Tragic Tale Of Peregrine Falcon Family Nesting In St. Paul

THE PEREGRINE FALCON FAMILY HAS SAD NEWS

As you know, I've been watching a pair of peregrine falcons that have their nest in a box atop the Bremer Tower in St. Paul. I watch to see what happens just about every day.

THE EYASSES

The first chick hatched on May 21st, the second on May 22nd, and the third I think on May 23rd. I was so excited when the third chick hatched thinking that the parents would take care of all three; but they did not. The chick appeared healthy, but it was so much smaller than the other two by the time it hatched, that the parents seemed to ignore it. I proceeded to watch that poor little chick struggle and starve to death over the next few grueling days.

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THE FOURTH EGG

The fourth egg never hatched, but the falcons continued to sit on the egg. I couldn't watch over the last couple days because it was too hard for me to watch the youngest chick struggle like that.

When I turned my camera back on yesterday, I noticed that the chick was gone. Apparently peregrine falcons don't waste anything, so they fed their deceased chick to the other two remaining chicks.

CURRENT STATUS OF EYASSES

When I checked this morning, the two chicks are still doing well; but one is considerably larger than the other. They still have the last egg that never hatched in the nest, and I'm assuming they are going to eat it when the time is right. I've read that sometimes, larger sibling chicks will kill their siblings in order to get all the food. I don't think I can handle watching this happen. I realize this is part of nature; but it's the part I have a difficult time with.

LAST YEAR

Last year, the two chicks that hatched survived and fled the nest. I'm hoping that this year is the same, but one chick is so much bigger than the other; I just hope the parents don't give up on the smaller chick.

WATCH THE DNR FALCON CAM

If you'd like to watch the journey of the young Eyasses, you can click HERE to watch the MN DNR Falcon Cam.