Fledging is so hard to do...

I am sitting here watching a young osprey who has not fledged yet. Her sibling is zooming around, landing on other perches and I believe I heard him saying "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" as he flew. She hopped up onto one of the ceramic insulators on the power pole which holds the nest. Her foot was slipping and I thought she was going to slide down and catch her foot or leg. I was mentally planning a rescue, but she hopped back into the nest. Whew. The adult male has been coming and going with sticks. No sign of the female. It's been interesting to observe the effects of the late spring, with the delay in egg laying and hatching. Some females appear to have taken off on their southerly journey at the normal time, even if they still had young, unfledged offspring...or fledglings that are still returning to the nest frequently for food. Other adult females are still near their nests, watching over their youngsters. I am still checking on a handful of unfledged chicks. I fear that their chances for a successful migration are slim, given their lack of fishing skills and their dependence upon their parents. Can't believe I am still watching for fledging in late August!