On the way to the Farmer’s Market today, Beau noticed a baby bird on the sidewalk. He helped Tony set up his table, then came back to check on the little thing. It was obviously too young to be on its own, and was actively trying to climb up the tree near the sidewalk.
Beau called me over to see it, wondering what kind of chick it was. We quietly walked up behind it, and tried to see. Was it a robin? A dove?
We both peered up into that tree and the neighboring trees, but found no sign of a nest. “Peep, peep, peep!” She called and called, but to no avail. We watching while she found a nice cozy place at the base of the tree and took a nap. So sweet!
She wasn’t very savvy about staying out of the hot sun. She began to look weary and hot, and we were unwilling to touch her, since I remembered that advice from somewhere. I guess the mother won’t support a baby who smells like a human. So Beau compromised: He stood over her to create some shade. The little one looked up, and Beau fancied she smiled at him. ( I suggested that he thinks all the chicks are smiling at him, but maybe she did!
After a while, Beau noticed a kerfluffle up in the eaves of a nearby house: A medium-sized bird was flapping wildly as if trying to tear into the siding way up near the peak! While he watched, the bird perched on the edge of a bit of broken soffit, and poked its head in a few times, then flew off again.
He pointed it out to me and we watched together. In about ten minutes, the bird was back, flapping, perching, poking its head into the hole and then leaving. It almost looked like she was feeding babies in a nest . . .
Beau tracked the mother bird and listened for its cry. Sure enough, she perched in a nearby tree and was watching Beau and the baby bird, alternately.
Confident now that the baby was in good hands, we sped off home to do some research, and boy, did we find an excellent resource: This blog tracked the maturity of baby peregrine falcons through their development, complete with pictures, and described what was going on at each stage.
From the description, we estimated the little one at about four weeks. It may have had a tumble from the nest, or taken a maiden flight, but it did seem confident on the ground. It looked bored, then pounced on a leaf and tore it to shreds, and then settled in for another mini-nap.
We all have to learn to fly sometime, right? And sometimes it takes a flew flops and falls to get it right. That momma bird was watching, but allowed her chick to fully explore the environment by stretching her little legs and wings, and practicing “the pounce!” Momma was not really helping, but remained nearby, nonetheless, just in case!
While I headed out back to collect the eggs from our CHICKENS, I realized that in 2 weeks or so, that baby bird will be a fully-functioning falcon, out hunting.
What could there be to hunt in this block, I wonder? Small game, surely–just small game!!
The Fullers Four 