Back to the nest for the night

All three eyasses are flying well and are exploring their world outside the nest. The parent haggards are in close attendance making strategic food drops.

The eyass that had difficulty on Saturday got it together on Sunday, though it still seems to prefer the ground. It is quite common for fledgling eyasses to spend time on the ground, climbing into bushes and trees. In this urban environment, however, that can lead to some hair-raising adventures as we saw on Saturday.

Yesterday, it found its way to the grassy area immediately under the nest beside the Franklin Institute. This is separated from the sidewalk on Winter Street by a low wall, so is safe from traffic. Kay Meng and her camera were right there, as the eyass resourcefully decided to take on this worm for a snack!




As twilight fell on Sunday evening, it was likely that this eyass was the one who gave nest watchers the happy surprise of seeing the nest inhabited again. The eyass seemed to be settling in for the night.



This morning (Monday, June 14) as daylight broke, the eyass was still on the nest.



It puttered around the nest pecking in the sticks, probably looking for scraps of food, then just before 6 AM, it stepped purposefully to the front of the nest, and was gone.


Carolyn Sutton was there this morning and sent this report:

"Just returned from a visit to the nest between 5:15 and 6:15 this morning. I saw all five hawks. #3 was still in the nest. The tiercel (Dad) was briefly on the Civil War monument, then on his favorite streetlight. The other two eyasses were in the same tree on far side of the Parkway. One of them made a trip to the top of the Civil War monument and back, then made a very serious hunting maneuver to the side of the Free Library, where it hooked its talons to the bird prevention netting that hangs over the facade. The formel (Mom) was there in a flash to make sure all was OK. Fortunately, the eyass extricated itself and then went searching for vermin along a ledge. When I turned to check the nest, #3 had flown. The tiercel (Dad) took off from the streetlight shortly after and headed in direction of the library."

On the Franklin Hawkaholic group page on Facebook, there is a wonderful - and ever increasing - collection of photographs from hawk watchers who have been visiting the area where the hawks are.