Just before 6 AM, the peregrines started the day with fair skies, wind from the south at 3MPH, and temp at 61F.  The forecast for the day ahead calls for a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Some storms could be severe, with large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rain. High near 83. Light southwest wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

A line of storms will move through between 3pm-9pm, and will likely affect the evening commute. Some of these storms could be strong/severe.  This is the forecast from the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, indicating the most likely areas to see severe weather tomorrow.  With any strong/severe storm cells, the greatest threats will be strong/damaging wind gusts as well as heavy rain.  As with any thunderstorm, severe or not, lightning is a danger.

The female was seen incubating and brooding first thing this morning.  She didn’t move for the longest time during my morning watch….no way of knowing if third egg hatched?  All eyes are upon the likely remaining two eggs, waiting for them to hatch.  In most years, the eggs tend to hatch close to one another in a fairly well synchronized way, and within 24 – 48 hours of each other.  We have seen the remaining egg shells around the hatchlings.  The adults may move these around a bit with their bills.  They may seem to nibble a bit on the broken pieces, but they don’t have a well developed habit for disposal of the egg shells.  For the most part, the remaining pieces of egg shell will become trampled.  The hatchlings have a delicate white down at birth, with none of the coloration that will come later with true feathers.  They form a feathery white cluster in the first few days and remain in very close contact with one another as though in a rugby scrum!