SW buzzed the workers, just to let them know who was in charge.
This year Mr. Wright remembered to wear gloves. Last year he forgot them as he rushed to rescue a fledgling from on top of a car in a busy street. That young falcon clamped onto Mr. Wright with her razor-sharp talons, and he ended his day in the Doctor's office for a Tetanus shot and antibiotics. This is the young girl from last year’s nest, showing off the talons that she used on Mr. Wright.
Our last report described how he was found on the fourth floor on Sunday and taken back to the 12th floor nestsite. The next day, he was found on the ground in Public Square, which you can see below SW in this picture.
When fledglings begin to fly, it is much harder to fly up than down, and Public Square in the heart of downtown Cleveland is no place for a young falcon. So, once again, Spike was put in a crate and rode the elevator back up to the 12th floor, escorted by nest monitor Mr. Wright and Tower City Security. Mr. Wright reports, “We took him back to the 12th floor and he would not get out of the box. I took the box apart and returned him to the ledge. He would not let go of my glove. So one of my gloves is now on the 12th floor ledge”. This is a photo of Mr. Wright rescuing a fledgling a few years ago.
On Tuesday, Mr. Wright returned to see “Arrow flying like gangbusters. Up to the 38th floor!!! She then flew around a bit and missed a landing on 55 Public Square (a nearby building), she flew all the way around 55 Public Square and then headed for the warehouse district. She was losing height the entire time. I lost her as she flew north of the Rockefeller Building on West 6th heading for West 9th! Man that is a flight. She was about 12 floors up when I lost her”.
All three have now taken their first flights. Mr. Wright explains, “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".
To watch the falcons live go to: http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org/news.php Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams.
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.
Meanwhile back on the 12th floor, Dart and Spike were out ledge-walking. While Mr. Wright was watching, Ranger came near them with food but withheld it for awhile. Falcon parents withhold food from fledglings to encourage them to fly. Here are Dart and Spike walking toward workers on a nearby roof.
Mr. Wright describes the young falcons as “flapping machines” as they continue to strengthen their muscles. This is Dart.
A little bit of down reminds us that these guys are only 6 weeks old.
