Fledgewatch Updates
- The pen will be opened today, June 14th, after which time time the falcon chicks will be able to fledge at their leisure. DWR staff will be positioned at various locations on the ground and within the surrounding buildings to monitor the chicks during their first day on the wing. We will be providing reports from the field, so be sure to refresh your browser periodically to see if any new updates have been posted.
UPDATES:
Day 1:
9:15 AM: The remote opening device is being installed on the pen door. The stream will resume and the pen door will open several minutes after device installation.
9:50 AM: The pen door has been opened and all chicks have fledged the pen. The blue chick remains on the parapet ledge at Riverfront Plaza while the white chick is perched on one of the nearby buildings. Staff are attempting to locate red and green. We would also like to apologize for the poor camera coverage following the opening of the pen. We were attempting to operate the camera via a wireless internet connection which greatly impacted our ability to remain connected to, and remotely operate the camera, during the fledge. Further, three of the fledglings left the ledge for surrounding buildings immediately following the pen opening where they were out of view from the camera for the remainder of the day.
10:51 AM: Blue has left the parapet ledge and is on top of the Truist building. White has not left its location. Staff are still attempting to locate red and green.
12:50 PM: Green has been located and an adult has arrived with a prey item.
2:09 PM: All four fledglings have been confirmed perching on different rooftops in the vicinity of the Virginia Lottery building.
5:20 PM: Staff are departing downtown after monitoring all four fledglings for the remainder of the afternoon. We did not observe any major collisions or failed landing attempts today. Never the less, we will have staff stationed downtown again tomorrow to continue monitoring their flight and landing capabilities.
Day 2:
9:10 AM: Almost immediately following staff arrival this morning, three juveniles were located in the vicinity of the Virginia Lottery Building. Two of the three have been confirmed as white and red. Staff are attempting to identify the third visible fledging and locate the fourth that has yet to be observed today.
3:12 PM: Staff continued to monitor the birds throughout the morning and into the early afternoon. All four birds were located and identified via their band tape at various points throughout the day. Further, each fledgling demonstrated successful flight and landing capabilities at various points during our monitoring. Unlike in recent years when fledglings have stayed closer to Riverfront Plaza, the center for activity this year seems to be the Old Dominion and the Virginia Lottery buildings where the birds spent a substantial amount of time perched atop roofs and/or signs. Multiple prey deliveries from both adults as well as aerial interactions between the juveniles and their parents were observed throughout the late morning. Based on these behaviors, staff decided to conclude this years Fledgewatch around 1 PM.