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Great Spirit Bluff Falcons

867,904 Live Views 615 In Crowd The banding event has been delayed due to weather. The banding will be on Sunday, May 27, at about 12:00.


Congratulations, Travis and Michelle! The babies are here. Two hatched on May 3rd, the third hatched on May 4th. We had one non-viable egg that did not hatch.

What would you give for a chance to hold one of those adorable fluffballs? Want to attend the banding event on May 27th? All MVC donors contributing $50 or more will be invited to attend this unique event. Donors may bring a guest to participate in this incredible close-up experience. The day will include a picnic meal with Bob Anderson, the RRP crew, and Jonathon Howe, as well as a tour of the property and a first hand view of the majestic Mississippi River valley.

The first three $500 donors earns naming rights to one of the falcon chicks!

Please include your email address and phone number when donating via Paypal so we can contact winners.

The Raptor Resource Project is partnering with the Mississippi Valley Conservancy to preserve bluffland for peregrines, eagles and other wildlife species. You can help MVC protect additional critical habitat by making a tax-deductible charitable contribution to MVC today.

Click the "Donate" button below to contribute to MVC. Click the "Save Raptor Habitat" button to learn more!

First feeding 5/3/12


I tried to answer a few of the questions we've been getting here: http://raptorresource.blogspot.com/2012/05/michelle-travis-and-peregrine-questions.html

Our female is Michelle (P/87), a 2005 hatch from Maassen's bluff just upstream. Travis is our male (06/N) from Lee's Bluff, Lynxville, WI. Another cliff-born falcon. The story on Travis is that he was named after a local young man who had a very troubled life and ended his life by jumping from a bluff. Almost seems like a bit of a happy ending, that his namesake now has the good life, companionship, and freedom that the young man Travis never did.

03/29/2012 Michelle Lays 3rd Egg at 6:54 p.m. (around 3:58 into the video)




You can learn more about this pair (and peregrines in general) here: http://raptorresource.blogspot.com/2012/03/while-we-wait-for-eggs-to-hatch-in.html

The Raptor Resource Project installed a nest box here after falcons tried nesting on a ledge that was accessible to raccoons. The box was adopted by a pair of falcons in 2005. Young falcons have fledged here every year since. Great Spirit Bluff is owned by the Howe family. Jonathon Howe, son of John and Susan, is a member of Boy Scout Troop 479 in Eden Prairie, MN. He needed a project to advance to Eagle rank and was interested in working with falcons. Jonathon and his father designed and built four special nestboxes with lids that flip up and cover the box. These boxes have two wonderful features: they are accessible from the top, which means we don't have to lean over a roof to get the babies and (when open) they keep young falcons from jumping out. Human banders and young falcons are safer as a result.

Jonathon also helped plan the deployment of the camera here. He and troop members and friends pulled the cable to the edge of the cliff, dug the cable trench, and buried the cable. We are very pleased with the results.

Here is a link to a Wisconsin Public Radio podcast/mp3 about the project. Eagle Scout Helps Develop Falcon Cam

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Raptor Resource Project Forum - Great Spirit Bluff Falcons


Raptor Resource Project Blog

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When do the falcons nest here?
We expect to start seeing them on cam sometime in February or very early March.

When will they lay eggs?
They will most likely lay in late March or early April. 2012 incubation began 3/29

How long does it take the eggs to hatch?
The eggs should start hatching 33-34 days after the third egg is laid. This means their eggs should be hatching around May 2nd-3rd

When and who bands the young falcons?
Falcons are banded around 3 weeks of age. Bob Anderson and his team will rappel down the bluff to collect the eyasses for banding. This year's banding will likely occur May 25 or 26th. We are hoping to be able to broadcast the event.

When do the young falcons start flying?
They will fledge at roughly 40 days of age.

How can I tell the male and female apart?
In general, female peregrines are about 30% larger than the males. In our nest, we have also noted some distinguishing markings. Michelle has a small amount of white feathers just above her beak, her head is more broad, and she has a bull horns marking in the white feathers on the side of her neck. Travis has all dark feathering above his beak, a smaller rounder head, and a brighter yellow beak.

How old are the pair and how long have they been nesting here?
Travis is 9 years old. Michelle is 7 years old. All we know for sure is that they are here this year, but could have been coming to this site as far back as 2007. The last previous recorded band reading on a different female (Katrinka) at this nest was in 2006.

For more information about falcons, take a look at these two websites:

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  Animal Diversity Web: Peregrine Falcon
  


• 
  Cornell: Peregrine Falcon
  

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2011 Great Spirit Bluff Banding Event

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