Category Archives: juvenile

Breakfast on the bluff…

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

The demands of a growing family of chicks, or should I say juvenile peregrine falcons, can be intense. Remember when you first heard the cry of your or your friend’s baby. It pulls at your heart. Now think of the … Continue reading →

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Surprise…

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

“Why is Cleve not out here at the rock?” “Did you call him?” “No.” “He’s been gone for two days, so…. “ 12PM: Cleve Nash shows up at the rock. “Where have you been? Everybody has been worried about you.” … Continue reading →

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Chicks rule…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

With young on the wing, every day for the next month, it will be like a three ring circus with performances every hour or so. Arriving at Morro Rock, a little after 7AM, and before setting up, I immediately hear … Continue reading →

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Cacophony of cacking…

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Got an early start today. No more banker’s hours. Cleve says, “No wind and more action in the early hours.” It’s before 7AM and I’m here with coffee for both of us and Cleve is AWOL. Too bad he missed … Continue reading →

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Into the wild blue…

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Today is a new day for our young aviatrix. She flies! After spending all day and night climbing around the cliffs and rocky slopes, the young female was the last to fledge in a cast of three. Both brothers fledged … Continue reading →

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Rare find…

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

After thousands of birders, twitchers and shutterbugs from a dozen states have worn out the streets of a little roadside hamlet called Santa Claus Lane, well, he’s not so rare any more. The bird I’m speaking of, a juvenile Gray … Continue reading →

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Alive and kicking…

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Photo by Heather O’Connor The Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch is still alive and kicking, although we’ve had some slow days. So we took off on a one day road trip to check on some of the old peregrine nest sites … Continue reading →

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Over the last few weeks…

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

A young American Kestrel. Photo by Cleve Nash

I’ve been away from the notebook and pen for some time tying up some loose ends. I’ll try to get you up to speed. Over the last few weeks things have been slow. The adults have chased off all of their young on both sides of “the rock.” Yesterday there were five Red-tailed Hawks circling the rock up high. Both pairs of falcons were busy chasing them with a lot of vocalizing and high speed stoops.
A young female Kestrel circled the rock from seaward passing right in front of the male and female resident falcons and they did not give chase. The Kestrel, previously known as a sparrow hawk, landed in a bare willow at the top of a rock sprawl and spent twenty minutes just looking around still in plain sight of the falcons and they still did not give chase. The Kestrel left by way of the sand spit, probably a juvenile looking for a home.
The first of the migrating birds of prey have started to arrive along the Central Coast of California. White-tailed Kites, Ferruginous Hawks, Merlins, Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks. A few flocks of ducks, but no geese yet in the estuary.
Heather has been supporting the eye surgeons from here to UCLA with her fourth lens replacement to come next week. We all wish her the best of luck.
Happy trails, Bob

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Madame Rue…

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Madame Rue...

This is the sixth in a series of tales about the “famous and not-so-famous birds of Morro Rock.”
She was a fledgling falcon just out of the nest her first day. She was one of three chicks hatched that spring of ’08 on the south side of Morro Rock. Nothing special or unusual about her appearance or abilities, just a “plain vanilla” falcon until she landed on a narrow ledge on her first flight. The ledge and the rocks behind were covered with foliage, a nice spray of yellow flowers and some green vines. A nice backdrop for photos. If she were a bull they would call her “Ferdinand,” but with the floral above and around her she looked like a gypsy until we saw her eating the vine growing around her. Three leaves on a stem, it must be poison oak. Every one was astounded to see this. In the few months she was around the rock, she did well being fed by her parents, but we still caught glimpses of her with her favorite snack. She was given the name Madame Rue, you know “the gypsy with the gold capped tooth.” She’s got a rock with some flowers and some vines (“selling little bottles of …….”)
Happy trails, Bob P.S. If you know the rest of the lyrics you’re showing your age!

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A healthy happy peregrine…

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

A healthy happy peregrine...

Photo by Jeri Roberts of the peregrine just before release..

Rehabilitation has done wonders for our peregrine juvenile who after release is now soaring over the sand-spit beyond Morro Bay hunting and surviving on her own. A true success story. ~Heather

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