Empty ledge

As I predicted this morning it has been a pretty quiet day. For the most part the only birds visible were down at the other end of the ledge--one perched on the nestboxcam and one on the nestbox. Because of the gloomy conditions it has been difficult to determine the ages of the birds and of course nothing on leg bands. I believe that for the most part it was one of the adults on the nestbox and a juvie (juvenile) on the camera. Throughout the morning and early afternoon I never observed a second nestling. Around 2 p.m. one of the birds did come up to in front of the ledgecam and then I was finally able to confirm that the bird was Jet.

Not seeing a second juvie all day leads me to believe that Eclipse had fledged either late yesterday or this morning prior to 8 a.m. Jet finally took off around 4 p.m. this afternoon. If I am able to get any photos or video from other watchers I'll post them tomorrow.

So, we are left with an empty ledge which, while sad for many viewers, is actually good news. No reports of crashed birds is even better news! Hopefully, in the coming days the young will hone their flying skills and come back to the nest ledge so continue to watch. If/when we see any falcons on the ledge it will be especially important to note the plumage and get leg band codes when possible to help ascertain which birds are doing well.