I am pretty sure that was Leo at the nest. When I enlarged this pic, I could not see any tape on the band on the right leg.

A juvie in the rain. Can't tell who this is.

     

Just saw him too! He just took off! 

Glad you got to see him, Carol P.! He's back on the ledge again now.

Looks like an adult now.

You're right, it is an adult now.

Just saw him too! He just took off! 

Glad you got to see him, Carol P.! He's back on the ledge again now.

He is home on the ledge right now!!  Over 100 degrees out here today!

I came to post the same thing, Carly! Watching him right now. Clever little guy to head for some shade at the nest; 100 degrees is a bit too hot.

Beautiful Aria arrived for a visit:

         

And then she was gone.

(movie)

Sunset...the movie

What a beautiful sunset! Thank you, Dumpsterkitty!

[Five peregrine falcon fledglings take flight from Prairie Island nuclear plant]

Five peregrine falcon fledglings take flight from Prairie Island nuclear plant



Peregrine falcon hatchlings typically reach the size of their parents during adolescence, but they are easily distinguished from their elders while flying. Fledglings usually display rapid, erratic flapping in flight compared to the smooth, soaring movements the peregrine, the world’s’ fastest bird, is known for.

“It’s like if you had a 12-year-old kid and give them keys to the fastest sports car there is and say, ‘Here, figure it out yourself.’� said Frank Sperlak, senior chemistry technician with Xcel Energy, who is in charge of the peregrine nesting box program at the company’s Prairie Island facility. “And that’s what they’re doing: they’re learning how to fly and hunt, they play tag.�

This year, a quintet of new fledglings can be seen wildly flapping above their home at the Prairie Island nuclear plant. The nesting peregrines at the facility welcomed five hatchlings for the first time, driving the total number of falcons born at the facility to 62.

With a first-year mortality rate of up to 75 percent, the new eyasses’ good health makes this year’s hatch an exceptional success for the program.

DDT

Sperlak has overseen the program for 12 years.

Xcel Energy installed the facility’s first nesting box in 1994 in partnership with the Raptor Resource Project out of Iowa in response to low numbers of peregrine falcons. The population had declined as a result of DDT, an insecticide banned in 1972 and linked to thin eggshells, which made it impossible for peregrine mothers to incubate their eggs.

By 1997, peregrines were spotted again at the facility. The Prairie Island facility was one of several Xcel sites to install the nest boxes, including the King power plant site. The company’s plants have served as the birthplace for more than 1,000 falcons since the nest box installation started.

With their tall structures, power plants often attract peregrines, who prefer to build their nests atop high points. Sperlak, along with a team of Xcel employees and staff from the Raptor Research Project, climbed up the latter on one of the facility’s towering power plant stacks earlier this year to band the hatchlings for tracking.

Though the falcons retained their fluffy, white feathers at the time, bearing a closer resemblance to clouds than to birds of prey, their sharp talons presented a challenge to volunteers, who banded the hatchlings with ungloved hands to prevent injury to the birds’ blood feathers.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/outdoors/wildlife/4076939-5-peregrine-falcon-fledglings-take-flight-prairie-island-nuclear-plant

There are very few nests this year with five chicks. Windsor's Ambassador Bridge is the only other one which comes to mind at the moment.

There are two males and three females at the Prairie Island nest.

The two males are:

Gordy, banded black/red E/91
Ritchie, banded black/red E/92

The three females are:

Lem, banded black/blue 14/P
Artie, banded black/blue 15/P
Mel, banded black/blue 16/P

The parents are unidentified.

Has anyone seen Singleton in the last few days? The last time I saw him was on July 18.



Taking a nap in the nest tray:

[July 15]

A couple of updates on the eagle, now named Freedom, being cared for at The Raptor Center.

Photo: The Raptor Center



July 15

"Freedom" continues to make progress on his recovery. The swelling of his foot has mostly resolved, he is able to flex and move his toes, and he is increasing the use of his left leg and foot more normally.

He has been moved from a patient cage to a small room, where he is spending increasing amounts of time standing and walking around. We are glad to see him respond to treatment and continue to be cautiously optimistic for recovery.

A radiograph from midway through his convalescence (July 7) shows diminishing soft tissue swelling of the left foot, some mild changes (it appears as brightness on the radiograph) of the left hip joint, indicating some inflammation, several broken ribs on the left side, and shrinkage of the left leg muscles.

July 20

While overall, “Freedom� the bald eagle has made progress in his recovery, he is still not using his leg and foot normally. As a raptor must have completely normal function in order to be successfully returned to the wild, we are planning additional diagnostics to determine the extent of the damage. In the meantime, he has a new roommate in his flight room - another bald eagle. The presence of an additional bird encourages "Freedom" to move around a bit more, which exercises his leg.

Tappan Zee bridge is in the news today.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/crane-collapses-tappan-zee-bridge-lanes-closed-article-1.2717206

Thank you, Shaky! I was not aware of the crane collapse. Glad there were no serious injuries.

I am not sure how far this was from the existing peregrine nest. I saw one of the adults in the nest box early this evening.



I have been seeing one of the adults at the nest from time to time throughout June and July. Does anyone know if the chick fledged successfully?

Beauty:

 

   

About an hour later, there was someone at the nest again. This bird is banded, and I think this is Quest, with a very full crop.

I am so very sorry about the loss of Quest's mate McKinley. Poor little guy; he was so young.

Earlier this evening, I checked the Don Mills cam, and there was a peregrine at the nest.

This bird did not look like Quest to me, and as far as I can tell, is unbanded. The cam images are low resolution and somewhat out of focus, but I think this may be the new male.







After the last pic, he was gone.