IN the next few days young Snow, the baby falcon born in the water tower at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Orange campus, will stretch its wings and take flight for the first time.
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At just 43 days old, Snow will be learning how to fly, hunt and make preparations to leave its nest by the end of summer.
Unbeknown to Snow and parents Swift and Beau, they are being spied on, with a special camera installed in their nest.
It has been a busy first 43 days, according to FalconCam project coordinator Scott Banks, and it is all about to change for the young falcon.
“We’ll have them in the trees for three or four months and for the next month or two there will be a lot of sound up there,” he said.
“They fledge [learn to fly] at about 40 to 42 days,” he said.
Despite observing the falcon for the past 40 days, the sex of the bird is still not known Mr Banks said.
“We’re putting money on it being a female because it’s already bigger than dad,” he said.
“Females are a third bigger than males.”
During the next few months Snow’s parents will teach the young falcon how to hunt and fend for itself, and by late summer they will kick it out of home to find its own territory.
“It’s exciting, we’re happy Snow will fledge,” he said.
Mr Banks said unlike other peregrine falcon sub-species, the ones in Orange do not migrate and Snow will move somewhere nearby.
This is the fifth season the peregrine falcons Swift and Beau have bred at CSU and in that time they have produced nine offspring.
To check out the latest footage from CSU’s FalconCam project head to www.csu.edu.au/special/falconcam.
nadine.morton@fairfaxmedia.com.au
