For stories on Kalamazoo’s Peregrine Falcons nesting and hatching young see the links:
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/06/kalamazoos_peregrine_falcons_h.html
Below a couple of reports from observers of the first fledgings on June 20th:
1. Bill Heyd:
Carolyn and I visited the Kazoo peregrines this morning, and one young was already on the floor of the sixth level upon our arrival at 7:50 AM. I presume that it had had a relatively good flight since it apparently reached the parking ramp. While we were watching, it walked and hopped around, flapped its wings, and made very short “flights”. It failed in one attempt to fly up to the side “railing” of the ramp. A bit later it took to the air and attempted to land on the top edge of the South Street stairwell structure (about one story up), but it failed to land and dropped to the floor of the sixth level (out of our sight). It walked around some more, and after a while successfully flew up to the SE side railing of the structure. It walked along it in both directions, flapped its wings, preened, lay down to rest, etc. We were hopeful to see an adult deliver prey to it, but that did not happen while we were there. Prey was however delivered to the nest box one time during our visit. This young did not fly from that railing the rest of the four hours we were there.
At about 10:40 AM one of the young on the ledge by the nest box became quite active, and then departed the ledge, essentially dropping down out of my sight to the alley below between the public safety building and the 5/3 building. It walked around on the ground, tried to fly up and land on a car tire, walked some more, and gained a fair amount of attention. It also failed in a few attempts to fly up to the lowest level parking structure railing (about four feet high). A person who I intuit is a maintenance (or such) person in the 5/3 building (looks like the person we have seen several times taking pictures from inside the 13th floor window) came on the scene with a box and successfully trapped this grounded young. Apparently he had been schooled by Mark Mills of the DNR as to the sort of box needed and how to make the capture. The word was that he was going to notify his DNR contact so that that person could place – or arrange to place – this young on the 13th floor balcony containing the nest box, but this did not happen while we were there. (It did happen later).
During the last part of our visit, we did not see the other two young, but we presume that they were simply out of sight in the nest box.
When did these young hatch, and how reliably is the time of hatching – and of each hatch – known? From my observations of the four young from the sixth level of Kazoo Ramp #3 once they became visible in the nest box area, I imagine that hatching was essentially synchronous in the sense I have seen mentioned in the scientific literature, meaning that the four young hatched within 24 to 48 hours – 48 hours I would say. Direct observations would of course have been better.
2. Karen Tindall
Such a fun topic, thanks for the details. I spoke with Mark Mills around 5:00 tonight, after he had been to visit the rescued bird. He thought it looked good, and opted not to go out into the parapet well to lift it up to the box level. It was alert and had flown up to a low ledge. He confirmed the bird on the remodeled medical school building roof was the other fledgling, so it had made its way over and up to one of his father’s favorite perches. We witnessed a robin harassing it pretty aggressively. The poor guy looked totally confused by the robin. Anyhow, I left work for the night feeling pretty good about the outlook for them all. Oh, and Mark said the one that was rescued looked like the smallest of them all.
For information on Michigan’s Peregrine Falcons see:
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDNR/bulletins/be9dd0
And here are some photos taken by Audubon Society of Kalamazoo member Dave Chmielewski:
Mom:
Dad:
Mom and Dad on favorite perches:
Downy Young:
Adults and Downy Young:
Young are getting bigger:
