Last month, with history as my guide, I predicted that the first Pitt peregrine chick would fly on June 5 and the best days for Fledge Watch would be June 7 and 8.

But that was before I found out all three chicks are boys.  (Male peregrines learn to fly earlier than their sisters.)

That was before one of the chicks fell into the gully on Sunday and returned on Tuesday, thereby exploring off-nest earlier than usual.

And that’s before they started showing their independence by acting selfish at mealtimes.  Case in point…

Have you seen how the chicks grab the prey from their parents and mantle over it?  The near chick in the photo above is really worried someone will take his snack so he’s using his wings to hide it from his brothers. No more sitting in a row while Dorothy distributes the food.   “I’m a big boy.  I want to eat this alone!”

Yesterday morning the first chick ledge-walked up the bulwark (top photo) and in the afternoon one perched on the hood of the nestbox just like his mother does.  (photo below)

This is a sure sign they’ll fly soon. “Ledging” can lead to fledging in just two days.

I now predict with confidence that the first chick will fly soon, perhaps this weekend.  My hunch is Sunday at the earliest because bad weather will keep them down until then.  (I think!)

So despite the fact that I have other things to do this weekend I’m going to change my plans and start Fledge Watch on Sunday.

The new schedule is jogged earlier than the one I declared last month.  Read the next blog post for details.

(photos from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)