Peregrine falcon nest in Chicago

Diary of an urban peregrine falcon nest in Chicago – in pictures 
| Environment | The Guardian:

Wild peregrines’ nests are usually inaccessible or the birds not human tolerant. These rare images show the nesting cycle of wild peregrine falcons, with the Chicago skyline as a stunning backdrop

Photograph: Luke Massey/www.lmasseyimages.com

13/05/2015: Peregrines are adapting to breeding in cities around the world. The tall office blocks and apartments are seen by them as pseudo cliffs

20/05/2015: Peregrines are the fastest birds on Earth, and have been recorded diving at speeds of over 200mph. They prey upon birds, from small ducks and pigeons to blackbirds and swifts

Photograph: Luke Massey/www.lmasseyimages.com

11/06/2015 A peregrine falcon nest diary in Chicago: from brooding to hatching and now fledging.

14/06/2015: This chick has been banded, so that volunteers and scientists can monitor population recovery and location

11/06/2015: The Chicago peregrine programme began in 1985 as a cooperative effort to help re-establish peregrines in the Midwest. An estimated 400-500 pairs of peregrines once nested in the Midwest and eastern United States, but by the 1960s, the species had been wiped out regionally

Photograph: Luke Massey/www.lmasseyimages.com

08/06/2015: The Chicago peregrine programme monitors the city’s 20 breeding pairs of peregrine. They liase with building management and ring the chicks so they can be identified and tracked after leaving the nest
Photograph: Luke Massey/www.lmasseyimages.com

09/06/2015: One chick (from another nest) was once recovered in Ecuador after fledging in Chicago!

Photograph: Luke Massey/www.lmasseyimages.com

See More:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2015/aug/10/diary-of-urban-peregrine-falcon-nest-chicago-in-pictures

Diary of an urban peregrine falcon nest in Chicago – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian:
Source:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2015/aug/10/diary-of-urban-peregrine-falcon-nest-chicago-in-pictures

'via Blog this'

Sparrowhawks

BBC Blogs - Springwatch



Sparrowhawks: Friend or foe?

Sparrowhawks are one of our native species of birds celebrated for their majesty, speed and agility. They’re nature’s Top Gun, with awe-inspiring skills and, maybe, an avian predator that we don’t need to vilify for taking our garden birds.

Sparrowhawks can be identified by their short wings and long, blunt tail.

Sparrowhawks have made a dramatic comeback over the past 30 years.

Studies have shown that sparrowhawk presence has no impact on blue tit populations

This research is from the UK but we have a version of this bird in B.C. A woman described to me how she has one that takes a single sparrow daily from her bird feeder.  She uses it to teach her grandchildren about wildlife survival.  She feels guilty about putting out food for the birds because it sets the ambush BUT that's life...

Denial of Death by Ernst Becker says, 

The American kestrel (Falco sparverius), sometimes colloquially known as the sparrow hawk, is a small falcon, and the only kestrelfound in the Americas. It is the most common falcon in North America, and is found in a wide variety of habitats. At 19–21 cm (7–8 in) long, it is also the smallest falcon in North America. It exhibits sexual dimorphism in size and plumage, although both sexes have a rufous back with noticeable barring. Juveniles are similar in plumage to adults.

The American kestrel hunts by hovering in the air with rapid wing beats or perching and scanning the ground for prey. Its diet typically consists of grasshoppers, lizards, mice, and small birds (e.g. sparrows). It nests in cavities in trees, cliffs, buildings, and other structures. The female lays three to seven eggs, which both sexes help to incubate. It is a common bird to be used in falconry, especially by beginners. Though not as aggressive a hunter as many other larger falcons, proper training and weight control by the falconer allows many kestrels to become effective hunters of birds in the size range of sparrows and starlings, with occasional success against birds up to approximately twice their own weight.^[2]

Its breeding range extends from central and western Alaska across northern Canada to Nova Scotia, and south throughout North America, into central Mexico and the Caribbean. It is a local breeder in Central America and is widely distributed throughout South America. Most birds breeding in Canada and the northern United States migrate south in the winter. It is an occasional vagrant to western Europe.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_kestrel







Link: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2015/aug/10/diary-of-urban-peregrine-falcon-nest-chicago-in-pictures









BBC Blogs - Springwatch - Sparrowhawks: Friend or foe?:



Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/natureuk/entries/43860fa9-d866-4e51-9795-74370a03e169?utm_content=buffer1e633&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer



'via Blog this'