FLASH FLASH FLASH!

Second Trump Parc baby fledged successfully. I don't have all the details, but I think it flew at about 2:53 pm today. [How imprecise can I get?]

According to a very quick phone conversation with Lincoln a minute ago, everything is fine. Both fledglings are on nearby buildings. Junior and Charlotte are carefully monitoring them. They'll be bringing them food and giving them flying demonstrations.

By the way, this is the normal fledging pattern for building-nesting redtails like Pale Male and now Junior. The fledglings treat the buildings like trees. Instead of taking short flights from branch to branch, however, they take hops from building to building, or different levels of a single building -- from a balcony to a roof to a chimney, etc. They usually don't end up in the park for about a week. And even once they've made it to the park they head back for the buildings during the early weeks . It may be that life is more peaceful on their building perches. Once in the park they are mercilessly harassed by bluejays, mainly, but also by many smaller brds --- titmice, robins, etc.