On Monday the first "pip" or hole in an egg could be seen on the FalconCam.  The chick inside the egg uses its special "egg tooth" to break through the shell.

In the evening a storm with heavy rain and hail was reported at Jacobs Field, home of the Cleveland Indians baseball team.  The Falcon's nestbox is on the 12th floor ledge of the Terminal Tower building, which is the skyscraper with red reflection in the center of the following picture.  Jacobs Field is just to the right of the TT, with the row of white lights.  (Look on a map to discover the name of the body of water in the front of the picture).

It's fun to record the date that each chick hatches and then record its growth and progress. When will the chick have its first meal and what will that be?  When will it take its first step?  When will it get its first real feather?  When will it fly?  You can do this in a falcon journal.  The wildlife biologists that study the peregrines record their progress in great detail.  Be sure to go to the image archive at the FalconCam to see all the day's activities at http://www.falconcam.apk.net/  (there's a link under each of the 3 current pictures that will take you to the archives). 

The first hatch occurred sometime during the night of April 19th-20th.  Look what mom found in the nest at dawn!  

The hatching process for each egg takes several days.  Sara Jean Peters, Ohio Division of Wildlife (retired) tells us:  "Note the way (SW's) feathers are fluffed here...it's a great way to allow heat to escape.  Young birds are doing a lot of exercises in a very small room as they break open their shell.  It's easy for them to overheat, so the parents are trying to keep them warm....but not too warm."

Will there be 3 more chicks?  Keep your eyes on: http://www.falconcam.apk.net/  
Our thanks to EcoCity Cleveland for providing the FalconCams as a public service.  


The photos of the birds are stills captured from the FalconCam.  The photo of Cleveland after the storm is courtesy of Cecilia Hartman.