06-05-2020 Fledging update

6/5/2020

Where do I start?

The fun has really escalated at Peregrine Central.  Rebecca and Kewpee defended the nest against an unknown Peregrien falcon that landed on the railing in front of the nest box.  Rebecca was really exhausted and panting for hours afterward but seems to have recovered. Then, chicks 1, 2 and 3 all fledged in less than 24 hours and the Peregrine Patrol volunteers did a tremendous job keeping tabs on where they all were.  Chick #1 had a strong first flight but was determined to try again and ended up on a much lower roof, where it spent the night.  Chicks # 2 and 3 landed on the neighboring City Centre roof, although it took some time before we saw #3 to confirm it was there.  Then, in the same 24-hour period, chick #1 took flight again, lost altitude and ended up in Portage Street.  The patrol team rushed into action and Kathy Koets shooed it out of the road into a parking lot and we caught up with it behind Olde Peninsula Brew pub. Although we don’t think it was injured, we decided to send it to flight camp for a few days to insure that it was able to fly and land well, since there was a question about one of the feet and it was probably somewhat weak and dehydrated.  And all of this before their official fledge age of Day 40.  The 4th chick is still at the nest box. 

Tags: Kalamazoo Peregrine falcons. Peregrine falcon chicks