News, video, and more about Utica's Peregrine Falcons
In case you were watching the live feed – Orion miscalculated her return to the box from the west veranda. She eventually glided her way to the parking lot where we rescued her. She is on her way to a local rehabilitator to be checked out. We will update everyone as soon as we have more information. We believe she is fine.
It’s now been three days since Comet fledged and there is little new to report. In fact Comet didn’t fly at all yesterday and seemed quite content to stay put on a high window ledge on the east face of the Adirondack Bank building. Since his “inadvertent” fledgling on Monday, he flew only once and that was on Tuesday. We were pleased to see two food drops to Comet take place Wednesday morning. As far as anyone knew, Comet hadn’t been fed since early Monday morning. Meanwhile in and around the nestbox, Skye, the second chick to hatch, was actively pumping her wings and trotting around the east and west verandas – and even traveling beyond them along the narrow ledge that runs beneath the windows. Orion has been happy enough to flap her wings inside the box and remain in the place where most meals are served. She had a few scuffles with her sister on Wednesday, but by that evening they were sleeping on top of each other as is often their habit. Though no new fledge took place today, the Fledge Watch volunteers were treated to some nice aerial acrobatics by Astrid and Ares. The most impressive was a barrel role executed by Astrid. She did this in order to slow her decent to the ledge where Comet was perched. Also, an unusual amount of low level pigeon chasing took place today. Primarily Astrid was seen in hot pursuit of low flying pigeons within the air space of the Downtown “canyon”. Though most of these witnessed chases were unsuccessful, at least one was successful and she was seen flying back her prize.
What happens next with the Utica Peregrines? Will Comet begin flying again before Skye fledges? Only time will tell. If you’re able to get Downtown, come find out for yourself.
Just after 3:00 PM yesterday, June 15th, Comet, the first Peregrine chick of the season to hatch, became the first one to fledge. Earlier in the afternoon Comet had been spending time out on the nestbox perch flapping his wings and strengthening his wing muscles, but we believe that leaving the perch was not exactly what he intended to do. Apparently, Astrid landing right beside him on the perch, was what forced him off the ledge. Fortunately his wings were ready and he managed to navigate around the Adirondack Bank Building. He came down on a tiny 15th story ledge on the back of the bank building. The Fledge Watch volunteers took a while to locate him and were (obviously) relieved to find him unscathed. He wasn’t a happy camper though, and at one point he tried to scamper up the bricks alongside a window frame. He ended up right back were he started – back on that same narrow ledge. Both parents seemed to know where he was and flew by him several times; possibly they were trying to coax him off the ledge and to somewhere they could see him (and drop off food to him) more easily, but he wasn’t having it. There he seemed content to stay for the night.
The official Fledge Watch starts tomorrow (Monday) and it looks like it’s beginning not a moment too soon. Comet certainly looks like he’s ready to go at any time. For the last couple of days he’s been checking out the platform on the west side of the box (dubbed his “veranda”). Today he really seemed at ease tromping around on it; he tested his wings there and even had a snooze. Today’s surprise was to see Skye become just as comfortable with the platform on the east side of the box. Several times we had all three nestlings in separate compartments. The adults made food drops sporadically during the day – but always at the nest box. Only once did Astrid stay and do a feeding, and that time it was only Orion that got any attention. The other two youngsters ultimately did eat. In fact I think that Comet ate an entire Cuckoo. A few times Astrid and Ares seemed to be tempting Comet to fledge. They did some enticing flybys and then perched on window ledges beneath the box. Today was not the day though. Perhaps tomorrow? Hope to see some of you Downtown this week. It should be very interesting!
The days of all the chicks being together in the nest box are rapidly coming to a close. Lately the young falcons are engaging in incessant wing flapping and they are getting increasingly curious about what’s happening outside of the box. Yesterday morning, the eldest, now named “Comet”, actually left the nest and perched for a while on one of the new platforms attached to the side of the box. He came back after about a half-hour and joined the others. Right now as I’m writing this, the 2nd chick to hatch, named “Skye” is perched on the very edge of the box. It seems that we can’t begin our Fledgling Watch soon enough! The youngest of the 3, named “Orion” still has a lot of white down feathers and hopefully she won’t try to rush things too much. Though our Watch doesn’t officially begin until Monday, if anyone wants to come downtown to help keep an eye on things over the weekend, your help would be much appreciated.
