Hi everyone. I bring an update on the San Jose peregrine family. This was our tenth year with our original falcon matriarch Clara, and her fifth with her mate Fernando El Cohete (Fernando The Rocket) on the San Jose City Hall building. We completed our longest fledge watch yet on May 22.
On May 11 our intrepid leaders Jody, John and Alicia set up a canopy on the open 7th floor top of the parking garage on an adjacent street with a view upward to the ledge containing the nest box. They were there at 6 am every morning for 11-1/2 days to equip the watchers with walkie talkies and send them to their observation posts around the City Hall bulding. We have several dedicated volunteer fledge watchers who spent their entire days there.
The juvenile tiercel, Zephyr, fledged on May 13. He spent the night on top of the rotunda in the City Hall plaza, not the most falcon-friendly place. It is made of glass, with lots of connecting wires and pipe-like structures. That night a school prom was held in the rotunda with Zephyr looking on.
The next morning Zephyr made a couple of short flights, one into a tree where he was harassed by some crows, and on another short flight he bumped a window and went to ground. The watchers had seen all this, and John came to his rescue. Glenn Stewart, our biologist of the U.C. Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, was called and drove to San Jose. He examined Zephyr, who had a bump on his head and decided he would take him back to Santa Cruz for a little rehab. Zephyr had the bump iced down, was fed quail, and kept quiet for a couple of days and then was returned to the roof of City Hall in fine fettle.
In the meantime on the 14th while all this was happening I drove from my home in Reno to pick up my sister Jerrie in Antioch, then south to San Jose on the 15th where we checked in to stay in a private home through Air BnB. This is about 250 miles Reno to San Jose. The morning of the 16th we reported for fledge watch duty, and were able to see Zephyr pop back up on the edge of the City Hall roof that morning when Glenn released him. He had no further mishaps with his flights, thank goodness!
The falcon female fledgling Haley fledged on the 17th. Over the next few days she seemed to make a short flight, then sit for many hours in one place before taking her next one. Every morning on arrival the watchers had to relocate the fledglings in their new spots. Clara and Fernando were always close by, usually zooming in to fly near their chick when one would take flight. They also continued to bring them prey wherever they were, sometimes still doing the bite-by-bite feeding, sometimes dropping the prey and skedaddling out of there!
On the 19th Jerrie and I had to check out and return to our homes, but with light hearts, as we knew the fledglings were successful.
Fledge watch officially ended on the 22nd when the watchers declared both fledglings were flying well enough, able to gain altitude, and stick their landings.
These falcons have their own Facebook page where you can follow the action day by day, and see lots of photos of all the areas mentioned, and the falcons too, of course.
https://www.facebook.com/SanJoseCityHallFalconsThe local falcon fans there continue to report what they are witnessing as the fledglings take their flights and learn from their parents how to be adult birds.
I'm hoping you all experience the same successes as you prepare for your fledge watch in Rochester and will be closely following all of the action on the forum!
Debbie Z
