Re: ALCOA FALCONS: March-October, 2010

Ferenz · **Posted:** Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:44 am

Peregrine Solo with dad Beau and mum Swift

http://youtu.be/7-U7Gttses0

catwoman · **Posted:** Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:59 am

Another instance of the parent wanting to cover a chick & Solo wanting no part of it!

So cute, thanks, Ferenz! :catmoon:

kittenface · **Posted:** Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:26 pm

Beau sure is a tiny falcon BUT oh so cute :flirty:

SusanE · **Posted:** Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:46 pm

That video was SO funny! Poor Beau, he sure tried hard to push Solo down for a "nap." I've never seen a parent lie sideways like that before trying to cover such a big chick. :lol:

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 61947

OMG, I laughed sooooooo hard.. :pumpbounce:

that was too funny...I loved the way Beau kept looking at the camera as if to ask, "ok..what am I supposed to do now? This isn't working!!!"....

kittenface · **Posted:** Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:08 pm

How about that crop Solo has you can see he/she is fed very well :dancinggirls:

kittenface · **Posted:** Tue Oct 19, 2010 2:52 pm

Solo and some adventure
Posted on 19-10-2010
On Day 14 Solo is progressing well,
even though ‘food on the wing’ seems to be in short supply since the big snow
storm over the weekend (even with really wonderful weather this week),
but no-one seems to be overly worried.
Swift took a few breaks today leaving Solo to mind the eyrie.
This mild weather is proving to be far better for the chick than in both previous
seasons when we’ve experienced extremely hot & uncomfortable weather,
not designed to make life easy in a crammed eyrie.
This new enlarged roost design is proving its benefits though,
with lots of room & better gravel base as peregrine benefits,
and for us we have far superior camera angles.

Today’s videos can be found here
(Solo getting to know what feet really do!),

another feeding session.

For those viewers local to Orange we’re showing FalconCam Project posters and
information out at Australian National Field Days, tomorrow and Thursday, via the
Nature Conservation trust and CMA tents.

catwoman · **Posted:** Tue Oct 19, 2010 3:50 pm

Thanks, Kitten! So glad they're posting videos for us to watch! Solo doesn't seem to be suffering from a food shortage by judging the size of his/her crop the past couple of days. I guess they will band in another week or so. :catmoon:

SusanE · **Posted:** Tue Oct 19, 2010 7:39 pm

Thanks so much, kittenface, for posting the updates and videos of Solo. Those feet look huge to me, so I'm going to guess that Solo is a girl. :openrose:

kittenface · **Posted:** Tue Oct 19, 2010 7:57 pm

SusanE wrote:

Thanks so much, kittenface, for posting the updates and videos of Solo. Those feet look huge to me, so I'm going to guess that Solo is a girl. :openrose:

I was thinking the same thing that Solo is a female but I thought it because
she is SOOOO big next to Beau :pumpgrin:

kittenface · **Posted:** Tue Oct 19, 2010 10:55 pm

No sign of Beau this morning
Posted on 20-10-2010
It’s been a quiet morning up in the Concrete Hilton with no sign of Beau with food
yet. Swift has been seen on top of the tower, scouring the countryside,
but can only wait. Swift is still trying to tuck the ever-growing Solo under her
but Solo has become too big for that. With few reference points at the moment
we’re trying to assess Solo’s size and height. In the near future, when it’s safe
to go back in to the eyrie, we’ll try to install some measuring markers to better
judge peregrine measurements. For now we know that Solo is putting on plenty
of weight and height…. even when breakfast is late!

Day 15 - Solo too big to fit underneath now!

kittenface · **Posted:** Wed Oct 20, 2010 12:51 pm

Wednesday October 20, 2010,
Sitting ... waiting ... watching, but no activity at the coal bunker.
The lip on the bunker makes it impossible to visually confirm the presence/absence
of eggs however we would expect Ava to be sitting tight on the beam if there were
eggs to incubate. The monitoring continues!

catwoman · **Posted:** Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:39 pm

Orange

Here is the video from the 18th of Solo waddling around... :flirty:

kittenface · **Posted:** Wed Oct 20, 2010 11:05 pm

True to his form
Posted on 21-10-2010
Mid afternoon yesterday Beau did indeed come up with the goods.
It had been a long wait but then we watched 2 feedings (possibly starlings)
inside of about 2 hours, and everyone was happy again. Solo is becoming quite
interested and aware of surroundings now, staring at the walls, looking outside
briefly on the odd waddle over near (but not on) the ledge, backwards and forward
across the floor and playing with those huge feet, but always returning to the
central nesting spot. More videos will be added soon.

kittenface · **Posted:** Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:48 am

starling feed
Posted on 21-10-2010
Just to confirm that it is definitely starlings that our youngster is eating – in fact
he/she ate 90% of one brought in today, with the hunter only having a nibble

what's left of a starling

catwoman · **Posted:** Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:16 pm

Sounds like Solo has a very good appetite! :pumpbounce:

ljames · **Posted:** Thu Oct 21, 2010 7:42 pm

Oh my word, little Solo is so cute walking around. :dancinggirls:

SusanE · **Posted:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 7:33 pm

That Solo is just too precious. :loveheart2:

Thanks, KF, for continuing to post the updates and videos.

kittenface · **Posted:** Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:39 am

Solo is turning in to a monster!
Posted on 23-10-2010
More video (only short) captured today of Solo feeding well can be found here…

We’re short-staffed over the next couple of days but we’ll bring to you what we can,
and are still monitoring all activities as they come to hand.
Our Solo is turning in to quite a handful and of course food consumption is growing,
so Beau and Swift will have their hands (i.e. beaks) full from now on.
Today is Solo’s 18th full day so the onset of first feathers will be the next milestone,
and with good Spring weather finally playing out we’re hoping for a normal fledging
period soon.

Alison · **Joined:** Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:31 pm **Posts:** 2776

Sunshine Coast

An article on Emily and Frederick's three chicks:

Falcons prepare to fly the coop
Rikki-Lee Arnold | 25th October 2010

LIKE any proud mother of three newborns, Robyn Hills asks, “Are they cute or what?”

But her one-month old babies don't have 10 little fingers and 10 little toes like most babies.

Instead, they boast wings and claws.

The three peregrine falcon babies that hatched outside Robyn's kitchen window recently have become almost like children to her and husband Ross Harrison.

The three youngsters, which were first introduced to Daily readers last month, are getting ready to fly the coop and Robyn believes they could be gone in a fortnight.

“They're up on the ledge and flapping their wings,” she said.

“I'm thinking they're going to fly off soon.”

After the real parents, christened Emily and Frederick, laid their eggs in August, Mrs Hills quickly became attached to the birds and the arrival of their babies only increased her adoration.

Only one has been given a name – Fleur – after presenting female like qualities but the other two are yet to show any indication whether they are male or female.

Robyn and Ross have mixed emotions about their impending departure.

“I won't miss being woken up at a quarter to five of a morning,” Robyn said.

“But I will miss them.

“They've just kind of become our own, part of the family. Our friends always ask us how the kids are.”

Since the arrival of the newborns, Robyn has been contacted by two American online forums, and one Dutch, following the coverage by the Daily.

At the request of those groups she has placed a webcam at the window so they can watch the little ones grow.

She has also been dealing with other tough questions.

“One woman asked if we were going to band the young birds,” she said.

“I thought ‘You've got to be one brave person to do that'.”

The couple are in the process of contacting Australia Zoo about whether banding is a good idea.

Three beautiful chicks; photo by Robyn Hills.

Bird Cams Around the World

Re: ALCOA FALCONS: March-October, 2010

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