Today’s Fledge Watchers:

Morning/Afternoon – Kathy O, Lisa, Dana, Larry O, Anna, Ron and Carol P. (5:30 am – 4:00 pm)

Evening – Lisa, Kathy O, Ryan, Joyce, Sue, Dan, Carrie and Larry O. (4:00 – 8:30 pm)

Weather:  Sunny, cool and VERY windy, with temps in the low 70’s.

The day started out very early (5:30 am) for this watcher.  Kathy O and I were on watch in the hole, while Lisa met the Channel 10 folks on the corner of Exchange and Broad.  They were there to see what happened during a fledge watch.  We did not get to meet them.  Maybe next time.  The falcons were quite active while they were here.

The winds were extremely high, and Beauty was determined to keep the eyases grounded at the nest box.  She kept them well fed and remained with them during most of the day and afternoon.  I was really happy she did this.  With winds like this, it is too easy to have an accidental fledge.  So, as of the time I am typing this report, all are still safely at the nest box.  We’ll see what happens during the evening watch.

There was a lot of flying lessons for the eyases by Beauty and Dot.ca.  The winds did not bother the adults at all.  In fact, they really enjoy them!

The highlight of my watch was to see a very classic food exchange between Beauty and Dot.ca over the Blue Cross Arena.  Dot.ca flew in clutching prey, and Beauty flew out to meet him.  She flipped upside down (talons up!) and grabbed the food from him.  After that, she cached the meal for later use.

Here are some pictures from today’s fledge watch.  Enjoy!

*Be sure to click on each picture to see the full image.*