@DucksUnlimitedCanada's 2026 Marsh Madness tournament is up & running! Just in time for the peregrines' return at the end of this month! And yes, the peregrine falcon, known in the past as a "duck hawk" is in the mix!
Cast your votes now
👉 ducks.ca/marsh-madness
#mbfalcons
@duc_manitoba
⏰ Countdown
Despite the talon-curling temps today (feels like -29c right now), we are 30 days from when at least one of our birds should be back at the Radisson. "Should" being the operative word, peregrines are notoriously bad at being where they ought to be, when they ought to be.
#mbfalcons
Happy World Wetlands Day!
Promise yourself that you will visit a wetland this year - find out why they are so important for all of us - and essential for Manitoba's peregrines!
#worldwetlandsday
#GivingTuesday
CanadaHelps = tinyurl.com/3jxdpe8m
#mbfalcons
Radisson - Ella enjoying the sun this morning from her perch on the Alt Hotel sign. We are rapidly approaching when the last of our birds have left in past years. However Ella is tenacious & patient or maybe she's just waiting for me to put the nestbox back ...
#mbfalcons
Radisson - we have had more than a few amazing lightning storms this summer it seems - always worth the price of admission, even if they tend to come with rain - lots & lots of rain this weekend if the forecast is accurate.
#mbfalcons #mbstorm
video = youtu.be/__k-3_OmAMg
So nice of her to let me see her band - usually kids aren't still around so without confirming her ID this could have been a chick from pretty much anywhere
Radisson - unexpected visitor on the Radisson sign this am - Bella! Usually the kids are well on their way south by now. Does it surprise us that a daughter of Ella would be contrary? 🤣 Nice to see Bella has her great-grandma Princess' "crown" even if just this year.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - work has begun on the roof of the Radisson. The nestbox has been stowed away until the work is complete at which time we will reinstall the box with new gravel ready for the birds' return next spring. Pandemic is onsite & suspicious of the all the activity.
#mbfalcons
"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
~ Jane Goodall
#thankyouJane
#RememberingJane
www.JaneGoodall.ca/RememberingJane
📷 Thank you to @DavidAttenborough_fans for creating & sharing this image.
Radisson - we are royally annoying Ella today. Yippeee (not). Have to clean out & move the nestbox so work can be done on the roof. Not much time to do the work before the weather changes so Ella & Pandemic will have to rely on the Radisson & Alt signs for a bit.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - Ella perched on the nestbox this morning. She's puffed up and tucked down on her toes, not really surprising given the cooler overcast weather this morning. We'll see her more often like this as the time to migrate gets closer ..
#mbfalcons
Bella this am in the Alt Hotel sign. How do I know it's Bella? 1) note the narrow dark line on her cheek and the big white patch on her cheek - by this time nest year she won't have that there will be more dark on her head (cap) and cheek (malar stripe) a all our kids have this appearance. 2) it's hard to see in this image, but the cam shows she is brown not black/grey on her back. 3) and I know it's Bella because she was calling and looking towards the Radisson - given that Ella and Pandemic are still be much at home, an unrelated chick wouldn't have been calling so close to a still occupied/defended nestbox.
Radisson - had a surprise visitor this am - seems Ella & Pandemic aren't "empty-nesters" quite yet. That's Bella perched on the Alt Hotel sign (check the 📷 caption for how I know). She's survived her 1st solo adventures which (🤞🏻) bodes well for her on migration!
#mbfalcons
🌎Migration
We don't talk often enough about the "eastern" peregrine migration route through Florida to the Caribbean. This was our rockstar Trey's preferred route. This week birds started migrating over the peregrine falcon hotspot of Little Crawl Key.
tinyurl.com/msj5a3xt
Radisson - Ella (on the T) & Pandemic (on the H) have been enjoying a very quiet afternoon on the Alt Hotel sign. Nice to see after their exciting nesting season! This is their chance to rest up & replenish their resources before they too head south for the winter.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - seems like Pandemic has decided to stop being camera-shy. Pandemic is on the H, Ella is on the N. Both are napping now after marathon preening sessions.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - Ella is making sure no migrating female takes a shine to her nestbox ... good for us as it gives us a wonderful opportunity to enjoy her company awhile longer.
#mbfalcons
🌎 Migration
Mississippi Kites are the 1st raptor species to "pop" on the Hawkwatch reports.
Recently from the Talamanca Hawkwatch Site in Costa Rica ...
Aug 25 = 0
Aug 26 = 7
Aug 27 = 1,471
Sep 1 = 2,917
Sep 2 = 5,409
Sep 4 = 16,472 😱
tinyurl.com/2h8h35wm
Radisson - just as the rain started I spotted Ella tucked up on the Alt Hotel sign. She is able to keep an eye on her nestbox (my precioussss) and stay dry - for Ella that is a win-win.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - Ella has been hanging out on the box for the vast majority of the day. No sign of Pandemic or Bella. Bella, like lots of chicks, has likely already headed south. Usually the resident pair stays together for another month so 🤞🏻 we'll see Pandemic again.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - more napping for Ella, now on the box edge. There is a bit of a wind at the altitude of the box so she getting fluffed and buffeted some from time to time. She is a pretty bird.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - look who's doing a little remodelling. Ella has been fixing up the nest scrape, picking at the prey remains (failing grade on that task) & for the last hour, napping. No sign of Pandemic, but he could just be out of view. It's nice to see her up-close again.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - have been playing hide & seek (they always get to hide!) for the last week with nary a sign of anyone near the Radisson, then this morning ... the viewing angle is tough for a definite ID with this pair, but its definitely Ella or Pandemic. 🎉
#mbfalcons
Radisson - whooee, quite a light show this evening over west Winnipeg & beyond. No wonder there is a severe t-storm watch/warning in place. Before it got dark, a peregrine (Ella I believe) was tucked up on the Alt Hotel sign.
#mbfalcons #mbstorm
video = youtu.be/oSWNHv6Ce4o
Radisson - all quiet for the last couple of days, can't say if it is just a question of timing or if they are taking a few days off to hunt somewhere ... it's that time of the year when absences occur but they'll be back & hopefully our timings will align again!
#mbfalcons
💡Cool Stuff - on Aug 12, the Corpus Christi Hawkwatch site in Texas (tinyurl.com/52xtjme) reported 120 Mississippi Kites passing by. Looks like the start of migration.
This year's peregrine chicks will be heading south soon, resident pairs will wait until Oct.
Radisson - Ella & Pandemic on the Alt Hotel at dinnertime this evening (note the leftovers on other letters!) Haven't seen Bella for awhile, but this is normal. At this age chicks start exploring, closer to home at first, then further away, sometimes much further away.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - Ella (right) & Pandemic (left) hanging out on the Alt Hotel sign this afternoon. Our pairs don't often sit this close together - Ella & Pandemic do it more often than most - they are cute like that.
#mbfalcons
Radisson - no matter how wet you get in the rain today, I think Ella (I think it is Ella) has you beat!
(And yes, she did eventually take off to find a more sheltered place to roost)
#mbfalcons
youtu.be/_rjgqzR1IY0
