What’s Happening at the Nest?
Nongame Bird Conservation Biologist, Sergio Harding, gauges a peregrine chick’s leg to determine what size band it should receive.
The RVA falcon chicks received their bands earlier this morning (5/26), exactly one year to the day from the banding of last year’s brood. The chicks were alert and judged to be in good health based on their appearance, measurements, and overall behavior throughout the banding process. Similar to the past two years, this year’s brood is made up of two males and two females (this is determined during banding based on the chick’s weight and leg size). The females can be identified by the presence of green or red tape on their federal bands, while the males received white or blue tape on their bands.
The pen used in past years was deployed in order to prevent accidental fledging before the birds are capable of flight. We will monitor the camera and review recorded footage throughout the course of the next few days to ensure that both the chicks and the adults adjust to the pen as we have observed in previous seasons. Read the rest of this post…
The adult female delivers a meal to the chicks. The offspring are mostly full grown now, although they still have quite a few feathers to develop!
Now that the chicks are approaching four weeks of age, it is time for them to receive their leg bands. We (DWR Biologists) will be accessing the ledge on Friday, May 26th to band the chicks and install the pen that is used to prevent premature fledge events. As part of our annual monitoring efforts, we will also determine the sex of each chick and measure and weight them. The camera will be turned off around 9:00 AM on this day and will be turned back on once the chicks have been banded and returned to the newly deployed pan.
Some attentive Falcon Fans may have also noticed that the chicks have begun leaving the nest box at will. At this age, it is likely that they will spend more time out of the box and exploring other locations along the ledge. This is a normal part of peregrine falcon chick development and has regularly taken place in past years with other broods. Don’t be alarmed if some or all of the chicks are at any point not in view of the camera as there are several other structures along the ledge which they can rest under. Additionally, the adults will continue to keep watch of the ledge as well as deliver prey items to their offspring.
We are happy to report that not only is the Falcon Cam up and running again, but that we have four peregrine chicks in Richmond for the third year in a row! We were able to access the ledge and secure the chicks yesterday (5/10) afternoon which allowed us to troubleshoot the exterior equipment. We identified two failure points with the setup and ultimately needed to bypass the external microphone to get the camera back online. While this bypass gave us the ability to get power back to the camera, it also means we will be without sound for the rest of the season.
The chicks were out of the nest box for approximately two hours and as evidenced by their crop size, had been fed shortly before our arrival. The adults remained on site and visible to us for the duration of our time on the ledge and returned to the nest box within minutes following the chicks return. Since that time, we have documented multiple feedings from the adults.
- 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.