Had a nice visit to observe the peregrine falcons this morning. Upon arrival, met with John Harrison, Ram Subramanian, and Chris Ciccone. Chris provided an excellent history of the past six years, from finding the original pair to all the changes.

The peregrine falcon chick looks to now be approaching 40 days old and is preparing to fledge. The chick is spending much of the time flapping its wings. It is strengthening flight muscles and loosening the the few remaining down feathers. Most of the down, but for a few tufts on the breast and top of the head, has now given way to regular plumage.

Typically at this point in the growth curve, having discovered their wings can grasp the air, they engage in endless bouts of wing-flapping and eventually, often accidentally in a strong wind, discover that they can actually lift up and take off!  This chick is very close to fledging, or making first flight…..perhaps in the next few days or later in the week.

For those with an interest, 4 wing flapping photos posted:

http://www.pbase.com/birdshots/image/163600707
Click “next” in upper right corner to advance frames.