Yesterday afternoon we began seeing the Peregrine chicks left by themselves for short periods. This is completely normal. The chicks are about a week old now and temperatures have been warm enough to keep them comfortable. There is also no longer any need to incubate the 4th egg. While always keeping a watchful eye on the nest, both parents will now be spending more time hunting in order to meet the demands of the rapidly growing chicks. Last night I traveled Downtown to confirm what was happening with the adults. Astrid was just returning to the box when I arrived and Ares was perched nearby on Hotel Utica. There he was busy plucking the feathers off of some freshly caught prey. When he finished his task he took the meal straight over to the nest box – calling the whole way.
Awesome photo of Ares in flight! I plan to take a drive downtown sometime soon, hope I can catch sight of Astrid or Ares!
on 5-27 at 6:29 AM, Ares brought in breakfast, a small bird (not sure what ? a robin?). what I noticed was the “catch” was about the same size as the kids (as a couple of the young were reaching upward). this shows how much they have grown since hatching