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Hi Folks -
Monday morning found me in dowtown SLC again to watch the
Peregrine Falcons as I had not checked on them in three days. What I am
reporting may not be wholly factual, but I will try to give you the gist of
what's happening as I heard it first, second and third hand.
The young male (the first to fledge) is still doing very
well. I witnessed an unbelievably long and strong flight yesterday.
It took all the eyes there to keep him in sight. It was just
wonderful! This guy did cause a little panic, however, when he was
exploring the roof of the Administration Building. He was very curious
about a hanging wire and got his leg stuck in it. He pulled and pulled and
finally freed himself, but went right back to being curious and got himself hung
up again for a few minutes. We heaved a sigh of relief when he lost
interest in this adventure. You don't realize how many potential dangers
there are for birds on buildings until you are associated with an effort like
this.
The young female apparently had some trouble over the
weekend. On one of her flights, she glanced off a building, but was able
to make a controlled landing on the ground. Bob decided it best to pick
her up and have her checked for injuries. X-rays showed nothing broken
although there may have been a little bruising. They kept her overnight
for observation and put her back out the next day. She is flying some, but
nothing like her brother. Remember, however, that she fledged several days
after he did and Bob says that females are a little bit slower in the learning
curve than males. Hopefully, her progress is where it should be.
The young female spent all of her time on the roof of the AB
for the six hours I was there yesterday. When she wasn't resting and
taking advantage of the shade, she was eating, hopping around and stretching her
wings. Several times, she flapped her wings vigorously and appeared
strong. At one point she perched up on the ledge at the corner of the
building and the young male came in to join her. It was quite a sight to
see the two of them right together. He seemed bound and determined to get
her to fly. It was so funny! He pecked at her, jumped up on her
back, hovered in the breeze above her, tried to corner her and one time even
grabbed her leg with his in what looked like an attempt to pull her off.
She wouldn't have any of it. When I left at 4:30, she was still where she
had been all day long.
Both parents continue to take an active and interested role in
their parenting responsibilities. It is fascinating to watch their
interaction with the young ones and ponder what lesson is being
taught.
Now, get this. This story made it into The New York
Times on Monday. Perhaps you can see it on their website (www.nytimes.com). I thought this was the
best part of the article - "If a bird flies into the street, Bob will try to
catch it and I'm supposed to throw myself in front of the cars," said June
Ryburn who has spent 13 hours a day watching the birds.
That's all I know for now.
Pomera
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