June 2, 2008: Chicks take flight!

Video: View Raptor Cam LIVE

The raptor cam red-tails took their first flights over the weekend.

We are getting lots of calls at Audubon about the youngsters perching on construction sites, building ledges and in street trees. This is completely normal.

They may even come to the ground at some point. They will be far better at flying than they will be at landing and it is likely that observers will see them miss targets and scramble down the sites of buildings and tumble through tree limbs.

It can be quite terrifying to watch a bird learning to fly! You may or may not see the parents at any given time—they will usually stay cklose to the young but they have to keep an eye on both as well as hunt for food.

The adults cannot pick the youngsters up and carry them to safe locations so it is up to the fledglings to make their own way from one place to another. The best thing though is to give them as much space as possible and let them learn on their own. Feel free to call Audubon if you observe problems (503) 292-0304. Ausidubon will post a naturalist down at the site this morning to keep an eye on the situation as it evolves.

To these birds the city is really just a series of cliffs and canyons. They will use the multitude of ledges and what is left of our urban tree canopy, the updrafts and thermals rising off our hardened landscape, and the prolific rats and pigeons as substitutes for natural features that they would find if they were nesting say in the Deschutes River Canyon.

There are of course hazards: power lines, windows (birds see glass as open space) and cars to name a few. However some of the hazards found on a more wild landscape are missing: for example great horned owls, one of the few predators on young red-tails, are found in the forests and Ag land surrounding Portland but not in the urban interior.

Also don’t be surprised if you see a flock of crows mobbing the red-tails. They do this to drive predators out of the area. They make a lot of noise but they can’t really do any harm. However turnabout is fair play and when the red-tails are older they may well prey upon the crows. This is unquestionable the most hazardous part of the nesting process, but red-tails have nested successfully in downtown Portland for years.