A fourth egg arrived at the U of A over the weekend. A fifth egg is always a possibility!

More good news at the U of A nesting site! Another egg was laid early this morning, bringing the total to three for this year. Peregrine falcons typically lay a clutch of three to four eggs, though in the past, we have seen clutches of five.

Wonderful news from the U of A over the weekend; two eggs have been laid so far! It is wonderful to see this nesting site active again after an unsuccessful season last year. Stay tuned for more updates as the clutch grows.

Peregrines don't build a typical bird's nest; because of that, they scrape the substrate to create a bowl-shaped area. This prevents the eggs from rolling away and also allows for maximum heat transfer during incubation. We look forward to seeing the first egg soon!

A peregrine falcon has returned to the U of A site! After a brief period of activity from local pigeons, the falcon has re-established its presence at the nesting site. We will continue to monitor the camera as the falcon prepares for the 2026 nesting season.

No peregrines have been spotted at the U of A yet. However the pigeons seem to be utilizing the nesting site in the meantime. Stay tuned for more updates as the season progresses.

The female peregrine falcon at the University of Alberta nest is still in her first year—and like most yearlings, she hasn’t begun breeding yet. While this nest is quiet for now, it’s a valuable reminder that falcons, like many raptors, often mature before starting their breeding season. With time and experience, this young bird may become a future nest leader.

The male peregrine continues to supply food at the U of A nest. The female has plenty to choose from for breakfast!

While there may not be eggs at the U of A nest this year, there’s still a fascinating transformation under way. With all the free food being provided by the male peregrine, and no chicks to feed, one will witness the accelerated moult of the yearling female into their adult plumage. Watch as the female goes from ugly duckling to adult beauty by the end of the season!

You may have noticed prey piling up at the U of A nest box. Why so much food? The pairs at U of A and Genesee are now made up of yearling individuals, particularly females, who are able to obtain territories early due to a loss of older birds. The bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza) has impacted peregrines around the world with mortality of adults and an estimated 30% decline in the Alberta population. These young birds are not reproductively mature and usually do not lay. This likely means no eggs at this nest this year, but you’ll be seeing some interesting behaviours. Despite the best efforts of the male mates, they often do not copulate or respond to other courtship behaviours. This can drive the males to oversupply the pair with food. You’ll also see other behaviours like storing or eating prey items on the nest ledge, and in this case, in the nest box. Keep watching to see this situation unfold and to witness the recovery of pairs in summers to come!

The peregrine pair were spotted chatting with each other. This is common practice as part of courtship and mating. The female at this nest is suspected to be a juvenile, as they tend to have more brown colouring with heavier markings on their chests.

Exciting news! Peregrines have been spotted at U of A! Earlier this morning, a male peregrine could be seen at the nest. If you look closely, there is a peregrine head visible at the bottom right of the screen, which we believe to be the female. She popped into frame a few seconds after the male departed.

More pigeon sightings at U of A. Let's hope they don't decide to drop in when the peregrines arrive!

We haven’t seen much peregrine activity at the U of A nest, but until they arrive, we have pigeons frequenting the nest for some entertainment. Can you spot the inconspicuous feet?

Great news! Earlier this morning, the chick at the U of A nest finally spread its wings and fledged! With the last nest emptied that wraps up the 2024 Wildlife Cameras! Thanks for watching along and sending in some great screenshots and updates as we tracked these amazing birds. Stay tuned in March/April 2025 for the next season!

The peregrine chick has only a bit of fluff left on their body. Will sometime this week be the time for it to fledge the nest? It has been eating without Mom's assistance (besides her bringing the food!) and spreading it's wings, so we think the chick will be ready very soon. Stay tuned to see when the chick finally fledges from the nest!

The lone peregrine chick is seen resting and anticipating when the parents will return with its next meal. The chick is looking larger and plumper every day with more adult feathers coming through!

The female peregrine brought a nice big meal for the chick this morning. The peregrine chick and mother are getting some relief from the recent heatwave.

The U of A parent appears to be trying to shield the chick from the sun during the day and keeping it in the corner of the nest. You may have noticed in the heat that the birds pant from time to time. This is because birds don't sweat (water is too heavy to carry in flight) so they pant, just like a dog, to cool.

The peregrine chick continues to grow at the U of A nest. If you look closely, you can see the downy white feathers are slowly being replaced by the juvenile dark feathers.

This week's scorching weather has the peregrines doing what they can to stay cool. The chick looks very relaxed, laying flat and legs out! Can you spot the adult peregrine hiding behind the box?

The parents have been busy bringing food and feeding the chick. In just over a week, the chick has grown quite a bit!

The single chick is doing well and being fed by the female. The male is helping to bring food, but still appears confused by the little arrival. Stay tuned to see the chick grow!

As viewers may have observed, it has been a rough couple of days at the U of A nest! The first egg hatched on the weekend and the biologists observed a significant amount of visible yolk after hatching. This suggests there was a possible issue with the egg, such as an unretracted yolk sac, which is abnormal for a fully developed chick. This was a common occurrence during the era of thin-shelled eggs due to the effects of DDT. Unfortunately, the male peregrine consumed the chick shortly after. Egg eating has been observed in the wild and in captivity. The second egg hatched yesterday. It's likely that the male peregrine, inexperienced in breeding, became confused after the initial incident and ended up consuming the hatched chick. But it's not all bad news! The third egg hatched this morning under the female's watch and she has been keeping it close. Stay tuned for more updates!

The female peregrine is taking a break from incubating to have some lunch. We are eagerly awaiting these late eggs to hatch!

Another egg was laid at the U of A nest for a total of three eggs! Will there be a fourth?

It was a very eventful long weekend for the peregrine pair at U of A. Not one, but two eggs were laid!

The peregrines enjoyed a tasty meal over the weekend. Will there be eggs at the nest this year? Stay tuned for updates.

A peregrine was spotted earlier today at U of A. Will there be another peregrine arriving?

The U of A nest remains empty of falcons, but the pigeons have moved in! When will the raptors return?