Peregrine Falcon Cam Project, Orange, Australia
CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY, ORANGE CAMPUS
Introduction text from this webpage:
FalconCamProject
Website: https://science-health.csu.edu.au/falconcam/home
Blog: https://falconcam.csu.edu.au/
All livestreams have been moved and can be accessed via this address:
https://www.youtube.com/c/FalconCamProject
GENERAL INFORMATION This is a research project through Charles Sturt University, Orange, New South Wales Australia, studying the diet and use of a nest box of a family of peregrines living in water tower since 2007. We now have nine years' worth of diet and seven years of behaviour data The cams go right through the year and are in daily use. More information can be found below the chat rules.
HISTORY The birds have been observed using the tower since 2007, breeding in the box for past twelve years, with a maximum of three eggs and successful fledglings per season (averaging 1.5). The parents' names are Diamond (female) and Xavier (smaller male). Diamond took over from the older Swift in 2015 and Xavier replaced Bula in 2016 (who in turn replaced our first male, Beau, in 2015). So Diamond is at least nine years old and Xavier eight. Xavier arrived just as the eggs were hatching and saved the season by providing for Diamond and her three chicks.
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The male is one third smaller than the female, has fewer spots on the chest and has brighter yellow-orange talons and beak. The birds do not migrate and courtship rituals and some scrape (nest) building continues throughout the year, but intensifies, along with food bringing by the male, in July and August. Eggs are laid usually in late August, with chicks hatching in October and fledging in November. The youngsters often stay around as late as March being taught to hunt by their parents, and often visiting the nest in the tower, so there is much to watch even out of the main breeding season.
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THIS LAST SEASON The sole chick this year was a male named Yurruga (meaning 'sunny' in the indigenous language Wiradjuri). He hatched on 8th October and fledged on 22nd November at 45 days old Unfortunately, he did not survive the atrocious weather during the week after his fledge. He may have hit a tree or other obstacle while trying to fly in poor weather.
One of our followers has made a lovely tribute video to Yurruga. Thanks, Simoninna. https://youtu.be/8r0lHJ0f3I4. The two eggs were non-viable. Probably one was infertile and the other fertilised, but without a formed chick. I removed them and one will go to the Australian Museum (one exploded!). So a sad end to the season, especially as there was only one chick. Let's hope for a better season in 2022. Thanks for everyone's concern.
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Many thanks to our forum member seira, who took care for the update 2022 for this introduction post
viewtopic.php?p=876192#p876192
Honey, I am home 
