Out on the ledge

Yesterday, the eyasses began to explore their world outside the nest. The first expedition onto the ledge beside the nest took place around Sunday noon. As you can see from the image below, there is considerable space alongside the nest box, and because of the window along the back and the wall at the side, it is much safer than if they were wandering out onto a tree branch alongside a more conventionally sited nest.



This is the view from the outside camera looking down onto the ledge which is as wide as the nest, and provides a good venue for practicing hop/flaps in and out of the nest.



And here's how it looks from inside the Boardroom.



Here are last year's eyasses just before they fledged, when they were regularly leaving the nest for the ledge. For those of us fortunate enough to be able to visit the nest, it all looks much safer than when they suddenly disappear stage left on the Ustream feed!



The ground immediately under the nest is a grassy area protected from the sidewalk by a low wall. The sidewalk is alongside Winter Street, a relatively low-traffic street lined with trees in which the eyasses last year would perch, once they had fledged.

With the exception of the premature flight and subsequent rescue of Miss Piggy (see June 6, 2009 postings), the eyasses flew strongly right from the start, and had no difficulty reaching the flat roof of the Franklin Institute, the trees alongside the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and the roof areas of the Free Library on the other side of the BF Parkway.


These first forays onto the ledge by the eyasses are exciting steps in their development.