Author: Matt Perry

Update for Thursday, June 6, 2024

Peregrine Falcons employ a variety of techniques to manage the timing of their young’s fledging, ensuring it occurs when the fledglings are ready for the challenges of flight. Balancing encouragement and restraint, these strategies are critical for the survival and success of their offspring. As fledging time approaches, parent Peregrines gradually reduce the frequency of food deliveries to the nest. This technique stimulates the young to leave the nest and seek food, prompting them to be more adventurous, to check out areas away from the nest, to test their wings, and practice short hop-flights. Parents often swoop or hover around the nest vicinity and demonstrate other flying techniques. When they do this they are encouraging their young to mimic these behaviors. By showing the fledglings how to take off, maneuver in the air, and land safely, parents provide a live tutorial. Parents will also use food as an incentive to coax fledglings from the nest. They sometimes hold prey just out of reach or take it to a ledge away from the nest, prompting the young to work to get to the meal.

To prevent premature fledging, parents might continue to deliver food directly to the nest, ensuring the young feel secure and less compelled to leave or be too adventurous. This technique provides the necessary nutrition while allowing the fledglings more time to develop strength and coordination. If parents deem it too dangerous for their young to fledge, due to the presence of predators, people, machinery, or inclement weather, they may admit, loud piercing alarm calls, which typically serves to freeze the activities of the young and stops them from being adventurous.

Update for Wednesday, June 5, 2024

At the Utica nest we have often seen close bonds develop between nestling/fledgling Peregrines. Friendships formed among sibling Peregrines play a significant role in establishing cooperative relationships in their adult lives, especially among mated pairs. These early bonds, developed through shared experiences and mutual dependence, lay the groundwork for the complex social behaviors necessary for successful breeding and hunting. During the nestling stage, young Peregrines engage in activities that foster social cohesion, such as competing for parental attention, alternating wing exercising, and engaging in play. These interactions are crucial for developing communication skills and establishing social hierarchies. Sibling rivalry, while competitive, also teaches conflict resolution and cooperation, as nestlings learn to share limited resources and space within the nest.

As the peregrines fledge and begin to explore their surroundings, these early bonds are reinforced. Fledglings often spar together, practice hunting, and repel intruders together. These cooperative interactions not only improves their survival rates but also strengthens their social bonds. Through these shared activities, fledglings develop a deep understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which becomes essential in forming successful partnerships in adulthood. When these Peregrines reach maturity and begin seeking mates, the foundation of trust and cooperation established during their nestling and fledgling stages becomes invaluable. Mated pairs must work closely to defend their territory, select and defend nest sites, and raise their young. The ability to communicate effectively, coordinate efforts, and support one another is crucial for the success of these tasks. Furthermore, the cooperative behaviors learned in early life help mated pairs manage the demanding process of raising offspring. Both parents must share responsibilities, such as incubating eggs, hunting for food, and protecting the nest. The trust and teamwork developed during their formative years enable them to balance these duties more effectively, ensuring higher reproductive success and the survival of their chicks.

Update for Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Young peregrine falcons exhibit heightened curiosity during the critical period just before and after fledging from the nest. As they approach the age of fledging, typically around six weeks old, their curiosity becomes more pronounced. They frequently peer over the nest edge, watching the activities taking place in their neighborhood. This helps them understand their environment and prepares them mentally for the challenges of flight. During this pre-fledging phase, these young falcons engage in vigorous wing-flapping exercises, sometimes leaping into the air and practicing short hops within the nest area. This not only strengthens their wings but also gives them a sense of the air currents and how their bodies respond to them. 

Update for Monday, June 3, 2024

Ledging behavior is a critical developmental stage for nestling Peregrine Falcons, marking their transition from the safety of the nest to the broader habitat around them. This behavior typically begins when the nestlings are about four to five weeks old and involves the young falcons venturing to and beyond the edges of the nesting site. For the Utica birds, this means exploring the nestbox’s side platforms, or “verandas,” and then progressing to the window ledges beyond. This can be a perilous time for the young birds as they negotiate narrow ledges and find themselves in difficult and uncomfortable positions. However, the ledging process is vital for building their physical strength, coordination, experience, and confidence. It also provides them with their first serious problem-solving experiences as they face unpredictable and challenging obstacles. Mastering these skills is essential before the birds take their first flights.

Parental involvement is crucial during the ledging stage. Adult Peregrines, particularly the mother, often encourage their young to venture onto the ledges and practice their flying skills. The parents may demonstrate landing and take-off techniques, providing visual guidance for the nestlings. Additionally, they continue to bring food to the nest, but as the ledging behavior progresses, they may start delivering prey to more challenging locations, encouraging the young falcons to venture out and practice retrieving their meals.

Update for Sunday, June 2, 2024

As the chicks get close to fledging time, they begin to do more interacting in the nestbox. Play is an essential aspect of the development of many animal species, including nestling Peregrine Falcons. In the confined space of the nest, Peregrines chicks engage in playful activities that are fundamental for their physical growth, coordination, and social development. These activities include stomping on each other with their oversized feet, grabbing at each other with bills and talons, playing tug-o-war with food scraps, and knocking each other over flailing wings.

Social interactions during play are vital for establishing social hierarchies and learning communication skills among nestling falcons. Through play-fighting, vocalizations, and cooperative behaviors, the young birds learn to assert dominance, recognize submission, and understand their place within the sibling hierarchy. These interactions help reduce future conflicts and ensure a more cohesive social structure as they mature. Mock pecking and gentle grappling with siblings also help the young falcons develop their motor skills and improve their reflexes. These interactions mimic the quick and precise movements they will need when capturing prey and evading predators. By engaging in such play, the nestlings build the necessary strength and agility that are vital for their survival as they transition to independence.