Happy 4th of July!

As is the norm, now that nesting season is over the adult peregrines will undergo their molt.  I was reminded of this when I noticed this feather in the nestbox today:

We are accustomed to seeing feathers from prey species in the nest but this feather is definitely an adult peregrine feather, likely one of the wing, i.e., flight feathers.  The adults lose individual feathers in a specific pattern as the new feathers grow in.  This slow and specific process ensures the bird does not lose its ability to fly.  In comparison, adult Canada geese are also molting at this time of the year, however, they shed all of their flight feathers at about the same time which renders them flightless for about 2 weeks until the new feathers grow in. In this case the geese usually choose to undergo their molt near a body of water so they have a way to escape predators.

There have been some questions about how long the live streaming video will continue into July.  At this point we'll continue at least until mid-July.   Additional updates will be given as information becomes available.

Columbus' annual Red, White & Boom celebration is tonight.  I'm often asked how a fireworks display will affect the peregrines.  From their standpoint, it won't be much different than a thunderstorm.  They will no doubt watch the display from a safe perch.  I'm sure there are a lot of folks attending the celebration who would love to have a peregrine's eye view of the show.  Happy 4th of July!