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June 8th, just back from a short vacation. The falcon "chicks" are getting pretty darn big. I'm interested in seeing, if I'm lucky, how the adults handle the "empty nest" sydrome, specifically, how do they get the nest empty? Hold your breath, ma, I'm gonna go flying! -- Gary

....it's 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. I just "tuned in" and all four of the "chicks" are moving around a lot. They don't look as if they're ready to fly, however. But they are getting big. The local paper had a story the other day about the Game and Parks Commission going into the nesting box and tagging the young birds. I wonder if they'll shut off the camera's when they feel the chicks are ready to try to fly. As I sort of joked about the other day, what if one of the chicks hopped out of the box and fell 18 floors? -- Gary
PS -- It's 5:30 p.m., just tuned back in. One of the chicks is balanced on the edge of the nesting box, sort of looks like he/she wants to fly. I haven't noticed any adults around today. Are the chicks ready to fly? Doesn't look like it to me. But if momma wanted them out on their own, not feeding them would encourage them to take off and look for food. I guess their natural instinct would tell them what to do...maybe.
PPS -- About 12:30 a.m. on Thursday. Still don't see any adult birds around. They obviously aren't around nearly as much as they used to be. The chicks still seem too "downy" to fly to me, but we'll see.
PPSS -- Just was looking at an Omaha TV station. They were reporting on a peregrine nesting box on the Woodman's Insurance building in that city. Seems like it also has four "chicks" in it. I don't know if it has a live camera shot on it. Since my sales are so slow, I might try to Google it and see it's available to look at. Will report back if I can find it. I found it, but it's not nearly as good as the one in Lincoln. Appears to be some type of time-lapse cam shots, in other words still shots. They do supply some interesting stuff about the parents, which apparently have returned to the same nesting box for a number of years.

...plus one worried looking adult. Hope they can remember how they got out of the box and get back in the same way!

...yet, but as near as I can tell, there are three birds in the nesting box. The fourth one may be behind the concrete ledge, let's hope so. Maybe I should get in my car and drive around the State Capitol building?! LOL, although I wouldn't be amused if something did happen that that fourth bird.

...to keep track of the birds now. As far as I can tell, at 6:39 p.m. Lincoln time, there's one bird in the box, which obviously means three must be on the ledge behind the box or behind that ledge. I can only see two of the birds right by the ledge. -- Gary

....and, as usual, no sales to process. As you fellow bird-brains know, it's fun watching the four "chicks," although they are now looking more and more like the falcons they are. I wonder how they learn how to hunt. By intinct? I read where eagles teach their young how to hunt, but I don't know how they'd do that. Obviously they must. I've "tuned into" the youngsters during recent rain storms. They just huddle up in the corner, obviously the corner which affords them the most shelter. The adults spend less and less time with them these days, as you fellow bird-brains have observed. Hopefully the Game and Parks Commission will keep the cams focused on the nesting box as long as there are any "chicks" around using it....I'd even enjoy just watching the two adults, but I don't know if they hang around or just come back by instinct when it's mating time. -- Gary
PS -- Around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. It's obvious the young birds are close to leaving the "nesting box." At this time I can only see three of them, but that doesn't mean anything. Two of the birds are sitting on the edge of the nesting box, looking like they're thinking about taking off. The video camera was off for a brief period this morning. What that means, if anything, I don't know.
PPS -- It's around 9:45 p.m. on Thursday. I can still only see three of the youngsters, but that doesn't mean one has flown the coop, so to speak. It's sort of fun to watch them. Just now one of the birds was perched on the edge of the nesting box, occasionally flapping his (or her) wings. Obviously the bird wanted to take off, but just wasn't sure enough to risk it. Someday soon he, or she, will.