Another successful banding day in downtown Providence. Female 63/AE and Male 25/AB mated again this year, producing five eggs and four hatchlings. For a chart of all breeding pairs and offspring in Providence since 2000, please click here.
You can watch the falcons LIVE on webcam thanks to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. Here is an informational video of the banding in 2008 by The Providence Journal. The banders and falcons have since changed, but the basic info is still accurate.
It’s exciting when the young falcons leave the nest box, but that is the most dangerous time of their lives. They have new streamlined bodies, but do not yet know how to handle the speed. Sadly over 60% do not survive their first year. So when one was found on the sidewalk on June 23, it was not a surprise. In the wild they land on the ground and climb to a safe perch… but humans aren’t around to see… it’s normal. This falcon was examined by Environmental Police Officer Mark Saunders from RI-DEM and showed no signs of injury, so was placed back on the roof of 111 Westminster next to the young male sibling. Another juvenile was being fed by mom on Turk’s Head so perhaps the fledgling tried to join them on the adjacent building but didn’t make it that far. A happy ending for this one…
One of the female offspring, 85/BD was spotted in Wellfleet MA (100 miles east) by Marcy Ford on August 27. Good luck to her as she starts her own journey! Here’s more info from Mass Audubon.
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Watching the Superman webcam with my students in 2018 was the best experience. Loved every minute…used it as a refocusing stress-relieving opportunity many times