City Slickers - PPL Tower in Allentown

	06/22/2008 Four, three, two, one!  Obviously our young falcons did not read the books, nor did they check with the experts. It seems they are ready to start flying ahead of schedule. Friday afternoon I kept seeing only three of the young peregrines in the nest box. It’s not uncommon for one, or even several of them, to venture out of the camera’s view, so I was not overly concerned. But as a fourth continued to remain hidden, it really began to make me curious. So first thing Saturday I headed on up to take a look. Sure enough, only three falcons remained in the nest box! I’ll admit I was a little concerned since they really should not have started to fly until this coming Friday, when they would be about 45 days old. But with the development of their plumage and the flapping and running inside the box, I thought things would likely be happening a little before that. Because it was Saturday, I couldn’t get access to the balconies outside the 21st and 23rd floors. On Sunday, I was able to get a better look around. We did a quick check of the outside walkway around the 21st floor. Every peek around every corner had me hoping for the best. Before going up and out onto the 23rd floor, we stopped in to check on the young ones.  I wanted to see what was going on in the box and determine how I could best and most cautiously check the walkway without disturbing the remaining three…two…make that one remaining young falcon! Yes, only one female, the largest, remained in the nest as of 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The good news is they are ready to fly. The bad news is that it’s just not going to be the same around here.
	06/16/08 Getting ready for first flight Yesterday was my first day back in the office in almost a week. Although I’ve been viewing the “falcons four” on the web, it’s just not the same as seeing them up close. It is absolutely amazing the difference since just last week. All that nutrition and energy that was going toward making them grow is now being used to develop their juvenile plumage. From the looks of them, it won’t be long until they are fully feathered and down-free. Mom and Dad are very busy bringing in food. Neither makes any attempt these days to help with the feeding. As they fly in the nest box with the food, there is a stampede of eyases heading at them. The first eyas to arrive quickly grabs the meal and makes an even quicker retreat to one of the far corners of the nest box.  It is amazing how fast they’ve become despite those large feet of theirs. I saw Dad make the mistake of trying to enter the nest box later this morning without any food. The first two eyases to arrive literally pushed him right back out of the nest box.  In addition to all the eating, there is a lot more screeching going on these days as they also continue to develop their voices.  It is not uncommon to see them looking out over the horizon and just calling away for either Mom or Dad.  You can still tell when one of the parents is getting close, as the solo act quickly turns into a much louder and much more upbeat and excited quartet. The four eyases are starting to test out their developing wings.  They can routinely be seen exercising them and getting the feel for the wind beneath them. You can almost see the anticipation in the young falcon’s eyes as they increasingly gaze over the skies of the Lehigh Valley. Often times as Mom or Dad fly off, you’ll see at least one of the eyases starts flapping their wings while others go to the edge of the box watch and wish. Their time will soon be here. It is very likely that the nest box will be empty in two weeks. We are working on setting up a volunteer “Falcon Watch” for our soon to be fledglings. More information will be coming shortly.
	06/09/2008 An exhilarating encounter I can honestly say there are few things more exhilarating than a close encounter with a peregrine falcon, especially when it involves a Mom and a Dad defending their nest site. So what exactly happened today? Well we exited the 23rd floor through a doorway near the northeast corner of the building. From there we proceeded south on the walkway toward the nest box around the southeast corner. When we first went out it was very quiet, but that was all about to change. We weren’t too sure where mom and dad were until I peered around the corner to take our first look into the nest box. As I looked into the box, I caught a glimpse of Mom inside feeding the little ones. Once she caught a glimpse of us, she took off with a few loud screeches.  Just as quickly as she was out of the box, the aerial attacks started. It wasn’t long until Dad joined in. As I would reach in to get one of the young and bring them out, the adults would come zooming by within inches. Watching them flash by racing into the sky doing a quick wing over and coming right back at us was incredible. They crisscrossed in front of us at a fast and furious pace. Add in the near constant scolding of screeches, it truly was intimidating. Any sane predator would have surely fled for its life. Not too sure what that says about us?  We removed the four eyases as quickly as possible and proceeded down to the auditorium for the banding event.  The auditorium was standing room only. It was great to see a lot of the past supporters and all the children. The first thing we did was to weigh each eyas. This is done to determine their sex. Females are larger, typically weighing about a third more than the males. Next, the young were given a quick physical, checking the eyes, ears, throat and bodies. They were then given their bands, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife band with a unique nine-digit number on their right foot and a green band on their left foot. Additionally, to make identification easier, colored tape, unique to each eyas, was place on the upper portion of the USFW band. Lastly, each eyas was treated for flies, lice and mites.  We ended up having three females and one male. All were in excellent health and all had very good lungs. The screeching at times was so loud I could not hear Dr. McMorris who was standing right next to me. As soon as the banding was finished we quickly returned the eyases to the nest box. However, it wasn’t as quiet this time as we exited the door on the 23rd floor. We could hear one of the adults screeching as we exited. As I looked into the hack box, Mom was in there looking right back at me and by the look in her eyes I could tell she was not happy, nor was she planning to leave. I used a broom as a shield as I walked closer and closer. I think I got within about two feet of her before she finally headed out the side of the nest box. She went into aerial attack mode and was quickly joined by Dad. We returned all the eyases to their nest and made our exit as fast as we could. I think Mom and Dad were happy they successfully kicked us out of there. Later in the day, all returned to normal as Mom was seen feeding and the falcons four were seen calmly moving around the nest box.
	06/06/2008 Growing fast The falcon four are continuing to grow at a very rapid pace. They are now in that mid-teen stage: not the cute little eyases they once were, but not yet well-groomed young adults. They are sporting nice down Mohawks as their juvenile plumage begins to appear on their faces. Mom and Dad continue to bring food in for feeding and the young are getting a little more aggressive. I witnessed one grabbing the food from Mom yesterday and trying to run off with it but Mom quickly caught up and showed them who was still boss.
	05/29/2008 Where are the falcons? If you've looked at any of the live updated photos on the web, you will often see what appears to be an empty nest box. Not to worry. All four eyases are still there and doing well, including the little one that I was concerned about at first. They are just becoming a lot more mobile these days. Earlier in the week I saw them as they started to try to move around. It was comical watching them as they tried to lift their exceptionally large feet to take a step. Their feet were quite awkward at first and seemed to be more of a hindrance than a help. However, if you watch them now, they are learning fast and moving around quite well. They are especially mobile when Mom shows up with some food!  Mom is often perched on a pole just outside the nest box guarding her young. The top of the pole is a foot or two above the top of the nest box, so she is out of view from the cameras but is now more visible from the streets of Allentown.   A quick check on things this morning showed all four chicks huddled together and sleeping in the one corner of the nest box. After a few minutes, two of them stood up to stretch their legs and to move some of the food around in their crops, which were stuffed full from breakfast. As I finish writing this, Mom and Dad are out flying around the east side of the building. It is quite the display.
	05/26/2008 Growing fast If you've been watching the falcons, you will surely have noticed they are growing at a remarkable rate. Mom is spending a lot less time in the nest since both parents are busy hunting for food. The young falcons are now a little too big to be under her wing. Plus, with the weather warming up and all their down, they no longer need Mom to keep them warm. The "falcons four" pretty much spend their time laying around, growing and waiting for something to eat. I think if I watched them long enough, I could actually see them grow. It truly is incredible.
	05/21/2008: Lots of activity All four eyases are doing fine and are growing so fast. They are being fed by Mom as I write this. The last chick to hatch still seems to be the smallest and always last in line for food, but still manages to get his fair share. Dad continues to do most of the hunting returning the food to Mom for feeding time. Today cuckoos were on the menu. Feeding times are getting more frequent and portions a little bigger everyday. I'm starting to see Mom venturing out of the box a little more frequently as well, leaving the "falcons four" on their own. There is definitely a lot more flying going on these days over the skies of Allentown, especially around the PPL building. Chances are getting better and better to see the adults soaring. If you happen to be outside around 9th and Hamilton, take the time to look up.
	05/18/2008 Sunday brunch I came in extra early today to take advantage of the quiet office and the morning light in the nest box. All four eyases are doing fine. Although it's clear that the last one that hatched is a little size-challenged, the good news is when feeding time comes there is plenty of food to go around. All their crops are still very small so eventually everyone gets something to eat. Looking at their size, you can almost tell the order in which they hatched.   Shortly after I arrived this morning Dad brought Mom an early morning Blue Jay. Mom must have been hungry because as she eagerly started preparing her breakfast, she didn't notice she was showering her little ones with feathers. They looked a little confused at the whole event, but eventually shook it off. Mom flew off to enjoy the rest of her breakfast in peace and was back a little while later. Dad then brought in some more breakfast for the little ones, who are growing quite rapidly. Also, if you look closely you will see their little eyes are starting to open.
	05/15/2008 Falcon Fever Wow, falcon fever is in full force in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. All the interest is wonderful, especially the e-mails I am getting from teachers about how excited and interested their students are about this. This morning when I came in Mom was keeping her young ones warm, and of course she had no intentions of moving. As our corporate photographer arrived and waited and the Morning Call came to work on the web cam they just installed, we watched and waited for some movement. Not happening. Sure enough though, shortly after the photographer gave up and left I saw Mom eyeing up the snack in the corner of the nest box. It was just too much to resist. With the little ones letting her know it was time for a snack, up she went and I was able to see the ever growing mound of white down. A screech or two from Mom announcing it was officially snack time and I saw three little heads, eyes still closed, lift instinctually for a snack. I wondered to myself if the egg was still in the middle of them. But a few seconds later my question was answered, from the far side I saw a fourth little head raise up for some mid-morning nourishment. So we have a fourth eyas. We could have never hoped for such success, especially in the first year.

05/13/2008 Lucky 13 Something about the number 13 just seems to be lucky for our Lehigh Valley peregrines. After 13 years, on the 13th day of May we have our first eyas peregrine in Allentown! I was up and on the road early this morning because I wanted to be here at sunrise to see what was happening. It wasn't long before I saw a little fluff of down under Mom. I could also hear the faint peeps of a little one and couldn't wait for her to move around so I could get a better view. Within a few minutes she's graciously obliged. She's a lot more active and vocal now that there is a little one in the nest. As she stood up I could clearly see one eyas and three eggs, two of which have also begun to hatch. After Mom fed a little, she flew off with the leftovers and Dad quickly came in to take a look at his new family. We'll be keeping a watchful eye to see when the others are finally able to break free of the confines of their shells. All four peregrine chicks at our Montour plant continue to do well. We will be banding them tomorrow with the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Yesterday Martins Creek confirmed that their fourth egg has hatched. Nine eyas peregrines and counting, and that doesn't include those on our cliff site.

04/14/2008 Just checking in I managed to get in this morning and sneak a peek through the peep hole just as mom was rearranging the eggs and getting ready to start incubating. I could only see three eggs in front of her breast as she started to do her little shimmy to get them and her feathers all lined up. Luckily, things weren't quite where she wanted them so she stood up one more time to get things in place. When she did so she revealed the total of four eggs. Another shimmy or two and down she went to continue incubation duties. Looks like we will not see a fifth egg in Allentown this year. Considering three eggs are common with first year clutches, we are extremely lucky to have the four. Of course, after 10 years of waiting, I would have been just as happy with one egg. I'll definitely start increasing updates in early May when we'll hopefully start seeing some hatchlings arriving.

04/11/2008 Four-egg Friday! I was out of the office yesterday, as was Bob, my back up for checking on our friends and their growing family on the 23rd floor. Needless to say, I was quite anxious this morning to find out if there was any additional good news. Mom was comfortably asleep on the eggs, and it didn’t look like she had any intentions of moving any time soon so I went back down to my office. Shortly after I returned from my meeting a co-worker reported he received an e-mail from our friends on the 21st floor that the falcons were flying around. So off I went, back up the stairs to 23! Dad was in the nest standing next to four eggs! You have to love a four-egg Friday! Okay, so I'm not exactly certain the fourth egg did indeed arrive today, but it sure sounds a lot better than a "four-egg sometime between Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning." I watched the male hanging out over the eggs for a few minutes. His occasional screeching made me wonder. As I looked around, sure enough, mom was perched on the parapet to the south of the nest. When I looked back, dad was gone. And then, just as quickly as he was gone, I heard the pair screeching. I looked back to the south and there they were … let's just say they were working on a fifth egg. So as of today, the peregrines at PPL are up to a dozen eggs with four eggs each at Allentown, Martins Creek and Montour.

04/08/2008 And now there are three! With this morning's climb to the 23rd floor, I found mom sleeping on her eggs. She eventually awoke and shortly afterward started to screech. I knew dad must be around somewhere. Sure enough, within a minute or so he appeared. Mom got up from the nest site, revealing there are now three eggs! The male brought her breakfast, then came over to turn and incubate the eggs.

04/04/2008 A second surprise Saturday evening the female was seen incubating the nest. The male flew in around sunset and both flew off, likely for an evening meal. The male returned shortly before dark to continue incubating the single egg. Sunday evening I again observed the female on the nest. She was sleeping and did not appear to be in any hurry to give me a view of what was underneath her. When I returned a little later, the male had replaced the female. After a short while he stood up to stretch, revealing a second egg! I'm not sure if it was the pending sunset or hunger calling, but he eventually flew off. He returned a few minutes later, landing on the parapet to the south of the nest box.

04/04/2008 13-year wait pays off! Way back in 1995 an idea became reality as we began releasing young peregrine falcons from the PPL building in Allentown, a process known as hacking. One of the main goals of this effort was to have a pair of peregrines return to the Lehigh Valley to nest. I returned to the office this morning to find our first peregrine egg arrived this morning! It's been a very long time since the Lehigh Valley has had one of these, likely more than 50 years ago! Thanks to all who have supported and shown interest in this project. There will be a lot more interesting things happening in the days and weeks to come.

04/02/2008 Posing for the camera, high above the city of Allentown When I checked the hack box this morning, the male was inside. At one point he looked to the southeast corner and started screeching. Sure enough the female was perched on a parapet just in view. Below her "breakfast" was laid out on the wall. He wandered around the hack box, working his way over to one of the depressions in the stones. He spent some time preening himself and chirping at the female. He kind of looked like an expectant father pacing around at times and looking at his mate. Eventually, the female flew off, quickly followed by the male. Later this morning I saw the male circling over the Plaza building. I then saw the female stoop off the tower down Hamilton Street, with the male quickly following in pursuit. They both went over some buildings on the northeast corner of Seventh and Hamilton streets.  Then flying low between the buildings, they quickly made their way back up Linden Street to the Plaza Building, a few circles then back down Hamilton over some buildings and then out of site down around the Art Museum.

03/05/2008 An old friend returns ... Was just able to confirm the same female from last year is back in Allentown! She was sitting outside the nest box, same as she always did last year. I was able to catch a glimpse of the band. She flew off and sure enough, the male was at the hack box (no band). She is looking a little more mature this year. Still a little more tan/brown in her plumage than the male. Let's hope she's ready for a family this year.