Posted at 10:26 AM in Peregrine Falcons | Permalink | Comments (0)
We have eggs! The WoodmenLife Tower falcons have laid their first two eggs. According to the time-lapse photos taken by our falcon-cam viewers, it looks like the first egg was laid on Easter morning at approximately 4:00am, and the second eg was laid on Tuesday morning, March 29 between 8 and 10 am. We do hope we will have a few more, so we're keeping a close eye on the nest. In 2015, the resident falcon couple completed their family with 4 eggs.
If you can tell from the photo, it is clear that mom is unbanded, however, we think she has been injured in the past. Side-angle pictures clearly show an injury above her wing. Interestingly enough, Hera,also unbanded and last seen in the nest in 2014, had a similar injury... could it be? In her previous residency, she laid 37 eggs over 9 years, so it very well could be her.
The WoodmenLife Falcon season is well underway. Keep up with it by viewing the WoodmenLife Falcon-Cam and follow the falcons on Twitter.
Posted at 03:24 PM in Peregrine Falcons | Permalink | Comments (0)
Well, it's been a few weeks since we were introduced to both the male and the female in the WoodmenLife Tower nest. However, there's not been much activity recently. Every time we check out the nest, we will see one or the other, but not both. The male falcon seems to like the north nest, as we find him perched on it quite frequently. Last year, we saw our first egg on March 26, so we are hoping to see an egg soon, but the female doesn't seem particularly interested in "nesting."
Also, for those interested in our 2015 chicks, Last fall, we tried to release Charlotte off the roof of the Tower, but she had a tough time taking flight so she was taken back to the Raptor Recovery for additional rehab. We recently spoke with Denise at Fontenelle Forest's Raptor Recovery Refuge, who updated us that because she was deemed non-releasable by HDZ earlier this year, Charlotte will be on permanent display the Raptor Woodlands Refuge. While we are disappointed she won't be in her true habitat, we are happy she will be safe and secure in the refuge.
Keep watching the falconcam and if you get a good picture of the couple in their digs, share it with us here or on our Twitter feed.
Posted at 12:55 PM in Peregrine Falcons | Permalink | Comments (0)
It looks like we have some new Peregrine neighbors moving into the WoodmenLife North Falcon Nest. And while they haven't introduced themselves by allowing us a clear shot of their bands, we can make a few assumptions from some recent photos taken by avid falcon-watchers on our WoodmenLife Falcon Cam:
2/19: Thanks to Falcon Watcher "Terka" who was able to get the clearest shot of our current male falcon -- the band appears to be 19K. For those of you who don't know the history. 19K, Mintaka's father and who, for many years, has been the "lord of the manor" in Lincoln, NE at the capitol building, was the male that challenged Mintaka in April, 2015 for the nest and was soundly kicked out. See the video.
3/6: Falcon-watcher "Lisa" got a good picture of both falcons in the nest, and assuming the one IN the nest is 19K, the falcon perched on the side of the nest would be an unbanded female. Charity, our female from 2015, was unbanded as well.
It looks to be a year of change in the WoodmenLife Falcon Nest, so as the nest gett active keep up on the latest happenings by following us on Twitter AND tuning in to the Live Falcon Cam.
Posted at 10:34 AM in Peregrine Falcons | Permalink | Comments (0)
The WoodmenLife Tower Falcons officially received their names on June 16, following a Facebook vote. The names are:
The winning names were submitted by Sandra Phillips of Macedonia, Ohio.
WoodmenLife hosted its annual falcon chick-naming contest on the organization’s Facebook business page. Fans entered groups of four names, and five finalist name groups were determined by an internal WoodmenLife Committee. The finalists were re-posted on the Facebook page, and the winner was determined by popular fan votes.
Unfortunately, just a few short days after being named, Lily (B/90) (shown below) was found dead on the 5th floor balcony roof of the WoodmenLife Tower. It appears that she hit a window.
The remaining birds continue to fly off the roof of the WoodmenLife Tower and are routinely rescued when they land – which is normal. Birds have been recovered from the sidewalk, alleyway, parking garage, nearby Courthouse lawn and the 5th floor balcony. Each time, the birds are recovered and placed on the WoodmenLife Tower roof where mom and dad continue to feed and nurture them.
Posted at 11:28 AM in Peregrine Falcons | Permalink | Comments (0)
It has been an exciting spring for the Woodmen Tower Falcons and there hasn't even been a egg laid yet.
First, a new male falcon was sighted in late February at the Tower nestbox. Male #19/K was the breeding male in Lincoln, Neb., for many years. His stay at the Woodmen Tower lasted 2-3 weeks
In mid-March, Mintaka (#57/H), was sighted at the Woodmen Tower nest box and has taken over. Mintaka has been at the Woodmen Tower since 2012. The Lincoln male is actually Mintaka's parent, so maybe dad just stopped by for a visit.
Finally, the female that appeared at the nestbox in February is not Hera. Like Hera, this new female is from the wild. But, Hera had a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band from when she was injured in 2008. The new female has no bands at all.
Hera was the breeding female at the Tower since 2006. She produced 34 falcon chicks -- 21 with Zeus and 13 with Mintaka.
Through all this, there is still no sign of eggs in the nest. Mintaka hangs out at the east nest box. The new female perches most of the day on the north nest box. We will have to keep an eye on them.
Posted at 11:09 AM in Peregrine Falcons | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Woodmen of the World is proud to announce the names of the newest batch of Woodmen Tower falcon chicks. The young peregrines were named in honor of four of the main characters in Disney’s Frozen. Their names are:
Anna - band 987-98193 (D/41) female
Elsa - band 987-98195 (D/43) female
Hans - band 987-98192 (D/40) male
Olaf - band 987-98194 (D/42) male
The winning name suggestions were submitted by Jenny Sopcich of Omaha on behalf of her son JT, who will receive a framed picture of the falcons and an invitation to the 2015 VIP Banding.
The falcons are leaving the nest and will be flying soon. You can catch them on the FalconCam at falcons.woodmen.org or follow them on Twitter @WoodmenFalcons.
Posted at 09:57 AM in Falcon Banding, Peregrine Falcons | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Thanks to everyone who entered the "Name the Falcons" Contest! We had a total of 75 entries!
The top five groups of names have been posted on the WOWInsurance Facebook sweepstakes tab, where fans can vote for their favorite group of names.
Voting will be open from Wednesday, June 4 through noon on Wednesday, June 11. The winner and winning names will be announced on Thursday, June 12 via Facebook, followed by a posting on Twitter and the FalconWatch blog.
To find the Woodmen of the World Facebook page, search “Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society” or go to: facebook.com/WOWInsurance
Woodmen of the World can also be found on Twitter at “WOWInsurance."
Posted at 02:02 PM in Falcon Banding, Peregrine Falcons | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It was one week ago yesterday that the falcon chicks were banded and their sexes were determined (two girls and two boys). At that time, they were unable to leave their nesting box and explore the ledge. Well look at them now! Their pin feathers are growing in, they are testing their wings and they are exploring outside their box. See the one on the bottom right? I noticed yesterday that the mother falcon would not bring their food to them in the box. She stayed out on the ledge and encouraged them to leave the box to get their food.
Posted at 09:00 AM in Peregrine Falcons, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Mintaka and Hera need your help finding four perfect names for their new bundles of joy!
The winner of the naming contest will receive a framed picture of the falcons and an invitation to the 2015 VIP Falcon Banding.
Contest Link: http://bit.ly/Sbol6s
Here’s how it works:
1. Fans simply post their name ideas in groups of four on the Woodmen of the World (WOWInsurance) Facebook Fan page contest tab through noon TOMORROW Thursday, May 29, 2014.
2. An internal Woodmen of the World committee will review the group name submissions and select the top five sets of four names.
3. The top five selections will be posted on the WOWInsurance Facebook Fan page contest tab and voting will begin Wednesday, June 4 through noon, Wednesday, June 11, 2014.
4. The winner will be announced on Thursday, June 12, 2014 on the WOWInsurance Facebook and WOWInsurance Twitter pages, and on the FalconWatch blog.
Posted at 07:41 AM in Falcon Banding, Peregrine Falcons | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)