Susan, other peregrine watchers,

Sorry for the delayed response, I'm on digest mode.

The chicks are at the right age to start wondering out of the nest box.
Other years they did so around 22 - 23 days of age.

There is no immediate danger of them wondering off he edge. First, chicks
this young have a natural aversion of edges. They mostly stay away from the
edge, only a few days before they are ready to fly will you see them perched
on the edge with their tails hanging "overboard." Second, this ledge is
huge, compared to some natural cliff ledges. There are at least ten meters
(30 feet) from the nest box to the wall behind the camera, I believe the
ledge is more than 1 m (4 feet) between the aluminum ledge (right) and the
light bars (which form a nice railing).

Now that the young have figured out how to use those wooden steps (the first
couple of days they actually do use them to get in and out of the box), they
will start spending more and more time off-camera (below the camera). No
reason for alarm, just frustrating when you are curious about what they are
doing (mostly sleeping still).

Martin Muller, Seattle
MartinMuller at email.msn.com