Spoiler alert: There are three of them!
Three adult falcons showed up at Xcel Energy’s High Bridge nestbox in Saint Paul, MN yesterday! Present were:
- Resident female H/21 bl/blu Joe’l, who has been there all winter;
- 81/S bl/blu Elken, the male that’s been courting her since February 10;
- Joe’l’s mate from last year, 32/D bl/blu Monty, who had just arrived;
Watch live here: https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/xcel-energy-cams/#peregrines.
While the males were very slightly antagonistic toward one another, there was none of the usual fighting. They both courted Joe’l, who seemed a little more interested in Elken. Elken has been courting her for about a month and he brought a food gift, but Monty showed up empty-taloned. While she bowed, chupped, ate some food, and pushed Monty aside to go greet Elken, the two males eyed each other up. But even after she flew out, they did not attack one another or fight. Perhaps this behavior is more common than we know, but I’ve never seen three adult falcons calmly inhabiting one nest box before.
The Raptor Resource Project