Two things have been very obvious over the last two weeks: Bell is stuffing food into the eyasses at a rapid rate, and they're responding in the way they should. They are visibly larger, stronger, more alert, and more active every day. They've changed from being barely able to sit up and gape for food to a much more active approach - reaching with ready beaks for the prey Bell gives them. Pigeons have been the staple fare, with small, unidentified passerine prey for a little variety.
Peregrine chicks grow a second, thicker coat of down at about ten days, so now they are much fluffier than with the sparse white coats they wore as new hatchlings. They are also warmer; the thicker down provides additional insulation, so that they don't need to be brooded as much. While Bell seldom left them uncovered for more than a minute when they were tiny, she is now leaving them uncovered for longer periods of time, especially on warm, dry days. She is still covering them at night.
We've had several questions, both on this web site and on our local hotline, about what happened to the eyas that died. We know that Stewart carried it away from the nest box; we don't know what he did with it. While it's always sad and disappointing to lose an eyas, it's reassuring that the others appear to be in great shape.
