Our male eyas has fledged! The Sunday observation team located him on the 45th floor terrace on the east side of the Washington Mutual Tower at 6:20 this morning. This is below the nest ledge, which is at the 56th floor level. His three female siblings can look down at him from the nest ledge. Although males are smaller than females, they develop faster. They usually fledge earlier than females and are stronger fliers at the time of fledging. Which one of the females will go first?
We look at their feather development and behavior on the ledge as a guide to who will fly first, but, to some extent, temperament determines this; they go when they're ready. The most visibly developed is not always the first. Going by past seasons, we expect that Bell will stay close to the fledglings until they are proficient enough on the wing to start chasing her. She often is right behind the most recent fledgling as it flaps from one perch to another. Both adults become extremely aggressive toward anything they perceive as a threat to the fledglings. Their usual targets are the Glaucous-winged Gulls that nest downtown; it is a treat to watch diminutive Stewart smack the much larger gulls.
We'll update the site as the others fledge, so check in frequently.
