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--Boundary_(ID_YWq/U764zzybiakWssDlFA) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT JUNE 24, 2010 - In the afternoon I did a very interesting walk along the beach east and north of Avonport, from what I call "Penney Beach", a bit east of the RR tracks near Avonport Road, to Horton Bluff, a distance of perhaps a mile?, to the semi-secret spot, just below the "surplus" lighthouse, where a pair of peregrine falcons last year raised and fledged probably two youngsters. I had heard a rumour that someone had seen peregrines there earlier this Spring (perhaps Sherman Williams can comment?, since this is part of his "yard"), but this was my first check this year. I thought I could do it in a half-hour, but it ended up taking 1.5 hours and I was soaked in sweat at the end. On my walk, I saw a single baitworm or bloodworm digger doing his thing with a clam-rake and bucket, a male-female pair of flickers with the male drumming on a tall stump, and absolutely no (bank) swallows -- too bad for the latter. When I finally got almost to where they nested last year, noiselessly a large peregrine falcon flushed off the cliff directly above me and flew heavily (not impressive) toward Horton Bluff and out of sight around a corner. Pretty soon I walked to and spotted presumably the same bird on a spot of sloping rock on the cliff. This peregrine was an immature and very probably a yearling, heavily streaked underneath with quite dark belly, some conspicuous light grayish feathers at the base of the tail (noticeable in flight too), whitish-yellow feet (and legs?), gray-bluish cere (like juvenile), and mustache-marks prominent but not as large as in adults. I was able to approach this bird quite closely, to 100 metres at first and then to about 25 m.?, and it didn't move from its spot there for the 15 minutes or more that I was exploring there. It called several times, and its calls were somehow different and not as loud or piercing as the adult calls when disturbed. When this falcon, probably a female from its size, moved on the rocky cliff, it seemed awkward, but then a falcon's taloned feet are not exactly adapted for such. I walked a bit beyond that bird to get close to where the adults nested last year, but I couldn't locate that ledge -- perhaps it has deteriorated by freeze-thaw cycles since last year?. When I got just past the nesting bluff below the lighthouse, I heard another? calling peregrine, this time straight up from me. I located this bird, later seen to indeed be a second immature peregrine, and a smaller one and probably a male, perched in a spruce tree that was leaning from the top of the cliff. It seems to make sense now as a conclusion of this interesting walk, that these two immature peregrines are the yearling siblings that were thought to have been fledged at that site in 2009. Perhaps they had stayed together over the intervening winter and obviously had survival skills. Now we have to wonder if they will search further for their parents, and just how far away those adults are, if they survived the past winter and migration. It might take up to 2-3-4 more years before these yearlings are ready for nesting attempts and mating etc., and maybe one of them will try to find a nesting ledge right at Horton Bluff? P.S. The active nest last year with two still-downy nestlings was discovered on June 14, 2009, by a field party of the Federation of N.S. Naturalists (now Nature Nova Scotia), led by Dr. Sandra Barr of Acadia Geology Dept. (or whatever it is called now (Earth Sciences?), in search for ancient amphibian trackways etc. We all decided it was a good idea to keep the location secret until the nesting season was over. People I remember on that trip included Larry Bogan (used his phone for photos), Doug Linzey, Sue Abbott, Michael Downing (so first spotted the falcons at long range from the trackway "sidewalk"), et al. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville --Boundary_(ID_YWq/U764zzybiakWssDlFA) Content-type: text/html; CHARSET=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 13.0px Verdana"><b>JUNE 24, = 2010</b> - </font><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; ">In the afternoon I did = a <b>very interesting walk</b> along the beach east and north of = <b>Avonport</b>, from what I call "Penney Beach", a bit east of the RR = tracks near Avonport Road, <b>to Horton Bluff</b>, a distance of perhaps = a mile?, to the semi-secret spot, just below the "surplus" lighthouse, = <b>where a pair of peregrine falcons last year raised and fledged = probably two youngsters</b>.</span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 13.0px Verdana">I had heard a rumour that someone had seen = <b>peregrines</b> there earlier this Spring (perhaps Sherman Williams = can comment?, since this is part of his "yard"), but this was my first = check this year. I thought I could do it in a half-hour, but it = ended up taking 1.5 hours and I was soaked in sweat at the = end.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 13px/normal Verdana; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 13.0px Verdana">On my walk, I saw a single <b>baitworm or bloodworm = digger</b> doing his thing with a clam-rake and bucket, a male-female = pair of <b>flickers</b> with the male <b>drumming</b> on a tall stump, = and absolutely <b>no (bank) swallows</b> -- too bad for the = latter.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 13px/normal Verdana; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 13.0px Verdana">When I finally got almost to where they nested last = year, noiselessly a <b>large peregrine falcon flushed</b> off the cliff = directly above me and flew heavily (not impressive) toward Horton Bluff = and out of sight around a corner. Pretty soon I walked to and = spotted presumably the same bird on a spot of sloping rock on the = cliff.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 13px/normal Verdana; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 13.0px Verdana">This peregrine was an <b>immature and very probably a = yearling</b>, heavily streaked underneath with quite dark belly, some = conspicuous light grayish feathers at the base of the tail (noticeable = in flight too), whitish-yellow feet (and legs?), gray-bluish cere (like = juvenile), and mustache-marks prominent but not as large as in = adults. I was able to approach this bird quite closely, to 100 = metres at first and then to about 25 m.?, and it didn't move from its = spot there for the 15 minutes or more that I was exploring there. = It called several times, and its calls were somehow different and not as = loud or piercing as the adult calls when disturbed. When this = falcon, probably a female from its size, moved on the rocky cliff, it = seemed awkward, but then a falcon's taloned feet are not exactly adapted = for such.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 13px/normal Verdana; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 13.0px Verdana">I walked a bit beyond that bird to get close to where = the adults nested last year, but I couldn't locate that ledge -- perhaps = it has deteriorated by freeze-thaw cycles since last year?. = </font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 13px/normal Verdana; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 13.0px Verdana">When I got just past the nesting bluff below the = lighthouse, I heard another? calling peregrine, this time straight up = from me. I located this bird, later seen to indeed be a <b>second = immature peregrine</b>, and a smaller one and probably a male, perched = in a spruce tree that was leaning from the top of the = cliff.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 13px/normal Verdana; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 13.0px Verdana">It seems to make sense now as a <b>conclusion</b> of = this interesting walk, that these two <b>immature peregrines are the = yearling siblings </b>that were thought to have been fledged at that = site in 2009. Perhaps they had stayed together over the = intervening winter and obviously had survival skills. Now we have = to wonder if they will search further for their parents, and just how = far away those adults are, if they survived the past winter and = migration. It might take up to 2-3-4 more years before these = yearlings are ready for nesting attempts and mating etc., and maybe one = of them will try to find a nesting ledge right at Horton = Bluff?</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 13px/normal Verdana; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 13.0px Verdana"><b>P.S. </b>The active <b>nest last year </b>with two = still-downy nestlings was <b>discovered on June 14, 2009</b>, by a = <b>field party of the Federation of N.S. Naturalists</b> (now Nature = Nova Scotia), led by Dr. Sandra Barr of Acadia Geology Dept. (or = whatever it is called now (Earth Sciences?), in search for ancient = amphibian trackways etc. We all decided it was a good idea to keep = the location secret until the nesting season was over. People I = remember on that trip included Larry Bogan (used his phone for photos), = Doug Linzey, Sue Abbott, Michael Downing (so first spotted the falcons = at long range from the trackway "sidewalk"), et al.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 13.0px Verdana"><br></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Verdana" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 13.0px Verdana">Cheers from = Jim in Wolfville </font></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_YWq/U764zzybiakWssDlFA)--
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