Radisson - 2012 / Ivy & Princess

[newchick]

Do you think they would listen if we requested they not wingersize on the ledge???  That's just too hard on the heart!

I think they pretty much have to.  Not much room otherwise, and we wouldn't want them to damage their wings as they strengthen them and get used to how they are supposed to work.  Will not be long now.

Oh, I know they need to, but it's hard to watch!!  I know.

[SuzieQmb]

Do you think they would listen if we requested they not wingersize on the ledge???  That's just too hard on the heart!

I think they pretty much have to.  Not much room otherwise, and we wouldn't want them to damage their wings as they strengthen them and get used to how they are supposed to work.  Will not be long now.

Oh, I know they need to, but it's hard to watch!!

[newchick]

Do you think they would listen if we requested they not wingersize on the ledge???  That's just too hard on the heart!

I think they pretty much have to.  Not much room otherwise, and we wouldn't want them to damage their wings as they strengthen them and get used to how they are supposed to work.  Will not be long now.

[Leana]

TPC - when does the naming contest close?  I can't see a deadline noted anywhere... We need to give these daredevils names before they fly the coop or we'll be calling them "Yellow boy, Green boy, Silver boy and Red girl!".   

[GCG]

  Any day now, the chicks will start their hop, skip and jump down the ledge. 

[SuzieQmb]

Do you think they would listen if we requested they not wingersize on the ledge???  That's just too hard on the heart!

[RCF]

We are probably going to see lots of practising and scary moments before they all fledge. 

http://youtu.be/5r__cT90yTU

[RCF]

[RCF]

0812h
We have three edge sitters - all the boys - is this the first time we've had all three?

First time I've seen three on the edge.

[The Peregrine Chick]

0812h
We have three edge sitters - all the boys - is this the first time we've had all three?

[allikat]

allikat
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31   Manitoba Peregrines / Radisson Peregrines / Re: Radisson - 2012 / May  on: May 14, 2012, 23:01 
In my opinion, Princess is an icon!  She, is by far, the true definition of the ever so powerful and protective, Peregrine Falcon! 
 
 Princess is the ultimate super peregrine mum. In my extensive research into this subject, I have not been able to find any documentation that refutes this observation. One persons opinion, I have some great feeling about this.

Thanks for the backup on my original statement!  I truly agree!  She, Princess, is certainly, a matriarch of the Peregrine Falcons!

[allikat]

They are wild, as nature intended, and we should allow them to remain so.

I agree - and if it sounded like I was anthropomorphizing, I didn't mean it to sound that way.  Whatever is their hardwiring, there are behavioural milestores that even we poor humans are recognizeable as they develop.  For humans, babies under a certain age have no fall-from-height reflex (no idea what its called) hence the baby gates on stairways.  At a certain point in their development, the reflex kicks in and their whole mode of movement changes.  It's a hardwired mental change but is it also an emotional change.

Outside my sphere of expertise, but it's what makes observing such a great way to spend some time.

Thank you for the new view TPC.    

Just when do you anticipate first flights might take place?  

These little bandits are developing fast so I think they could be ready to go in a few days, but that's physically, not sure if they will be "emotionally" or "mentally" ready to take the first big step, but could be ...

Does that mean that peregrine falcons have feelings or the ability to thought process beyond what is hard wired into them?
Not being a wise acre here, I'm really interested in the concepts.

Its a good question bccs.  How much they think in abstract thoughts like "its a long way down, do I really want to do this" I can't say, but I think being able to live your life in three dimensions (i.e., flying) requires some sort of abstract reasoning.  Absolutely they do not reason like we do nor can we understand how they reason because we just can't think they way they do, and it would suck if we could, if we could explain it all, we would lose the wonder and mystery of flight in my opinion.

So what do I mean by "emotionally" and "mentally" - first note the quotations, I just don't have better words to describe what I'm talking about.  Best I can come up with is that moment when we can see that they are not just looking out of the nestbox but rather they are looking way beyond the nestbox - like a switch has been flicked - like they suddenly understand that their world isn't the nestbox and their parents and nestmates, but that the wind should be under their wings, not blowing over them, that there are things to chase, that they can follow their parents.  That is what I mean by "mentally"/"emotionally" ready to leave.  What flicks that switch I have no idea, it's like how do the resident pairs know to return to within hours or days of each other at a set location thousands of kilometres from where they spend the winter separately.

Good question, not sure the answer is as good ...

They are wild, as nature intended, and we should allow them to remain so.

I agree - and if it sounded like I was anthropomorphizing, I didn't mean it to sound that way.  Whatever is their hardwiring, there are behavioural milestores that even we poor humans are recognizeable as they develop.  For humans, babies under a certain age have no fall-from-height reflex (no idea what its called) hence the baby gates on stairways.  At a certain point in their development, the reflex kicks in and their whole mode of movement changes.  It's a hardwired mental change but is it also an emotional change.

Outside my sphere of expertise, but it's what makes observing such a great way to spend some time.

Very interesting, informative and educational questions and responses...
Either way, it is absolutely phenominal that each and every year, I am always completely surprised, and admittedly, intrigued, by each individual peregrine falcons develop, and how each of them have their own, "personality", so to speak...It's truly wonderful to be able to watch nature at work!  

[susha]

I'm sure that Jubilee/Thistle/Winnifred will be the last to get up on the edge.  I don't think she'll take as long as Beatrix though, to take the plunge and join the boys in flight.    I just hope we don't have any "accidental fledging" as we most likely did last year with our beloved Fyfe and Cade.

[RaptorGal]

Looks like the two smallest males are the ledge-sitters...or is that just an optical illusion?

It might be two males.  As the female is larger than the male chicks, it makes sense to me that she will develop/mature later than the males.  Beatrix was one of the last to make it up onto the ledge last year.  I believe Carson was the first.

[RaptorGal]

They are wild, as nature intended, and we should allow them to remain so.

I agree - and if it sounded like I was anthropomorphizing, I didn't mean it to sound that way.  Whatever is their hardwiring, there are behavioural milestores that even we poor humans are recognizeable as they develop.  For humans, babies under a certain age have no fall-from-height reflex (no idea what its called) hence the baby gates on stairways.  At a certain point in their development, the reflex kicks in and their whole mode of movement changes.  It's a hardwired mental change but is it also an emotional change.

Outside my sphere of expertise, but it's what makes observing such a great way to spend some time.

no fall-from-height reflex is called depth perception.  This is one reason that few dogs are able to watch tv and recognize what is going on.  Most dogs do not have this depth perception ability when it comes to tv but when it comes to other things like playing fetch they know.  (This is according to a vet.  We had one dog that had depth perception and would watch the tv shows with us).  I am assuming that when the falcon chicks get their depth perception, they will also soon fledge.  We know that two do have some because they are able to get up on the ledge.  The other two will soon develop their depth perception ability.  Until they fledge, they will wingersize to build up strength and then one day they will see their parent flying overhead and jump to join them.  

As humans, we understand ourselves in descriptive terms and we assign these descriptions to other things living and/or dead in our attempt to understand them too.