It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been monitoring the falcons pretty closely and wanted to wait a bit so I could be sure to share good news!

We have three chicks or eyases (as young falcons are called). Two reached two weeks old this past Saturday, the third turned two weeks on Monday. One of the adults removed the unhatched egg yesterday. This is not unusual – Isabella and Freedom had basically the same pattern for two years that we know of. Four chicks would be challenging to raise (though not impossible), making sure they all had enough food, and one would likely land up being the runt.

Our little troop has been getting good care! Feeding for the first two weeks was generally every one and a half to two hours, with the male bringing in most of the food and the female doing the feeding. Now that the chicks are bigger, they are roaming around the balcony space quite a bit (I think they look like little old people, with their fuzzy white down, hunched over and wobbly on their two legs!) with an adult often hanging out with them or perched on the gutter or security camera overhead.

Through all the rain and cold weather, mom sat closely and stalwartly on the eggs and later the chicks, keeping them warm and dry. She still tries to shelter them every now and then, but they have gotten far too big and mobile! Typically, this would be the ideal time for banding, but the DNR has suspended the peregrine program for now, so not this year.

What Will Happen Now?

They will grow quickly from here. Already they are starting to peck at bits of food left over from their feedings. At three weeks you should start to be able to see feathers come in and their faces become more clearly defined. At four weeks, they might start leaving the nest site to sidle along the edges of the outer part of the balcony. At five weeks, we should see them “fledging” – taking their maiden flights and leaving the balcony to perch on various parts of Old Main (usually along the gutters). You can see a very nice progression of this at the Outside My Window blog.

This is a good time to keep an eye on them! With all the movement, there is always the chance that they could drop out and hit the ground. If you notice this, you can call the Wayne State Police – 313-577-2222 – and they will contact me. I can swing by (I live two blocks away), check out the situation and contact a wildlife rehabilitator if needed.

Have fun watching the chicks grow and develop!