I haven’t seen it yet but I heard from Ann Hohn at Make-A-Wish, whose offices are on the same floor as the nest box, that the chicks have begun to hatch at the Gulf Tower peregrine falcon nest. We aren’t sure when hatching began because Tasha has been clamped down on the nest so tightly. Can you capture a picture of the babies? (Use Save Image on this still-image page.)
UPDATE #1: The first egg hatched yesterday, April 22, at 6:00am – possibly before dawn. I captured a picture of Tasha sitting tight on the nest at 3:26pm and put it on my last blog saying how impatient I was for the eggs to hatch. And there she was, brooding a chick, as I wrote the blog. Silly me!
UPDATE #2: Well now we are really wondering. By late afternoon today (Thursday) Tasha had twice exchanged incubation duties and exposed the nest and twice several observers saw five eggs, no chicks. This is puzzling. Those who saw a possible chick yesterday – and there were several people who saw it – are wondering what it was. It’s hard to say what’s going on but I guess we’re still waiting.
I’ve been watching all morning as I write a paper for my Masters – and she has NOT moved!! I keep hoping I’ll see something !!!
This will be my first viewing of a baby peregrine!! I can’t wait…although at this rate, I might actually see Dorothy’s first!!
Well, if I was spending as much time on writing this paper as I have been on Tasha – it would be done by now! I just got a picture of her moving off the eggs – but all I can see are eggs!! Maybe when they shift ‘guard’ someone will be able to get a clearer picture! I just can’t see a chick in what I took and I even enlarged it in photoshop…
I’ll be anxious for when somebody finally gets a picture!!
She’s being a tease, Kate – several times I’ve seen her shift around and stretch out like she’s about to get up for a moment, then she plops right back down. I’ve seen one of the eggs, but no chick yet.
I was looking at the Pitt Camera at 6:20 PM today & neither Tasha nor Louie were on the nest but it didn’t look like any of the eggs were broken open-they all look whole. Are we sure that one of the chicks hatched yesterday? I know Dorothy’s haven’t hatched as of 6 PM today either. Can’t wait this will be my first viewing of a baby peregrine as well.
meant to say the Gulf Tower camera but I didn’t see any chicks only 5 unbroken eggs.
Around 5pm, I saw a white thing I thought was fuzz. Tasha was sitting looking out over towards the city and there was a white blub down towards her tail. I had thought it was a chick but she ignored it, which didn’t seem natural. Eventually I realized that it was her feathers. She had somehow gotten ruffled. Later, I took a picture of her with her feathers all ruffled up – I’m not sure what the official term is – but it reminded me of how sometimes birds ruff up their feathers in the birdbath. The next time I looked, around 7ish – the white fuzz was gone.
I believe that white undercoats of hers was mistaken for a chick! Easy enough mistake to make!!
I just hope the eggs actually hatch!! Maybe its taking longer than projected because the weather has been colder than expected??