Fans of Wilmington’s resident peregrine falcon pair received unfortunate news this week when of the falcons’ young passed away.
Peregrine falcons have been of interest to the area for years, and the city’s current falcon pair have entertained fans all season long as they eagerly await the hatching of their young.
Whitman, a banded male falcon (banding helps track and identify birds) who was born on the Walt Whitman Bridge in 2018, and Bridget, an unbanded female falcon who was hatched on the Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge in 2013, are this year’s proud parents, according to David Neugebauer, contributor to the Wilmington Falcons Facebook page.
Whitman has been in the city since last year and Bridget appeared earlier this year.
Earlier in the spring, the falcons were spotted with their first egg of nesting season on April 19.
Nesting season, which occurs in March and April, is when the falcons begin laying eggs after courting. Eggs typically begin incubation after the next-to-last egg is laid in a bird’s clutch (the total number of eggs laid per bird per nesting attempt), and will remain in this state for 33 to 35 days until they hatch, according to Defenders of Wildlife.
After the first egg appeared, egg No. 2 came on May 1, followed by egg No. 3 on May 4 and egg No. 4 on May 7.
The Delaware Ornithological Society has several live cameras set up in the city to capture these momentous events each year.
This annual tradition dates back to 1992, when a nest box was installed on the Brandywine Building in Wilmington by Craig Koppie of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He installed the box after hearing downtown locals had witnessed falcon activities at the time.
For those who might be out and about during any special live-cam events, the Wilmington Falcons Facebook account provides routine updates on falcon happenings.
On Wednesday morning, the Facebook page announced it had “bad news to report,” stating that one of the eggs waiting to hatch did not survive.
“The baby who was trying to hatch passed away,” the post read. “Bridget used her beak to open the egg and young one had passed away. She just took it from the nest. Both she and Whitman gave mournful cries, then Whitman went back on the eggs.”
According to the Facebook post, several factors such as humidity, the timing of egg-laying or hatchling weakness could have contributed to the baby’s death.
Although it’s known that in nature, sometimes things just don’t work out, viewers of the falcon feeds get attached to their flying friends and root for their success each season.
Peregrine falcon details:Wilmington’s peregrine falcons have laid the first egg of nesting season. Tune in to watch
With the first death in this year’s clutch, many falcon fans took to the comments of the Facebook post to express their sadness about the situation.
“I feel so bad for them. They were so excited yesterday and the baby sounded so healthy and active. I know they’ll get on with it but still I feel heartbroken for them both,” one comment read.
“Heartbreaking. The eggs were laid very late and it seemed like a miracle that any of them would hatch. Hearing the peeps was surprising, very sad to hear that it didn’t work out,” a Facebook user said.
“This is very sad. Hopefully the other will fare better,” another comment read.
With three eggs left, viewers will continue holding their breath for a viable egg, and eventual fledgling, to appear.
Until then, keep up with all things Wilmington falcons by visiting www.facebook.com/wilmfalcons or checking out the live-camera feeds.
Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys’tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.
