Peregrine Watch at Travelers Tower

Nest News 2008

2008 April 18 - Unfortunately, no falcons decided to nest on the Travelers Tower this year. If biologists determine the whereabouts of previous nesters, we'll post the information on this Web site.

Archive

Make sure to visit the photo album for many more images from over the years.

2007

2007 May 29 - The chick is moving all about now and spends little time in the tray. Occasional Web cam shots have shown the chick to be healthy, but sometimes located directly under the cameras and therefore out of view.

2007 May 17 - One chick, identified as a female, received its identification band.

The female falcon occupying the nest hails from the Ideal Box Company building in Lawrence, Essex County, MA. She was banded as a nestling on 06.04.03 (band # 0987-98050).

The male attendant hails from the Colonnade Building site in Golden Valley, MN according to Dr. Patrick Redig of the University of Minnesota - The Raptor Center and The Bell Museum. He was banded on 05.28.98 (band # 2206-41015) and given the name “Goldeneye.”

The whereabouts of Amelia and her mate are unknown.

The three remaining eggs could have been fertile at one time, but late season cold or other contaminants could have made them unviable. Lab tests with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the end of the peregrine nesting season will determine if contaminants were involved.

2007 May 2 - The eggs have started hatching. In this first set of pictures you can see the egg on the right just beginning to crack and what is likely part of a shell. In this second set, chick #1 is getting one of its first meals. The report is that the first chick was born between 2:00 to 2:30 a.m. on May 1, 2007.

2007 April 6 - The falcon has settled in and is incubating the eggs around the clock - rarely leaving the nest even following a recent New England springtime "snow event".

2007 March 28 - The falcon has now laid and is incubating Four eggs.

2007 March 28 - The falcon has now laid and is incubating Three eggs.

2007 March 25 - The falcon is currently incubating two eggs.

2007 March 23 - A pair of falcons has nested on the Tower since on or about March 16. As of March 23, one egg is being incubated. Biologists have been unable to confirm from the leg bands if the falcon is indeed Amelia.

2006

Amelia did not nest at the Travelers Tower this year. Her whereabouts remained unknown throughout the year although there were a few reported sitings of her flying about the city and roosting on buildings.

2005

2005 June 17 - The Hartford chicks fledged on Friday and were seen flying in the Hartford area and landing on other buildings.

2005 May 27 - Amelia's chicks have moved outside the nest box to a location out of view from the Web cams. They are well, however, and have taken up station under FalconCam # 1 and are getting flying lessons! The chicks have been spotted observing Amelia and her mate circling the Tower.

2005 May 23 - Banding Day. The four chicks received their identification bands this morning. Click here to view pictures from the event.

2005 May 05 - Amelia has now hatched four nestlings. Amelia's mate has also been seen attending to the brood.

2005 May 02 - Amelia has hatched two nestlings and was seen feeding them this morning.

2005 April - Amelia is now currently incubating four eggs.

2005 March - Amelia is currently incubating three eggs.

2004

Amelia and her mate did not successfully nest at the Tower this year.

2003

Although nine-year old Amelia didn't lay any eggs in the nest in 2003, she was seen in the Hartford area throughout the nesting season. Biologists were not able to determine why the pair were unsuccessful. Avid FalconCam followers were disappointed and it is hoped that Amelia and her mate have better luck in 2004.

2002

Although eight-year-old Amelia did lay one egg in the nest in 2002, it did not hatch. The egg was laid on March 24 or 25. Normally, three or four eggs are laid over an interval of two to three days. The absence of additional eggs in the nest was a concern to biologists. The cold, wet weather conditions of the following week and the lack of both birds tending the egg may have rendered the egg unviable. Biologists watched the activities of this pair carefully with the hope that both birds would incubate the egg, but the nesting was unsuccessful.

Avid FalconCam followers had hoped that Amelia might lay a second clutch of eggs in mid-April, but were disappointed. So we're left wishing that 2003 is a more fertile year for Amelia and her mate.

2001

By April 30, 2001, there were no reported sightings of Amelia or her mate. Upon inspection of the roof-top drain where she was sighted with two eggs on April 18, there was no sign of either the adult peregrines or the eggs.

The reasons for the disappearance of the falcons and their eggs are unknown. Any number of factors could have contributed to the situation:

•	Unintentional human disturbance may have caused abandonment of the nest site
•	A predator, such as another bird or rat, may have destroyed the eggs, causing the adult peregrine falcons to move elsewhere
•	Water run-off in the drain may have destroyed the nest

While we have no way of knowing for sure what caused the falcons to abandon the nest, biologists believe it is possible that Amelia and her mate re-nested in a different location. A variety of behaviors are observed when a peregrine falcon pair loses its eggs. If Amelia lost her two eggs before completing her clutch of four eggs (as she has had in the past), she may have relocated to a new site to complete the clutch there. If she lost her complete clutch at this site, she would probably be returning to the area frequently but not staying. If she re-nests, laying another set of eggs, she would be capable of doing so in 14 days. In 1998 when Amelia nested in this drain and lost her eggs, she did not re-nest.

2000

In 2000, Amelia laid four eggs between April 16 and 24. Two of the eggs hatched in late May, yielding two healthy chicks. The chicks were banded by the Department of Environmental Protection, so that they may be tracked as they mature, migrate, and hopefully, mate.