On Tuesday, the Rachel Carson State Office Building hosted nearly 150 students and teachers for its 15th annual falcon banding event.

During the event, biologists retrieved the newly-hatched nestlings, called eyases, from their nest, weighed them and placed a metal band with a falcon-specific code around each bird’s left leg. Wildlife officials and bird enthusiasts will use the band code to monitor the birds after they leave the nest. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band was placed on the eyases’ right leg, registering each on a federal banding database.

Of the four eyases that hatched this year, there were two males and two females. Their weight ranged from 585 to 740 grams.

The eyases are expected to take their first flights around the end of May. Until that time, they will remain under that watchful eye of their parents on the ledge of the 15th floor of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg.

Click Here to watch the falcon nest live.

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(Reprinted from May 15 DEP News. Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

5/19/2014