VA / Richmond - Riverfront Plaza - 2009-22

[The Peregrine Chick]

This is great -- I'm reading a book about a guy spending a season with peregrines and he keeps referring to "hack boxes" -- until now, I had no idea what that might be! Thanks, TPC!

Just a couple of notes, usually hack boxes are just that boxes and made of wood so that the birds didn't injure themselves or their feathers - metal bars tend to razz the feathers when the chicks run their feathers across the bars - wooden hack boxes use dowels instead of bars - same look but wider and tends not to do as much damage.  And the "guy" in your book is probably a "hack-site attendant", always thought that made us sound like peregrine butlers or valets 

[Saoirse]

This is great -- I'm reading a book about a guy spending a season with peregrines and he keeps referring to "hack boxes" -- until now, I had no idea what that might be! Thanks, TPC!

[The Peregrine Chick]

What you are looking at is basically a hack box which is how all the projects released peregrines in the early years of the recovery efforts.  We used to wait until the birds were a few days beyond fledge date (45-50 days) then take the bars off and usually they stuck out their wings and were gone in minutes ... occasionally we would have a bird or two that would hang out for extended periods but they too would be gone shortly thereafter.  Had one bird that played solo "catch" with pebbles on the roof of a building for half a day before she finally took off.  The bars look wide enough for the parents to continue to feed the chicks since I can't see a feeding chute. 

Just looking at the fluff on the girls, I would say this time next week the bars could be off ...

[Alison]

LinderLou, I think they will release all three chicks at the same time. I don't think it will harm the little male to wait a few days. He will just be a little stronger. He is really petite - so much smaller than his sisters.

He is one very lucky little chick to have been rescued from the street. It's a long way down from the top of that building, and he was not quite 32 days old. It's lucky someone herded him out of the traffic, and that the biologists got there quickly to rescue him. Since the wind was very gusty that day, I think he may well have been blown off the ledge.

They don't look happy about the cage, but they are much safer there for now:

 

 

 

[Linder]

I will leave the haunting words behind. BUT can you answer this question
The male should definitely fledge before the females, so are they going to hold him back until the females are ready>
You really don't have to answer. Well my guess is yes and it probably do him good as he will be more ready in strength and not so reckless (well maybe a little bit less) as he has been. I still think he will be a rocket when that door opens.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Well he certainly had his adventure. However, the trip is over and not much happening now. I know this pen is probably good with the problems from this site before, but wonder if this is a really good site.
Our chicks had a minimal ledge to look at and we could see their little heads in a couple of weeks looking over. These chicks can't see over until they jump on the ledge and then what happens, they are over before their time. So this ledge is not typical.
The male should definitely fledge before the females, so are they going to hold him back until the females are ready?
Tracy always had an answer as to why the chicks didn't jump:

Unlike the edge of the nest-tray, they will never had an adult on the other side of the ledge wall tempting them out with food. They are also predisposed at this age to run away from the edge of the ledge if they can see down (keep in mind they can barely see over) - have you noticed they all sleep with their faces in the wall furthest away from the edge?
The other side of the coin is that if a chick was foolish enough to try to go over, those are perhaps not genes we want in our gene pool - we want birds with a little common sense i.e., peregrines are cliff-dwelling birds, chicks as a rule stay on ledge until they can fly, flying must wait for long brown feathers which 16-day-old chicks do not yet possess.

aaak, my words are coming back to haunt me   

[carly]

Hi Carly, I have actually seen himself be forceful in getting food. Parent seems to try to make sure all 3 get something. I think he has a pout on because he is not getting it dropped off just for him as he had when he was on his own on the ledge. So he can just pout

Lol...aww my poor little boy...   I always root for the underdog    I'm glad you've seen him eating, I was concerned...just rotten luck on my timing I guess!

[Linder]

Hi Carly, I have actually seen himself be forceful in getting food. Parent seems to try to make sure all 3 get something. I think he has a pout on because he is not getting it dropped off just for him as he had when he was on his own on the ledge. So he can just pout

[carly]

Doesn't look like the boy is getting much food now that he's penned up with the cows...err I mean girls.  Twice I checked today and twice he's looking woefully out the bars of the cage as those two chow down. Perhaps he had the right idea running away after all 

[Linder]

Well he certainly had his adventure. However, the trip is over and not much happening now. I know this pen is probably good with the problems from this site before, but wonder if this is a really good site.

Our chicks had a minimal ledge to look at and we could see their little heads in a couple of weeks looking over. These chicks can't see over until they jump on the ledge and then what happens, they are over before their time. So this ledge is not typical.

The male should definitely fledge before the females, so are they going to hold him back until the females are ready?

Tracy always had an answer as to why the chicks didn't jump:

Unlike the edge of the nest-tray, they will never had an adult on the other side of the ledge wall tempting them out with food. They are also predisposed at this age to run away from the edge of the ledge if they can see down (keep in mind they can barely see over) - have you noticed they all sleep with their faces in the wall furthest away from the edge?

The other side of the coin is that if a chick was foolish enough to try to go over, those are perhaps not genes we want in our gene pool - we want birds with a little common sense i.e., peregrines are cliff-dwelling birds, chicks as a rule stay on ledge until they can fly, flying must wait for long brown feathers which 16-day-old chicks do not yet possess.

[Kinderchick]

Well, what an adventure for "the little stinker"!  Thanks for the updates!

[sami]

Of course we're sane - it's everyone else that is questionable! 

[Linder]

Alison, after reading the story about "The Little Stinker" it makes me think that he was spotted at the nest box on the 31st, yesterday. After his adventure he was returned to the ledge and must have hung around for a bit and then made his way back to where he had been hiding out at the end of the ledge. That was where they found him this morning and decided not to take another chance that he would end up in the same situation again or worse.
So I don't think my mind was playing tricks on me or the other watchers on the BCAW forum. We are sane 

[carly]

Wow...I went to check on them just now and saw the pen!  I'm so glad the little guy was unhurt and at least they are all together and safe now 

[Linder]

Well this time for sure the boy is back and what an experience he has had. Was rescued off the roadway after falling from the building.

Quite the story, check it out on  http://www.peregrinefalcon-bcaw.net/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=37

They have installed a pen on the nest ledge to keep them secure until fledge time.