T - Minus 10 Days and Counting

Below is a photo of the youngsters this evening plus a comment that Bob Walters left earlier today that I thought you'd all like to read. Any guesses on gender yet? I say that middle one is a female and probably first hatched.

Tuesday, June 19 - It's become a free-for-all (credit Bert R. with that one-word description) in the nest box! The kids are racing along the length of the box and vigorously flapping their wings. The adults are making drops of prey and it's every bird for him/herself. Any guesses as to what gender(s) are represented? Of late, they all look same-sized to me and a few other SLC PEREGRINE CAM watchers. I watched a reported (thanks to John O.!) drop by the adult male this afternoon (3:09 p.m.) of a small bird which was snatched and transported to the south end of the box where feeding on it by a lone, lucky/clever kid ensued almost immediately. Nonetheless, with time, all three eyases had taken parts of the delivered meal. About the time of the described drop of food, John O. noted that the unhatched, entire egg had disappeared and eggshell pieces were discerned upon the pea gravel and some consumed by one, or more of the hungry youngsters. By my count, two young-of-the year are 30 days old and one is 28 days old. I'm estimating that the 2012 SLC Peregrine Falcon Hellweek event will begin as early as June 29 unless, of course, something happens before that date including an accidental slip from the edge of the front board on the nest box. RW