Fledging...

I was able to eeek out a little time to visit a few nests today. I am happy to report the first chicks have begun fledging in recent days. Now our monitoring work can be a real challenge...Locating young birds, and trying to confirm that they get back to the nest successfully. A chick disappearing from a nest cannot be considered a successful fledge! This is the time when I listen for food begging coming from the ground. A chick that flies a little too soon can wind up on the ground and adults will not usually feed them there. If left there overnight they may be predated. They are very vulnerable. I also search nearby trees, lights, power poles, looking for chicks near the nest. I am happiest when I observe them flying and they make it back to the nest safely. If you watch enough ospreys you will recognize a newly fledged chick...they work much harder at flying than the adults...flapping faster, making very awkward landings...sometimes ending with a face plant. They also can circle endlessly trying to figure out how to stop! I have concluded that flying is easy, landing is hard.