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| 2008 Peregrine Falcon Information - Beaky |
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Update 7-7-2008
We have removed the link to the falcon cam. Beaky will be spending less and less time around the nest as she grows and eventually heads south. She may still be spotted flying around the downtown Topeka area, usually mom and dad are close by.
Sign up for e-mail notification and we will keep you updated with any news about Beaky and we'll let you know when mom and dad hopefully return next Spring.
Update 6-30-2008
As of approximately 10:15 a.m. this morning our falcon chick officially fledged the nest. She may be spotted flying around the downtown Topeka area for a couple weeks.
Westar Energy employees held a naming contest. The winner is Stephen Loczy, Accountant, with the name "Beaky Mcfeatherton" or "Beaky" for short.
Update 6-27-2008
Last night, a little before 5:00 p.m. our falcon chick fluttered out of the nest box and onto the roof of the building. We have confirmed that she is on the rooftop, in an area that is well suited for her learning to fly.
The falcon cam cannot view the chicks current location, we will try to monitor her progress and fix the cam on her when at all possible.
If you take a look at the pictures you can see that she still has quite a few white (down) feathers to lose before she is ready to fly.
Update 6-9-2008
Banding of our falcon chick went smoothly. Our chick is a female that is healthy and being well fed.
Update 6-5-2008
Our falcon chick continues to mature.
Egg three disappeared sometime around the weekend of May 24th and egg four is assumed to be unviable because it has been well past the hatch date.
Banding of the chick is scheduled to take place on June 9, at 10 a.m. weather permitting.
Update 5-23-2008
The second chick that hatched died sometime last night. It wasn't feeding well. Mom was trying to feed it and get it moving but it wouldn't do either.
Egg three has cracked and started hatching. Egg four hasn't cracked yet.
Update 5-20-2008
The second chick has hatched.
Update 5-19-2008
The first chick has hatched (incubation generally lasts 28-29 days).
The male and female have been sharing incubation responsibilities. At this point, we have not witnessed bad behavior from the male. Male and female will share feeding responsibilities as well.
We plan to band the chicks and take blood samples 18-22 days after hatching.
Chicks will fledge 5-6 weeks after hatching. This is a dangerous time period due to crash landings and potential predators.
Update 4-22-2008
The female has now laid four eggs.
Update 4-12-2008
The female has laid her first egg.
Update 4-10-2008
Our male and female peregrine falcons have returned to the downtown Topeka area. The female returned about seven weeks ago, the male about two weeks ago.
Repeated attempts have failed to safely capture the male to turn him over to Minnesota to be in captivity and used for eduation there, giving mom time to search for a better mate (the male has a history of breaking unhatched eggs).
Breeding activity has taken place. Because of the males past behavior, we are seeking approval from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to remove the eggs (once they're laid), replacing them with dummy eggs to ensure safe incubation at another site. Once any viable eggs are hatched we will return the chicks to the nest box. |
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