Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 5, 1993 TAG: 9308050270
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium
The fledglings, which hatched about 6 1/2 weeks ago, appear to be doing well, said Shawn Padgett, a falconer who keeps track of the pair of peregrines.
Padgett beamed like a proud parent Wednesday as he watched the three chicks roosting on top of the 300-foot raised Norfolk Southern Corp. bridge behind Harbor Park.
Like most hawks, peregrines usually try to reproduce only once each spring. Padgett was disappointed May 7 when a biologist found an abandoned egg in the nest. The egg had not been fertilized.
He was amazed to discover that the bridge pair succeeded after a second try. The so-called "recycling" breeding is a first, at least among the 12 known pairs of peregrines nesting in Virginia, he said.
In June, Padgett was aware something unusual was happening when he noticed that the adult birds seemed to be staying close to the nest.
A couple of weeks later, he saw the male falcon handing off food in mid-air to the female - a good sign of young mouths to feed.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Craig Koppie climbed the bridge recently to photograph the brood and attach identifying bands to the chicks' legs.
The fledglings began testing their wings last week, when Mom and Dad coaxed them into the air and played a game of tag.
What looked like fun and games was really a lesson in survival. The fledglings must learn to hunt successfully before their parents make them leave home, probably toward the end of the month.
"The parents will feed them, but they will let them go hungry so they'll get them to hunt," Padgett said. "They've got to learn quick that they've got to kill to live."
by CNB