Little Arb Fledged!

Friday morning, August 19, 8:20 a.m.....Fledged! Mom is on the nest looking for little Arb.....I didn't see the moment she took off...hoping she gets back to the nest soon! 
Little Arb made it back and landed on the perch at about 11 a.m! She stuck her landing like a pro and then had some lunch with Mom! We can celebrate!

 Little Arb chick is falling asleep standing up friday afternoon after her big day....seems like just yesterday I watched her wiggle her way out of that small egg....and now she is a real osprey that can fly! After years of failure at this nest, we are so happy to see this day come. We will continue to watch over her and her antics. She will continue to return to the nest to eat for many weeks, and if she does try her luck at fishing, she will still rely on Dad as her back up if she is hungry. The adult female may begin her migration within the next few weeks but this chick may stick around with Dad until some time in mid September before they head south. Those females are tied to the nest thru all the weeks of incubation and care / feeding of chicks, and now she will be a little more free, to fly, build up her strength and prepare for migration. I see signs already....she is eating a lot to prepare for the big trip ahead to South or Central America. Some females leave quite early, in fact I believe some are gone already. But some females stick around a bit longer. Chicks can get into a million different kinds of trouble post fledge and fewer than half will survive the first year, so let's keep our fingers crossed for this one to stay safe, and stay close to home.