Lots of Falcon News

There has been a lot of news and some adventure from the DGIF Falcon Blog in the past three weeks. The chicks are growing fast and fledging out and moving out of the nest. One even took an adventurous leap or fall onto the Manchester Bridge. Somehow it survived unharmed. All this shows that raising falcon chick on a 22 story ledge is not an easy trick. Here are some excerpts from the blog.

Monday, July 27th:

Banding: Both falcon parents were defensive of the ledge although they often took breaks, perching and keeping a close eye on all personnel involved All three chicks appeared well-fed and generally healthy. No external parasites were noted. The chicks were weighed and measured. The measurements revealed that we have two females and a male this year. The male's feather development indicates that he is the eldest of the three.

Vital Statistics

• Male USFWS Band #1126-11828 - Aux. Band 19/AB - Weight:627 grams
• Female USFWS Band #1807-65007 - Aux. Band 02/AD - Weight: 848 grams
• Female USFWS Band #1807-65008 - Aux. Band 03/AD - Weight: 883grams

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Walkabout? Some have expressed concern that the male chick (Band 19/AB) has not been seen on the camera since late Monday. As the chicks have become more mobile the full ledge has become available to them. The picture below should give an idea as to what we can and can't see on the camera.Only about 30 feet of the ledge are visible on the Falcon Cam. The remaining ledge comprises approximately 110 feet and is fully accessible to the chicks. The adults are also able to access the full ledge and will feed the chicks regardless of where they are.

A local falcon watcher with a vantage point from a nearby office building has made a positive sighting of our wandering chick. The young male was seen perched atop the parapet (raised edge of the ledge) at the farthest point possible from the nest box.

As we suspected the young bird has simply taken advantage of the spacious ledge to explore its surroundings. The observer noted at least one of the parents attending to the young male. Given the fact that his sisters are so much larger then he - remaining on his own might offer some relief in competing for food. Should he choose to, he'll be able to make his way back to the nest box.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

A Close Call: On the afternoon of Fri, July 31st, a DGIF biologist responded to a call of a grounded osprey chick in downtown Richmond. The caller reported having shooed the bird from the Manchester Bridge, where cars were swerving to avoid hitting it, onto the adjacent grassy lawn of the Federal Reserve Building. The Manchester Bridge sits between the Riverfront Plaza, where Richmond's peregrine falcon pair have nested this year, and the Federal Reserve Building. Upon arrival at the scene, the biologist was surprised to see that the ‘osprey’ chick was none other than the banded male peregrine falcon chick. This chick was known to have been spending time on the parapet of the ledge of the Riverfront Plaza and had evidently fallen or been swept off the ledge by a gust of wind. Luckily, the bird was unharmed and was returned to the Riverfront Plaza ledge shortly thereafter.

Read more on the DGIF Blog.