Day 16: growing flight feathers!

May 29, 2018 in In the Nest Box, lawrence peregrines, Peregrine Falcons Eastern Massachusetts, Peregrine Falcons Massachusetts

Just after sunrise time at 5:20 AM, the peregrines started the day with fair skies, wind from the SW at 3MPH, high humidity, and temp at 58F.  The forecast for the day ahead calls for a little patchy fog between 7am and 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 87! Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 8 mph in the morning, and falling off later in the afternoon.

2018.05.29-001Around day 16, dark spots can be seen along the edges of the wings, indicating the growth of the flight feathers underneath the covering of down.  The down on the head also begins to take on a “rougher” texture around this time.  As mentioned in a prior post, most of the day is spent sleeping, up to about 16 days, but movements around the nest box become more developed, and they start to become more active during the day.  This morning they slumbered in the far left corner, still in a somewhat close huddle.  The female remained nearby on the outer part of the perch pole. 

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