We have a successful fledgling here in Jersey City. She flew strongly with an adult right beside her one block north and circled back. She is now perched with her sisters on the terrace around the corner from the scrape. One adult kept trying to lure them out.  Still lots of down on the other two.

When I was at 101 Hudson with the biologist, building manager and Conserve Wildlife people talked briefly about a stepped up education program. I am sure the talks will get more serious now. I would like to spend a few hours with those boys and show them how to watch birds.

Well, the news is not so good today.  Where shall I start - bad news, good news.  Mike and I were out watching three of the girls doing their thing on the ledge around the corner from the scrape.  Well, not quite around the corner.  It is an L shape.  They can hop/fly between terraces on the 41st floor.  Which one of them did.

Then a passerby said they picked up one on Friday at 2 am and she was taken to a rehab center.  ????  We checked the Jersey Journal and discovered that our first girl had gotten down to the ground and was picked up by JC Animal Control after boys were throwing rocks at her.  Raptor Trust reported to the paper that she has bruises and a broken clavicle.  The RT has been wrong before in their diagnosis so we will wait and see.  But the bruises would be totally believable after a 37 story fall.  As would a broken clavicle.  The good news is that she can be rehabilitated. 

And the second good news is that as of 1:30 pm on Saturday her sisters were still on the 41st floor.

Here's a report from my friend, Mike:

****Breaking News****

We had our first fledge early this afternoon! Kathy Clark got a call from an office worker at 101 saying the fledgling had landed on the roof on the 37th floor, NW corner of the building. Kathy had me go up to the office and observe the bird through the office windows. When I got there around 3:30 she was perched on the ledge, and there was a nice fat pigeon about 15 feet away on the roof that the parents had dropped for her. Dad came in and perched on the corner parapet to watch over her. She was screaming at him almost the whole time (he's probably thinking "she's got a fresh pigeon here, she just has to walk over to it!"). I observed her for almost an hour. She didn't appear to be injured and seemed comfortable where she was. She did alot of preening (even pulled off some of her white down and ate some of it!) and some stretching. Her leg feathers covered her band, and I didn't have my binoculars (this was all a spur of the moment thing), so I don't know exactly which girl this was (but most likely it's the first one that left the box on Friday and the one that was on the ledge yesterday evening and at noon in my last post). Dad left after awhile (probably to go hunt). She was still preening and occasionally resting her eyes when I left.

As long as she stays put on that roof she'll be fine until she gets more strength. That section of roof is of decent size, and the office workers are aware of her presence and the situation in general, so they won't disturb her. Plus the parents will watch over her and make sure she has food.

***I posted that I didn't think it was a real fledge.  She got down four floors below.  The building is terraced and the birds have a lot of ways to be safe if they fall off the 41st floor.  I'll keep you all posted.  I'll be down on Saturday and Sunday.*****


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Made my weekly stop.  Both adults were flying and kakking around the church steeple and it's only Saturday.  Eyases could not have been between 6 and 8 weeks old last week as mentioned in the church bulletin.  Could be that long from first egg to now???  As usual, I was there at the wrong time of day.  Can't do the traffic late in the day when the light would be good.  And can't see the scrape and birds if I got the sun at my back.  Enjoy the pics.  The picture from Riverside shows falcons about 3 weeks like Jersey City when they were banded.  So fledging in about three weeks??  Should be one week later than JC.

http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/news/article.php?id=356





And I wanted a peek at the Broadway Bridge peregrines just up the road, but only one adult was visible along with the whitewash.

Picture of the day if you ask me.

There were two on Wednesday when they shut off the cam.  Today, there was one and she did not look at all ready to fly.  I believe Jubilee was sitting right there with her.  I am sure that when she finally fledges, her mother will be flying right beside her. 

We saw a second adult fly west between 55 Water St and Two NY Plaza.  I assume it was headed toward Battery Park or Bowling Green for a pigeon snack.  No sight or sound of the fledglings.  The building did not have to rescue any of them this year.  I assume they are all safe.

I'll be down again on Sunday.

Thank you so much, Jim.  That really took me with the peregrines.  Wish I could fly, too.  Or, maybe not.  They would attack me.  LOL!

I'll plan on being there that weekend as well.  Hope I can get Donna to come with me.

I'll be down this weekend and give a report.

It's not a safe place for first fledges, but last year all four made it.  Keep fingers crossed

Only one fledged early this morning.  When I left at 1:30 I checked in at the building and security told me there were only two in the scrape, but the cam shows three.  The first one went to Pier 11 next to the Brooklyn Bridge where two young men took its picture on their cell phone.

Then we saw a fledgling on the sign right over the FDR where it ends and merges with South St.  The bird stayed for more than three and a half hours when I had to leave.  We had heart failure when it seemed to  lose its grip a few times.  Here are a couple of pictures:  this is Stephen #58

I'm still missing the church service, but I am stopping on my way back home from Water St.  Discovered more about the eyases there.  There are four who were banded on Friday, May 28, 2010.  They have three females and one male:  Maria, Marlena, Carla and George.  After the eyases fledge something is going to happen with the scrape, but I am not sure what.  I am still trying to find out.  In any case, here is the male very near the scrape.  The female was on the gargoyle in front of the scrape.

Went down again today.  All four accounted for.  The adults were flying back and forth and in and out of the scrape to get the first one to take the leap.  It will happen very, very soon.  Would have been good to go this morning.  South St. was closed on both sides for a run and there were lots of people around.  Met a couple more people who will be seriously watching at Water St.  Here are some pictures:

Here's a link to my website with a short video of the kakking, err, banding.

http://web.me.com/talluto/Wildlife_2010/Jersey_City_Banding_2010.html#0

We thought one fledged early this morning, but it must have hopped over to the other side of the ledge.  I'll be there this weekend.  Anyone who wants to come down and watch might find it VERY interesting.  If you come, PLEASE DO NOT GO AFTER A DOWNED BIRD OR TRY AND STOP TRAFFIC.  We call the building and they take care of it.

Now, no jokes about taking the red eye to get here.