We have had the privilege of observing the family of falcons on Anstruther Lake since May. Since the male and female took over the ravens’s nest on the cliff close to our cottage four years ago, I have been taking some notes of their activities throughout the summer. The first summer they just occupied the nest, the second and third summers they had two chicks. On June 15th of this year we saw one parent feeding meat to two very loud and excited chicks while the other parent watched from a nearby white pine. On June 22nd, a close-up picture of the nest revealed three chicks, not two. On July 10th, we could hear a group of ravens over the nest, so we boated to the cliff. The ravens had left but two young falcons had fledged and where standing on top of the cliff. The next day all three were gone from the nest. Since then we have observed them practicing their flight, from short trips around the nest, to longer flights to the next cliff with or without a parent. They seem to prefer that cliff and its constant up drafts now, and give us great shows from our dock. They dive at and chase one another, and even retrieve in mid-air objects (food?) dropped by another (parent?).
On the morning of July 28th, we saw all three juveniles with one parent perched in a tight group, high in a tall red pine. We will keep you posted on this great falcon adventure. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Marie Duchesneau
John Fautley
Peregrine – Karl Egressy
Peregrine Falcon (Wikimedia photo)
