And then there was one....

 On Thursday, the rescued eyass remained quietly on the nest with no desire, seemingly, to venture out into the world again to join its siblings.

It sat, somewhat lethargically...

... watching the passing scene, showing little desire to flap and jump as its siblings did before they fledged.

Surprise!  One of the fledged eyasses arrived back at the nest.

It flapped vigorously as if to say, "Come on, here's what you do,"

... encouraging it to try.

The fledged eyass noticed some food scraps, and started to eat, all the while watched passively by #3.  This informal numbering is to keep track a bit of the fledging order.  The rescued eyass will be, hopefully, the third to fledge.

#3 then moved down onto the ledge...

... and watched its sibling eat.

The fledged eyass was still on the nest close to 5:00 PM today.

Mary Gamble Barrett captured the formel flying in with food for the unfledged eyass.

Hawkwatchers are starting to wonder if this eyass is OK.  John Blakeman shares this concern:

"[From the start] I was concerned by this eyass's off the nest escapades. Her lack of energy and activity on the ground before being rescued was not promising. The bird may have some sub-clinical or low-grade malady. She doesn't have her survival act together.  I hope that she matures and fledges, and flies and exists normally. But she's got one or two strikes against her already, I fear.

Should it transpire that this eyass fails to fledge properly, that it once again falls weakly to the ground, there will be a problem -- for humans. Inexperienced hawkwatchers fail to understand that 100% survival of progeny does not always happen. I've harped on the low annual survival rates of the fledglings in their first year in the sky [20%]. But eyasses also die on the nest, or just after fledging, as may happen with this eyass.

It will be a very difficult situation, where the bird will be rescued and taken to a hawk rehab center and nurtured to "health." But such birds have residual, systemic problems, the ones that caused the difficulties at the start. Merely feeding the bird does not usefully change things. The bird will eventually be released (if it can fly well enough), and then may soon become weak again. But there will be no parents to drop food. Game over, so badly.

Alternatively, the thought will be to release the bird back at the Franklin Institute.  Doubtless, the haggards would instantly "care" for the eyass, but its problems will not be caused by an absence of care or food. There is a probability that this bird is genetically or otherwise irretrievably deficient and is destined to die off the nest. I hope not, but this is a common, albeit sordid element of red-tail biology.

The Franklin hawk story is not entirely a Greek comedy. Sooner or later, there will be tragic elements (as there already are for the prey)."

--John Blakeman

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On a happier note, the other two eyasses are doing magnificently, though their carelessly exuberant flight plans give hawkwatchers frequent anxiety attacks!

Yesterday, one of the eyasses decided to leave its perfectly safe rooftop and sail over to the fence alongside the six lane Vine Street expressway packed with rush hour traffic literally just feet below.

I felt slightly better when it nimbly turned around...

... then slightly worse when it seemed poised to fly down into the parking lot.  At the last moment, it angled up over Winter Street, and nonchalantly (but with visible pride in its landing skills!) settled onto a tree branch.

Yesterday morning and today, several of the incredibly talented hawkaholic photographers were at work beautifully documenting the hawks' progress - Mary Gamble Barrett, Joe Debold, George Lloyd, Kay Meng and Linda White - and have allowed me to post some of their images, many more of which can be found in their photo albums on the Franklin Hawkaholic Facebook page.

The ledges of the former school district building next to the Institute continue to be a favorite eating and launch pad for the eyasses.

This eyass is eating from a parental food drop, and is "mantling" its wings to warn off its sibling.  You can see fresh blood on those talons.

Both parents are in extremely close attendance.  Whenever you see an eyass, look around and you will eventually spot one of the haggards keeping watch.

The formel often perches on the absolute topmost branch of a nearby tree.  Huge as these birds seem, they are light in weight - she is barely bending these twigs

The tiercel is more a cliff than a tree guy, and he chooses the edges and ledges of the cliff-like buildings in this area...

... from which to keep watch over his offspring.

Do not for a moment be fooled into thinking this tiercel is a sweet, fluffy bird....

He is one of the top predators of all - a stone cold killer - as those bloodstained talons attest.  He and the formel are doing a fantastic job of keeping their always-hungry eyasses well fed.  They eat on any convenient flat surface, be it a car roof....

...or a stone ledge.

The eyasses are starting to develop their hunting skills.  Right now, their targets are pretty small - really small - bugs!

But you have to start somewhere....

.... and it takes a lot of concentration to catch a bug!

But these healthy young birds are quickly turning into regal hawks.  Let's keep fingers crossed that the third eyass will soon make a similar transition.