All three juveniles were in the nest tree this evening. If I hadn’t seen one yesterday in a tree to the south, I wouldn’t believe a fledge had occurred the day before! One stayed on the nest, but the other two were out on branches most of the time. They all were having a nice relaxed day. Unlike one of the fledglings downtown.
The first fledgling is off the nest at Sheep Meadow in Central Park. A trip from the nest to a fence and back to a nearby tree. While I was there, there was an eyass on the nest, a bird branching (exploring the limbs on the nest tree), a parent watching everyone, and the fledgling. Somehow, the rain held off long enough for me to photograph all of them.
Our reluctant fledgling at Washington Square Park is getting more active, jumping around the three windows and being much more confident. It had two rats for meals today. At this rate it should be finally off the ledge on Monday or Tuesday.
The active fledgling was above the reluctant one on the roof of Pless for much of the afternoon, but eluded being photographed. Both parents kept an eye on the two youngsters and late in the day the mother flew frequently over Pless, as though to say to the reluctant one, it is time to go.
(Word comes from Fifth Avenue, that all three have fledged.)
Monday update: The fledgling left the Pless building almost a week after it arrived, going to the Silver Building and back to Pless. By the evening it was nowhere in sight, most likely enjoying a rooftop perch nearby.
Two of three eyasses fledged today. One to a bar and the other to a church and then a school. How Alphabet!
I went looking to see if the Avenue A nest had fledged on Friday, to find all three eyasses still on the nest. I was a day to early. One fledged on Saturday morning! But they were fun to watch as there last day as an air conditioner trio.
At Washington Square we have a rare but not unusual event happening. A fledgling has decided it fledged too early and is staying put on a window ledge. This is seen by rehabilitators from time to time.
In this instance a number of rehabbers have been consulted and each agree that since:
that the best course of action is to let nature take its course. At some point the youngster will mature mentally and start flying.
Now, this rare but not unusual event is worrying the Washington Square and NYU community. Inexperienced viewers are worried that something is wrong with the bird. They’ve been calling 911, 311, Animal Control, the NYS DEC and every rehabber they can find. This is all well intentioned but not helpful.
So, when I’m at Washington Square I reassure everyone who talks to me that:
(I also learned Friday, that landing on Pless was not a crash landing as previously reported to me. It was a sloppy but gentle landing.)
