June 14, 2017 in In the Nest Box
Day 33 – ‘the age of the white pantaloons’. This may happen a day or two earlier or later, but most chicks do go through this phase where they have large fluffs of down conspicuously surrounding their legs, much more prominently than anywhere else on their bodies.
This image captures a rare moment with both adults in the nest box; the male is on the ledge with leg bands!
June 13, 2017 in In the Nest Box
By day 32, the patches of remaining down feathers are becoming restricted to the base of the legs, parts of the wings, and perhaps parts of the back, as well as the crown. They are also becoming increasingly vocal and active around the nest area, to the extent that the adults rarely visit except to drop off food for them. However, on days with very high heat, the female may provide protective cover in the late afternoon sun with temps over 90F!
June 12, 2017 in In the Nest Box
By day 29, the chicks often have their faces largely free of down, giving them a white-capped appearance. On their backs, the remaining down often appears to be clumped together in certain areas, with extensive areas instead revealing the dark juvenile feathers.
It’s often around day 30 that the chicks seem to turn into “real” peregrines almost overnight, very rapidly losing much of the down on their breast, thus revealing the heavily streaked breast feathers they will be carrying for the next year.
By day 31, the chicks often become actively interested in losing their down, preening themselves and sometimes ending up with feathers stuck to their beak as a result. From the back they are looking increasingly dark, with the wing feathers approaching full length.
June 12, 2017 in In the Nest Box
During a late afternoon visit to observe the nest box action, had a wonderful opportunity to see the chicks moving around the outer ledge of the nest box. As happens at this stage of growth, there was lots of wing flapping and movement by the chicks.
Of particular note was watching the female go out on the perch a number of times and show the chicks how to do so. she demonstrated how to balance and not fall off. Then she took off into flight in to the west. As she lifted off, her talons remained out, not tucked under in normal streamline fashion.
She was making a very short flight to a nearby rooftop to show the nestlings how to prepare for first flight! she remained on the roof for a few minutes and then took off in a flash.
June 9, 2017 in In the Nest Box
As they approach four weeks of age, the chicks are rapidly growing their juvenile feathers both below and above, and are looking visibly darker with each passing day.
At day 28, the chicks are nearing the midpoint of their transition from down-covered chick to juvenile-plumaged fledgling, and are nearly full-grown in terms of body size and weight.
June 7, 2017 in In the Nest Box
In their fourth week of life, the chicks undergo significant changes almost daily. Around day 25, the brown tips to the secondaries become clearly visible, and the number of coloured feathers visible on the breast increases noticeably. Behaviourally, they are rarely resting on their tarsi anymore at this age.
At day 26, the development continues in terms of the increasing covering of juvenile feathers on the breast. The area on the head bare of down also continues to expand.
June 5, 2017 in In the Nest Box
By day 24 the facial pattern behind the eyes is becoming increasingly evident, and some colouration is becoming visible on the upper breast as juvenile feathers develop beneath the down. The legs are now just about fully developed, and thus banding takes place now or a few days before.
It is fascinating to have this awesome opportunity to watch the growth and development of the chicks inside the nest box. Here the female has brought back prey and grips it tight with her oversized left leg talons!
June 4, 2017 in In the Nest Box
As these four chicks demonstrate, they alternate between standing on their feet and resting on their tarsi. Here, the female has arrived with prey and the four chicks all around the female but in different directions. They are all standing and all have new leg bands!
June 2, 2017 in In the Nest Box
Around the three week point, the first juvenile feathers begin to poke through the down on the breast. The chicks continue to rest on their tarsi much of the time, rather than standing on their feet, but this balance shifts quickly in the days to follow. Today they are resting quite a bit and awaiting next feeding!
May 29, 2017 in In the Nest Box
Around noon today, observed the female deliver a big takeout lunch to the ravenous chicks!
