What a difference a few days makes. Left to right are Arrow, Spike and Dart…
The two found a piece of insulation foam. They played with it and tore it up.
Volunteer nest monitor, Mr. Scott Wright, visited the nest and reports that all three now leave the nestbox to walk on the building’s ledge. Here is Spike out for a walk….
and here is Dart stepping out of the nestbox to join Spike……
The young falcons are growing very fast and require LOTS of food. While Mr. Wright watched them, they screamed loudly and constantly at their parents for food. According to the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, “Peregrines, as well as many other predatory species, can eat large quantities of food in one sitting, which is to their advantage because they never know when they will get their next meal. Peregrines can, in one sitting, eat a meal weighing as much as one quarter of their own weight. Additional food is usually stored in caches to be returned to at a later time when fresh food is scarce. A typical Peregrine family (2 adults and 3 young) eats roughly 225 kilograms (500 pounds) of food per year”. The peregrine falcons’ keen eyesight (believed to be seven times that of human vision), great speed, hooked beak and powerful talons make them excellent hunters. This is Ranger…….
When Ranger came to check on the other two who were out for a walk, they rushed over and started screaming. Mr. Wright describes, “Spike and Dart were just calling and calling and begging for food. Quite the racket!!!!”
Our thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for sponsoring the FalconCams and for the still.
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.
Ranger was near the nest for much of the time Mr. Wright watched, and his very large kids screamed at him for food. This is Arrow…..
