Jun 05 2010
Landing is harder than it looks!
I normally assume birds land where they want to without effort, but that’s not the case when flying is new to them.
Landing is a heck of a lot harder than it looks.
This juvenile peregrine seems uncomfortable on his narrow ledge. No wonder! He had a hard time landing there and is not sure he can afford to relax.
Kim Steininger captured his trials and tribulations in a sequence of photos she took in Wilmington, Delaware a couple of years ago.
Click on her photo to see the slideshow. It repeats after four frames.
(all photos by Kim Steininger)
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p.s. Saturday morning, 10:00am: I’ve been able to locate three out of the five Pitt fledglings, all of whom are lounging on the Cathedral of Learning between today’s thunderstorms. I am sure the other two are up there but I can’t see them from the ground. They’re certainly being fed. There are prey remains near each one.
Cute! When Pitt’s first fledgling followed E2 up to the lightning rod Monday, instead of landing on a crossbar like Dad, he latched onto the vertical mast. He hung there awkwardly for half a minute before deciding the roof below was safer. Of course, I didn’t have time to get a photo!
Last evening about 6:30, one of the kids was on top of the Community of Reconciliation’s tower across 5th Ave. That’s the funny-looking gothic church tower, attached to a modern building, for anyone not familiar with it (the original church building was badly deteriorating, but the tower was saved!) Image here:
http://www.pittsburghdailyphoto.com/2009/05/bellefield-towers.html
Those youngsters are ranging further afield — soon I’ll see them flying over my yard!
At 3 pm Saturday, one of the chicks at the Gulf Tower jumped up on the (viewer’s perspective) right wall and seems reluctant to jump back down.
A couple of others acted like they were interested in joining the adventurous chick , but decided against it. They got fed, while the one on the wall did not.
Now it is raining and guess who is getting wet.
I can’t tell whether it is Louie or Dori feeding them lately.
The greenery is nicer to look at, and not a problems as the chicks have gotten so big.