Dead falcon chicks to be tested at WSU

The bodies of the peregrine-falcon chicks born to the falcons nesting atop the WaMu building in downtown Seattle were retrieved by researchers and are expected to arrive at Washington State University for testing this morning, a veterinarian said Sunday evening.

The first of the three chicks, also called eyases, died May 30, a second died Thursday, and the last of the brood died Friday, according to the Skagit County-based Falcon Research Group.

The remains will be tested at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at WSU, said J. Lindsay Oaks, a veterinarian and head of bacteriology at the lab. Meaningful preliminary results will take at least a week, she said.

The Falcon Research Group, which monitors the raptors, said the deaths of chicks midway through development were unusual. The WaMu brood sprang from three eggs laid in April and hatched between May 20 and 22. Immediate deaths of newly hatched chicks, from cold or a common parasite, are more typical, Bud Anderson, a member of the group, said last week.

The Pullman laboratory specializes in research of adenoviral and herpesviral infections of birds of prey, and Oaks said a variety of tests, including toxicology tests, could be administered in order to determine the cause of death.

The first peregrine falcons known to nest in Seattle settled on the WaMu tower, Seattle's second-tallest building, in 1994. One pair of adults, Stewart and Bell, raised a number of young falcons over the years.

A new couple took over the spot this year, hatching the three eggs. The birds have captured the affection of raptor-lovers over the years and have been featured on blogs and a live Webcam.

Other peregrines have nested and hatched chicks in a handful of visible Seattle spots in recent years, including under the West Seattle Bridge, under the Ballard Bridge and on the Interstate 5 Ship Canal Bridge.

Natalie Singer: 206-464-2704 or nsinger@seattletimes.com