May 16, 2026: The past week in Lawrence, Massachusetts brought a mix of mild spring temperatures, scattered rain showers, and occasional brighter periods as the city’s resident peregrines settled into the busy transition from incubation to raising newly hatched chicks.

The first two eggs hatched overnight last Sunday morning, followed later in the day by a third hatchling, marking the successful beginning of the 2026 nesting season. A fourth egg remains in the nest box but is no longer expected to hatch. Since the arrival of the chicks, activity inside the nest box has increased dramatically. Both adults have remained highly attentive, with the female spending long stretches carefully brooding the hatchlings to keep them warm and protected, especially during cooler overnight periods and damp weather. The male has taken on an increasingly important role delivering prey regularly to the nest box, helping meet the rapidly growing nutritional demands of the young falcons.

The first week of life is a remarkable period of growth and development for peregrine hatchlings. Covered in soft white down and initially fragile and unsteady, the chicks grow noticeably stronger with each passing day. Their eyes begin opening more fully, neck strength improves, and feeding responses become more active and coordinated. At this stage, the female carefully tears prey into tiny pieces for feeding while continuing to shield the chicks beneath her body between meals. The nest box has now shifted from the quiet rhythm of incubation to the constant motion of brooding, feeding, preening, and protection that defines the early nestling stage.