EXTRA: #3 is a tiercel

In the midst of the excitement of the first fledge, I sent John Blakeman the pictures I took yesterday of #3's ankles and feet just before s/he fledged, to see if John could determine the gender.

            Della Micah

             Della Micah

I also sent the picture of #3 (right) standing near to one of the twins (left).

             Della Micah

John Blakeman's response:

"I think both of the birds in the photos you sent are tiercels --- but big and strong ones. The toes are just a bit too short for formels.

There is an outside chance of these being smallish formels; but with all the food they had, that's not probable.  And the strong flight of the first-to-fledge hawk affirms the healthy diet.

Fledging sequence is not necessarily in hatch sequence. Too many fledge-promoting variables---few of which we know much about. Stochastic. Chance."

--John Blakeman

So there we have it - #3 is almost certainly a tiercel, and the twins are definitely a formel and likely another tiercel.