June 15, 2018:
The Tarentum peregrine family is already fun to watch. Now the excitement is ramping up.
Back on June 5, Gerry Devinney captured this video of the adult peregrines escorting an osprey away from their nest. On June 8 Mary Ann Thomas wrote about them here: Tarentum Peregrines Defend Their Nesting Success.
Last Tuesday evening, June 12, the first nestling ventured out of the nestbox to ledge walk and exercise his wings.
We don’t know the chicks’ exact ages but they’re somewhere between 32-36 days old today. Young peregrines fledge at 38-45 days old. These birds will fly soon, maybe within a week!
Visit the Tarentum boat launch to watch the youngsters get ready to fly. Click here for a map.
UPDATE, June 15, 6:10pm: Rob Protz reports that there are three (3!) young peregrines out of the nestbox this evening.
(video by Gerry Devinney)
Please define fledge. My dictionary says to learn to fly. BUT apparently here we imply permanently leaving the nest. Where do the falcon (and eagle) chicks roost after their first taking wing?
Nan, By fledge I also mean “learn to fly.” It’s a process that transforms into “flying” upon first flight away from the ledge-walking or branching zone. … Peregrine and eagle chicks roost wherever they end up as night falls on their first day of flying.
Encouraging news at Tarentum. I hope their nesting site keeps the young out of the water when they fledge. But if I were the watchers, I’d be ready with boats. After reading the news link, which had a link to the game commission, I read that most of the 50 pair of nesting peregrines in PA are on bridge and building sites. Since their historic nest sites before DDT were on cliffs along rivers, I was wondering if the game commission is going to hack Dorie and Louie’s chicks along one of these historic sites? They must be ready to fledge by now?
Robin, I know that the PA Game Commission planned to hack Dori & Louie’s chicks (I heard it at the Pitt banding). However, I have no recent news.
Thursday evening the 1 nestling was out of the box and on the pier 4 times, once even over by the upriver foot. He (Art’s pronoun – I agree) hasn’t stayed out long and likes to run behind the box (NK side) to hide. He’s pretty well feathered out. The other nesting is still more white and staying in the box, probably female.
Three peregrines! I’ll have to update my story and that’s a good thing!
I think they’ll fly soon. Based on leaving the nestbox, they are older than we thought.
The June 8th issue of Pennsylvania Outdoor News had an article in which Patti Barber stated that the PEFA nestlings removed from the downtown 3rd Ave site are definitely going to be hacked in an undisclosed location.
Thanks for the update, Rob! Very much appreciated. May Dori and Louie’s offspring go on to colonize new territories. I also hope the Tarentum brood fledges successfully. Thank you and everyone who is watching out for them!
Please define “hack”. Taint hack politician, hack a computer, hack a branch, etc.