Boys or girls…

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Observation date: 4 June 2019


After my last posting of May 15, a week and a half went by watching only two young falcons. Then a third one appeared with a little more down.

  • Three youngsters


Fast forward to June 1st, the first of the three chicks takes its first flight and is extremely good. Flapping, then soaring gently into the westerly breeze and making a great landing. He looks to be male by sex and by his size and destined, in my opinion, to be a great flyer. This was accomplished in 40 days from hatching rather than the normal 44 days. Two days later on the 3rd of June the other two chicks fledged within three minutes of each other at 42 days old.

Flight


I believe determination of sex can best be seen when all chicks are flying together. This should be 4 to 5 days. However, the consensus by all that come out to Morro Rock to observe these magnificent birds is two females and one male.

Exploring the rock


Happy trails, Bob


Item: As of today’s date, June 10, we have confirmed after further observations that we have two females and one male. The public has agreed on the names, Orville, for Orville Wright, Amelia, for Amelia Earhart, and Sally, for Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.

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New young are visible…

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Observation date:  15 May 2019

For the past couple of weeks, I have been spending more hours daily than usual in anticipation of seeing the young falcons. On average they show themselves at about twenty one days old. The previous day, we saw fresh droppings at the edge of the cathedral hole that had not been there the day before and knew it would be soon. 

Today ten minutes after arriving, Steve Schubert and I saw two white fuzzy falcon chicks come out to the edge of the eyrie next to their mother. By the time I got set up with camera, two tripods, spotting scope, solar powered monitor, table, chair and binoculars, they were gone. However, later that day, I did get a photo of one of the chicks. 

The first visible chick with its mother Photo by Bob Isenberg

Although we’ve only seen two, there could be more that haven’t shown themselves yet. My next quest is to find out how many there really are. 

Happy trails, Bob

Item: This year’s debut of young falcons took twenty four days from hatching.

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Hatching begins…

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Observation date:  24 April 2019

The first signs of the peregrines hatching is seeing the adult falcons take food into the eyrie. When adult falcons make a kill, they will take the prey to one or more sites that they use as a “butcher block” where they will puck and consume the prey. The only time they take food into the nest site is when the chicks hatch. This happened on Monday, the 22nd of April, Earth Day. Today the 24th of April, we observed three prey items arrive at the nest site by the tiercel between 8:30 and 11:45AM.

Tiercel returning with prey Photo by Cleve Nash

The attitude of both parents has also changed dramatically towards other birds coming close to the nest site. There were numerous attacks on gulls and vultures, with one ferocious confrontation with a young red tailed hawk being grounded, then being drove upon many times. The foray lasted over ten minutes. 

During a normal year, we will see the downy white nestlings in two to three weeks. This eyrie is a great place to watch the young as there is a flat surface much like a veranda in front of the large “cathedral hole” opening. It is narrow, but a place where chicks can perch.

Happy trails, Bob

Item: I will post again when they make their first appearance and will let you know how many chicks have hatched. Better yet, you can come out to the rock and see for yourself.

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Incubation continues…

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Observation date:  8 April 2019

Today, as close as I can figure, we should be in the twenty first day of incubation. Normal incubation for the peregrine falcon is 31-33 days. However, it is difficult to discern when egg laying is incomplete and incubation begins. When I have observed incubation exchanges, the tiercel spends 1 to 1 1/2 hours incubating eggs. The female 2 to 2 1/2 hours. This is due to the male having to bring food for both. In the early stages of incubation during exchanges, copulation has been observed which is normal during egg laying, but not so much during incubation. 

The cathedral hole, nest site

A good guess would be egg hatching occurring around April 23rd and chicks should be visible two weeks later or first week in May. All of these dates and times are approximate and only done by observation from afar, since we are unable to see directly into the nest. So it is just a guess and don’t take it as gospel.

Happy trails, Bob

The cathedral hole is high up on Morro Rock, Morro Bay, California

Item: Forgot to mention, they are not nesting in last years nest site, but have chosen the cathedral hole first used in 2001. That arched shaped hole was used by the newly arrived second pair of falcons to arrive at Morro Rock in 2001.

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Basking in the afterglow…

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

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. 

The tiercel is on the left and the falcon on the right. She’s 1/3 larger.

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.

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An easy way to donate to us…

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Bob will be writing his observations in a little when the falcons become a bit more active. They have been occupying the rock near the nest site recently, but as far as he’s observed, no copulating going on yet. It could be happening around the far side.

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New season…

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Observation date:  12 December 2018

After a long season of no falcons at the rock, yesterday was the turning point. After the two 2018 chicks were run off in September, the adults no longer frequented the rock. I continued to visit the rock every day, morning and afternoon and some days I might catch a glimpse of one or the other passing over the bay, but never landing on the rock. 

As seen through the spotting scope and iPhone

At times, you would see them on the smoke stacks of the power plant, the estuary and around the bay, but yesterday December 11 at 11:11 AM they landed on the rock near the eyrie. The tiercel made a clumsy try at copulation, more of a touch and go. 

Today, December 12, they arrived at 11:12 AM. Both days, they stayed for 3 to 4 hours.

Happy trails, Bob

P.S. I haven’t seen them since. So much for a new season. 

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One way…

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Here is one way that we raise scholarship money for students studying Wildlife Biology At CalPoly! This Prime Day can benefit you also!

All our thanks for your commitment to our efforts. It pleases us to know that you are out there.

Happy trails, Bob and Heather

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What’s in a name…

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Observation date:  15 June 2018

Here’s an early view of a downy chick before the naming discussion.

Downy chick                                           Photo by Cleve Nash

The young falcons are doing exceptionally well. The young male has exceeded everyone’s expectations. He is just a real rocket! In twenty minutes of flying, he made many high speed maneuvers, stoops and high G turns. Once nearly crashing into his father who in turn went after him scolding the youngster. The antics of this young bird is so reminiscent of an adult tiercel in courtship flight. The young female with five days less flying time never the less has advanced her flying skills from cargo plane to P47 Thunderbolt faster, but still big and heavy where he the young tiercel is F18 Hornet material.

“Hey Bob, have you named the birds yet?”

“How about this? What do you think about that?”

“Why does everyone think they have to have a name? I don’t name birds, but if I did it wouldn’t be any thing that I heard. It would be after someone known and beloved by many in the area.”

“Well, like who, Bob?”

“Like Louisiana  Clayton Dart.*  So now it’s Weezy and Dart? I still don’t name birds.”

Eager peregrine watchers with Bob                                   Photo by Heather O’Connor

Happy trails, Bob.

Item: Louisiana Clayton Dart – Past Curator of the San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum

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Could be a cold night…

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch

Observation date:  30 May 2018

The fledging of young falcons was completed today with the young shy female taking her first flight at 6AM in a light breeze. The male chick had fledged Saturday, the 27th, just 44 days from hatching. 

The young male has flown like a journeyman from the start. He sticks about fifty percent of his landings from day one. On his second day of flight, he was seen by many of us chasing his father  over the top and around the cliff faces of Morro Rock never more than fifty feet behind him. His turns are not as sharp yet, but give him another week. Both of the adult falcons have been flying in front of him with bird kills trying to get him to fly up and take the prey away, but he hasn’t done this yet. 

Young female waiting for courage                                  Photo by Bob Isenberg

The young female is another story. Even though she has flown today she is much further behind in all aspects. After two short flights with an hours rest between each, she made a longer flight landing on a steep face 200 yards from the nest site. She has been there for 9 hours. Caryl Pearson, one of our falcon watchers, has been camped out underneath her all day. At 6:30PM, Carol and I watched the adult female make many passes near the chick vocalizing then landing near her. In the past, I have seen parents knock them off to make them fly. I’ll be there in the morning. I hope to see her and not a pile of feathers.*

Happy trails, Bob

Item: *This is when they are most vulnerable to predators like foxes and Great Horned Owls.

P.S. I held posting this story until I found out what had happened to the young female. After 32 hours of clinging to cliff faces, she made it back home. All were there to greet her.

Posted in chicks, falcon, juvenile, Morro Rock | 6 Comments