SNN (ScrollingNetworkNews) ✿ ✿ Our Mel and Sydney returned to their nesting box with plenty of bonding occurring..but after 2.5 months of Sydney in the box from Dec 2013 to mid Feb 2014, the lack of prey gifts from Mel ( perhaps due to the severe and historic drought underway in California)and they have forgone the nesting process this year as many other raptors ✿ Compared to other owls of similar size, the Barn Owl has a much higher metabolic rate, requiring relatively more food. Pound for pound, Barn Owls consume more rodents – often regarded as pests by humans – than possibly any other creature. ✿ We remind viewers that sometimes owlets may not survive - the parents will dispose of things in "The Owl Way" -viewer discretion is advised, this is nature and the "Owl way". ✿ ~ ✿ “Animals, like us, are living souls. They are not things. They are not objects. Neither are they human. Yet they mourn. They love. They dance. They suffer. They know the peaks and chasms of being.” ― Gary Kowalski, The Souls of Animals ✿ Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius." ~ E.O. Wilson

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Peregrine Falcon Web Camera

Their female peregrine falcon laid her first egg on Monday, March 12th. Viewers can expect to see an egg laid once every two or three days, with a total of four or five eggs for the clutch. The female peregrine sporadically incubates the eggs for the first three eggs, then she will "sit tight" on all the eggs once the whole clutch has been laid. This delayed incubation is thought to help ensure that all the eggs hatch close to the same day. If there was a large size disparity between the first and last chicks hatched, the oldest and largest chicks would demand all the food, and the younger and smaller chicks may not survive.

Update
March 20: The female is sitting tight, which means she's probably finished with the clutch. To get an accurate egg count, they'll have to get lucky and see the eggs when she switches with the male.

We can expect to see the chicks hatch about April 12th. Meanwhile, keep a close eye on the website to watch the male bring food to the female and sometimes take his turn at incubating the eggs. This gives mom some time to feed and take care of her feathers (preen).

The web camera will be available from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the nesting period.
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/outdoor-recreation/nature-viewing/raptors/peregrine-falcon-web-camera