Author: Matt Perry

Since his release on Friday evening, Skye has been taking it slow and easy in the Downtown canyon. He does a limited amount of flying and plenty of resting, which is pretty much what the doctor ordered. Sometimes when he flies his wing beats are shallow and he seems to tire quickly. Obviously his wing muscles need some more time to completely recover from the injuries sustained over 10 days ago.  Initially Astrid seemed to be rejecting Skye, but has now largely relaxed her objections to his presence. However, she is still not above diving at him from time to time. Ares has been only marginally protective of Skye, which is in stark contrast to the  degree of protection he afforded Orion when she came back to the fold. It’s really been Comet who has been Skye’s lifeline. Brother Comet has taken on the role of protector – not hesitating to chase Astrid away when she gets too rambunctious. Comet has also been seen bringing food to Skye. On Monday morning, Skye needed to abort a landing on the roof of the State Office Building. Visibly tired, he retreated to the top of the County Building. And then from the other side of the canyon, Comet came in with prey (it’s not clear if it was something he caught himself or found) and brought it to Skye who flapped his wings in anticipation. That is one good brother!

 

 

 

About nine days after his accident, Skye was returned to the Downtown canyon at around 6:45 Friday evening. He didn’t wait long before taking to the air again. He left the release site on the roof of the Adirondack Bank and headed for Hotel Utica where he made a perfect landing on that buildings higher ledge. Before long, Astrid, who had been perched on the State Office Building, made a few low passes or swoops. It wasn’t the most welcoming move she could’ve made, but next to her aggressive response to Orion’s reintroduction a few weeks before, this wasn’t too bad. Meanwhile, both Comet and Ares made no moves. Watchers on the ground didn’t know where Ares was, but Comet had flown in a little earlier and was perched on the east face of the State Office Building. By an hour later, Skye had flown a few more times – landing on the State Building, the Adirondack Bank and Hotel Utica once again. Astrid dogged him once or twice during these flights, but thankfully, she didn’t drive him too hard or force him into any reckless landings. When Ares returned, both he and Comet took a turn flying with Skye. Their interactions were more encouraging. Skye even shared a window ledge with his brother for a few minutes. In assessing Skye’s flights, we were a little concerned that he was showing some stiffness in one wing – meaning that he is not exactly 100 % yet. Still he managed to maintain height, perform evasive maneuvers and land with no apparent difficulty.

For the next week we will require Fledge Watch volunteers to observe this situation. We have no reason at this point to believe that Skye will be rejected by the family, but given that possibility and the fact that Skye’s flying is not yet up to full strength, he may just need some spotters for a little while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life goes on for the Utica Peregrine Falcon family. Comet seems to have adjusted to being an only child. For a few days after Skye’s accident he seemed to become more sedentary – recalling for us what he was like for the five days after he fledged. This time it was just that he was lacking a brother to lure him into flying games. Soon enough though he was back to careening around the canyon and regularly displacing both his father and mother from their perches. With one fledgling certainly easier to provide for than three, Astrid and Ares’ jobs have become a bit easier. There is now typically a surplus of prey in the pantries and often enough the birds have full crops. Meanwhile Skye was transferred from Woodhaven Wildlife Center in Chadwicks to Kindred Kingdoms Wildlife Center in Pennellville. At the latter facility there is a flight cage where Skye’s flying ability can be accessed. With luck he will be able to be released to his family by the end of the week. Fledge Watch Volunteers, please stand by!

 

 

 

 

 

Sometime last night in the early evening – probably between 6:00 and 7:00 PM, Skye, the 2nd of this year’s Peregrine chicks to fledge, met with an accident. He was found standing in the parking lot of the State Office Building with his wing drooping. After capture he was brought to a local Wildlife Rehabilitator. A cursory examination revealed nothing obviously wrong with his wing, but he awaits x-rays and a more thorough examination. At this point we are hopeful that he will be able to be released back into the Downtown territory, but only time will tell. Though official Fledge Watch had ended only the day before, there were observers on the scene, but none of them saw the incident that brought Skye down.

 

Skye and Comet are becoming very hard to keep up with as they zip through the Downtown canyon and beyond. Walking around Downtown and looking for them on roofs and ledges is not as easy as it used to be. As soon as you find them – or one of them, they are up and soaring again. As our official Fledge Watch came to an end on Tuesday night, those of us present got to see another fantastic air show by the four remaining falcons. They were practicing maneuvers like mid-air food hand-offs and hovering. The winds were pretty strong in the evening, but falcons like it that way since it makes for seemingly effortless flying. Comet and Skye continue to act in tandem in nearly everything they do. Together they escorted an Osprey out of the territory while their parents watched from their perches on the State Office Building. After the comparatively giant bird had been dealt with, the two siblings returned and landed next to each other on the same window ledge of the State Building. Even though on Sunday, Comet proved that he could catch his own prey, the fledglings will remain dependent on their parents for most of their food for at least a few more weeks. This means that they will continue to beg, chase and even displace their parents from their perches. For anyone interested in seeing the best bird show in town, you still have a chance. Just come Downtown and bring binoculars and a folding chair. They won’t disappoint!