The first chick we removed from the cardboard box was a female. She was still covered in a good bit of down, but pin feathers were showing through. She proved to be in excellent condition, with no sign of illness - we were especially on the lookout for evidence of trichomoniasis, a disease often carried by pigeons that can be passed on to a falcon when it eats an infected bird. We knew these youngsters had been eating pigeons because a band from a racing bird was found in their nest. The falcon’s keel (breastbone) was well-fleshed, her eyes bright and clear. No discharges were coming from her nares; her ears and vent were parasite free. Her newly emerging plumage was in excellent condition and free of feather lice. Her bones were strong, with no visible deformities. Her feet were large, denoting her sex, and armed with needle-sharp talons that would serve her well once she began hunting. All-in-all, this was a young falcon in excellent health. After her physical, we cooled her with a quick spritz of water, then turned her over to Dan for banding, weight check and the recording of her vital statistics. With that done, she was returned to a box in an air-conditioned vehicle to await her return to the nest. 

The next chick was a male. He was noticeably smaller than his sister (male peregrines are normally about one third smaller than the females) but in the same excellent condition. He seemed less aggressive than his sibling, but, judging from his nicely fleshed keel, he was assertive enough in the nest when it came time to claim his fair share of the food. The last chick was another female, the loud-mouth of the group, but in the same fine shape as her siblings, her bellyaching notwithstanding.

Dan Brauning, along with Bob Wasilewski, the vice president of the Greater Wyoming Valley Audubon Society, made the return trip to the nest ledge which had been enlarged by two Forest Service employees while we were working with the birds. We brought along a few quail that Dan left for the youngsters as an enticement for them to remain on the ledge. The return went smoothly, with mom and dad soon flying in to check on their off-spring. 

While Dan, Bill and I worked with the falcons, Bob Wasilewski was busy with his camera. He was photographing the day’s events to add to his record of the Cross-Valley Expressway peregrines. Bob has been watching the pair since they first appeared in downtown Wilkes-Barre in December of 1997. In 1998, he was hired by the Luzerne County Flood Protection Agency to observe the birds at their nesting site in order to determine whether or not a flood control project under the bridge was adversely affecting them. He concluded it was not. Although his job with the Flood Protection Agency lasted only three weeks, Bob continued to voluntarily monitor the falcons. He watched their failed nesting in 1998 and their successful one in 1999. He was the first to observe the female incubating eggs on Good Friday of this year and was rewarded with sight of the young on May 12th. Bob spent as much time as he could, when not teaching math at the Northwest Area H.S., monitoring the birds and kept all of us who were interested in their welfare updated via the internet. His peregrine journal was filled with detailed descriptions of the adult birds’ experiences, their confrontations with other raptors, hunting successes and the care of their chicks. He chronicled the young falcons' development so well, we felt we were watching right along with him.

His diligence in overseeing the falcons proved to be the saving of the male chick on June 18th when it prematurely fledged and landed in brush along the riverbank. Although the young falcon was able to glide to a safe landing, he was not yet capable of flying back to his nest, or to a perch off the ground and out of harm’s way. Premature fledging is often a problem with young birds. Some survive, with mom and dad feeding them on the ground until they are flying. Many others, however, fall prey to cats, dogs, wild animals, mean-spirited children (Bob saw kids throwing stones at the helpless falcon before he could get to it), cars, etc. 

With Dan’s consent, Bob brought the rescued falcon to DVRC where we examined him and gave him fluids (lactated ringers) before putting him in a flight enclosure with one of the center’s resident peregrines. He seemed none the worse for his ordeal. Judging by his feather growth, it would be only a matter of days before he was flying and could be reunited with his family. Although the young falcon was past the imprinting stage, we kept our contact with him to a minimum, with just one hand-feeding the morning following his arrival. After that, he ate readily on his own. I can only surmise that it must have been sheer bliss for him to have a delectable quail all to himself, one that did not need constant defending from two hungry, bigger sisters.

June 19th turned into a repeat of the 18th for Bob. This time it was one of the females he rescued and brought to DVRC after her premature jump to a low bridge abutment that stood only a few feet above the Susquehanna River. She too, was in good condition. After her exam and tubing, she was put in the flight enclosure with her brother whose days of leisurely dining were suddenly cut short. 

Now, our concern was for the remaining youngster. We had our fingers crossed that she would remain in the nest until we could return her siblings, thereby insuring the continuation of parental duties by the adults. Thankfully, she stayed out of trouble. Within three days, the two young falcons at the center were flying well enough to be returned home. Using a bucket truck from Walt Kuharchik Construction, arranged for by Bob, Bill put the two wayward youngsters back under the bridge on June 21st. Their return went smoothly except for one anxious moment when the newly returned female rushed to the edge of the nest with wings spread to threaten Bill as he tried to ease her smaller brother on to the ledge behind her. As before, Bill left behind a few quail to entice the youngsters to stay.

As much as we had enjoyed working with these birds, we hoped our contact with them was finally over. And so it proved to be, but not for Bob Wasilewski, intrepid falcon watcher. He had one more hair-raising moment to survive and chronicle. The female that had remained at the nest while her siblings dined on quail at DVRC, proved to be the strongest flyer. She exhibited her skills by flying up and over the bridge, finally, to Bob’s dismay, landing on the concrete wall that lines the expressway just feet from passing cars and trucks. Once again Bob sprang into action. This time he marshaled together officers from the State Police, who quickly closed the lane of traffic nearest to the falcon’s precarious perch, and personnel from the PA Game Commission, who helped him guide the bird to a safer location. Bob was definitely ready for a vacation! But, true to form, he continued to monitor the falcons, keeping us updated on their progress. His August 5th e-mail title said it all, “Finally, some peace and quiet.” His last sighting of the Cross-Valley kids was on August 1, 1999 - the youngsters were officially on their own.