West Winnipeg - 2014 / Beau & Beatrix

[The Peregrine Chick]

All four of the Bs are back in the nestbox for the night ... last one turned up at 2155h when there was just enough light to be able to tell they were all chicks!

[burdi]

Two chicks on the wall, one giving me a heart attack             Another one, whew, he didn't go anywhere

Oh it’s scary when these kids get the flapping going, and just when it appears impossible to avert takeoff, amazingly - they’re still holding on!

[The Peregrine Chick]

Three of the kids are at the nestbox at the moment - two eating (one in the box, other at bottom of ramp).  Belle is on the roof of the box and not begging for food so she had something earlier.  Not sure who the ramp eater is but it is one of the boys - think it might be Bishop but can't really see his band.  Bird eating in the box is Bristol by the size.

[dupre501]

Dropped by for about an hour yesterday evening. Both adults at the building, no sighting of chicks (must have been napping).

[RCF]

Great photos dupre!   

[burdi]

Thanks for the great photos dupre,
sounds like you had an exciting evening!

[Kinderchick]

Was out for dinner with a friend in West Winnipeg this evening. Did a little PF watching. Saw 3 of the chicks perched on the northwest corner of the building for quite awhile. Did see one chick doing a bit of "wingersizing" but no fledging tonight. Also saw an adult doing a few fly-abouts. Wondered if Beau was trying to entice the boys into fledging? Might have been there around the same time as you, dupre, but didn't see you.

[dupre501]

Went out and spent about 2 hours watching these guys. Beatrix was on site but away from the chicks the whole time. Beau was with the chicks, then would take off and come back 10 min later with food, then take off again for 15 min.

Spotted 3 chicks on the wall and at times one looked like it was thinking of taking off, then didn't. Wow, knucklebiting for sure.

Happy I have such a patient and good husband.

Two chicks on the wall, one giving me a heart attack             Another one, whew, he didn't go anywhere
 

Beatrix                                                                           Beau
 

Two chicks sitting pretty when we left

[The Peregrine Chick]

The little Bs have been fun today - well, more fun for them than for us    There are sections on the roof we can't see and that is where they wanted to hang out so they were all together in the morning then everyone but Belle disappeared only to reappear 10 hours later, then they disappeared again and reappeared just in time to go to bed.  Little terrors.

[The Peregrine Chick]

So far these guys are going very well - youngest is 39 days old at the moment so the boys are old enough and the girls are nearly so.  The longer they hang out and practice on the roof the stronger they will be when they fledge (accidentally or not) which will make it easier for them to avoid all but the most unavoidable accidents - or so we have to hope.

The kids have been wingercizing but not excessively and even the boys don't seem up to full strength yet, so might be a couple more days.  The nice weather should get them more interested in fledging though so we'll have to see what the next few days hold ...

[Saoirse]

Those accidental fledged are the worst -- if not for the birds, then certainly for the watchers!

[newchick]

Bishop, taking after his namesake Billy Bishop.

   Won't be long before they all take to the skies, safe flights little fledglings! 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Bishop just made a fly/hop from the box to the top of the camera - one gust of wind while he was airborne and he would have been fledging whether that was intent or not!!  He's back on the box ledge now ... probably given the others ideas now ...

[The Peregrine Chick]

the kids are all at the nestbox - one on the roof, the other three on the box ledges but all looking in different directions.  Beau was parked on the wall edge keeping them company for awhile but now he's gone ...

[The Peregrine Chick]

All the kids have been tucked down for the last little while but all near the nestbox - two on the ledge on the box, two on the roof on a little pile of roofing fabric (they always like roofing fabric).  The winds here are gusting to 50km/h and this little band seem to be pretty wind savvy and that this is not something they want to play around in.  They are 38 days old today, so old enough for the boys but they don't look like they are quite ready to bolt yet - at the moment there is a boy and a girl in each of the two piles, so they are still a pretty tight group - they were all in the box last night in a chick pile - cute when they are this old, but not surprising given how cold it was!

Anywho, I think we may have a couple more days before the boys fly but if the weather improves Bishop & Beaumont (who has already been running the wall edge) may prove me wrong.  Belle isn't going to go for awhile and Bristol is hard to gauge, she's further along than Belle and adventurous so we'll just have to see.