!!! DAY ONE, FLEDGE ONE
June 11, 2008 - Toronto - King Street
Linda Woods Reports:
Day One of the fledge watch and we have our first flight.
Although not witnessed, I estimate that it might have taken place around 10:00a.m.as I had just returned from checking on the Sheraton site.
Dougal the male and estimated to be 36 days of age took his maiden flight over to 33 Victoria Street. Throughout the day he was running the south edge of the building, jumped down onto the flat of the roof and back up again. And when he was finished,exploring he laid down facing the nest ledge.
At 3:00p.m. food was brought in by the adults and he was fed. His sisters still on the nest ledge were seen on occasion, but not a lot of activty from them. Some flapping and a little vocalizing but nothing too exciting yet.
6:45p.m. Dougal decided to take a go at it and took off, heading towards the nest building and the nest ledge.
He missed by a foot and ended up doing the “bat” thing on the wall,just under the nest ledge level.
Paul kept an eye on Dougal and reported that after his initial contact with the wall, he clung on and then pumped his wings really hard trying to get airborne for those few more inches. He tried again and with a little breeze and a lot more pumping he managed to scratch his way back up to the nest ledge level and pull himself up and over the lip of the far north ledge. WHEW! He sat for a while and then laid down on the ledge.
Good Flight and recovery.
Hope his sisters were watching this.
Linda