Have you been watching the FalconCam? If so, you know that three chicks have hatched. Welcome to the world, little guys! The Falcon Flash e-news bulletin has been having e-mail problems and if you've missed receiving it, we apologize.
The proud parents welcomed their first chick on April 18th.......
The day before the hatch, Scott Wright, volunteer peregrine falcon nest monitor for 14 years, was at the nest early and gave this eye-witness report:
“Got to the nest about 8:30am. Mr. B was on the eggs. He was calling and listening to the eggs, sometimes every 10-15 seconds. Mr. B was also turning the eggs at a very frequent rate (more often than SW did when she took over later in the a.m.) I got to see the first small hole in the shell some time around 10:45am.
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, a technique that wildlife biologists use as they study the peregrines. To help you record the chicks' progress, you can go to the FalconCam and click on the archives link under each of the 3 current pictures to see all the day's activities at: http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/news.php
The second time I saw the egg with the hole in it I could see the chick moving around inside.
Mr. B kept the egg with the hole in it directly under him (in front) so he could gently call out to the chick. He called to it more than SW did when she took over. But she was listening to the egg more than Mr. B did.”
It took another day before the chick broke through its shell.
The photos are courtesy of Scott Wright, volunteer peregrine nest monitor. They may be used by children for school and/or personal projects, but please give Mr. Wright photo credit. All others must contact Mr. Wright directly for permission to use his photos.
On April 19th, there were two……
And then came a third.
The hatching process for each egg usually takes several days. Look for a "pip" or hole in the egg that is beginning to hatch. The chick inside the egg will use its special "egg tooth" to break through the shell. Several times over the years, one of SW and Buckeye’s eggs have failed to hatch. Will there be 1 more chick? Do you see a pip in the fourth egg? Keep your eyes and browser set on: http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/news.php
Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams and for the FalconCam stills.
