Tocay I spent from 3:30 to 4:00 P.M. watching three of the Tacoma peregrine
chicks. Parked on Cliff street, out of traffic, and used my car to steady my
bins while I watched them stumble around on top of their bridge
counterweight. They're mostly fully feathered, at that stage where they sit
like bowling pins and look itchy, and occassionally flutter and you can see
all sorts of down floating off in the breeze.

These guys aren't far from fledging. I especially watched one precocious
youngster exercise his wings. He or She would hop up to the edge of the
counterweight and look brave and flap real hard and hang on. Then he/she
would put its head down and charge a sibling by running along the edge of
the counterweight. Look at me, I won't fall off. Then it would flap a few
seconds and take a little hop. Then it discovered the game of trying to perch
on the bundle of wire that sits up there, and act doofus and flap real fast for
balance.

Clarice and I came back at 5:00. Just two chicks out now, looking real
sleepy. Mickee and Guy were both back now. Guy watched from a cross
brace while Mickee flew out a couple of times and landed on a brace just
under the nest counterweight. She then flew up to the big electrical wire that
runs lengthwise between the bridge towers and settled in. Seems like a
good trick, considering she lacks a toe (see the picture of her on the WEB
site).

We watched awhile from the fire station across the bridge as nothing much
happened, and then decided to walk the bridge. Both of us wanted to see if
maybe the precocious youngster had flown the coop, but we never saw it.
then Mickee started kekking, or more like squawking real loud. We got
excited but she was just scolding a bicyclist. She watched the bicycle
intently and vocalized well over the sound of the traffic. We wondered-- of
course-- why a bicycle. Does Mickee just not like cops (the bicycle rider
was dressed in blue)?

Then, just as we got tired of inaction and started to leave Mickee started
squawking again. Clarice: "Should we leave, are we disturbing her?" Me:
"Well, look for a bicycle." Sure enough, there was a bicyclist (not dressed in
blue) coming up the bridge sidewalk toward us. As he passed he slowed
down and I asked him if he heard the bird. He said--"Yeah, is that a
seagull?" Then he said he cycled the bridge to work every day and always
got squawked at.

What has Mickee got against bikes? Is this connected to however she lost
that toe?
Jerry Broadus
P.O. Box 249
Puyallup, WA. 98371