How can you not love getting surprised by a fourth egg! I had a feeling that by saying “it appears that no more eggs will be laid” another would be laid. Peregrines typically lay 4 and sometimes 5 eggs. The fourth was laid at 2:26:02 PM on March 25. It just took Frida a little more time to develop her last egg (will there be one more?). With that said, incubation is still in full swing.
It appears that no more eggs will be laid this spring, as the forth egg would have been laid over the weekend. This is not abnormal, as their average clutch size varies from 3-4 (sometimes 5). With incubation underway, this puts hatching to begin towards the tail end of the second full week in April.
Over the next several weeks, we will watch as the pair incubate the eggs where the female does the majority of incubation duties. She will occasionally get breaks to stretch, feed and preen where the male takes over. They will shift/roll eggs to ensure they develop properly several times a day. This prevents the developing embryo from sticking to the shell and ensures even heat distribution.
Happy Spring! Frida and Mango are now incubating three eggs! The second was laid on March 17 and the third was laid early this morning. Now that they have almost a full clutch of eggs, they will be incubating them more. Their typical incubation period lasts 28 days and the last egg should be laid late tomorrow or early Saturday. This puts hatching close to the beginning of Earth Week. Delaying incubation is a natural adaption where all eggs hatch very close to each other and gives all young a better chance of surviving, where with ospreys, they start incubating after the first egg is laid and there are usually more differences in ages of young. This accounts for shortages in prey where only the oldest may survive if there is not enough food.
On the morning of March 15 at 6:30am, viewers got their first glance of the first egg. We knew egg laying was close as the pair has been observed copulating, performing eee-chup courtship (bowing) displays on camera. Frida has also been spending more time in the nest box preparing her scrape, which is a shallow depression in the nest box where eggs are laid. Peregrines do not build a nest like hawks, eagles and ospreys and instead create a shallow depression in gravel, soil and other debris to nest. This is often the case on ledges of cliffs and in our human dominated landscape, it also includes tall buildings and sometimes flowerpots left unattended on upper floors of apartment building patios. The second egg should be laid sometime over night or tomorrow.
On another note, we decided to wait to remove the worn green carpet for perching. Introducing disturbance to the pair before laying began would not have been good. Instead, we will swap this carpet when we visit the nest for a health check after the young hatch in around 45 days (late April).
Lastly, we opened up chat on two of the live streams on our YouTube channel, so you can watch and talk with other viewers. BW
Four Babies Hatched on top of the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth!
Early afternoon on April 29, 2023 proud peregrine falcons, Frida and Mango, welcomed their fourth chick to the family on this rainy day. This pair of falcons have successfully raised chicks since 2019. Both parents will take turns incubating and feeding the chicks as they grow.
Frida, the female peregrine falcon, sits in the nest box that is located on the top of the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.
Here we go! Those watching closely have seen the pair more and more lately as they strengthen their pair bond by mating and bowing to each other in the nest box. Some light maintenance will occur sometime in the next two weeks. The green carpet that is worn will be replaced, prey remains will be cleaned up, and lens covers will be cleaned.
Some seasonal notes. Last year the first egg was laid on March 16. In 2022 + 2023 it was March 19, so who wants to bet that an egg will be laid during the third week of March? I’m betting it will be earlier than last year. Time will tell. Either way, it will be great to focus on wildlife and see some new life after what seemed like a really cold, long and dark winter.
On Tuesday morning, June 11, 2024 those watching the Union County Falcon Cam saw the hatch on the roof open and a young falcon was put out on the roof with food. An effort to foster a fledgling falcon from another nest was attempted. The young falcon fledged from a nest under I-295 and was recovered from the river beneath. After spending a few days in rehab, the decision to foster here was made, as going back to their bridge nest site would have been much more risky, with lots of fast moving vehicles and a river below.
Fostering is a technique that has been successful in many prior, similar situations. It is important for fledgling falcons, who still rely on adults for food, to be a part of a falcon family.
This time the adults reacted badly, acting like the juvenile falcon was a competitor. It may be that the timing was just not close enough in terms of the fledging stage their own four chicks were at, even though they were all still close to the building/roof and clearly dependent on the adults.
We re-activated the live streams and have not seen BN/55. We will be watching for sightings of her here and elsewhere. We’re thankful for the support of our faithful UC Falcon Cam viewers, wildlife rehabilitators, and volunteers who helped with this mission.
Anyone who finds a grounded or injured falcon or hawk should call the nearest licensed wildlife rehabilitator or the city/municipal Animal Control office for assistance.
The male chicks are itching to fledge! They all easily make their way around the roof and onto railings to perch, which is called branching. This is an important time for them to hone their flight skills, especially landing and taking off. Males can fledge as early as six weeks old. Once they do fledge, the adults will continue to provide food for them. Sometimes, they will transfer prey mid-air, which will also help the young develop hunting skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.