If you’ve been watching
our Falcon Cam, you know that the Peregrine Falcon pair at the Ameren MO
Sioux Energy Center have been sitting on four eggs.
As of Saturday the babies
had begun to pip their eggshells, and by Sunday morning there were four
babies. If you watch the Falcon
Cam you may see momma sitting over her clutch to keep them warm, and occasionally
you will see one or more babies peek out from beneath her feathers only to be
tucked back in by mom.
2014 Photo of parent bird feeding
babies (photo: WBS website)
If you’re really lucky you
may just catch them when one of the parents returns to the nest with a pigeon
or starling and feeds them. At
this time you will see a big ball of fuzz with anywhere from one to four heads
ready and waiting for a meal.
Once the babies have been
fed the parent will fly off with the remaining carcass, either to finish off
any remaining morsels or to dispose of the carcass somewhere other than the
nest. Shortly after that the parent
will return to the nest and gather the babies to be tucked safely under the
parent’s warm body.
The Falcon Cam is a
cooperative effort between The World Bird Sanctuary, Ameren Missouri, and the
Missouri Department of Conservation.
WARNING!! FALCON WATCHING CAN BE ADDICTIVE!
