For the peregrines the morning started off under overcast skies, with winds from the south at 3MPH, and temp at 70F.  The forecast calls for scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 83. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

At 6AM this morning, the nest was calm and it looked again like the chicks were gone!  They were hiding out just under the web cam.  The female was perched on the lower left edge of next box.  She departed and returned moments later with prey in her talons.  It was an active and quick feeding session, started and finished in just over 5 minutes, not a moment wasted!  The female then went out to the perch pole, cleaned off her bill and sat for a while.  By 6:10 AM, the nest box appeared empty yet again!

At 19 days of age, the chicks are roughly half the size of their parents, but their feet are already nearly full-grown, and thus appear disproportionately large.  Also at this age, a small patch bare of down begins to appear behind the eyes.

Literature cited:

Ratcliffe, D. 1993. The Peregrine Falcon. 2nd ed. Carlton, England: T. and A. D. Poyser.

The Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Peregrine Falcon Development – Age Guide; http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/info/ageguide.html