A pair of peregrine falcons is nesting under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle.
And they have one of the best views in Seattle!
The couple, affectionately nicknamed Ariel and Maverick, hatched two chicks around June 11, 2017.
Three weeks they hatched, WSDOT accompanied a licensed falcon bander to the bridge to placed identification bands around the chicks' legs.
The chicks are generally banded when they're 19-21 days old. That's when their legs are actually adult sized, but the chicks don't have their flight feathers so they can't get away from us.
Banding the chicks allows wildlife agencies and conservation groups to track the population and spread of peregrine falcons, which nearly went extinct due to pesticides.
Tags: Peregrine falcon banding falcons falcon chicks I-5 Ship Canal Bridge peregrine falcon nesting box Seattle
A pair of peregrine falcons is nesting under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle.
The couple, affectionately nicknamed Ariel and Maverick, hatched two chicks around June 11, 2017.
Three weeks after they hatched, WSDOT accompanied a licensed falcon bander to the bridge to placed identification bands around the chicks' legs.
After the banding is completed, the chicks are gently returned to their nest high above the water.
The chicks are generally banded when they're 19-21 days old. That's when their legs are actually adult sized, but the chicks don't have their flight feathers so they can't get away from us.
The chicks will stay with their parents for two months before they fledge and try stretching their wings.
Banding the chicks allows wildlife agencies and conservation groups to track the population and spread of peregrine falcons, which nearly went extinct due to pesticides.
Tags: Peregrine falcon banding falcons falcon chicks I-5 Ship Canal Bridge peregrine falcon nesting box Seattle
A pair of peregrine falcons is nesting under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle.
The couple, affectionately nicknamed Ariel and Maverick, hatched two chicks around June 11, 2017.
Three weeks after they hatched, WSDOT accompanied a licensed falcon bander to the bridge to placed identification bands around the chicks' legs.
Ariel was not especially aggressive with us, but peregrines can be quite fierce when defending their babies. They've been known to drive off or even kill bald eagles, which are ten times the size of a falcon. This time, Ariel stayed on a beam close by and squawked loudly, but didn't attack. Dad Maverick flitted around, but was hard to spot!
Chicks are generally banded when they're 19-21 days old. That's when their legs are actually adult sized, but the chicks don't have their flight feathers so they can't get away from us.
Banding the chicks allows wildlife agencies and conservation groups to track the population and spread of peregrine falcons, which nearly went extinct due to pesticides.
Tags: Peregrine falcon banding falcons falcon chicks I-5 Ship Canal Bridge peregrine falcon nesting box Seattle
A pair of peregrine falcons is nesting under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle.
The couple, affectionately nicknamed Ariel and Maverick, hatched two chicks around June 11, 2017.
Three weeks after they hatched, WSDOT accompanied a licensed falcon bander to the bridge to placed identification bands around the chicks' legs.
The second chick is a boy! He's a little bit smaller than his sister, but his legs are still big enough to band. As adults, the males are generally about 30 percent smaller than female peregrine falcons.
The chicks are generally banded when they're 19-21 days old. That's when their legs are actually adult sized, but the chicks don't have their flight feathers so they can't get away from us.
Banding the chicks allows wildlife agencies and conservation groups to track the population and spread of peregrine falcons, which nearly went extinct due to pesticides.
Tags: and spread of peregrine falcons which nearly went extinct due to pesticides.
A pair of peregrine falcons is nesting under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle.
The couple, affectionately nicknamed Ariel and Maverick, hatched two chicks around June 11, 2017.
Three weeks after they hatched, WSDOT accompanied a licensed falcon bander to the bridge to placed identification bands around the chicks' legs.
Here, licensed falcon bander Ed Deal (in the white helmet) and WSDOT wildlife biologist and liaison to the National Marine Fisheries Service, Michael MacDonald, carefully begin the banding process on the second chick.
The chicks are generally banded when they're 19-21 days old. That's when their legs are actually adult sized, but the chicks don't have their flight feathers so they can't get away from us.
Banding the chicks allows wildlife agencies and conservation groups to track the population and spread of peregrine falcons, which nearly went extinct due to pesticides.
Tags: Peregrine falcon banding falcons falcon chicks I-5 Ship Canal Bridge peregrine falcon nesting box Seattle