I got there before 6. Dan S. was there and had witnessed Mariah chasing after a pigeon. (I think that is misspelled). Kaver was on his flower (one of four flower ornaments atop Kodak Tower). Two juvies were in the scrape and one was on the leftledge with one on the right. A little after 6, I noticed a brown speck going from the scrape, looked and sure enough, the juvie on the right was not on the ledge, she went to the floor below, what we call the playpen. One was on a perch and the left ledge had a juvie. Another was still in the nest. Larry joined us and we figured we had another juvie in the playpen since the left ledge was empty. Carol came by to check on all. Kaver periodically came off the flower and did a couple of stoops, coming up empty. One stoop was above the parking lot in front of us so that was exciting! Mariah was on the north smokestack. The juvies did a LOT of flapping. Lots! The little one in the scrape kept going back and forth. Larry said if we didn’t know better, we would think it was two in the scrape instead of one. We did see some flapping on the playpen from all over so these little gals were definitely exercising. Lisa M. and another Kodak person were also there. There was a lot of kakking especially when Kaver flew off the flowers in view of these hungry little ones. Mariah left the stack and when she returned she was on the rail of the playpen. We presumed the juvies were nearby. Kaver had been on the front railing at one point but was basically on a flower. Lucy came for the next watch. Mariah was there on the railing (I told Lisa, I always feel better when Mariah is there)!, two juvies in the playpen, one in the scrape, one on the perch and Kaver on his flower. Active little ones this morning!

Jeanne

The girls are taking their first steps out of the nest box. Beginning this morning, first Grace (on the left in the picture above), and then Anata made the short hop onto the perch rail just in front of the scrape. Though she wasn’t the first to leave, Ananta has proven to be the more adventurous sister, spending nearly all day out of the scrape even and venturing onto the ledge to the right of the box. So far, Sacajawea and Linn have approached the edge, but haven’t yet followed their siblings out of the nest.

     

In the wild these journeys away from the scrape are called “branching”, because they often involve the eyases moving onto branches of nearby trees. Since there are no branches on the Kodak tower, regular falcon watchers here in Rochester have coined the term “ledging”, for obvious reasons. The first photo above gives a good indication of the girls’ size. They’re pretty much fully grown now, every bit as big as Mariah, who has just dropped off some late breakfast. All that’s left to do now is for them to build up their flight muscles and endurance. If Ananta sticks to her venturesome ways she may hop down to the catwalk soon. The others will follow at their own pace. These falcons have different personalities, and some are more daring than others. Linn, who was most likely the last to hatch, will probably be the last out of the scrape, but that’s by no means certain. Now’s the time to dust off our unofficial Imprints motto, Specto Subitus— Expect the Unexpected!

Once out of the nest box, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the eyases will return or not. In past years we’ve seen them stay outside in all kinds of weather, including heavy rains and high temperatures. There’s no need to be overly concerned about that, though. These falcons are well protected against the elements, and Mariah and Kaver will drop food to the eayses as needed to ensure that they stay fed.

For those who wanted to attend the Fledge Watch orientation meeting yesterday but were unable to, all is not lost! You still have an opportunity to sign up for the fledge watch. We’ll be posting the schedule of available watching timeslots just as soon as we get it compiled. Even if a shift is already filled, feel free to show up then. More eyes are always helpful when the juveniles start flying. We’ll also be posting some helpful instructions for a successful fledge watch, including some downloadable quick reference documents. Meanwhile, keep your eyes on the eyases!

The eyases are about seven to ten days from fledging, or taking their first flights. Nearly full grown, they’re getting more independent and daring. Soon they’ll take their first steps outside of the nest box. The perch rail in front of the box is likely to be their first stop, but it won’t be long before they take short hops up to the roof and to the small ledges on either side of the scrape. From there, they’ll venture down to the catwalk a few feet below the nest box. The catwalk goes all the way around the steeple at the top of the Kodak Tower, and the eyases may spend several days there before making their first flights. Even after they fledge, they’ll return to it for several days. Camera 1 comes into its own when they make the move to the catwalk, which longtime falcon watchers have dubbed the falcons’ “playpen”. The camera’s ability to pan, tilt and zoom allows us to cover most of the south and east sides of the catwalk to keep tabs on the adventurous eyases.

The nestlings are now old enough to feed themselves by grasping prey with their feet and tearing at it with their bills. Voracious as always, they jump on food as soon as it’s delivered. Mariah and Kaver have stopped going into the nest to feed the eyases. Instead, they land on the perch rail outside the nest box and transfer the prey to the nearest eyas. The girls aren’t bashful about getting their fair share either, as the picture at the left demonstrates.

The eyases are always hungry, and now they’re mobile enough to be on the lookout for Mariah or Kaver bringing food. Whenever one of them appears in the sky, whether they have food or not, the nestlings are likely to begin wailing. When they wail for food they’re loud enough to be heard all the way down onto the street below, sometimes even over the traffic noise!

All that food is being used to build up their flight muscles. They’ll soon need them– fledging is expected to begin somewhere around the 20^th of June. To get in shape for fledging, the eyases have already begun exercising their wings with furious flapping and stretching.

A few of our viewers have written comments indicating that one or another of the eyases has already flown. It’s still a little early for that, and none of the nestlings have left the scrape yet. It can be hard to see them in the nest box, especially when they crouch behind each other. Fledging is as important as hatching, and you can rest assured that we’ll let everyone know when the young falcons take their first flights. In the meantime they’re being fed regularly and the girls are growing stronger every day. Keep watching and maybe you’ll see one of them take their steps beyond the nest box!

On Saturday, June 16 at 9:00 AM the Genesee Valley Audubon Society and the Rochester Falconcam will host the annual Peregrine Falcon Fledge Watch orientation meeting. Each year volunteers take turns watching the fledglings in their early weeks of flight. The Fledge Watch helps to ensure the safety of the young falcons by monitoring their flights and even rescuing them if they get into trouble. Fledge Watch volunteers have rescued a number of fledglings over the years including MaryAnn (2000), Alkyonis & Grissom (2004), and Skye (2005).

Fledging is an exciting time for the falcons, but it’s a dangerous time for them too. Untried flight and landing skills, lack of endurance, and a host of natural and man-made hazards await them when they leave the safety of the nest box on the Kodak tower.

Volunteering for the Fledge Watch is a great way to learn about falcon behavior in person, not to mention an excellent opportunity to enjoy some time in the great outdoors and make new friends. As a Fledge Watch volunteer you’ll receive training in how to rescue a downed falcon, and you’ll have the ability to post your observations on Imprints! You’ll also have a front row seat for some of the climactic experiences of the falcon ‘season’ as the juveniles learn to perfect their flying and hunting skills.

The orientation meeting will be held at the Gallery in the Center at High Falls, 60 Browns Race, Rochester, NY 14614 at 9:00AM on Saturday, June 16. We hope you’ll join us there!

-Jess