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Today Astrid seemed to be signalling her desire to leave the Utica Peregrine Falcon reality show. For the first time she was seen pecking like crazy at the poor camera. One of the chicks had a go at it as well. Seriously, we speculate that the falcons are seeing reflected motion in the lens and are mistaking it for the movement of insects. Insects in the nest box are becoming increasingly common as the floor gets covered by droppings, bits of prey, feathers and pellets. Meanwhile the chicks are becoming more and more ambulatory and more independent. Seeing the chicks now, with their strange folds of skin and rudimentary wings, I can’t help but be reminded of Dodo birds. Look them up and you’ll see what I mean.

I’m sure that most of you have noticed the strange blob that recently appeared on the right side of the nest cam’s field of view. For several days, the Peregrine Chicks have been liberally spraying “whitewash” out of their back ends and one of them scored a hit on the camera’s housing. The good new is that the chicks are eating well. The bad new is that we may loose our view of the nest. If the camera lens becomes too fogged, it may be necessary to switch to a backup camera. If this happens there will be an interruption in the streaming video while we switch lines and enable the other camera.

 

Anyone that has been periodically checking the video from the falcon box can see that Peregrine Chicks are rapidly growing in size. The infertile egg is still there and it continues to give us something to measure their size against. This week for the first time we are also seeing some evolution in their behavior. Besides walking around a little, at least one of them has been seen preening. Also some “wing” flapping was seen by the oldest chick. Another interesting development is that during the start of feeding sessions, the parents have both been seen dangling food above the chicks’ bills. By doing this they are training the youngsters how to reach up and tear at their meal.

The Peregrine chicks are now left alone in the nest for long periods of time. But you can be sure that at least one parent keeps a close eye on the nest box at all times – most often from a perch on a nearby building. Yesterday the chicks moved themselves to the far corner of the box where all 3 stayed huddled close together. The afternoon sun was intense and that corner was the shadiest place to be, but now a day later they still remain in the same spot. The parents haven’t tried to move them, nor have they attempted to move the sterile egg. At least 2 feedings took place this morning that I know of. The fare for the 2nd feeding was a Black-billed Cuckoo. Obviously this bird was not caught in the City. Prey like the cuckoo and other non-urban songbirds tells us that during this nesting season the falcons are relying on every bit of their extended hunting territory. The territory of a pair of Peregrines is normally 3 to 5 miles.

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 4^th 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.