Monday was a down-and-up day.
The weather started out “down,” cold and cloudy. Around 7:00am Peter Bell texted me that he thought Dorothy and E2’s chick had fledged at Pitt. This information was followed by almost four hours of confusion.
At 7:20am I was on Forbes Ave at CMU and could see Dorothy and E2 on the nest side of the Cathedral of Learning staring intently into the gully. If their youngster had fledged, why were they looking in the gully? Peter walked around the building and couldn’t find the fledgling. Did he fly?
We both had work to do so the suspense remained until Peter went back to the Plaza at 11:00am. By then it was obvious. Baby had fledged. He was perched on the west 25th floor ledge. Things were looking up.
That’s where he stayed all day. Kim Getz saw him from inside the building at lunchtime and sent this photo from her zoom camera. (She was careful to stand far back from the window so he wouldn’t notice her and be startled into flight. Thank you, Kim!)
At 7:00pm the sky cleared and Dorothy brought dinner in an amazing aerobatic display. They shared the meal, then she gave him a flight demonstration and perched were she could watch his area. He walked back to a quiet corner to roost on 25.
Here they are at dinner time: Baby on left, Dorothy on right. He’s not such a “baby” anymore.
The day ended “up.”
Come see him at Fledge Watch today at the Schenley Plaza tent: noon to 2:00pm and 5:30pm to 7:00pm.
(first and last photos by Peter Bell. Middle photo by Kim Getz)
Congrats, Baby! You’re a big PEFA now. 🙂
Great report and pictures! Thank you.
Congratulations!
Just five days later and I saw Silver Boy diving after one of the adults this afternoon when I was in Oakland. From Soldiers and Sailors I first saw a falcon that was flapping his wings a lot flying in circles around the top of the Cathedral before landing on the top crossbar of the antenna. While trying to get a better look at him to see if that was indeed Silver Boy, he started opening his wings and looking generally unsettled at his high roost. Next thing I knew an adult was flying around the cathedral with him. I couldn’t see if they had prey, but the chase was on. Around and around they flew, Silver Boy mostly flapping by occasionally gliding behind an adult just circling with its wings spread. After this went on a minute or so, the chasing, flapping falcon made some dives and close passes towards the other falcon. Finally he landed on the corner of the building on some stonework that would be just about the 38th or 39th floor. I got a better look at him and it was Silver Boy! He didn’t stay there long though as he took off again to chase more.
He’s become quite the flyer in just five days.
This morning he was at it again…and boy is he noisy! Good to see Dorothy (this morning) and E2 keeping him exercised with no siblings around. I had a small camera with me I was able to take some pics of him chasing her. You can see the difference in size quite easily with some of these. There are about 12 new pics (you can right arrow to advance through them)…and towards the end I finally captured him right on her tail.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87087391@N00/9007505266/in/set-72157633524506714/lightbox/