Mary Malek from the San  Francisco Fledge Watch group reports a great Mother's Day save  by Diamond Lil.  A few days ago, Perry was the first to fledge.  He flew well but laned less so, earning him a return to the PG&E building via Animal Control.  This was today's adventure.  This story reminds me of an incident with Mariah and Isaura, many years ago:

About two hours after Perry flew to the pyramid at 123, he was flap-hopping
across the west face of the pyramid.

Each face of the pyramid has horizontal parallel ridges that he could grip while
he flapped, or he could flap-fly if by letting go.

The faces of the pyramids are connected by a smooth sheet metal ridge. At the
bottom of the pyramid is a gutter (the gutter that Sutro used when he
circumnavigated the roofline when he fledged to that same building)

Perry caught some wind and was moving to the south on his west face of the
pyramid. Then a gust of wind moved him to the north face. He caught another
gust that dropped him on the smooth connecting ridge where he started to slide
down, partially sideways and partially backwards in a slow but uncontrolled
slide over the edge of the roof.

Lil came flying in and body-checked him, bouncing him back up into the gutter.

Probably he would have been able to fly but it would have been awkward to start
a flight from a backwards-sideways position.

It was amazing to see how aware Lil was of Perry's danger, to see her fly in
fast enough to stop his slide with a body-check. She sat with him for a few
seconds and flew off.

Good mom Lil. Happy Mother's Day.

Paul

How old are Zeus and Hera?

Paul

Wow Quest!  Look what we did!

Though I'm sad about the lost posts, I was delighted at the juxtaposition with Margret's note from almost exactly two months ago, Hopefully, it it Kendal!   Anne Brockleman posted a great picture of Quest yesterday?  and the transmitter was so clear!   So as of yesterday,  we know Q was there, so I hope this is K!   Keep our fingers crossed!

Paul

Awareness is growing.  Even though the Delawaqre beaches are about a hundred miles away, this story headlined the Post Local section.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/spring-fling-prehistoric-horseshoe-crabs-spawn-on-moonlit-beach/2012/05/10/gIQAbcMoHU_story.html?tid=pm_local_pop

Paul

Great work!  Maybe someone can come oput with an automated way to reconstruct some of the lost material from Yahoo.

Paul

Last Sunday, near my home, a Red Winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) announced spring.  Conk-a-ree!

Paul

Maybe they are screaming sweet nothings to one another.

Paul

Good luck tomorrow, Annette.

Around here, the big crow roosts are breaking up as pairs disperse to prepare for nesting.  Am I the only person who questions an expensive crow dispersal effort right before they naturally leave anyway? 

Paul

Happy Birthday!

Paul

Happy Birthday!

Paul

Paul

Good going!  Keep it up as long as you can, Janet -- think of all the birds you will see.

Paul

http://www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/nestcamSF_large.htm

First egg of the 2012 season, from Diamond Lil and Dapper Dan.

Paul

"Old Blackwater, keep on rolling..." -- The Doobie Brothers,

Great news!

Paul