Fledge Update

Hi A-49 fans!

So, here's the latest on A-49. When I arrived at the spot where we observe the eagle nest from at 11:30 a.m., A-49 was perched on the top of the pine tree in front of the nest tree. One of the photos shows the two trees. The greener tree in front is the one he was in. It looks to be ~20 feet from the nest tree, so he must have "fledged" to get to it. It is below the branch he's been spending time on too so he might have just hopped to the other tree. Nevertheless, he spent the next 90 minutes in the top of the green pine, hopping and flapping, vocalizing a few times, and he pooped once.

At 13:00 on the dot he flew off the tree. He had been flapping his wings so I was reaching for the camera while watching through my binocs. Within a few seconds he was off the tree, he lost a little altitude, flapped, circled, and disappeared behind the ridge the nest tree is on! No time for a photo! Apologies for that, but trust me, he looked awesome! He looked strong. Because he flew behind the ridge I did not see his landing. I called Dave on the radio to post a message on the forum regarding the fledging event. Then I went to look for the adventurous little boy.

I hiked up a hill and got to a location where I had a good, open view of the area. I thought I might hear him calling or crashing through some bushes, but all was quiet. After ~30 minutes I saw him in the top of a bush below the nest tree. In one of the pictures the nest is outlined in yellow in the upper left and the bush A-49 was in is outlined in blue in the lower right.

Once I knew where he was and all looked good, I returned to the original observation spot to wait for one or both of the adults to return. However, no adults returned while I was there.

We will be monitoring A-49's progress and will keep everyone updated as regularly as possible.

Thanks for all of your posts!
Jessica


The greener pine in front of the nest was the tree A-49 was in when I got to the observation spot.


Here he is post-fledging!


Here is the photo showing the nest (outlined in yellow) and the bush A-49 was perched in (outlined in blue).

Jessica,
Thank you, thank you, thank you! The photos are marvelous! He has so many landing spots on the island. Wow! It takes my breath away!

I hope his parents are able to locate him. I'm sure they're keeping a close eye on him as well! Keep us updated, please!!
Thank you again!
Nancy

I can't see him in the first photo, but in the following two photos, he is there. Thank you for the photos, just in time for our 8:00 Pacific Time party!

Maybe when Dad was in the nest around 5pm he really didn't know his son had fledged? Is that possible?

Beautiful shots and great work...just curious...in the second photo there appears to be a second bird looking towards A49 up at about 45 degrees to the left, was this another species an optical illusion or perhaps one of the other Eaglets released on the island?

Thanks, Jessica - fantastic pictures and he looks so impressive.!!!

Helen

Thank you Jessica. We are all ever so envious of your day. When you can, PLEASE tell us more!

Thanks so much for the photos and the sighting information. We will all sleep better tonight knowing he fledged ok. I will look forward to any more information you can give us regarding his activities. I plan to still watch the nest in hopes he returns to show off. Thanks.

IWS Crew, I agree with Copperwyrd, despite the bird lice and bugs, you have the greatest job in the world. This is from an accountant who spends lots of hours in front of a computer posting numbers in Excel spreadsheets.

Thanks for being my link to the "outside" world. I've been thrilled to watch Cruz since the beginning of June.

KLJinUSA

Eagle D
I see what you're refering to. It sure looks like another eaglet or bird, doesn't it??

I thought so too when I first saw the photo but I think it must just be part of a tree trunk. Surely the biologist would have noticed another eaglet and mentioned it?

Jessica: A belated thank you for the beautiful photographs and your report on A-49's fledging.

Thank you too for making sure everyone on the forum knew as quickly as possible that our boy was safe after making his first flight.

Jessica, thank you for the detailed update. It's wonderful that you were there to see #49's fledge and were able to tell us all about it. It's nice to know exactly where he went and what he did! Much better than when my sons were teenagers and started leaving the nest! I've saved your pictures. Thanks again.

! I was not at home all day yesterday so was very happy at 11PM Eastern Daylight Saving time to read our boy had fledged. Congratulations to all the Crew and volunteers who have made this happen. And to all the people who live in the area of Santa Cruz Island, you have good reason to celebrate. It was interesting reading all about it.

When I see the wonderful photo of the wilderness and A49 siting on a branch I was moved to tears. Over 50 years since that has happened! I certainly am fortunate to have found this webcam.

I will stay reading as I would like to know whether A49 has spent time with his parents. This is a new experience for them as well.

Misty 07

Great job crew, thank you all very much. This has been most informative. And yes, I too am looking forward to reports on his adventures.

After 100 of these hatchings the shine will have worn off some - but like the Wright Bros.'s first flight - won't we all remember and cherish A-49 in the spring and summer of 2006. Take care, SM