9/10/12: Weekly Roundup

John Carton got photographs of both recently fledged Turkey vultures! He writes: 

"The turkey vultures are now able to fly very capably with strong wingbeats, but still are staying close to their "home territory".

Presumably their parents still return to the area to feed them. One would guess that the young birds get some valuable flying practice following each feeding and emulating the departing parent; however, I have not yet had the opportunity to observe it. Today, first one and then the other adolescent left its perch, in strong flight low above the surrounding treetops, easily gaining altitude. Their flights were observably strong and accomplished."

I've been asked about whether or not the adult vultures are still feeding and/or teaching their young to fly and find food. While we don't know the later for sure (yet), John's observations indicate that the parents are still providing at least some food for their young. More of his photographs from 9/8/12 can be seen here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/johncarton/sets/72157631472408848/

D14 remains near Clermont, Iowa, while D1 is still up in Polar Bear Park, albeit on the southern end. Both Mom and Dad eagle have been seen near their nest, and we anticipate that they will stay through the winter once again. We don't have a date for cam turn on yet, but I'll post here once we do.

Nest Roundup

It's been a busy couple of days for everyone! Here is a complete RRP nest round-up:

• Two eaglets in Decorah. D12 hatched on 3/27/12 and D13 hatched this morning.
• Two eaglets in Fort St. Vrain, Colorado
• Two peregrine eggs at Great Spirit Bluff. We're waiting for one or two more.
• Three GHO owlets in Valmont, CO. These guys are growing fast!
• One peregrine egg at Xcel's Sherco power plant
• Several goose eggs at EagleCrest. Hatch is anticipated between April 3 and April 7.
• Turkey Vultures are back in Missouri, although no one has settled into the nest yet.

We have a nest calendar at http://www.raptorresource.org/calendar/ that we try to keep current, although the birds sometimes get ahead of us. We maintain photo albums on our facebook page and our flickr account, and have videos on our youtube page:

• Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68092929@N03/sets/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Raptor-Resource-Project/103786266324668
• You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ries96

If you missed D13 hatching this am, here's a video:

The Emergence of D13

Things are getting busy! Here is a recap of all the action going on at our various nests. Remember, the estimates are estimates only - hatch could begin a little sooner or a little later at any location.

Valmont Great Horned Owls
We anticipated hatch would start on  03/10/12, but regular cam watchers think it may come a little sooner. The Valmont Owl fans are very dedicated and worth listening to, so you may want to check this one out sooner rather than later. Cam link: http://www.farmyou.com/falcon_cams/index.html and click the Valmont Owls link in the list on the left.

EagleCrest Canada Geese
This site has been full of surprises. The hawks have made a nest elsewhere, leaving an open nest tray for...geese? The Canada geese nesting here have laid five or six eggs despite an owl scare. We estimated hatch starting on 03/21/12. To watch EagleCrest's Wild Kingdom, follow this link:
http://www.ustream.tv/eaglecresthawks

Fort St. Vrain Bald Eagles
The Colorado Bald eagles laid eggs a little earlier than the Decorah pair, but I don't know what I was thinking when I estimated the 24th. I am estimating March 21 here. Remember, this is an estimation only. Cam link: http://www.farmyou.com/falcon_cams/index.html and click the Xcel Fort St. Vrain Eaglecam link in the list on the left.

Decorah Bald Eagles
We are anticipating hatch will start somewhere between March 23 and March 25. Cam link: http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Great Spirit Bluff FalconsThe Great Spirit Bluff falcons have been seen copulating and making a scrape, so we anticipate the female will be laying eggs soon. We are trying very hard to get band numbers here - we believe the male is P/(something) but we aren't quite sure about the bottom character yet.

Other Cams and Nests

• Missouri Turkey Vultures: Waiting for them to come back
• Riverview Tower Peregrines: Waiting for them to come back
• Dairyland Power Alma and Genoa: Falcons are back in both locations
• Red Wing Grain: Falcons are back. A fight between three of them was witnessed by plant staff on March 7th.
• Hibbard Power plant: falcons are on the grounds. We are considering cleaning out the nest box here ourselves.
• Agri-Bunge, McGregor, IA: Falcons Bonnie and Clyde are back.

We'll keep you all posted as nests begin hatching. Since I don't like to leave without photos or a video, here is a video by Mick from Great Spirit Bluff this morning. This is the male falcon (the proper word is tiercel). The male is making a scrape in preperation for nesting.