Peregrine Falcon Watch in 2025: June 23rd-28th

June 28, 2025 Posted by: Jazmine DeBeauchamp

June 23rd-28th

Excitement is building at the Peregrine Falcon Watch as the young falcons (eyases) prepare to fledge. Tensions are still high between other local birds of prey and the adult Peregrine Falcons. We witnessed a thrilling display of defense this week as the adult Peregrines dove through the air to strike an invading Broad-Winged Hawk, protecting their young. The mid-air battle between the Peregrine Falcons and the hawk lasted for a few minutes with the birds screeching and circling each other. Eventually, the Broad-Winged Hawk flew away in defeat and the Peregrine parents reclaimed their perches on the cliffside. The two eyases on Precipice Trail are estimated to be about 42 days old this week, so they were ready to begin making their first wobbly attempts at flying! At the beginning of the week, the juveniles stayed out of sight while we watched in anticipation. This Wednesday, one of the eyases was spotted flitting from ledge to ledge on Precipice. The first signs of flight from the juvenile were less than graceful, and the chick made several clumsy landings in the treetops. After the first sighting, we saw one of the juveniles testing out their wings at the program each day. The chick’s gawky flight pattern and dark brown chest markings helped us tell them apart from their parents.The adults were seen frequently coming and going from the cliff. To prepare the growing eyases for flight, the Peregrine parents spend much of the day hunting for food to bring back to the juveniles. Peregrine Falcons exclusively eat other birds and an adult needs to eat roughly the equivalent of one Blue-Jay every day. The eyases often eat even more food to give them the energy they need to grow and learn. Now that the juveniles are beginning to take flight, their parents will start offering them flying and hunting lessons as well. The juveniles will rely on their parents for food for another 20-40 days until they’re able to hunt successfully on their own.

peregrinefalcons, precipice, wildlife