The female juvenile (Y/3) has remained in the Southern Chesapeake Bay region in Matthews County, Virginia. She seems to find this area to her liking, at least as a temporary stopover.
The male juvenile (4/C) as of 8/20/02 at 2:13 p.m. is 20 miles south of New York City near Rumson, New Jersey. It will be interesting to follow his movements from this point. Will he follow the shoreline? hop along the Barrier Islands? or travel more inland? There is much to consider when trying to predict the movements of a migrating raptor – availability of food, predators, weather, topography and ultimately, the destination. Find out how accurate your predictions are as we provide updated information and satellite telemetry points.
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The juvenile female (Y/3) is now in the Virginia Beach area. It is likely these young birds are on the same migration routes as prey species. The shorebird migration is well underway along the eastern shore. The peregrines seem to follow their food base through the Barrier Islands and along the Eastern Shore, however, not exclusively. When the waterfowl migration begins, these predator/prey relationships may become even more focused along migration corridors. The male (4/C) is in Reading, Pa. and may continue his trek eastward to the shore. The adults are spending much more time together at the ledge and on nearby perches. Again, this would indicate that the young birds are now independent and on their own.
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Here is the latest on Rachel’s juvenile peregrines. The female (Y/3), not the male as was earlier reported, is now on the southern tip of the DELMARVA Peninsula. The next logical progression in her migration would be to cross the wide expanse of open water from Fisherman’s Island National Wildlife Refuge to Cape Henry, just north of Virginia Beach. The most recent data puts the male (4/C), near Mechanicsburg, Pa, not far from home.
His behavior suggests he may still be dependent on the adults for the occasional food drop. W/U, the juvenile male, not tagged with a transmitter was seen on the nest ledge at 6 p.m. Monday Aug. 12th. This young bird tossed a dried up pair of pigeon wings around on the ledge while vocalizing loudly. This would also suggest that he is somewhat dependent on the adults as well. Y/2, the untagged young female was last seen at the nest ledge on June 21st. Concerning the survivability of peregrines in their first year of life, no news is still good news. This young female may just prefer to spend time at a location unknown to us. The adults have been returning to the ledge together on occasion indicating that they’re training and support for the juveniles will soon be done.
In mid-May of this year we discovered a male and female peregrine pair bonded and spending time at Three Mile Island Nuclear Generation Plant. The male of this pair is a juvenile, the female an adult. Their origin is unknown because they are not banded. It was obvious this was not an active nest site and expectations were high for a successful nesting next year. Now, under the concept of “wildlife can be unpredictable”… these birds surprised all of us by successfully fledging two young, two months later than our other active Pennsylvania sites. There is one male and one female fledgling from the site. The male was badly injured on his first attempt at flight and is now at a Wildlife Rehab Center, where he will remain for months until he fully recovers. The female fledgling is doing well and receiving flight and hunting lessons.
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Telemetry readings indicate that the female falcon (Y/3) continues to remain in the Virginia panhandle, with occasional jaunts across the Chesapeake Bay to Newport News. The data also shows that the male falcon (4/C) traveled as far south as northern Maryland on August 7th and 8th. However, sightings in Harrisburg today of a peregrine falcon with a transmitter on its back indicate that the male might have returned to Harrisburg. Editor's Update: Telemetry data received tonight confirmed that the male falcon has returned to the Harrisburg area.
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The female peregrine falcon (Y/3) seems to have settled into a location near Cheriton, Virginia. This panhandle land mass is nestled between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The female falcon has been in and around this location since August 2nd. However, the male peregrine falcon (4/C) has not moved too far from Harrisburg. Telemetry readings indicate short flights to the west side of the Susquehanna River and north of Harrisburg, mostly within a few miles of the Rachel Carson State Office building.
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The male peregrine falcon (4/C) has begun to migrate south. Since yesterday, the male falcon has flown from Harrisburg, PA to Maryland near Ocean City. The female peregrine falcon (Y/3) still remains in the Harrisburg area, making short flights north and west of Harrisburg. 7/18/2002 :: The young peregrines have recently traveled to Manchester, York County and Columbia, Lancaster County. They appear to be ranging out further and further, then returning to Harrisburg. On Friday, July 12th, the female gyred in circles over Market Street with a blackbird in talons. One of the juveniles bolted from behind a building and snatched the food. This indicates the young birds are still dependent on the adults. Soon, they will be independent and may travel long distances, wandering and scouting the region. The Manchester and Columbia telemetry points will be posted soon and viewers can expect more frequent postings of telemetry points and supporting information.
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Recent telemetry data reveals that the two tagged (Equipped with transmitters) juvenile peregrines have not strayed too far from center city Harrisburg. The female (Y/3) has been tracked at the following locations (note miles from center city and date): Wormleysburg 2 mi. 6/24; Hershey 10 mi. 6/27; Mechanicsburg 6mi. 6/30. The male (4/C): Rockville 4 mi. 6/24; Linglestown 4 mi. 6/27; Steelton 4 mi. 7/2. The young birds will soon become more independent and should range out further and further, as they become confident flyers and hunters.
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Satellite telemetry data received this morning indicated that the juveniles have not strayed too far from the Rachel Carson Building. Y/3 is the band code for the female juvenile. The male juvenile is identified by the code 4/C. Y/3 has ventured out one mile west to Wormleysburg. 4/C travelled two miles to the north to visit Wildwood Lake Sanctuary. These young birds are probably flying in tandem with one of the adults and by now are well into advanced hunting lessons.
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The juvenile peregrines are now all over the Harrisburg area. They are still dependent on the adults for food drops and flight lessons. There is not much to report in terms of telemetry data yet. The birds may not travel any distance for a while. Watch for updated information here and on the FalconWire. 6/17/2002 :: Two of the four peregrine "fledglings" have been affixed with backpack transmitters. Please tune into the Falcon Telemetry Web page for updates.
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