55 Water Street, NYC

[Bonnie]

Three boys, one girl.  Thanks for all the nice comments.  I'll put up a post in Totally OT.  Something great happened to me last week that involves my pictures.

[Donna]

Three boys, one girl.  Thanks for all the nice comments.  I'll put up a post in Totally OT.  Something great happened to me last week that involves my pictures.

Oh yay for 3 boys!! So many girls, we need some men! Thanks.

[Bonnie]

Each year I manage to gather a different group of watchers at Water St.  I hit the jackpot this year.  My guys I picked up during eagle watching in the winter are avid NYC bird (raptor) watchers-photographers.  They were there from 6:30 am and did not see food delivery or both adults together. They did see some eyas activity on the ledge.   Just as we were ready to get away from the annoying helicopter activity, Jubilee went to her cache around the corner, prepared it and brought it in.  Two or could have been three different eyases did bounce back and forth.  I have a picture of one perched under the camera and out of web cam range.  Behind the bird is a well where the birds go into and out of.

Enjoy!









You can see from this goodbye wave that they are not quite ready to take the flight.  I almost typed plunge and thought better of that.  We DO NOT want them to plunge.

[Bonnie]

If you want a fledgling fix here it is and it is not for the faint hearted.  These birds fledge right over a very busy highway in Lower Manhattan, the FDR.

I was down again this morning.  Yes, it was heartstopping.  Rocky tried to get one of them to fledge.  He jumped to and from the ledge repeatedly.  Our eyas was not buying it today.  Tomorrow could be another story.  It will be day 38 and two years ago one did fledge at 38 days.  That bird was a very strong flier.  And we saw a cormorant in the water behind us.  Nobody but the humans were bothered by the helicopters.  Let's see what tomorrow brings.  There will be throngs around because the birds are right next to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

[Kris G.]

 Great pics, Bonnie, and good luck with your fledges-may they all be successful!

[Donna]

Great pics, Bonnie, and good luck with your fledges-may they all be successful!

I agree, when they fledge, you must go 

[chlosmom]

dont fledge until youre ready baby, no matter what daddy says

[Bonnie]

Two of the eyases are really ready to fledge.  The one with the least amount of down jumped up to the perch on top of the scrape.  Of course we were in the lobby watching on the monitor.  We were finished for the day at 11 am and went inside to say hello to security.  They weren't letting anyone else in to watch the monitor.  And security came out and asked us to leave when we got there early in the morning.  But all is cool with us and the building.  So you will only get pics of the birds.

NOW for the important stuff.  Looks like our fluffy female (not she is a she) has a transmitter.  Check out the picture and let me know.  I emailed a few people to find out, but some of you may be able to get the news before I do.  I doubt that is a pigeon feather sticking out from her back.

[carla]

Great Pictures Bonnie,It's scary to watch them now,they're so close to the edge.Rocky should know better as a parent.Thanks.

PS.That picture below is a transmitter if you ask me.

[Donna]

Sure does look like a transmitter but who am I to say! Doesn't anyone know? Was it hush hush?

[carla]

All I can see now is the litlle one,but no transmitter.Two days ago she was almost white.Now she is strenghten her wings.I don't see the others,are they on the playpen or is there a fledge already ?

[margaret]

I agree.  That little eyas was fitted with a trasmitter. Hope they used the same nail polish they used on Quest!   It's on for three years now! 

[carla]

I saw one  on the cam,but not the little one,he/she has something looks like a transmitter.He /she run out of sight of the camera.Still don't know for sure.

[Bonnie]

Littlest one does NOT have the transmitter.  Definitely a transmitter on the one with some remaining down and pantaloons.  Two are very brown without much down at all.  The birds go into a well area just in front of the scrape.  And there is food stored in the west corner behind and under one camera.  They had been picking on whatever it is all morning while we were there.  Both adults have been flying around the scrape, but not with food.  And they did not bring in any prey between 6 and 11:30 am.

One or more could have fledged after 11:30.  We will just have to wait and see.  Two are really ready.

I'll put up some more pictures shortly.  Just made the first look through 620 pictures or so.

[Bonnie]

Three in the cam right now.  The one on the box perch is an eyas.  And you can see the littlest one in the left corner.  Another is perched on the ledge watching the helicopters.   The fourth is probably under one of the cameras.