As you know, the eyasses left the nest box last Friday afternoon. For several days before that, they tromped around in the nest box, and they stood on the edge and looked down onto the main ledge, but the sight of Bell plucking a fresh meal a few feet away was apparently what lured them to leave. They now are able to explore a ledge that is about 25 feet in length; It is a safe, roomy space for them.
Our camera covers about 3/4 of the ledge and does not pan or tilt, so we have backed it off about half way. If we left it on just the nest box and the immediate surrounding area, we would seldom see them at all, since they are moving back and forth on the ledge. As their legs get stronger and their coordination improves, they will become more active, and we will see them more often.
We've had some questions about where Stewart was during banding. Stewart leaves driving off human intruders to Bell. While he fiercely defends their territory against red-tails, bald eagles, and other avian intruders, he is apparently fearful of humans. We have only seen him once during banding; he perched on the north face of the building, presumably guarding it, while Bell screamed at and swooped at the banders.
In peregrines, the female is usually the most aggressive and the main defender of the eyrie, but this varies from pair to pair. Sometimes the male is the more aggressive; sometimes pairs appear to share defense. Our pair both defend against feathered threats, but he leaves the "people problems" to her.
Bell has no fear of humans. During the non-breeding season, when she is much less aggressive, it is not uncommon for her to perch a few feet from workers on the building and watch them as they carry out their tasks.
