The Prairie and Peregrine pairs put on a double feature this morning
at Red Rocks with Canyon Wrens providing a harmonious acoustical
background.
Prairie Falcons - First Act
When I arrived at Red Rocks around 9:00 a.m., the female Prairie
Falcon was perched on a ledge on the northern half of the sheer cliff
wall calling - constant but not as pleading or incessant as two days
earlier. The male Prairie Falcon was perched on the top of the cliff
on the south side. The male made several forays circling in front of
the cliff wall, and several times landing on ledges and walking back
into the cliff recesses (inspecting nest sites???....just a guess on
my part). The female then flew to the top of the rock near where the
male was earlier (and near where copulation had taken in the past) and
started calling. The male left and a short time later returned with a
small rodent (mouse or small chipmunk size) and proceeded to fly into
the ledge recess where I think the nest will be. He stayed a short
time back in the recess where I couldn't see him, while the female was
on top calling. Then, almost simultaneously, it seemed like the two
falcons called, the female flew down onto the top of a flat rock, the
male flew out of the nest ledge(?) and landed on the ledge with the
female, where she took the prey from the male. The female stayed
front and center on the ledge while the male moved away to the back
and side of the ledge. The female stayed on the ledge and devoured
the prey (held the prey down with her feet and talons and pulled
upward with her beak stripping the pieces of flesh), while the male
flew off and landed on another perch on the cliff wall. It took 20
-25 minutes for the female Prairie to eat the prey, and when she was
finished one could see a huge bulge in her crop. After she finished
with the meal, she wiped her beak several times on the rock surface,
and then flew down to the ledge where I suspect the nest will be. I
could hear her calling, but could not see her. After a while, the
female came out and perched on the ledge where I could see her, and
the male left his perch on a ledge and flew to the top of the cliff
wall above her. This is where I left them as the song of the Canyon
Wren cascaded down the scale and the curtain dropped(figuratively).
Peregrine Falcon - Second Act
As I pulled into the parking lot (Upper South Parking Lot), I could
hear and see a Peregrine Falcon and watched as she landed on top of a
round rock (way up high) and proceeded to eat something (I could not
discern what the prey was). This is supposition on my part, but I
think she was carrying the remains of a kill and wonder if the male
didn't provide and give her the kill just before I arrived. Anyway,
the female Peregrine devoured the prey displaying a huge crop when the
meal was finished. Just after she finished gulping down the meal, I
heard a Peregrine call (not sure whether the male or female, but I
think it was the male). The male flying from the north end of the
cliff face flew directly towards the female sitting on the southern
end of the cliff. Just as he neared her perch, the male braced
himself and opened his wings wide, landing on top of the female where
copulation took place lasting 5-6 seconds. The male left (never
touched or landed on the rock perch) and returned to a perch on the
north end of the cliff wall while the female remained on the same
ledge. In the meantime the female Raven had left her stick nest on the
cliff wall, which is located below where the Peregrines seem to hang
out, and the female Raven joined the male Raven in the dead juniper
snag rendezvous point on the hillside to the west. As one of the
ravens was flying towards the wall it landed on top of a huge rounded
boulder and flattened out as the female falcon made a couple of passes
just above the cowering and flattened out Raven. The female Peregrine
then returned to the same perch where she had devoured the prey and
remained there for a while before eventually flying to a perch with a
rock overhang on the cliff face. After probably 20 -30 minutes I left
the two Peregrines still perched on their respective ledges on the
cliff wall with the ravens croaking now and then a Canyon Wren
occasionally serenading.
Down the road we may have Act III, as there is a pair of American
Kestrels flying around the area between the cliffs occupied by the
Peregrine and Prairie Falcons.
I was surprised to see the Peregrines copulating, since on Saturday,
March 20, an Evergreen Audubon Field Trip saw copulation take place.
I surmised the female might be sitting on eggs by now. How long does
courtship last, and how soon after copulation takes egg laying take
place?
Mike Henwood
Red Rocks Park - Jefferson County
Morrison
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