[mou] Fun with the downtown Duluth peregrines

[Laura Erickson]

This morning when I got downtown about 8:30, two young falcons were sitting 
forward enough to see in the box, and one adult was calling from the roof 
of the adult bookstore across the street and down a bit from the nest.  I 
went out to watch for almost an hour at 1:15.  Again there were two birds 
visible in the box--the forward one has a green band on the left leg and a 
pinkish or light purple one on the right.  Suddenly, about 10 minutes after 
I got there, the adult male flew in, squawking and squawking.  That's when 
the third baby sat up--there apparently are three young birds remaining, 
though I'll continue to watch for the fourth just in case.

Anyway, a few minutes later the mother flew in, too.  She mainly sat on a 
taller roof, watching, as the male flew over and over the nest box.  When 
he was forward of the box so the two babies inside could also see, all 
three tracked him, their faces going back and forth like viewers of a 
tennis match.  He called and flew over just about continuously for over 45 
minutes--occasionally landing briefly on the Superior Street corner of the 
building where the forward baby could see him.  I wish I could have kept 
watching to see if he managed to entice one of the babies to fly with him, 
but I had an appointment I couldn't miss.

More photos added to my Peregrine Gallery at 
<http://www.birderblog.com/bird/Species/Hawks/PeregrineFalcon/PEFADuluthNestGallery.html> 
Not the best lighting today for digiscoping.

If anyone can tell me the color banding system for these nestlings, I'd 
appreciate it.  Also, people downtown are fascinated by these birds.  It 
would be great if a representative from Hawk Ridge or MOU or Duluth Audubon 
could spend a few hours there each day with a scope to show people.  At 
least 50 different people--maybe even 100--have looked at them through my 
scope.  I do it as an ambassador for birds, but someone more closely tied 
to one of the birding organizations could drum up a lot of support for 
their organization right now.  But this is obviously a very narrow window 
of opportunity.

Laura Erickson
Duluth, MN


Staff Ornithologist Binoculars.com
www.birderblog.com


There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of 
birds.  There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of 
nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.

                                 --Rachel Carson