.....Westy.....
24 June 2004
The Washington Mutual eyases fledged! The first one flew from the nest ledge Wednesday morning, June 16; the second fledged Friday morning, June 18; and the last two fledged Sunday morning, June 20. The first fledgling spent part of its first morning on the 45th floor balcony on the WaMu Tower. We didn’t see it again until Saturday morning, when an observer spotted both fledglings wing-flapping and hopping around near the top of the Seattle Tower. The second bird fledged on camera. It spent several minutes flying and hopping from the nest box to the back ledge (the ledge just above the nest box) to the light bar and back, before taking flight directly from the edge of the nest box. The two that fledged on Sunday took their first flights off camera, so we have no details.
As if four fledglings downtown weren’t enough, the youngsters at the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge started fledging over the weekend. This is the first time birds have fledged from this bridge, and it is a very different environment from vertical downtown Seattle. On Saturday, the male fledgling flew back and forth between the beams overhead with relative ease, while a female sibling was still on a ledge near the nest box. However, observers spotted a fledgling perched on a fence post only ten feet off the ground and another walking around in a park under the bridge! The clueless bird on the ground wandered about with little concern for walkers and joggers (most didn’t even notice it), so it was a relief when it finally flew. By Sunday, the young birds had discovered the closest power tower, which is a good place for them to perch. They’re above the people and cars, away from the water, and in a place where the adults can keep track of them, at least for a few days.
.....Westy......