Endangered & Nongame Species Program biologists were at 101 Hudson yesterday to band the two nestlings and give them a health check. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the two are close in size; one of the birds had grown faster after its short stay at The Raptor Trust, May 9-15. We determined that both nestlings are females, and they look the same developmentally.
The nestlings were banded with a standard U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band, and, on the left legs, with a bi-color black/green band that can be read from a distance. The bicolor bands have enabled biologists to identify adult peregrines at nests in many eastern states, a development that has greatly improved our knowledge of peregrine population dynamics: where birds return to nest, at what age, and how long they remain at a particular nest site. Fascinating information that also can help identify problems, such as discovering a high turnover rate in the adult population, which would suggest an above-average mortality rate.
The camera view was also changed today so that viewers can see the front of the box as the chicks become more mobile. We left the concrete paver up at the front, to act as a ramp, for the inevitable time when the nestlings jump out but are too small to get back in: the ramp helps them return to the safety of the box.
We hope they are content to remain there for a little longer. They will quickly become darker-looking as their body and flight feathers continue to come in through their white down. At 22 days of age, it will only be another two weeks or so before they will be flapping and trying out their wings. Time flies quickly for us and these fast-developing nestlings!
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/peregrinecam/jcp-2008nestnews.htm
