UPDATE! THIS INFORMATION IS FROM 25 MAY 2015. READ THE LATEST peregrine news HERE.
MAY 25, 2015
It’s now obvious to us humans that Dorothy and E2’s chick is not normal. At 15 days old it should be walking around the nestbox and standing upright like a little Buddha. Instead it falls suddenly on its back, kicks and jerks and cannot right itself. It remains on its back for hours and Dorothy feeds it in this position. This is not normal.
It appears the chick has a birth defect which we humans could not see immediately. Dorothy and E2 are very experienced parents who know what healthy chicks look like (Dorothy has raised 42 young), and their extra attentive behavior from the start indicates to me they knew this chick has issues.
At age 16 Dorothy is old for a peregrine and, just like older human mothers, her eggs are more likely to result in birth defects. This is not new for Dorothy. Two years ago one of her two chicks hatched with seizures and died within a week. Unfortunate as it is, health problems are normal for a peregrine this old.
The Way of the Peregrine:
Peregrine falcons are precision flyers and hunters, the fastest animal on earth. They hunt at speeds of more than 200 miles an hour and kill prey in the air by capturing it with their feet. They must be in top physical condition to do this.
The goal of peregrine parents every year is to raise their offspring to become independent and leave home by the end of the summer. Peregrine youngsters are “weaned” from food deliveries as soon as they learn to hunt. They are not allowed to hang around home for handouts. That is the Way of the Peregrine.
This year’s chick is in poor condition for fulfilling its life goal of hunting on its own, leaving home, and eventually finding a mate. Dorothy and E2 have raised enough young that they know this. However they are devoted parents. Dorothy feeds the chick on its back (unusual!) and shelters it with her body even though it is too old for “baby” treatment. This looks odd because the chick is so large. Dorothy is not smothering it. She is “mothering” it.
Human Reactions:
Sad as it is, this is a natural event. Our normal human reaction is to intervene, however humans are the peregrines’ mortal enemy. For us to “steal” the chick, no matter how well-meaning we are, is very upsetting and a threat to Dorothy and E2. We humans are not as good at taking care of baby peregrines as their parents are.
Peregrine falcons are endangered in Pennsylvania and protected from human intrusion. Only those with proper permits are allowed to handle peregrines. The chicks are still banded in Pennsylvania because they are endangered. Banding Day — which will be this week — is the one moment when humans intrude/intervene. The chick will get a thorough health check at that time. [Note that an injured or diseased chick is given appropriate treatment. This chick may have an incurable birth defect.] We await the news on Banding Day.
Meanwhile if the chat, the camera, the news of this chick upsets you, I suggest with all due respect that you close your browser and give yourself a break.
Or switch to watching a peregrine nest with normal thriving chicks. Three of Dorothy’s grandkids are growing up in Rochester, New York. These are the nestlings of Beauty (Dorothy’s daughter) and her mate DotCa at RFalconcam. Click here or on their photo to watch.
You can also watch the peregrines’ nest in Harrisburg on the Rachel Carson Building –> click here.
Unfortunately, many people may think Dorothy’s situation is what happens at all peregrine nests.
No. This is not normal.
(photos from the National Aviary snapshot camera at University of Pittsburgh and RFalconcam, Rochester, New York)
p.s. More cams to watch, suggested in the comments:
- Mystic and Mo in Canton, Ohio 4 babies. Mystic is mother to Magnum, the female peregrine at the I-79/Neville Island bridge.
- Bowling Green State University, Ohio 4 babies.
Kate, excellent blog entry today. As you mentioned, I’m having the ‘normal’ human reaction – I don’t like it, but I have to accept it. I’m just so glad to have discovered Dorothy for myself in 2010 and enjoyed 3 active seasons chasing juvenile peregrines around Oakland!
And just a shout out for another falcon cam, with a Pittsburgh connection (although not a Dorothy connection)… Mystic and Mo in Canton http://northcanton.us/cantonfalcon/
Mystic is mother to Magnum, the female peregrine at the I-79/Neville Island bridge. Mystic has 4 healthy nestlings who are learning to use their wings!
Thank you Kate for giving an explanation of what may be going on. It is so sad to watch, but it is nature :(. I checked in several times yesterday. At first the baby was on it’s back and E2 was trying so hard to get it upright. Then poof, it was and was walking around. It does seem to lose it’s balance easily. I did see it get fed around noon by Dorothy. I hope banding day is soon so you can see if there is something wrong with the baby – for peace of mind :). It’s amazing Dorothy had a baby in the first place at her age!
Thank you, Kate. It has indeed been a roller coaster of emotions watching Dorothy, E2 and the chick, from the highest of highs when the egg hatched to the lowest of lows when watching the struggles at the nest. Thank you for keeping us updated, although wouldn’t it have been lovely to have had a different outcome. All things considered, I guess it was unrealistic to expect an easy and uneventful hatch and fledge. We’ve seen some fabulous displays by Dorothy and E2 in their touching care of the young chick, whom chatters have lovingly nicknamed Fuzzy. So sad that it’s not enough to overcome Fuzzy’s limitations.
Thank you for the update. Bowling Green also has 4 huge babies to view. Theses hatched around the same date as Dorthy’s. Sometimes they like to hide from the camera. In comparison, it’s easy to see where Dorthy’s baby is in trouble.
http://www.bgsu.edu/falconcam.html
So very sad. I kept hoping, over the last several days, that it would stop falling over and start acting like a normal chick. When I saw that it was on its back this morning (since last night?) I realized that things did not look good for this chick. Thank you, Kate, for today’s blog. It’s a bit easier to take hearing it explained so eloquently.
Kate, Thank you for the well-written post. The Way of the Peregrine is a tough one, but we as humans can only accept what nature decides is best. Dorothy’s legacy lives on, in the many healthy peregrines who fly freely.
Thank you for this explanation. I felt that something,was wrong.
Thanks for the wonderful description of what humans have to do to allow the natural world do what it has to do to survive. Mother nature still does it best.
Thanks for the update Kate. When I checked in this morning I knew something was wrong but not what when the chick couldn’t upright himself.
Thank you, Kate,
I echo everyone’s sentiments. It is difficult to watch, but the updates of those with so much knowledge than I have of these amazing birds have been so helpful.
Is there a chat link? I’m a 3rd grade teacher and we’ve been watching Dorothy. Our school is now out for the summer, but it would be helpful to ask questions for the future. I teach a lot about habit, survival of the fittest, environmental protection, etc. This unfortunate event with Dorothy and E2’s young one will not be in vain. I’ve still been in contact with students keeping track at home. Unfortunate lesson, but necessary none the less.
Debbi, if you are on Facebook request to join Pittsburgh Falconuts. It’s the place with the best information!
Thank you very much Kate
I sent my request yesterday to join….but can still read all the posts. GREAT explanation.
Even if someone did manage to get to this chick, I seriously doubt there is anything anybody can do at this point.
The pix cam site to watch the cam has a chat Debbi! And thank you Kate for helping the viewers understand what is happening!
Sue, I am not on pix chat but I have heard — and received troubling news — that pix chat is not on top of the situation & things got out of hand late last night with misinformation & some panic. I hope pix can correct that.
(Again, I recommend Pittsburgh Falconuts. VERY knowledgeable members)
There are many folks on the pix chat that don’t do facebook and therefore can’t see the falconuts page because it is not public. We have been trying on the pix chat to get the info that was posted here and on fb posted to the public chat site. As with some posts that were here earlier, some folks do get a bit stressed and upset over this situation, and we do our best to help everyone understand what is happening. You have been the most important source of info for everyone, thank you for your knowledge, experience, and directness in explaining Dorothy’s situation
Thank you for explaining this so succinctly, Kate. One of the most difficult things is to understand is that Nature, beautiful as it is, is also efficient and can be disturbing to our “sensibilities”.
As sad as this is, and heartbreaking to watch, even with all our medical interventions, humans can suffer birth defects, too. Meanwhile, the Toledo peregrines are doing well, with 4 chicks, although no longer related to Dorothy, I guess.
I have in fact decided to stop watching, after the course of today’s events, but I wanted to just leave a final thought. However much it would upset and panic Dorothy and E2 to have the chick forcibly removed from them, it seems to me that as the day goes on Dorothy is increasingly at wit’s end on how to mother the struggling chick. I do not mean to project emotion or to anthropomorphize the situation – but it’s just that her instinct seems to instruct her to calm and shelter the baby, and that is not working. She is showing incredible dedication and loyalty as a falcon mom, but I wonder if in all her years of mothering she has encountered anything quite like this? (Even with the baby that died after one week?) Maybe at some point, the situation extends beyond the repertoire of her innate responses and she can not think “outside the box” (so to speak!). Even if the chick will ultimately fall over and not thrive anyways, it still seems like maybe the best idea for the immediate moment would be for her to try as hard as possible to keep trying to roll the chick over. Not just keep trying to calm it. If this just keeps going on for hours or days on end until the chick finally passes away, what a sad end to Dorothy’s line and to her years of experience as a mom. Again, I am not going to watch anymore – just leaving this thought.
Marta, interesting thought. Here’s one that just occurred to me: In order for a nestling to become an adult it has to progress from the baby stage to older stages in which it does more and more on its own and the parents help less and less. I do not know but … this may be the stage in its life when it’s supposed to master rolling over & getting up by itself so its parents have reasons why they don’t do that for it anymore. Again I do not know. Just a thought.
So sad. I knew the first time the chick was on his back this is not normal. But what will become of him?
Poor Dorothy, trying her best. And there’s nothing she can do.If this is stressful for us to watch, imagine where her stress hormones must be by now. But she will not give up, she is so amazing.
Janet, am not sure that this stresses Dorothy as much as it puzzles her. Of course, I don’t know what she’s thinking. I do know that *real* stress for a peregrine is when a human or a great horned owl raids the nest — or peregrines fight for territory.
I could no t get onto facebook page so someone posted for me but I thought I would post here also
No one knows if this is a birth defect. Why , because no one has checked. I have watched this wee one non stop and seen its progress. It walked , by itself ,out of cam view yesterday Great job. it is in a depression of bowl and has been scrunched in there by mom.( Dorothy is just dong what she thinks is best, not senile). every time it tried to get up it was scrunched down. I watched it right itself yesterday, when adult was not around. It was not in the depression .
Shame on the authorities for doing nothing. they are going up to band anyway, go up now and check it out. How cruel. Don’t hide behind the nature comments. If out in nature , something needs help , we help it.
Give the chick a chance.
And some of the comments made about Dorothy,. She is not senile. Things happen. she has earned the right to be here and to stay here. older than her have had healthy chicks. Richmond had a few tough years but we all cheered on their successes and stood behind them in sadness. WE did not wait for a younger falocn to come in and take the adults place. Shame on those making g the comments.
Blast away at me. I am tough. I am not just a casual watcher. I am well versed in the ways of falcons. I choose right now to not watch for awhile because I do not support those who will not help. We are not out in nature. They are where they can be helped.
God bless you Dorothy and her chick.
bev, humans will examine the chick and try to find out.
Thank you so much for such a thorough explanation . Dorothy and E2 are amazing parents . We were stunned and proud when they had eggs and then a hatch . My heart is broken for them and their baby. She is well cared for and loved. Peace to his family and to all of you watching .
Thanks to all the caring people who have been watching Dorothy and her Family.
And especially for the informative and real article.
I’ve enjoyed talking with people and sharing this experience.
Love to Dorothy and all you positive wildlife watchers at this difficult time.
Much worse things happen in slaughter houses and laboratories; i.e cosmetic and chemical testing. No human intervention there. Dorthy is being a loving, devoted mother in this beings troubled times. That’s more than factory animals receive.
Thank you, Kate, for your thoughtful column explaining this heartbreaking situation. Do you know when Banding Day is scheduled? Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later, if nothing else to alleviate what appears to us to be suffering (despite Dorothy’s best efforts at brooding, feeding and shading her chick from the sun).
I agree with Bev. Why wait until Friday. Why not tomorrow.
I am upset that chat has been taken away,we are being treated like immature children. The Florida site did not do this and they had a healthy eaglet die and we watched and talked about the whole situation. It is important to face these situations and learn to deal with them. Retired RN Grief Specialist among other Nursing Specialties.
ALL of my Posts Removed? I Suppose that is your Prerogative!
Lynn Sullivan, you posted your comments on a different (and earlier) article. This article did not yet exist when you made your comments. They were not removed. They are on the post entitled “Dorothy Is A Rock Star” Here are the links to your comments:
http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2015/05/15/dorothy-is-a-rock-star/#comment-155445
http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2015/05/15/dorothy-is-a-rock-star/#comment-155452
To those who would join the Pittsburgh Falconuts Facebook group: We take the same views as expressed by Kate in her blog. We do not believe that humans should interfere with nature and we do not believe that animals have human emotions. If you enjoying learning and healthy, non-emotional discussion, then you are most welcome to join. But coming in and demanding that the eyas be rescued will only result in being excluded from the group.
Adapt –
As a mother of a child born with an illness that expressed when he was 5 years old, I did exactly what I perceive Dorothy and E2 as doing.
1. First I was frantic
2. Then I tried to ‘upright’ my son and have him be normal.
3. Then I ‘mothered’ and possibly that was viewed by others as ‘smothering’.
4. Then I adapted. I met him where he’s at. Just as Dorothy is doing.
We aren’t all that different from the animals and birds we share this beautiful planet with.
Just my thoughts…
Thank you, Traci. So insightful!
To all of you asking or demanding that things be different — such as request for intervention, turn on the chat, turn off the camera, etc., etc.
I cannot change what you want to have changed. It is up to someone else.
I know that your demands have been heard by those in charge because you have called them yourselves. You have already told them what you want. You have voted early and often.
If you have not told them, it is your own responsibility to do so. I cannot cast your vote for you.
My blog post above explains as much as I know and answers your questions as far as I can answer them.
Please understand that I cannot approve every repeated demanding comment — especially comments that are insulting or profane.
p.s. to Lynn Sullivan: Your comments were not deleted. You posted them on the “Dorothy is a Rock Star” article, not on this article. Please look for them there.
I too wish chat hadn’t been taken away from the pix cam site and would have rather seen the individual(s) that were being nasty dealt with. I agree with the policy not to intervene, but understand some of the others’ point of view also, maybe they could have been presented with some of the grave facts very bluntly on the cam site so they were more aware as they first found the site? I would just rather include and discuss (kindly!) than to shut people out.
Kate — thank you for posting the other Ohio falcon links….the Canton falcons, born on the same day at the Pitt peregrine chick, are so large and developed that it is now easy to see how developmentally delayed and/or impaired our Pitt chick is….and thanks to the Aviary who decided to turn off the chat (and audio?)…as it was too painful to watch, and chatters were starting to get too rude and demanding of something none of us has the power to change. Appreciate your paragraph above on Human Reactions to watching animals exist in nature.
Judi, I just now took a look at the Canton cam. Wow! Such is a stark developmental difference between Dorothy’s chick and the Canton chicks
who hatched on the same day.CORRECTION! Ooops! Wrong year. “The Hatching” display on the Canton site was in 2012. This year the eggs hatched on April 28 making these birds 12 days older than the Cathedral of Learning chick.
Judi, The dramatic difference in development didn’t look right to me so I did some digging. The Canton website has a nice display of “The Hatching” but if you look closely at the time stamps the photos are in 2012 when the eggs did indeed hatch on May 10. This year the Canton eggs hatched on April 28 making these birds 12 days older than the Cathedral of Learning chick — thus the dramatic difference.
Good news…sometime around 6:40 – 6:45 the chick was “righted” ! Yay!
Woo hoo!
Dorothy apparently solved his problem at time stamp 6:40pm.
Thank you Kate for the explanation. Very sad indeed. Just wish they would band ASAP to see what the problem is. Possibly it may help the baby and us wanting so much to see if anything could change. I do think the chat should remain also.
I am sooo happy Fuzzy is up righted. When I was really upset, I just walked away from the sight and prayed.
I agree with the other writers that the chat site should have been left on. Those comments, if deemed derogatory, should have been censored.
We missed the joy of celebrating his up-righted position with the other chatters.
Forgot, could you change the picture you currently have on this site.
Thanks.
Gerri, confused by what you mean about change the picture.
I also would like the chat back.
I had a common interest with the other viewers.
And I also had the support and insight from other people.
Now I feel alone when I know there are all these people out there feeling sad too.
PLEASE BRING IT BACK
The first picture on this site (scroll all the way to the top, past NY’s falcons), the one with Fuzzy on its back.
Maybe replace it when Fuzzy is sitting in the regular position.
Gerri, this is a blog so there will be a new topic tomorrow. Might not even be about birds. 😉
Just throwing in my support here for letting those people who have studied birds their whole lives and have their degrees and even doctorates in wildlife biology. If we’re not intervening, it is not for being cold and unfeeling. Rather it is because they feel more deeply for this species than those of us who tune in a couple months a year to watch eggs laid and hatched. Their lives are invested in these birds and they let things go as a matter of knowing that is what is best for the birds survival rather than what is best for our emotions.
Judi, I’ve tried to access the archives, but only get a frozen picture. Could you describe how the baby was righted? Did Dorothy manage it, and if so, how? Thank you so much for the update.
Kate,
Ok. Thank you.
thank you Kate for your insightful blog! watching the chick struggle is heart-wrenching for all but somehow i feel it is Dorothy that struggles the most. she is so very devoted to her chick. she is doing what instinct tells her at whatever cost. i will leave it up to those who examine the little one at banding to make a decision about his fate. my heart is with all who have loved Dorothy thru the years-
Kate – Please leave the picture. To do otherwise, minimizes the powerful lesson this year’s saga of Dorothy and E2 teach: Life HURTS. They suffer. We suffer.
It has to be stated emphatically: There is something the matter with the eyas. It will NEVER survive life as a wild free adult. Caged, the way no Peregrine ever should be – perhaps. I would rather it die Free.
People forget that Life is not gentle. People need to see that picture – to remember. To care.
Again, just my thoughts.
I’m rooting (and praying) for Dorothy and her little one. He is really a fighter, and she is extraordinary! But I’m also very saddened to read posts from those who are anxious to see Dorothy gone from this nest so “Hopefully we’ll deliver a nest full of healthy chicks and a whole new excitement next year!” Sounds very commercial and callous at this point in time. I also feel that criticizing the chatters as misinformed, then shutting the chat down completely, is very unfair to a community that was founded on admiration for this marvelous mamma falcon, that was always open to learning, and that would like to continue to support each other through this difficult time and share any successes along the way.
I have just got home and am elated that the chick has been righted
someone said, leave this to the ones with degrees etc not to people who watch a couple months a year. I resent this comment.
I have been committed to falcons for many years. I head a falcon watch and we rescue falcons when they come to the ground. some o f these falcons have gone on to nest successfully at other sites over the years. Kate knows this as I have read her blogs on Gulf site for the years the falcons nested there. most of us are not kooks .
a few years back we noticed , via cam, a few of our chicks were in trouble. Could tell by feathering and size and the way they PS on each other. AS a result our biologists rescued 2 o f them and the third , which was a bit i better was treated in the box, 3 days in a row. It did not compromise our adults. they continued to do their normal thing. they did not move their nest site. they have raised many successful chicks since. coincidentally , we were going to band 5 days later, just like here. But they went up early . by the way, they all survived. but would not have if not treated early.
All we were asking, was if you are going up to band anyway, check on it now. give it a chance if it needs some help. that is not too much to ask.
As a mom of a special needs child, it warms my heart to know that humans aren’t the only species who try to do their best for their children. As sad as it is to know that Dorothy’s chick is a “special needs child,” it’s also heartening to know that she and E2 are trying to make their chick’s life comfortable for however long it lives. Your explanation helped a lot.
i spent hours going through the archives last night. i am aware the chick may have abnormalities but i also noticed the fierce determination it has expressed. what makes it hard is the innocence he possesses along with the the fight to survive. i am noticing that Dorothy tries to stand to prop him a bit, and also times where he sat so far reclined he should have fallen over!
we have taken so very much from wildlife, threatening their very existence, some species lost to extinction. if there is a chance to help this chick then that is the least we can do. if we did not know of the struggle here that would put it in a different perspective- but we are seeing it, we are here, along with Dorothy, through this very difficult period.
it is reasonable to assume he will not reach speeds of up to 200 mph and he may be challenged in all aspects of his life- only until the chick is thoroughly examined will we know the extent of his needs. i would like to see him helped in some way- for his sake and Dorothy’s as well- the sooner the better-
debra k, go to this link for all the latest peregrine news. It’s where I put updates. (This blog you are posting on is old news.)
http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/peregrines/
You should shut down the cam
Sharon, You’re reading old news. Please go to the link at top of this page.
Hi it has all been said already but once more thx for the information
Stopped to see Fuzzy this morning. He was standing near the wall and mom was beside him. Just got back from Dr’s appt. and saw he was on his back under mom. When did this happen?
I’m glad I finally found this site that explains why the poor little birdie is on her back but I have to say it’s so very hard to watch. I agree with another post that this particular cam should be shut down. I say I will not watch but still do. Today I am
choosing to no longer watch and let nature take over.
I may be in the minority here, but personally I was glad to see the chat taken down. Normally I would not say that. Some folks have suggested it should have been left up so that we could reason with and educate the uninformed posters, some of whom were viciously attacking the mother, people associated with the site, etc. In my experience, people who insist on attacking others can’t be reasoned with. Their minds will not be changed. (Nor should they, necessarily.) But they insist on inflicting their opinions and reactions on others, simply because they can … even if it inflames an already anguished situation. There’s an old saying, whose meaning certainly has been lost in the Internet age: “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
There are people who believe that just because we see tragic natural processes (as opposed to man-made) happening on a streaming webcam, we should intervene. And, as a feeling, empathetic human being, that is often my first reaction. However, in watching many sad situations occur in nests and elsewhere in wildlife over the years, I have come to realize that even when we humans are well-intentioned, our good intentions may not be enough … and, worse, may actually create even more damage. So I have tried to take a more cautious mindset with these situations. It often does not match what my heart tells me. But learning about the undesirable consequences of human intervention has given me pause.
So well said, Sue. An excellent balance of wisdom and compassion in your words. I encourage everyone to take it to heart. Thank you.
I know this is an old topic, but I haven’t found a newer one. I’ve been watching the nest for over 24 hours now, not continuously, but often. I don’t see any improvement in the chicks condition, but I do see that the mother, Dorothy, is getting more proficient at turning it over. It seems to have a lot of fight left and I saw that it had been fed and both parents seem involved in its care. There isn’t much that can be done by us humans.
I have to agree with you that the chicks problem is more neurological than physiological. I’ve Googled around looking for information on bird diseases that might be in play and didn’t find anything that seemed to fit other than a general diagnosis of seizures. I haven’t been able to get most of the archival video to play, so I can’t arrive at a conclusion about how long this chicks difficulties have gone on or first appeared.
I hope that a veterinarian specializing in birds can have a look at it at banding time. And, should the chick succumb, which seems a likely outcome, I would hope that a thorough necropsy is done looking for parasites, toxins or anatomic abnormalities.
Thank you for your excellent posts.
FOR KATE ST JOHN, PLEASE FOR ACTION
The problem is very simple.
There is a BIG lack of grid in the nestbox.
The chick though can´t grip on it and his legs glide out.
To solve the problem more grid should be put into the box.
This can only be done on the day of banding the chick.
If putting grid would not be sufficient anymore the only solution would be to band the chick on both legs, with a chord in between so that he can´t spread his legs anymore.
But I still hope putting grid could be sufficient.
Anita
Anita, with all due respect … Dorothy has raised 42 chicks on this same gravel surface without ever experiencing this problem. Peregrines always nest on gravel. The gravel is their grid.
The chick has been born to an aged mother. The chick will be examined on Banding Day and appropriate action taken at that time.
Thank your for your answer Kate! I know they always nest on gravel, but on several places in the nest there isn´t enough gravel in my humble opinion.
Right now the chick is being fed, sitting proudly 🙂
Big crop now, and still sitting after the feeding!
Is there some type of lump on the baby’s chest that I don’t see when looking at the other birds?
Cathy, read today’s update at http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2015/05/27/up-and-down/
Every day I write a new article with the latest updates. You can see ALL my peregrine news, including news from other nests, at this link http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/category/peregrines/
I agree with Anita …
ReA, thank you for your messages. I am not posting the redundant one that you left at “Are You Better Now?“
Thanks, Audrey! (And sorry about the typo in my post. That should have been “uninformed” … not uniformed, LOL!)
I continue to appreciate your responses and your patience Kate. I love watching Dorothy-E2- and the chick even though the struggle is hard. Sometimes there are simply no great choices. Good luck to those I who can help decide.
1:15 pm and the little baby perrigrine is not visible. It has been along the side of the wall all morning with and without mom. What has happened to it?
Cindy, there are corners of the nest where you can’t see him on camera. Not a problem. His world is bigger than we can see
Has the baby been banded and what is going on with him/her?
Bev, your questions are answered in the latest Pittsburgh peregrine news here: http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/category/peregrines/
Kate, I’m assuming that when this chick was banded, they put a band on it that would normally be for a female, since they couldn’t determine the sex. I know they use a smaller band for a male. If they did use the male band on the chick and now realize it’s a female, will they re-band it using a larger band? Just curious. Anyway, this chick is looking so healthy now. I hope it continues to grow and thrive to live a long life.
Carol, they used a female band
Thanks Kate!