Prospects for chicks are not good

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (June 29, 2007) – Only two eggs remain in Peregrine falcon nest on the Macomb County Building in Mount Clemens and prospects are poor that they will yield chicks, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Concerned that it appeared that Horus and Hathor abandoned their second nest of 2007, Kariann Anderson, a Peregrine specialist for the DNR, visited the site today.

When she opened the window leading to the nest, Anderson was met by a horrible smell. One of the eggs was rotten and the stench permeated the area. She also noticed a second egg was cracked. After inspecting both, Anderson determined both eggs were unfertilized and were damaged during incubation.

“If was obvious that the adult falcons abandoned the nest because of the smell, and it seemed like the problem developed at least four days ago,” Anderson said.

Anderson removed the damaged eggs, cleaned the nest and put down new gravel and returned the two remaining eggs to the nest. While it is not unusual for adult falcons to not incubate eggs as they near hatching – which should be happening now – the bad sign was that the adults weren’t defending the nest, Anderson said.

“We’re going to leave the eggs there over the weekend and see what happens,” Anderson said. “If they don’t hatch, we’ll collect the eggs and see what’s up. It’s possible they aren’t fertilized, either.”

Horus and Hathor have made the County Building their home and Mount Clemens their domain for three years.

In 2005, Horace and Hathor nested in the northeast corner of the County Building and one chick hatched. But the young female named Alexa was killed by a car shortly after she took her first flight.

In 2006, Horace and Hathor set up a spring next on the southwest corner of the building, but none of those eggs hatched. A couple months later, they made a second try at nesting in the same year, but that nest on the southeast corner also failed.

Falcon cam is back!
Peregrines tending new nest on the Macomb County Building

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (June 20, 2007) – Call them the Persistent Peregrines. Horus and Hathor, the male and female falcons who love the Macomb County Building, are tending a new nest containing four normal-looking eggs.

After privately observing the nest for two weeks – via Web cam -- to assure the birds were acting normally and comfortable with their new digs, officials of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources asked Macomb County to let everyone enjoy.

The Web cam can be accessed at www.macombcountymi.gov . Click on the falcon cam in the “Spotlight” box. Previous Web cam visitors will notice immediately that Hathor set up the nest against the County Building’s wall, directly under the window.

We’ve been silent about the new developments with Horus and Hathor for just over five weeks since their first nest of 2007 ended in failure. The first nest also started with four eggs in early April, but only one live chick hatched. The chick died two days later.

Kariann Anderson, a Peregrine specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, says it is common for falcons to attempt a second nest after a first one fails. Horus and Hathor did it last year.

“Second nests often fail, so we’re not getting our hopes up too high,” Anderson said. “But I have a good feeling. These eggs look good, and the parents are doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”

The new nest is in a ledge box off the northwest corner of the County Building’s 11th Floor – at 10 N. Main St. close to the intersection of Macomb Place. It’s the first time Horus and Hathor have used this corner after trying all three others. If calculations are correct, hatching could occur around the end of June.

Since the first nest of 2007 failed, county employees and the DNR have taken steps to improve conditions for the Peregrines:

• Anderson herself came to the County Building to clean out the boxes on all four corners of the 11th Floor. She removed bird carcasses, sharp rocks, weeds and debris, and spread new gravel. She worked especially hard on the northwest corner. Hathor laid her first egg there the next day.
• The DNR and county personnel reviewed hours of video taken while this spring’s chick was alive and proved that the parents were actively caring for the baby in a normal way. The chick was active and eating before it died. A cause of death has not been determined, but the DNR is satisfied the Web cam was not responsible.
• Huntington Bank, at the corner of North Main and Cass Avenue, turned off the recorded cry of a kestrel that was blaring from a speaker to scare away pigeons. Some observers thought the noise possibly bothered the Peregrines, so Huntington Bank’s property manager immediately turned off the recording and bank Manager Susan Blanchard supported the move wholeheartedly.
• Macomb County’s IT Department took extra care setting up the Web cam at the new location – even disguising the camera – to reduce any disturbance.

Horus and Hathor have made the County Building their home and Mount Clemens their domain for three years.

In 2005, Horace and Hathor nested in the northeast corner of the County Building and one chick hatched. But the young female named Alexa was killed by a car shortly after she took her first flight.

In 2006, Horace and Hathor set up a spring next on the southwest corner of the building, but none of those eggs hatched. A couple months later, they made a second try at nesting in the same year, but that nest on the southeast corner also failed.

Macomb County Peregrine nest fails again

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (May 11, 2007) – Concerns about Peregrine falcons Horus and Hathor and their nest on the Macomb County Building in Mount Clemens have been registered across the county and anywhere people access the county’s Web cam. The signal has been silent since Monday, May 7, after the discovery that the chick which hatched the previous Friday died during the previous weekend.

The nest site was checked on Tuesday and found to be abandoned by the adult falcons. The only evidence a nest had ever been there was one broken egg.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials are considering a visit to the County Building to look at the site and consider measures that could be taken to improve the chances of a successful mating between Horus and Hathor. But the cause of this year’s nesting failure has not been established.

This is the second consecutive year that mating between the Peregrine pair has failed. DNR officials suggest that the birds could try again soon. The adults are still in the area; Horus was spotted on Friday, May 11, perching off the 9th Floor of the county Administration Building directly across Cass Avenue from the County Building.

In 2005, the first time they mated and nested on the County Building, Horus and Hathor had a chick that fledged, but was killed only a day after making her first flight.

Macomb County will keep Peregrine fans informed as developments warrant.

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (May 4, 2007) – We know them as Horus and Hathor, the adult male and female Peregrine falcons nesting on the Macomb County Building, but as of now they’re dad and mom again.

It’s a … well, we can’t tell yet if it’s a boy or a girl, but Horus and Hathor definitely have a newborn chick! It’s the first successful hatching for the pair since 2005, when they first selected the cozy County Building in downtown Mount Clemens as home.

The white puffball was first spotted about 7:30 a.m. Friday, May 4, by Kariann Anderson, a Peregrine specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The chick is clearly visible on the county’s live falcon Web cam when the adults are away from the nest or moving about.

See the action at http://www.macombcountymi.gov/peregrine/Falcon_Cam.asp. When activity on the Web page is high, it may not be possible to connect to the live camera. If that happens, visitors may go to the video page and watch recordings of falcon activity, including footage of the new chick.

In addition to the chick, two unhatched eggs remain in the nest that the adult Peregrines still are tending.

As observers of Horus and Hathor’s 2007 nest know, there originally were four eggs. Earlier in the week, another chick emerged from an egg – perhaps too soon, according to Anderson – and did not survive. Hathor dutifully removed the dead chick from the nest, leaving three eggs behind.

“One of the two remaining eggs is cracked, which means another chick may in the process of hatching,” Anderson said. “Breaking through could take up to eight hours. It’s that, or the cracked egg is a failure, but we’re optimistic right now.”

Anderson also saw Horus make a “food drop” on Friday morning. He caught and killed a tasty pigeon and brought it to the nest for Hathor to eat, which she enjoyed on camera.

“Observers will see the food drops more often now that hatching has occurred,” Anderson said. “Hathor will be tending the nest virtually all the time now and Horus’ job is to provide food. Since we’ve seen a food drop, I don’t think there will be a problem having chicks develop and reach fledging.”

Anderson says don’t be surprised or shocked to see a bird carcass in view of the Web cam. This is normal.

Chicks will need to develop for 45 days before they are strong enough to explore their surroundings. They may first hop up on the ledge surrounding the nest and get their first view of downtown Mount Clemens. They will fledge, or make their first solo flight, anytime after that. The nest is at the 11th Floor level of the County Building, where Cass Avenue and Main Street intersect.

Two years ago, Horace and Hathor nested in the northeast corner of the County Building and one chick hatched. But the young female named Alexa was killed by a car shortly after she took her first flight.

In 2006, Horace and Hathor set up a spring next on the southwest corner of the building, but none of those eggs hatched. A couple months later, they made an unusual second attempt at nesting in the same year, but that nest on the southeast corner also failed.

Peregrine falcons nest on the Macomb County Building for third consecutive year

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (March 29, 2007) – Macomb County’s Peregrine falcon fans are hoping there’s truth in the saying, “The third time is the charm.”

Peregrines Horus and Hathor, who’ve made the County Building their home and Mount Clemens their domain for three years, have a new nest as they take another shot at parenthood. Three dark orange eggs with black speckles are in the nest so far.

The nest is in a ledge box off the southwest corner of the County Building’s 11th Floor – high above the intersection of Cass Avenue and Main Street.

Kariann Anderson, a Peregrine specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, says Hathor could lay an additional egg or two, based on typical falcon mating habits.

“Hathor hasn’t started the incubation period yet, so we haven’t established a target date for hatching,” Anderson said. “Hatching typically happens about five weeks after incubation begins.”

Anderson says there is evidence that Horus and Hathor could have more chick-rearing success this year. “Leftovers” from their hunting and feeding indicates they’ve expanded their diet and are capturing larger prey.

“They are more skillful and mature,” Anderson said.

Two years ago, Horace and Hathor nested in the northeast corner of the County Building and one chick hatched. But the young female named Alexa was killed by a car shortly after she took her first flight.

In 2006, Horace and Hathor set up a spring next on the southwest corner of the building, but none of those eggs hatched. A couple months later, they made an unusual second attempt at nesting in the same year, but that nest on the southeast corner also failed.

History of Mount Clemens Peregrine parents
The female Peregrine falcon Hathor (Egyptian for “Keeper of Horus”) is a 3-year-old bird who fledged from the Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. She is the daughter of a bird named Dorothy who hails from Milwaukee and a male from Columbus, Ohio. Dorothy hatched and fledged in 1999 at the Firstar Center in Milwaukee and is the daughter of the Midwest's second-most productive female falcon Sibella and her mate Bill. Her father is Erie, who hatched and fledged in 1998 from the Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus and is the son Bandit and his first mate Aurora Red from Aurora, Canada.

The male Peregrine Horus (after an Egyptian deity whose name means “He who watches from above”) was born in Akron, Ohio, in 2004. Horus arrived in Mount Clemens early last year. His father is named Bandit, and Bandit was born in Detroit to Pops.

Horus and Hathor had one chick in 2005 who was struck and killed by a car shortly after her first flight in June. The chick’s name was Alexa, named after Macomb County’s namesake, Gen. Alexander Macomb.

Leg band information:
Horus (left leg, black over green, 89-P)
Hathor (left leg, black over green, sideways H- sideways 4)

Read more about the history of our falcons