This season has started off with a pretty good kick. Even though the spring season is starting out slow we have had some excitement to keep our attention. Wednesday the 28th was our first day and we were anxiously awaiting the hatch of the young falcons. This is a very late hatch for these birds. We watched them all day but none of the eggs hatched. However, we did get a glance at a young bird that came and landed on the Greysolon Plaza Building, we assume it was one that came out of the nest last year. It sat their for a bit while the female was on the nest and the male was out of sight. Shortly after, the male came back and was claiming his territory. Even though that bird was probably family, peregrines are very territorial and will not allow other birds in. At first, the young bird did not get the hint to move on so the female came out of the nest box to show the young bird they meant business. Finally the young falcon flew away and did not return.
On our second day, we had more family excitement. The first nestling (eya) hatched. We did not see it happen but we did get a peak at it while the female got up to readjust herself and the rest of the eggs. We will now wait for the rest of the eggs to hatch. Not all of the eggs hatch at the same time because they are not laid on the same day. The female will start to incubate after the 3rd or 4th egg is laid and the eggs are usually laid around 48 hours apart. Also, a single egg can take about 28-32 days to incubate fully and hatch. This means the eggs do not all hatch on the same day and there is always a few days in between the oldest and youngest bird. So we should continue to see the rest of the eggs hatch in the next few days. Maybe we will actually be watching when it happens!
Whether it is a territorial defense or a hatching eya, there is always something fun to watch with this Peregrine Falcon family. Who knows what may happen tomorrow! If you are in the area, come visit us at Lake Place Park or follow us on facebook to get quick updates.
