!!! Look out - here we come!!
July 05, 2013 - Toronto - Don Mills
Mark Nash Reports:
July 5th - 2013
A huge thank you to Sally and the Harlequin team who has been keeping a close eye on the two young fledglings over the past week.
With supporting observations from Murray and several other local watchers, we can confirm that Luna and Carina are doing just fine!!
While although spotty in their appearances in any one view now that the two fledglings are flying so well, they are tearing up the skies never the less.
As with most of the fledglings at this age and stage of their development, Luna and Carina are really tearing up the skies and both Quest and Kendal are having an extremely difficult time finding hiding places to avoid the constant (relentless pursuit) of their offspring!!
Terrorizing this parents is an understatement!! Both Luna and Carina have also been observed now chasing the local bird community and although they are not yet capable of actually catching their own food without assistance from their parents, they are both now aggressively trying! One of the fledglings was successful in catching a bird in a joint hunt with Kendal!!
The “catch-me-if-you-can”, “tag-your-it” and “hurry-up-and-catch-it” games are really paying off as both their flight skills and awareness has improved 100% since the time we spent in the streets on actual fledge watch. We are not seeing labour of our fruits and the result of the rescues that we performed during their early stages of the fledge!
Both parents are involved in mid-air food drops with the kids, mid-air food transfers, and intense games of chase-me and catch-me if you can while teasing them with food in the air! The fledglings are now building up some incredible speed and mid-air maneuvering like pro’s with mid-air side spins, roll-overs and roll-downs!
These are flight skills that the fledglings need to develop (and very necessary survival skills) that will allow them to be successful in both their hunts and defending themselves down the road when they are on their own without parental care and protection.
These essential life skills will hopefully provide the fledglings the ability to survive to adulthood and beyond.
Come-on folks,, time to get out there with your cameras, as this is the real FUN part of the process. There is some of the BEST photograph opportunities to be had at this stage of the fledglings development!!!
Your observations and photos are most welcomed. Don’t hesitate to send them in, as we would love to post them!!!
Share with others.
Stay tuned…………..