The Department of Environmental Protection reported this week all three young peregrine falcons took their first flights this week from their nest on the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg. On a sad note, one of the falcons has health problems.

On June 13 the blue-banded male fledged. The next morning, the yellow-banded male fledged. The red-banded female took her first flight on Wednesday.

The appearance and behavior of the blue-banded male over the next two days indicated that he might be infected with trichomonas, a protozoan that can be fatal to young peregrines.

On Wednesday afternoon, the blue-banded male landed in a parking garage and was captured and examined, revealing that he suffered from an advanced case of trichomoniasis. He was immediately transported to wildlife rescue for treatment.

In addition to the trichomoniasis, the fledgling was also found to have an injury to the mandible, further complicating his condition. The prognosis for this bird is not good. If he does not respond to treatment, he will have to be euthanized.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is, the yellow-banded male and red-banded female are taking short flights and should be getting advanced flight and hunting lessons from the adults soon.

The watch and rescue program should wind down by the end of the week. Watch for continued activity at the ledge as the fledglings get food deliveries and develop the skills that they will need to survive the critical first several months of their new found freedom.

For more information, visit the Falcon webpage.

6/17/2005