Saturday Sharing

 From The PF Palace -

 Won't be long - resting up!

 4/8/2020  ::   In Anticipation

With the first egg having arrived on March 12, and knowing incubation lasts approximately 31 days, the first hatch should occur in mid-April. The eyasses, or young falcons, hatch after spending about two days "pipping" the shells with a sharp egg tooth on their beaks. At hatching, eyasses weigh about 1.5 ounces, are covered in a fluffy white down, and grow rapidly! Their down is replaced by feathers in three to five weeks, and they are essentially full-grown at six weeks of age.

Males develop more quickly than females. Females, however, are larger and more powerful when fully grown. In the early weeks after hatching, the female broods the young and feeds them with food brought by the male. As the demands for nourishment increase with their rapid growth, both adults provide food for the young. By the third week, eyasses move about the nest site and begin to tear meat from prey brought to them by their parents. Young pump their wings and do short flights along the nest ledge prior to taking their first real flight, which usually occurs between 40 and 45 days of age. First flights, generally a broad arch out from the nest, may appear proficient, but landings reveal their inexperience. After about five days on the wing, the young falcons are much more adept at flying and landing. Juvenile birds begin to hunt for food and disperse from the nest to care for themselves within four to 10 weeks after fledging. (Information provided courtesy of the PA Game Commission.)

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Hoppy Saturday EvFURRYone!

H&K,

All Of Us At NAK's Khottage