Peregrine Falcons at UC Davis Medical Center: Season 1 (2019)
(Photo courtesy: Ken Waller, UC Davis Health)
Season 1 recap: Known for providing good health and well-being for all, UC Davis Medical Center enjoyed the successful hatchings of four peregrine chicks in May 2019. The three males and one female grew quickly and started flying in early June. The boys started leaving the nest before their sister. By August 2019, all four younsters should have established their own nesting areas within the region, wherever there is ample food supply. To learn more about the youngsters from Season 1, scroll down for a recap and photos.
(Photo courtesy: Ken Waller, UC Davis Health)
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May 6, 2019
Four new peregrine falcon chicks huddle in their nest high atop UC Davis Medical Center.
May 9, 2019
The chicks eye their surroundings, but are not moving too much.
May 10, 2019
The young hatchlings start finding a little bit of their own space.
May 13, 2019
Mom stands nearby in the afternoon sun.
May 15, 2019
Feeding time at the nest.
May 17, 2019
Basking in the afternoon sun.
May 20, 2019
The kids huddle with mom nearby.
May 21, 2019
One of the chicks being returned to the nest (with mom closely watching nearby).
May 23, 2019
As they grow and gain strength, the chicks leave the nest to explore their rooftop surroundings in the early morning light.
May 26, 2019
Notice the feathers are gaining color.
May 31, 2019
The chicks are growing and exploring.
June 2, 2019
Nearly a month since birth and the chicks are now edging toward their first flights.
June 6, 2019
Just about ready to fly. Three of the youngsters were really flapping their wings today, running up and down the edge of the building.
June 9, 2019
What a difference a month makes for newborn falcons. Emergency room physician James Holmes took this photo outside his office, which is about 10 floors below the nesting area and in another building.
June 10, 2019
This youngster discovered the hard way that she wasn’t quite ready to fly yet. She was found wandering around the hospital’s loading dock, 14 floors below the nest. An apprentice falconer safely returned her to the nest.
June 10, 2019
They’re flying! Well, 3 out of 4 of them are flying. The young male peregrines started flying over the weekend. Nurse Diane Boyer, working on the E-6 Cardiothoracic Unit, photographed one of them resting on a window ledge outside her unit.
June 12, 2019
The nest is mostly empty now. The four recent hatchlings just started to fly. Staff and visitors report seeing them around the hospital and other nearby buildings.
Photo courtesy James Holmes
June 13, 2019
After being found wandering the streets and getting picked up by Animal Control, one of the fledglings who's still learning to fly was released back to its nest by a specialist from Sacramento's Wildlife Care Association.
July 1, 2019
It's truly an empty-nest syndrome for our peregrine parents now. Their four hatchlings flew the crib in mid-June. But like adolescents everywhere, they will still rely on their parents -- at least for the first month or so. The kids still have been seen hanging out near the hospital, and today one of them was spotted near 49th and Broadway. All are expected to seek winged adventures elsewhere in the region by late August.
Watch live now: The falcons are back for Keeping Up With the Peregrines: Season 2
