The young falcons have all taken their first flights. They will stay close to the nestsite for the next month or two, and their parents will watch over them, feed them, and help them practice their flying and hunting skills. Nest monitor Scott Wright tells us: "Soon the parents will drop the food in mid-air and watch the kids dive for it, then they will bring in live food, and drop it."
Nest monitors, Mr. and Mrs. Saladin, captured the following picture in which “Tiger flew through chasing after Buckeye and calling at him. This is also a fun time to watch because the juvies start to chase down the adults and always seem to want food. They actually food beg in the air, which is known as the "flutter-glide" posture, where their wings hang lower as they glide toward the adult for food. This shot is just a noisy chase after Buckeye, though...”
The first few months of flying are dangerous for young peregrines as they must learn to fly successfully at high speeds. Think of a teenager who just gotten his or her driver's license and then is handed the keys to a car that can go 150MPH!!! One thing Mother Nature does to help the new flyers survive is to give them "Speed Brakes" of a sort. If you look closely at the edges of the juvenile feathers you can see a brownish ROUGH edge. This causes a slower flow of air over the wing and makes the young falcons fly slower than adults who have molted into adult feathers. Look closely at pictures of the young falcons and compare them to their parents to see the difference in plumage.
SW's adult plumage is on the left - notice the difference in color as well as the structure.
Juvenile feathers are on the right and show "Nature's Speed Brakes".
Photo by Scott Wright
Soon, the chicks will begin their own lives and fly to parts unknown. Since they wear bands, we may find out what happens to them. Where will they go and how will their lives turn out? This draws the 2008 nesting season to a close. Will Buckeye and SW return to the Terminal Tower nestsite in Cleveland in 2009? Be sure to join us early next year when the cycle of life begins again.
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Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams and a special thanks to the great staff of technicians at the Museum who keep the FalconCams operating for this up close and personal view of the fastest creatures on earth. Learn more about the museum at: http://www.cmnh.org/
Our special thanks to Mr. Harvey Webster, Director of Wildlife Resources at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and to volunteer peregrine nest monitors, Mr. Scott Wright and Mr. and Mrs. Saladin, for their many years of care and concern for the survival of the species peregrine falcon and for watching over this important nesting site. In addition, our thanks to all people, professionals and volunteers, who have contributed to saving the species peregrine falcon in North America. With the help of people from all walks of life, the species is returning to health after nearly becoming extinct in North America.
Our thanks to peregrine nest monitors, Mr. Scott Wright and Mr. and Mrs. Saladin, for the use of their fabulous photos.
