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or use the link on the right side of our page. You will be giving a gift of education to a student.
Thanks for participating!
Bob and Heather
Observation date: 23 August 2016
Additionally, if you watch these posts on Facebook, please go to the WordPress website and add your email to make sure you receive all posts. I had a bit of a problem with Facebook postings not linking up. ~Heather
Without having chicks this year or last, the south side Morro Rock peregrines have not been themselves, active and entertaining. To me they seem to be more like fixtures on a mantel when I am watching them. Somedays you see them, others you may sit for five hours and catch a glimpse just as you pack up to call it a day. In the past twenty years, I have been skunked about three times. In July and August of this year, I have failed to have seen them four different times even by trying to stay more than five hours each time.
The north side falcon frequents the rock every now and again. The three young from this year’s hatch have not been seen for at least five weeks, until today. Around noon while watching for the south side pair, which were not there at the time, when over the bay came a dark familiar wingbeat of a juvenile female falcon, passing between the red and green buoy markers, one hundred feet off the deck.
Young female at the rock Photo by Cleve Nash
Traveling down the bay, she made a sweeping left turn to approach the rock high over the old Indian trail. While traveling the face of Morro Rock, east to west, at speed, she strafed and tumbled an adult Western Gull.*
Strafing a gull Photo by Cleve Nash
My sidekick, Gordon and I said nothing until she rounded the windward side of the rock and went out of sight. After that we couldn’t shut up. It brought back times when we had excitement around the rock about two months ago.
Happy trails, Bob
Item: We are still here at the rock for the public to view these magnificent birds every day. Afternoons are best.
* Strafing and tumbling – Something young birds do to hone their hunting and flying skills.
Observation date: 16 Jun 2016
Shore birds are typically the main diet of the peregrine falcon, but when June rolls around for about four weeks, the young Western gull chicks are the main entree.
In the “nursery” eating… Photo by Bob Isenberg
The following is but a sample of what I am talking about. In the four to five hours that I spend each day, I observed in a four day period eighteen baby gulls brought in by the adults to feed their young and themselves.
Click on our video below:
juvenile eating Western gull chick
When I leave the “rock” there are still eight more hours of daylight that I do not observe! It is possible that in four full days, each with fourteen hours of light, this number could be doubled very easily.
juvenile eating prey Photo by Bob Isenberg
Happy trails, Bob
Item: I forgot to mention, in the same four day period, five small shore birds were also brought in!
Observation date: 2 Jun 2016
Early view of first chick – May 14, 2016 Photo by Cleve Nash
Here’s the second chick Photo by Cleve Nash
Although nesting on the south side of Morro Rock failed this year, we do have three young peregrine falcons that fledged on the north side.
Introducing the young falcons – May 27, 2016 Photo by Cleve Nash
The first taking flight was the 26th of May. Two of the young flew early that morning, the last one late in the afternoon.
There appears to be one male and two females, judging by their size. As soon as the young birds fledge it is straight to the nursery. This is a bowl shaped structure on the far left end off the north side of the rock some 300 yards from the nest site and protected from wind.
In the nursery Photo by Cleve Nash
They will be here for a couple of weeks before venturing out to the sand spit and around the bay usually returning to the nursery, but not as frequently. The nest site is no longer used.
All of the chicks have the large cheek patch like the mother and none have the full black hood of the father, however this could change after the first molt next year.
Incoming parent with captured prey Photo by Cleve Nash
The adults bringing in five birds in a four and a half hour period that I observed.
Delivery of nourishment Photo by Cleve Nash
The mother baits the young by flying close to and over them with prey trying to get them to fly up and take it from her in mid-air.
Parental attention to feeding is so careful Photo by Cleve Nash
This we have observed twice. Most of the time the parents just land beside the young, who fight amongst themselves to see who gets the tasty morsel.
Happy trails, Bob
Item: The first baby Western gulls have made their appearance in the talons of the female falcon.
Observation date: 13 May 2016
After spending the first five months of the breeding season on the south side of Morro Rock which turned out to be very disheartening, we have moved to the north side for the last week or so. The south side female did not nest this year after fifteen seasons on Morro Rock. She should have nested two months ago, but as of yesterday, she was still breeding with her mate of eight seasons. Seeing this was all new for me.
Back to the north side which we have been observing paid off yesterday when two chicks appeared, all white and fluffy. I had been watching prey items being delivered into the eyrie for the past three weeks and knew the young would soon appear.
North side peregrine chicks Photo by Gordon Robb
We know there are at least two and could be more. They appear to be around 25 to 26 days old. The mother is very protective and constantly chases everything that comes near. She is the only banded bird on Morro Rock. 23 R is her band. She fledged from Moss Landing Power Plant* in 2012. This is her second clutch at the “rock.”
Happy trails, Bob
* The Moss Landing Power Plant is a natural gas powered electricity generation plant located in Moss Landing, California, at the midpoint of Monterey Bay.
Item:
Possible reasons for no nesting.
Observation date: 10 May 2016
To those of you who contributed to our $1,000 PCPW Scholarship, we have great news about our recipient. We met with Wren Thompson of Los Osos, CA after she returned from her semester of study in Ireland. Now we want you to meet her too. Maybe you thought we gave our scholarship to a bird… Well, in a way we did!
Bob and Wren Photo by Heather O’Connor
Wren Thompson’s parents, Dean and Staci, met at Morro Rock and have always been focused on biology, birds and herbs, so their children’s names became Wren and Merlin. Dean, now a teacher and counselor at Camp Keep, was a CalPoly Biology student and worked at the Morro Rock peregrine site. Many years ago when peregrines were very scarce, it seems that Arab sheiks would pay $50,000 for one falcon. He was one of the students who volunteered to spend overnights on the top of the “Rock” to guard and protect them.
Wren is a California Polytechnic student who will receive her Bachelor of Biological Sciences in Wildlife Biology in Spring 2017! She currently is working on Ornithology, Field Botany, and doing research on bird behavior as well as analyzing data on coral populations from the Florida keys.
When I asked her in an email, she wrote that she loves “working with animal behavior in particular, since I feel like it gives us a whole depth of understanding of animals that we would otherwise miss out on by assuming they communicate and prioritize things the same way as humans… I love the study of biology in general because learning about life and the things around us that we generally take for granted as common…because likely as not, those “common” things have some amazing adaptations that have let them take over the way they have.”
After graduation Wren plans “to do some sort of travel out of the area, find a job doing natural history work or possibly behavioral research in the field, depending on what I manage to find out there! I’m mostly excited to find out what the possibilities will be.”
Recently, she visited Morro Rock and the peregrine falcons with her Ornithology class.
Peregrine falcon in the “Mouth” Photo by Wren Thompson
This summer she’ll probably be doing more bird behavior work both in the field and working on her senior project dealing with broken wing behaviors. She’ll be helping out at Camp KEEP while they do migrant education.
In my opinion, she’s a most enthusiastic person to pursue the fascinating study of biology. She’s a fine thinker and excellent student. We are so glad to have helped her on her way.
You are invited to contribute to our Scholarship Fund for a CalPoly Biology student. We are a 501(c)(3), nonprofit educational organization. Your contribution will be a charitable donation.
Please use the “DONATE” button
or mail a check made out to:
Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch or PCPW
765 Center Court
Morro Bay, CA 93442 USA
Please write with “Scholarship Fund” on the Memo line
Another student would be so grateful for the help… As you know, college is so costly these days. A giant “thank you” to those of you who did make contributions last year!
Heather and Wren Photo by Bob Isenberg
Any encouraging comments you may make will be passed on to her.
Happy trails, Bob and Heather
Observation date: 11 April 2016
Things are just in a tizzy here at Morro Rock. I can’t give the answers to many visitors we get here because when it comes to nesting, I just don’t know.
Both pairs of falcons normally start nesting in the first two to three weeks of March. Here we are in the middle of April and both male and female are still breeding and flying around. No sign of incubation. However, on the south side, the female has been frequenting the “waterfall” hole. At times, she will spend an hour or more inside, which would be normal egg laying procedure, but this has been going on for a month and a half.
Going into the waterfall hole Photo by Cleve Nash
The north side pair seems to be doing the same, although I have not seen them choose a nest site as yet.
There are so many variables… weather with “El Niño,” old age* with the south side female, male potency, etc. I just don’t have an answer yet.
Happy trails, Bob
* The female is now 16 years old and in her 15th breeding season.
Observation date: 3 March 2016
The Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch has been off line for an unusual amount of time and not because we don’t want to. Most of the problems were not something that we could control.
“Rough Bar” Photo by Bob Isenberg
The gate to the south side of Morro Rock is normally closed during high surf advisories which we have had many of. Ca State Parks and Harbor Patrol thought it better to keep it closed all together through the winter. This made it very difficult for us. It seems that everybody has a key, but the dog catcher and me. Packing up all the equipment and paraphernalia a quarter of a mile to entertain the public does not work well at seventy five with neuropathy.
Needless to say, we have gone though fits and starts with all of the agencies, but to no avail.
Any way, you can see what I’ve done in these photos. I’ve had the trike for a couple of years and just bought the trailer so I can get back out. And none too soon either.
Arrival Photo by Bob Isenberg
All set up Photo by Bob Isenberg
A few of the many peregrine watchers at Morro Rock Photo by Heather O’Connor
I expect her to start egg laying in a week or ten days. Today breeding was heavy. About 40 to 45 minutes apart. I believe she has stopped hunting, since he has been bringing in all the prey items for both to eat.
Happy trails, Bob
Item: The south side gate has been open a total of 10 days since January 1st.
Heading home after a successful day Photo by Heather O’Connor
Observation date: 19 January 2016
Throngs of birders, twitchers and photographers were on hand for the twentieth Annual Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival which takes place every year on the Martin Luther King holiday.
High surf breaking on the north jetty Photo by Heather O’Connor
Along with the high surf crashing against the high jetty making spectacular photography, the peregrine falcons of the south side put on a show that not all got to see. The timing was the key.
Bob Isenberg set up early for the visitors Photo by Heather O’Connor
During intermittent rain showers, we were set up at 7:55 AM.
At 8:35AM, the tiercel made a spectacular kill for the few that were there at that time to see. He launched off his highest perch, the throne, wings rapidly beating while in a 45 degree stoop down to the wave tops, then leveled out to one foot above the deck in a high speed glide, no longer beating his wings.
Flocks of shore birds at waters’ edge are just a millisecond away. Then bang! It’s all over for a western sandpiper. This complete scenario from stoop and then back to the rock took no more than thirty seconds.
Peregrine over a rock face Photo by Cleve Nash
Bird groups, later in the day, saw male and female peregrines copulate twice. Also, high speed courtship flights by the tiercel. These flights are what causes all the “ohs and ahs” among the spectators.
Harris Hawk and Great Horned Owl Photo by Heather O’Connor
Back down to earth in the parking lot, others are being entertained by two live birds of prey. A Great Horned Owl and a Harris Hawk. Carl and Bebot Lea had just returned from a morning hunt with the hawk.
Harris Hawk and Great-horned Owl Photo by Heather O’Connor
They sat with us for hours while the public got a close up look of these magnificent birds.
Happy trails, Bob
Item:
Hooch, the Great Horned Owl, is an imprinted male, a rehab bird that does not hunt. Previously, it had imprinted on the human that raised it before Carl and Bebot acquired it. This frequently happens when a bird is kept by a the person who found it as a nestling and doesn’t take it to a rehabilitation center where they know how to raise a bird so that it can be released into the wild with all the skills it needs to survive.
Morro Bay Inlet looking south Photo by Heather O’Connor
On the other side of the “Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch,” Heather O’Connor, my constant companion, has been in touch with our latest scholarship recipient, Wren Thompson, while she is in Ireland.
Heather speaking now:
“Here I am… with a suggestion and request.
Remember that we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization and your donation is fully tax deductible.
Last year, we made a $1,000 scholarship available to a CalPoly biology student from the funds we raised selling hats, t-shirts, peregrine stuffed toys and falcon pins to people who visited us at Morro Rock. We look forward to introducing her to you in January.
This year, we request that you make a contribution online at our “DONATE” button on the right.
Another option would be to send us a check
made out to Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch
and mailed to…
Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch
765 Center Ct.
Morro Bay, CA 93442 USA
If you deliver a $100 check to Bob at Morro Rock you will be given 2 mitered corner napkins of your choice.
Another method to use whenever you use Amazon, please, use our “Amazon Smile” button on the right when purchasing anything from them. They’ll send us $.05% of your purchase order.
We look forward to having a full mailbox as you support our efforts to give another CalPoly biology student a $1,000 scholarship.
Peace and love, Heather
Any questions? Email me… hhocean@icloud.com
