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What’s Happening at the Nest?
The female falcon chick (Red) in the process of being banded by DWR biologists. Photo credit: Meghan Marchetti/DWR
Tuesday, May 27th marked an important milestone for the three peregrine falcon chicks downtown as they received both their federal and field-readable auxiliary bands. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources biologists accessed the nest box at approximately 11:00 am where they captured the chicks and transported them inside the building for banding.
Peregrine falcon chicks can be accurately sexed at this age based on their size considering females are roughly 30% larger than males. After being weighed and having leg measurements taken, the trio was determined to be made up of one female (Red), and two male chicks (Blue and White). These color-based ‘names’ refer to the color tape that each chick had affixed to the band on the right leg. This tape is applied each year during banding and is used to help biologists keep track of the birds after they fledge — it will fall off naturally within a few weeks.
The chicks were alert and judged to be in good health based on their appearance and overall behavior throughout the process. Following all data collection and banding, the chicks were returned to the nest box and secured inside the pen which is installed each year to prevent the chicks from fledging early. Considering this is the fifth year that the adults have successfully raised chicks within the pen, we don’t anticipate any issues with feeding but will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure the chicks are still receiving meals. When they are old enough to fledge, staff will open the pen door at which point the chicks will be free to disperse from the nest box and pen at their leisure. Be on the lookout for a future post which will announce the anticipated Fledgewatch dates for 2025.
These banding and monitoring efforts are incredibly important as they allow biologists to track the movements, lineages, reproductive history, and longevity of individual birds. This is especially important in small falcon populations that are still recovering, as is the case in Virginia. Finally, we also want to extend a special thanks to the VIP guests that joined us today including staff from the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources office, staff from the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, our friends at Triple Crossing Brewery, and our lucky 2025 raffle winners.
One of the falcon chicks ventures outside of the nest box.
It may be hard to believe but the trio of falcon chicks downtown are almost four weeks old! Primary feathers can now be easily detected on the chicks as they develop along the chick’s wings and will soon be followed by the emergence of body feathers which will give the chicks a more mottled-looking appearance. In addition to feather development, the chicks have begun exploring their surroundings outside of the nest box. As the trio of birds become increasingly mobile and better able to walk around, they may wander off camera for several hours at a time, or even spend the night off camera. This is a normal part of peregrine falcon chick development and has taken place in past years with other broods. There are several other sheltering opportunities along the ledge, and viewers should not become overly concerned if they are not able to detect the chicks on camera as reliably as they used to. Further, the parents will continue to watch over the chicks and provide them with prey items.
Considering their age, it also means banding is just around the corner. Pending no inclement weather, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources biologists plan on visiting the Riverfront Plaza building on Tuesday, May 27th to band the falcon chicks. This will be an incredibly exciting year for us, as we will be accompanied by the winners from our first ever Falcon Banding Day Raffle. We want to extend our thanks to everyone who supported our wildlife conservation work by purchasing a ticket and our congratulations to the winners who have already been notified by DWR staff. Read the rest of this post…
The nest box is a lot more active than it was a week ago thanks to the addition of Richmond’s three newly hatched peregrine falcon chicks! At this point, the chicks have almost doubled in size relative to when they hatched, are sitting up and remaining stable, and opening their eyes. But developing so fast takes a lot of energy, so viewers should still expect to see them spending most of their time sleeping and being brooded by one of the adults.
It has been roughly five days since the first chick hatched and as such we do not expect the remaining egg to hatch. On average, all eggs within a four-egg clutch typically hatch within one to two days’ time. While hatches taking up to eight days have been observed in peregrine nests, this is an incredibly uncommon occurrence and therefore it is unlikely that the final egg will hatch. A host of factors, including infertility, weather, and contaminants may have resulted in this egg being ‘addled’. Unhatched peregrine falcon eggs generally remain in the nest or become cracked and broken during the course of chick rearing. If the unhatched egg is still intact at the time of banding in roughly three-four weeks, it will be collected and may be tested for contaminants.
- Read more updates in the archive…
Internet service to the Falcon Cam provided courtesy of Comcast Business.
The DWR Falcon Cam follows the breeding season of a peregrine falcon pair that nests in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The nest box is located atop the Riverfront Plaza building. If you’re in the area, look up! You may catch a glimpse of the famous birds! We hope each year that the pair will once again choose to nest at this site, so that our camera may provide an educational experience for all to enjoy.