One week ago they were unable to move very far and stayed grouped together:

Liz Toth is the Associate Curator of Live Animals at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Falcon Cam – June 1, 2018

by Liz TOTH

The falcons now have three chicks!  Both parents have been spending a lot of time keeping the newly hatched chicks warm this past week as they were also incubating the remaining egg.

The third chick is a bit smaller than the two others that hatched 5 and 7 days ago.  The parents take care of the chicks keeping them warm and providing food for them. The chicks are unable to thermoregulate well for the first 10 days of their lives.

Daniel continues to do most of the hunting, especially for the first few days after a chick hatches.  When Daniel brings food to the nest box, Dayton tears it up by standing on it and holding it in place with her talons and ripping it with her sharp beak.  The chicks eat the same food as their parents and Dayton will place tiny pieces of food into their beaks.

Once the chicks are fed Dayton will eat some herself and then go back to feeding the chicks.  Almost all of their recent meals have been songbirds but it is possible they may bring a larger bird to the nest.  This image is just after the newly hatched chick had one of his first meals.

Liz Toth is Associate Curator of Live Animals at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Falcon Cam – May 26, 2018

by LIZ TOTH

The chicks are hatching!  The female falcon was very active yesterday and the first chick was visible mid-day today.  Chicks have a sharp egg tooth on the top of their beak which will disappear shortly after hatching.  Pipping is when the chick starts to break through the egg’s shell.  One or two days after pipping the chick begins moving around in the shell.  The egg tooth on the beak begins scraping the shell as the chick moves.  This scraping removes part of the shell and the chick emerges.

Early in the season we had suspected Daniel may have a new mate named Belle.  The female at the nest displayed different behaviors than Dayton had in the past so we suspected she may be new.  Belle was spotted in January in Deeds Park and is a banded female from Kentucky.  After watching the Falcon Cam it seems that the current female is unbanded so we will continue to call her “Dayton”.  It could be the same female as in past seasons but without bands it is impossible to know her true identity.

Liz Toth is Associate Curator of Live Animals at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Falcon Cam – May 25, 2018

by LIZ TOTH

The falcons have been spending a lot of time wiggling on the eggs to press the bare skin on the chest, called the brood patch, down on the eggs to keep them warm.  In species where only the female incubates the eggs the male doesn’t develop a brood patch.  Male and female peregrines both have brood patches because they share incubation of the eggs.  If you watch the Falcon Cam you’ll see the adult peregrines rock side-to-side as they settle on the nest.  This rocking opens the feathers that have curled over the brood patch and puts their skin in contact with the eggs.

The chicks should hatch very soon.  As the date for possible hatching draws closer we can expect to see the female arranging the stones around the scrape as she prepares for hatching.  Just prior to hatching she may hear the chicks inside the eggs and seem more alert.  The female has been very alert today indicating hatching should be soon.

Liz Toth is Associate Curator of Live Animals at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Falcon Cam Update – April 21, 2017

By LIZ TOTH

The falcon eggs hatched!

On Saturday, April 15, egg shells could be seen on the ledge, but the female spent almost all her time on the nest preventing a view of what was beneath her. By Wednesday, we were able to get a good view of the chicks and all four eggs have successfully hatched!

Falcon Shells to the Side

The chicks seem to be doing well, and both parents have been very attentive, feeding and keeping the chicks warm.  When they are not able to be seen they are safely tucked under the female.  She broods the chicks, keeping them warm with her body until they are about a week old and they can maintain the correct body temperature on their own. 

She has special featherless brooding patches that allow the warm skin of her body to press right up against the chicks and keep them warm.  This behavior is easy to see from above.  It looks like she is wiggling quickly back and forth, but she is snuggling her brooding patches down on the chicks.

Falcon Cam Update – March 30, 2017

By LIZ TOTH

Surprise! The female falcon laid her eggs out of view on a ledge located on the southeast side of the building.  The falcons had been visiting the nest box during the first two weeks of March and even built a scrape, a loosely constructed nest, but ultimately chose a different location to lay their eggs.  Four eggs were noticed on this ledge on March 24.

The earliest date eggs have been laid in the past was March 17 so all eyes were on the nest box starting on this date.  During this time the falcons were mysteriously absent in the box but still present around the Liberty Savings Tower.

Upon further inspection of the building, the eggs were found on a ledge on the side of the building that can only be reached by rappelling down from the roof.  The eggs seem to be in good condition and the falcons are tending to the eggs.  The falcons have laid eggs on this type of ledge before but unfortunately, a lack of protection from the weather caused the eggs to fail on the ledge in 2011.

A drain is present on the ledge to remove rainwater but there is no protection from the weather from the top like there is in the nest box.  We are in the process of attempting to point a camera down on the nest so the eggs can be monitored with little disturbance to the nest.  Check back for updates on the falcons and their eggs.

FalconCam 2017

By LIZ TOTH

Did you know that the fastest animal on earth lives in downtown Dayton?  The peregrine falcon is able to fly at speeds over 200mph making it the fastest animal on earth!

The FalconCam provides an up close view, from hatching to fledging, of Dayton’s family of peregrine falcons.  From the first glimpses of the fluffy white chicks as they pip out of the egg to the drama of their first flights from the 23rd floor of the Liberty Savings Tower we get an insider’s view on the behavior of this fascinating bird.  Over the years the Boonshoft FalconCam has allowed the viewers to learn the details of family life that were previously unseen.  Watching the mother as she tears a freshly caught bird and puts it into the gaping beak of her young chick gives new meaning to the word “breakfast”.  While we enjoy watching the daily activities of the birds this information is being put to scientific use.  As soon as the eggs are laid biologists know that the pair is in good health and can get a count on the number of eggs.  2017 is the 16th year of the Boonshoft FalconCam.  The season started with wildlife biologists cleaning the nestbox in February and checking to be sure it is secure, stable and ready for the falcon pair.  One of the falcons was nearby and swooped and called loudly to show its displeasure of humans in its territory.  Because the falcon was moving so fast it could not be identified as having leg bands or not.

Now that nesting season is underway little to no human presence is ideal near the nestbox. The door leading to the roof of the Liberty Savings Tower has a sign that is a reminder that the birds need privacy while nesting.

Peregrine falcons were added to the list of federally endangered species in 1970.  They became endangered through the use of a pesticide called DDT that thinned the shells of their eggs preventing them from hatching and a dangerous decline in the population.  Wildlife biologists have worked hard to increase the number of peregrine falcons and in Ohio the peregrine was removed from the list of state endangered species in 2015.  The recovery of the peregrine population has been a success but biologists must continue to carefully monitor the population.  The Dayton nest has been selected as one of the Ohio nests that will continue to be monitored.  Data collected from the FalconCam includes the continued presence of the pair, the number of eggs laid, the number of eggs that hatch and the number of chicks that fledge.  The continued monitoring and data collection from the nest through the FalconCam will contribute to the success of this majestic species in Ohio.

To learn about the peregrines at other locations in Ohio visit the ODNR Division of Wildlife’s website.

Dayton’s own peregrine pair can be viewed on the Boonshoft FalconCam.

Questions about the FalconCam?  Email us at falcons@boonshoftmuseum.org