Where do peregrine falcons spend their first summer? This is one of the most important questions biologist Skip Ambrose has been hoping his research would answer. With the help of trusty Falcon #665, one of his young falcons from the Utah population, he's about to find out! Remember, this hatch year falcon was tagged in her nest near Lake Powell, Utah. The coordinates of the nest territory are 36.888 N, 110.908 W. Do you think she's heading there now?
Challenge Question # 107
"Where was falcon #665 on April 28th? Where do you suppose she'll be when the satellite sends its next reading on May 19th?"
To answer this Challenge Question please follow the instructions at the end of this report. A full migration data chart for Falcon #665 is included.
This is a chance to match your wits against our scientist himself! As you may remember, we challenged Skip Ambrose to guess her destination and here's what he said: "If I had to guess, I would say it will go somewhere in the western United States, but who knows where? We think the young birds wander quite a bit during their first year. Some may go back to their natal area--but not all. Falcon # 665 is a hatch-year female, and we expected hatch-year birds to be less certain in their migration and somewhat slower because they usually do not breed during their first year. This young female did leave her wintering area much later than the adult females from the Lake Powell area."
Have you ever wondered how falcons find food during their migration?
After all, they're travelling through territory they've never seen.
What do they eat and how do they hunt? According to the comments
below, they've recently been seen snacking on shorebirds, diving at
ducks and harassing gulls, terns and "everything in sight". We
collected these comments from the "National Birding Hotline
Cooperative" a telephone network through which bird watchers share
their observations:
From MISSOURI:
April 14, 1996
A PEREGRINE FALCON was seen among the BLACK-BELLIED AND LESSER
GOLDEN PLOVERS at Swan Lake NWR (NE of Kansas City) April 14 and 15
and also at Eagle Bluffs CA (North of Columbia) where the PEREGRINE
was chasingshorebirds also on April 14.
From OKLAHOMA:
April 20, 1996
At least six different reports of PEREGRINE FALCON sightings have occured
across the state since 20 April. Most of the sightings have taken place near
rivers or reservoirs where large concentrations of ducks and shorebirds have
gathered.
From TEXAS:
April 23, 1996
At the Waco treatment ponds today there were 14 species of shorebirds and
at 7:00 pm this evening a PEREGRINE FALCON was observed diving on the
shorebirds, teal and shovelers.
From TEXAS:
April 25, 1996
Along the closed portion of Hwy. 87, 4 1/2 miles north of High Island (NE
of Galveston), there was a PEREGRINE FALCON along the beach harassing gulls
and terns.
From Western NEW YORK:
April 25, 1996
In downtown Buffalo, 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS reported several days, displaying
courtship behavior around Niagara Square.
From MISSOURI:
April 26, 1996
The PEREGRINE FALCON seen last week at Eagle Bluffs CA, McBaine, Boone
Co (North of Columbia), chasing shorebirds was seen again on April 26.
From TENNESSEE:
April 28, 1996
On April 28th 165 species were seen in West Tennessee plus two
in Kentucky at Long Point Refuge. Highlights were: 3 PEREGRINE
FALCONS hunting in 3 locations at Reelfoot Lake, Lake and Obion
Counties (West of Union City), with one out over the lake harassing everything
there, VIRGINIA and SORA RAILS, 19 species of shorebirds,
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER and PHALAROPES, FOSTER'S TERN,
BONAPARTE'S GULL and RING-BILLED GULL etc..,
How to Respond to Challenge Question # 107:
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line write: Challenge Question # 107
3. In the body of the message, answer the questions above.
"Where was falcon #655 on April 28th? Where do you suppose she'll be when the satellite sends its next reading on May 19th?"
Data Summary
#665 (Age=HY)
(From nest at Lake Powell, Utah: 36.888 N, 110.908 W)
01/01/96 20.806 N, 105.165 W
02/28/96 20.918 N, 105.186 W
03/19/96 20.838 N, 105.209 W
04/08/96 30.575 N, 111.894 W
04/28/96 33.424 N, 111.743 W
The Next Peregrine Falcon Migration Update Will be Posted on May 13, 1996
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