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Author Topic: 2022 Great Spirit Bluff Falcons  (Read 51050 times)

STLbf

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2022 Great Spirit Bluff Falcons
« on: December 30, 2021, 12:42:06 PM »

At year's end, here's some good news to share.  Amazon Smile sent this note via my email today.

"This is the quarterly notification to inform you that AmazonSmile has made a charitable donation to the charity you’ve selected, Raptor Resource Project, in the amount of $905.07 as a result of qualifying purchases made by you and other customers who have selected this charity. "

And more than $16,000 of total donations from Amazon's program to RRP.

Eagle-wise, rewind to 10:30AM or so for eagles soaring low over the open water.

Happy New Year to Everybirdie who loves RRP and the birds
« Last Edit: March 24, 2022, 02:38:45 AM by mrsfalcon »

STLbf

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2022, 11:47:41 AM »

Rewind to 11:00 this morning to watch eagles on the ice and hunting the open water.  Just in case you are tired of football!

shep

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2022, 08:28:06 AM »




Snowy Owls on the Flyway
January 7, 2022
  RRP cam  ops call this a snowy owl .......
Watchers were thrilled to see two snowy owls on the Flyway yesterday, even if the owl interaction wasn’t friendly. What are snowy owls doing here and why did we see two of them so far from their home? Snowy Owls are nomadic and irruptive migrants and can appear almost anywhere, often in surprising abundance. But we think that their irruptive behavior is driven by a combination of food availability and an unusually successful nesting year.

I am going to go with more survival of young this season!
Snowys have actually been seen in - FLORIDA!   Probly born in New York ahahaha 

We see owls and hawks and eagles and coyotes on the flyway cam

Jan 8 there he is again!
https://youtu.be/DH0VmRsj05c

« Last Edit: January 08, 2022, 03:34:18 PM by shep »
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Raleigheagle

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2022, 09:11:06 AM »

Thanks for that report Shep. I hate that I missed seeing it on camera yesterday. Very interesting. I remember seeing one years ago on a roof in the Chicago suburbs. Beautiful birds

STLbf

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2022, 11:10:04 AM »

Slightly warmer at GSB today. BEs have been clustered around an open water hole all morning. Waiting for fish or ducks to become available. 

STLbf

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2022, 02:56:39 PM »

Eagles are hunting open water areas today (no pics, but see rewind) while ice-fishing is going on by people! From about noon to 3:00, good panning and closeups of wildlife in the area between the nest box camera and the highway.  Watch coyote, deer, and a sub-adult BE.  Thanks to the cam ops for the pics.

STLbf

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2022, 04:43:58 PM »

Early morning, just after sunrise, there's a raptor, possibly a hawk, perched on a cedar branch.  Never got a really good look, so I'm unsure what species.

Then mid-afternoon, some good looks at an adult BE perched in a very branchy tree between the bluff and the highway, toward the dam if watching from the nest box.

shep

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2022, 06:38:32 AM »

My guess was a hawk too, perhaps a young one
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STLbf

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2022, 01:35:13 PM »

Oh boy! There's a peregrine visiting the GSB area, perching in brushy trees from about 1:00 this afternoon, and still there at 1:30 PM.  No idea which bird or where from, but beautiful.

shep

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2022, 02:59:59 PM »

January 22, 2022
Returning already?
The pair in Racine Wisconsin are already mating
Seems MUCH too early
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STLbf

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2022, 04:59:00 PM »

Shep, I agree too early, so maybe just wandering around.  The chat for the Flyway posted video of two peregrines at GSB today, and one was banded. I didn't try to find a closeup of the band to get an identification.  Maybe someone on Explore or RRP did.

Several young eagles perching in branches near the locks structure at 4:00 this afternoon.  An adult flew in, too.

shep

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2022, 06:22:57 AM »

A PAIR
January 23, 2022
A pair of falcons at GSB!  One is banded.
I do remember Travis returned in a February blizzard years ago.
But JANUARY?

bcaw has pics too - and video
https://www.peregrinefalcon-bcaw.net/viewforum.php?f=494

https://youtu.be/9Rju8-eTsDI
https://youtu.be/HF_sMh_XkGA




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STLbf

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2022, 12:24:56 PM »

Shep, thanks for the band pic.  We'll wait and see if there's any ID of this bird.

What do the barges do when the river freezes over?  Where do they wait for the warm-up, etc.

Eagles like the trees near the open water, where I posted a pic yesterday.  Several in the same tree this morning.

STLbf

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #13 on: January 29, 2022, 11:35:07 AM »

Peregrine visitor this morning, check the rewind starting about 9:00.  It perched in branches near the overhanging cedar branches.  No band that I saw, but pinkish cheeks.  RRP home page notes from yesterday mention that peregrines in La Crosse stay all winter, so perhaps one of those.

shep

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Re: Great Spirit Bluff falcons, Mississippi River 2022
« Reply #14 on: January 29, 2022, 12:05:51 PM »

Racine Wisconsin falcons stay all winter too.
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