Just to keep you guys in the loop ... this is what I submitted to the CBC Comments section ...
Radisson Update
Finally all of our chicks have left the nest, probably not quite for good, but all of them are back in the air - some more gracefully than others, but that's how it happens sometimes at fledging.
McDermot was our first to fledge on Friday morning. He's the one who got grounded and who acquired a satellite transmitter. Tonight he finally went again - not so gracefully as his first launch, but he recovered quickly and caught some air and headed out of sight of the camera - only for now we hope!
Fleet & Hart went off together on Friday night, nice strong and in perfect unison. They've were sighted on buildings around the Hotel all weekend, then this morning they came back to visit McDermot (we put him back in the nestbox after he was fitted with his transmitter) and Jubilee.
Jubilee went a bit later this morning. She was running along the front edge of the nestbox flapping her wings and the wind (which is a bit stronger today) overbalanced her a wee bit and she decided to leap right instead of left and she was gone. She was spotted on and off through the afternoon moving strongly from rooftop to rooftop. Just what we want to see.
That just left McDermot to go again, which as I mentionned at the top of this post, is exactly what he did at 2030h CDT, followed a few minutes later by his brother Hart. And with that the nestbox is empty, but probably only for a few hours ...
PS - to make it easier to identify who's who when they do come back - female peregrines are larger than males and except for McDermot, the other chicks still have tape on their left legband - Jubilee is red, Fleet is yellow and Hart is white.
Happy viewing,
The Peregrine Chick
(aka, Project Coordinator, Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project)
