It was a really big day for the Utica Peregrines. Two more Fledges happened today and all went well. The day was quite windy and the flacons used that to their advantage. It allowed the young birds to hover and to execute slower and more careful landings. There were so many events – some unprecedented, that happened today, I’m not sure where to begin. Zander had fledged yesterday afternoon, but then returned to his siblings in the nest later in the day. It was almost as if he had “un-fledged”. We thought that was interesting, but then his two brothers, Max and Luna, did exactly the same thing. All of them returned to the box repeatedly post fledging. Today, Max fledged at about dawn and Luna fledged in the late morning. No one claims to have witnessed the exact moment of either event, but both of these guys did really well in their flights. All three managed to converge with each other a few times; most notably, on the roof of the Adirondack Bank. Some landings were a little scary, especially a few that took place on the side of the Grace Church steeple, but all were recovered from nicely. It was an amazing day. The fledge watchers that showed up to help safeguard the fledglings received a fantastic air show for their efforts. As it stands now, Spirit is the only one of the brood who has yet to leave the nest. We expect her to give it a try tomorrow. This show has just begun! Come down if you can
Oh my gosh, I was holding my breath just looking at the photos!!