Questions About Seven

We have not received a satellite signal from Seven since 1 April, when he was still near his usual cliff on the Chilean coast. The following day, we obtained an anomalous signal to the north but judged it to be of low reliability.

We are thinking that we may have another transmitter failure at this point. Of course, we are still hoping that the unit may switch back on or that he is perching more than normal on his usual ledge under a rock overhang prior to migration.

As with the other two transmitters that stopped sending signals recently (Houdini and Coquimba) we did not receive any mortality signal from this unit.

We are hopeful but not optimistic at this point. We'll give it another week before we consider that the unit has failed.

Ready, Fire, Aim

We received a low resolution satellite signal from Seven in Chile yesterday, indicating that he had moved about 100 miles north to the Santiago region. Unfortunately, we jumped the gun. We erroneously interpreted this signal to indicate the beginning of the 2008 northbound migration. The signal turned out to be an anomalous one and therefore we stand corrected.

Last year, the migration began at this exact time and so we are all waiting to pinpoint the depature dates for the falcons. Perhaps a bit too anxiously....

Seven in Chile

Seven arrived back at his cliff site in Chile around 25-28 November, 2007, completing his fall migration in about 75 days and covering approximately 13,351 km (8,297 miles).

On 29 November, team member Kathy Gunther and I flew down to Santiago from Lima to meet up with Lula Belle, our truck. We were assisted there at the shipping company, APL, by the charming Sophia Chergui. We then jumped on a bus and drove for two hours to the coastal port of San Antonio.

The following day, Kathy and I put in 12 hours (0900 t0 2100) getting the truck out of the port. Incredible amount of work for such a seemingly simple process! You really want to think twice about shipping a vehicle to South America.

We were finally reunited with Lula Belle and, at 2300, we drove an hour south to some hayfields above Seven's cliff and camped out under a moonless sky absolutely filled with stars. You could see the Greater and Lesser Magellanic Clouds, Orion upside-down (always a sure sign of being in the southern hemisphere) and, of course, my favorite constellation and the namesake of the project, the Southern Cross, well to the south. The ocean waves were rolling onto the beaches below, having blown in from somewhere deep in the southern oceans. Meteors arced overhead, leaving long trails of gold and yellow. We had come a long way.

Next morning, we drove the short distance down to the seacoast and arrived at Seven's cliff. At precisely 0938, Kathy called out that a peregrine was flying by the bluff. He landed on a nearby dirt ridge above us and we could clearly see the antenna above his back. It was Seven!

We spent the entire day watching him on his cliff. He looked great, feather perfect with bright gold cere and orbital ring. Oddly enough, he always perched in the shade, never in the sun, and spent a good amount of time just sleeping and preening. (see images below)

He allowed us to observe him without exhibiting any nervousness, unlike last March when he was pretty shy. Over the course of the day, he flew to several perches that we were previously unaware of, disappeared for a bit now and then but always returned fairly quickly. In the evening, we finally lost him, and assumed that he had gone hunting.

It was deeply satisfying to look at this remarkable and beautiful little falcon and realize just how far he had traveled. I thought about the man who had seen him on his breeding cliff in the NWT of Canada last summer, I imagined the stunning differences in habitat that Seven had experienced. He had ranged over Arctic sea ice, high tundra, vast boreal forests, the Great Plains, flown through the tropics and across the dry deserts of South America. I envisioned all of the cities and towns and people that he must have seen from the air, all of them blissfully unaware of his journey. I imagined all of the different prey species that he must have caught and eaten, likely shorebirds, parrots, doves and who knows what else?

While we were there, marvelling over him, a group of four Chilean birders drove up to us. We were quite surprised as they were the first people to come by this remote stretch of beach all day. It turns out that they had been following the website and had driven all the way down from Santiago just to try and see Seven! We were delighted to be able to point him out. There was something appropriate about him being "greeted" on his return by Chileans. We really appreciated that. And hello to Ernesto!

After a second night camping nearby (and recovering from 8 days and nights in Lima), we drove into Santiago and met our friends and team-mates, Christian and Gaininna. As always, they kindly extended their hospitality to us. Many thanks to them and their wonderful family.

From there, I took a long flight home. Two and a half month long trip. Many new friends. Unforgettable journey.

Close-up of "Seven" at one of his usual cliff perches in Chile just after finishing his southern migration.
(photo by: Bud Anderson)

"Seven" - photo taken just after his southern migration.
** Note GPS transmitter and antenna.
(photo by: Bud Anderson)

"Seven's" coastal cliff at his austral home range near Estero Maitenlahue, Chile.

"Seven Arrives Back Home In Chile"

On approximately 25 November, after a long journey, Seven arrived back at his austral range on the coast of Chile.

He returned to the same area where we captured him last March, confirming that like many other South American tundra pergrines, he is strongly philopatric (I.e. returns to the same area every year).

He spent 73 days on his migration south from the Arctic, about the same number of days he took for the migration north.

This is one of the first times a male tundra peregrine has been tracked in such detail.We have now defined his remarkble range across two continents and hopefully will be able to compare his route and movements north again next spring.

Seven Moves Back Down to the Coast in Chile

Seven is streaking for home. As in spring, he flew high into the desert salar regions of the Andes for awhile. After a short visit there, he headed back down to sea level along the Pacific coastline again. He is currently near the city of La Serena, where we are heading next week.

He covered 565 km (350 miles) moving through the Atacama region of Chile over the last two days.

Seven in Chile for the Earthquake

Seven arrived in Chile just in time for the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in the Calama region today. He flew 468 km (291 miles) over the last two days and was very near to the epicenter of the quake last night. Since it occured during mid-day, he may have been migrating at the time of the impact.

We captured three of the tagged peregrines in Antofagasta last February and so we all know the area well. We have many fond memories of the place and the people there. Speaking for everyone on our team, we wish all of our friends in northern Chile the best of luck and safety in these difficult times.

Both Males Now In Peru

Seven continues on his long journey south, steadily crossing the Atacama Desert of Peru. He is nearing the Chilean border town of Arica and is rapidly reducing the distance to his coastal site south of Vina Del Mar.

Sparrow King has also just entered Peru from Ecuador and is heading down the same coastal route as Seven. They still remain separated by several days.

We should be able to establish the arrival times for both birds on their austral ranges within a 48 hour period. Since Seven "winters" much farther south than Sparrow King (Antofagasta), their arrival dates may be similar.

Seven Now in Peru

Seven is continuing to move south as expected. He flew across Ecuador and entered into the Atacama Desert of Peru during the last two days. He has left the tropics behind and is now confronted with the longest, driest desert in the world. It must really be seen to be appreciated.

He covered 508km (316 mi.) on this segment and is now about 120km north of the town of Trujillo.

Peruvian peregrine expert and long-time friend, Oscar Beingolea, comments...

"Hello everybody,
So Seven must be near Pacasmayo, still 720 km north of Lima.
By the way, last Saturday three of the wintering falcons along the (Pan-Am) highway were back on their perches, two males and one that seemed to be a female. It is curious but she could be the same female that has appeared there for at least four seasons, but later moves to somewhere else.
Regards,
Oscar"

Seven Crosses the Equator

Seven has now arrived in Ecuador and is winging his way south at a good rate. He is a little southeast of Guayaquil, Ecuador, and following the same general route as in spring.

Don adds...."Since beginning their migrations, Seven has averaged 206km (128 mi.) per day, and Sparrow King has averaged 277km (172 mi.) per day. Sparky is a nice nickname for that bird, Bud, but now I'm thinking that "Flash" might be even better... :)"

Seven should be arriving in Peru sometime today. After that, it is home to Chile.

Seven Rockets Into South America

Seven left Panama during the last two days and has now flown almost entirely across Colombia. He is nearly into Ecuador and should enter the southern hemisphere soon. Don reports that Seven has covered 563 km (351 miles) in the last 48 hours. He seems to be putting on some speed and it is going to be interesting to see if he keeps it up all the way south.

Seven in Honduras

Marco Saborio (Costa Rica) sends these comments on the current situation in Central America:

"I have alerted the people at Kekoldi (Hawk Counting Station) about the possible pass of Seven which I think may occur tomorrow. I'll probably move to the Caribbean tomorrow as we are having an important pass of hawks (200.000+ yesterday), the probabilities for Seven to take that route are very high due to the bad weather in the central and South pacific of the country. 890 Peregrines have passed over Kekoldi so far, we hope Seven will be nice enough to do the same."

And this:

" I can see he moved East a little bit. Is he looking for the coast? Let's see what happens. The weather has been very bad in the last week and a half, from Southern Mexico to Panama. All our countries have had a lot of rain, floods, and landslides. Roads and bridges have had a lot of damage, hope this will not delay Bud while traveling in this area.

Traditionally October is the month with more rain, however because of "La Nina" in the first two weeks we have had 95% of the average rain for the month. This kind of weather tends to slow down the raptor migration a little bit, however Peregrines seems to keep going, we had 103 passing over KEKOLDI on the 15th. The total for the season is just over a thousand."

Thanks Marco.

Seven Now Moving Through Central America

Seven is continuing to move SE toward South America at a good pace. Over the last two days, he left Mexico, completely crossed over Guatemala and is now in Honduras. He covered 606 km (376 miles) over the last two days and is now nearing the half-way point on his migration back to Chile.

October 13-Seven Arrives in Yucatan

At last signal on 10 October, our amazing little tiercel, Seven, was flying SSW across the Gulf of Mexico. He likely roosted somewhere, either on the coast or on an offshore oil rig, and by Saturday, he had flown 660 miles further south.

He successfully crossed the Gulf and, based on the Google Earth maps, he was flying across the flat agricultural fields of the Yucatan during the last download.

In 29 days, he has flown 6252 km (3,885 miles).

Seven Flying Across the Gulf of Mexico en route to Padre Island?

Seven continued to veer the the south, crossing the rest of Arkansas and then Louisiana. He flew out to sea somewhere around Galveston, Texas and headed across the Gulf on a southwesterly course. If he remains on this track, he is likely to pass along South Padre Island, Texas. Our peregrine colleagues, under the leadership of Gregg Doney, are currently capturing and banding fall migrants there. These guys are the best peregrine trappers in the world and they will all tell you that adult males, like Seven, are the most difficult to capture of all the age classes.
Looking at Seven's route, it is fascinating to see the distinct curve in his route as he went further south.

Remarkable News About Seven

Seven spent the boreal summer in the Tuktut Nogiat National Park in the NWT of Canada above the Arctic Circle. Since he did not have one of the new GPS satellite transmitters, we were unable to pinpoint the exact location of his suspected eyrie (nest).

We talked with Delia Bourrard, the Park site manager in Paulatuk on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and almost journeyed north to find him, but without more information on his location, we judged it to be an effort in futility.

Last Thursday, I received this e-mail message from Ceiridwen Robbins, Park Warden II in Paulatuk, who wrote...



"One of the community members from Paulatuk just came in to report that he'd seen a peregrine falcon with a backpack on around the Hornaday River when he was there in early August. He said there were 4-5 other falcons with it; he says some of them were young ones. He said he was about 20 m away from the birds when he saw them."



We are so grateful to have recieved this truly remarkable information. As a result, we hope to learn exactly where Seven nested. It also sounds as though he was successful in raising young in the Arctic this summer.

We are very grateful to our friends in Paulatuk. On behalf of all of us interested in Seven, we want to extend our thanks for their efforts and interest in peregrines.

Seven Heading South-Fall Migration Begins

Seven, one of two satellite-tagged adult male peregrines, is the first to begin his fall migration south. Sometime between 13-15 September, he departed his northern range and flew 349 km (217 mi) southeast, traveling east of Great Bear Lake.
Seven was our northernmost bird, inhabiting (and likely breeding in) an area (69.33 degrees north) well above the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories of Canada. His range was generally within about 20 miles of the Arctic Ocean near the village of Paulatuk and most of his satellite locations were within the Tuktut Nogiat National Park.
He was also the southernmost peregrine that we tagged in Chile. His range there was centered on the Pacific coastline (33.5 degrees S) approximately 116 km (72 miles) southwest of Santiago.
Our last signal from his coastal site in Chile was on 9 April and he arrived at his apparent breeding area on 20 June, an interval of 72 days minimum. He covered a distance of 15, 043 km (9,402 miles) over the entire migration north, an average of 208 km (130 miles) per day.

Seven Near the Arctic Ocean

Today, we received the latest signals from Seven. Over the last 2 days, he has moved about 110 km (67 miles) further north and is now in the Melville Hills of Tuktut Nogiat National Park. He is currently located on the Brock River, quite near the western boundary of the park. If you look at Google Earth, you can see the rugged nature of this area. It has lots of relief and is loaded with potential nesting cliffs, including some dramatic free-standing spires of rock. The river is good-sized with some formidable-looking rapids downstream from his location. In short, this appears to be an ideal arctic breeding area.
He is only 27 km (17 miles) from the ocean and a mere 52 km (33 miles) from the village of Paulatuk to the west.

Seven Crosses the Arctic Circle

Seven is giving us a good reason to learn some new Arctic geography this week. On 14 June, he was located west of Great Bear Lake in the NWT. Three days later, he had flown 320 km (200 miles) north and was the first and only one of our radio-tagged birds to cross the Arctic Circle (66.5 degrees N latitude). At this point, he has covered 9,323 miles on his migration north. His route is paralleling the western border of Tuktut Nogait National Park and he appears to be approaching the Melville Hills. The rivers in this area cut through the higher coastal terrain and form some excellent topographic relief. Typical for the Arctic, the riparian cuts provide an abundance of potential peregrine nesting cliffs.

Seven was about 141 km (88 miles) from the nearest town, Paulatuk, on the shores of the Amundsen Gulf in the Beaufort Sea. This village of approximately 300 people has an airstrip available and is the main entry point for tourists travelling to the National Park. The temperature there was O degrees Centigrade last week. We are hoping that Seven will end his migration soon as his next stop would be Banks Island, well out into the Arctic Ocean.

Important Notice:Duty Cycles Winding Down

There will be a major change tomorrow involving the satellite transmitter duty cycles. We are going to be transitioning from the current daily signals to a previously-programmed interval of one signal every ten days. This change will only impact the five female peregrines, i.e. Linda and Arena in North America and La Serena, Coquimba and Houdini in Chile.
The signals from the two males will remain the same, i.e. one signal every 52 hours.
This new program will generate locations for the female falcons only one time every 10 days until the fall season, when they will switch back on for the autumn migration.
For those considering putting satellite transmitters on peregrines in the future, it is important to know that we had deliberately programmed our transmitters in this manner. Based on the literature and interviews with other peregrine people working in the far north, we had anticipated that all of the migrant birds would be on territory by now. And perhaps they are. We felt that once we learned the location of the nest sites, additional signals from the area would be redundant.
In addition, we were overly conservative in setting the falcon departure dates from Chile. We thought migrant peregrines would be heading north by mid-March, when in reality, they all departed in April.
Finally, as the migration period begins to wind down, we would encourage our readers to stay tuned to this site next fall when we plan to follow the birds south via satellite.
In fact, I would encourage all of you to check in with this site periodically as we may have some interesting suprises in store for the future.

Seven In SE Alberta

Seven continued his migration into Canada and now appears to be hunting and roosting among the agricultural fields of southeast Alberta. Google Earth shows a broad and extensive area of cultivated fields. Maybe some of our Canadian readers can describe the area for us.
He is halfway between Calgary and Saskatoon, east of the town of Consort and, at last signal, was about 4.4 km (2.7 miles) north of Highway 12. At 51.7 degrees latitude, he is still trailing the other three falcons but then, he also started from much further south. He is going to be a good test of the theory that the southernmost "wintering" birds are the northernmost breeders. And, as the westernmost bird, it is impossible to predict his next move accurately. He could go almost anywhere from here.