Yes We Have Eggs…

And soon they will be hatching.  The peregrines nesting on 77 Beale have laid their eggs (4) and have been incubating them now for 34 days.  We expect that there will be some young hatchlings coming out at any moment.  You can watch the whole experience on the web here

Here is one of the shots of the male, Dapper Dan taken just a couple days ago, just outside of the nest ledge.

Falcons return to the PG&E nest site

Falcon lands on 77 Beale, the PG&E building

It’s too early to say we have a nesting pair, but recent sightings on the web camera located at the top southwest corner of 77 Beale of two amorous peregrines and sightings of them staying on the side of the building and buildings close by have gotten our hopes up of seeing a return of nesting peregrines.

The last time we had a successful breeding on that building was in 2005.  In 2006 the pair moved across the street to 201 Mission where only one eyas survived to fledge.  In 2007 the pair moved to the Bay Bridge and the male disappeared that May, followed by the female a couple of weeks later.

The falcons from the east span of the Bay Bridge had driven the first pair away.  They laid eggs in the same location on the bridge, but the hatchlings were retrieved dead from the site and the female falcon has not been seen since.

We think the male, the tiercel has a new mate and it looks good for a nesting pair, with the first egg to be laid in anywhere from one to three weeks.

Falcon stretches its wings while perched on 77 Beale

Photos go up at silent auction in November plus Capp Street Falcon exposes both legs

I’ve been asked to contribute some photos to a silent auction to raise money for the Hungry Owl project. This will take place on Thursday evening on November 20, 2008 at the Marin Garden Center. Check out their website event page at hungryowl.org for details as to how to attend. Starting bids for my work will be half the price on my website. Plus you will get to meet some live owls. Worth the entrance price for that alone.

After two days I was able to get clear views of both legs on the peregrine at Capp Street.  Click here for the complete series.

Here is one shot from today.

Capp Street falcon exposes legs to view

Peregrine Falcon returns to the Mission…

I had walked past this church on the way home and forgot to check the steeple. It was not until I was on my steps, that I remembered to look and spotted a familiar shape. The church is at 22nd and Capp Street in the Mission District. And this is the second time I had seen a falcon here this fall season.

Peregrine Falcon resting on steeple

So walking back, I was able to get some good closeups, no legs were exposed, so I don’t know if this bird has been banded.  I’ll be keeping watch on the location in the hopes of more viewings…

Close up view of Peregrine Falcon

You can see all the shots at this link.

 

It’s raptor season again on the bay…

I’ve been keeping watch from Pier 14 in the city at lunch time. Looking out at the Bay Bridge and using my long lens to watch for falcons resting out there over a mile away. Not very exciting visually, but still it is a challenge to keep an eye on them. Lately I’ve been able to spot one and sometimes two birds resting below the road bed on a walkway on the central anchor that the Caltrans folks call W4. I usually have to go back to my computer and upload the images before I can spot both of them, looking at the back of a digital camera in bright sunlight is not the best for fine detail work.

Here is an example of what it looks like to find one out there.

Peregrine Falcon resting on the Bay Bridge, San Francisco Bay

You can see the bird resting on the top hand rail in the center of the image.

The same day that I took this shot, Friday, I was walking along the Embarcadero Road that fronts the bay and heard crows calling overhead. Looking up, I spotted two crows harassing a Red-tailed Hawk. It was difficult to catch a view of them, because they were flying in and out of the sun.

I did have the presence of mind to relocate and was able to get a good sequence of the whole avian drama as it unfolded. You can see the whole sequence by clicking here.

Red-tailed Hawk being harassed by crow

Things like this are going on all the time. In the country you can usually hear and see it better, but sometimes you get lucky and witness it happening over the noise and commotion of the city traffic. And if you happen to be carrying a camera with a long lens then you can record it too.

Thanks for looking, and good birding to all.