Observation date: 23 February 2019
In a normal year, breeding starts around the first of January. I have spent three to six hours a day, every day, since November of last year and not seen the birds copulate. Not until February 21, did I see the first coupling. Not to say they haven’t, but I have not observed it which is unusual. However, they are back around the eyrie most of the day and can be observed perching near each other, breeding (twice today) and being protective of the north side of the rock. The tiercel is bringing token items to the falcon and in return she expresses conjugal joy.
This photo was taken with an iPhone 8 through a 95mm Swarovski Spotting Scope.
This photo shows the bonding at this time as spring nears. In a normal year, she should start laying eggs around the second week of March, but this has been anything but, a normal year! Stay tuned.
Happy trails, Bob
P.S. In the past, Bob usually returns home around 12 noon to catch up on the news and then heads back to the rock around 3PM, but just the other day, he returned after 4PM which meant something was going on. We’ll keep our eyes open for any new developments.
Great work, Bob! Keep us all in your loop.
Jim
We’ll keep you in the loop, Jim! We appreciate all our followers. I’ll also see you at the pool to swim laps. ~ Heather