Saturday 9 October 2010 - I believe they can fly.....

We've been anticipating the flying lessons and hoped it would happen when we were around to witness the great occasion. This morning we noticed that the parents were doing a lot of calling and flying back and forth to the roof and the wash line.

We then realised that one of the babies, Jaws, was standing on the edge of the nest. A short while later Mark called me out to the garden to see the brave little fellow perched on a flower pot, looking very pleased with his new-found freedom and Mum and Dad fluttering around excitedly. One of our dogs was nosing around nearby and the next thing Jaws flew up to the garage roof where he could survey the world in relative safety.

The parents continued to call and fly from the gutter above the nest and back to the back garden. Then I noticed that Fang was standing on the edge of the nest and I could see his little chest beating from where I was at the window. He "chickened out" and re-joined his sibling in the nest. Unfortunately I had to go out at 7:30am and only returned at 3:30pm. The first thing I saw when I drove in was one of the chicks on the driveway. He flew up to the wall when he saw the car. By this time all three of the babies had taken wing and flown the nest. They have been around on and off since I came home but a season is now over. I wonder if the parents will be back to lay another clutch of eggs?

Here is Jaws, the firstborn proudly perched on our garage roof. He's very proud of his new flying skills which got him up there and he is surveying the world.