After the chaos and crescendo of last weekend’s monitoring (and several encounters with downed fledglings during the week), this weekend was quiet and calm. Heavy rains fell overnight, and the morning was overcast, providing a fleeting glimpse of fall. The change was echoed in many of the nests – now empty, the chicks fledged and starting life on their own. Time unfolds strangely for me when I start monitoring the nests. It becomes malleable and in some paradoxical Möbius-strip manner ticks along both quickly and slowly, yet somehow never any differently than any other time.

As we approach the end of the season, they’re be fewer and fewer nests to write about. So let’s begin with what we have left…

Pyramid Nest

I was only able to spy one of the two fledglings from this nest – I caught this one mid-stretch. What I loved about this photo is that the bottom of the gulls’ foot is visible. How often do you get to see that?

Mid-to-late August brings new wonders and a heavy burden of anxiety that is barely perceptible to me at the beginning of the breeding season. A majority of the fledglings are strong enough to take flight, if only briefly and awkwardly. Seeing them wheeling around their nest sites, becoming surer of their new life and freed from the boundary of their natal rooftop is profound.

But with this also comes fledglings that fall off ledges before they’re strong enough to fly back up, fledglings stranded on the ground and sidewalks, often with injured wings – scared, weak, and with no experience of the dangers of humans, their dogs, and cars.

Repeater Nest

This was a new nest I found last weekend. I had seen this fledgling on the ledge of the building perhaps ten minutes before this. I was walking through a pathway on my way to check on the cormorants when I noticed this fledgling down in some grass…

I admit I was a bit too optimistic about how much I was going to use my macro lens before the summer started, but we had a long weekend and I finally got myself into the alleyway to see what I could find. I can only ID most of these insects to the Genus level (mostly thanks to iNaturalist).

Genus Megachile

June and July are placid months where we witness the mystery of these chicks being born and looking so damn cute. But now that August has arrived, we’ve passed a threshold.

Most of the chicks are now well on their way to fledging – they’ve replaced their speckled down with sooty-grey juvenile feathers, and can’t resist but to try out their wings. You’ll find them walking along the precarious ledges of their nest, knowing full well that if they fall they don’t have the strength or skill to fly.

Grassy Nest

Grassy Nest was very active on my visit. One of the parents arrived, and all three of the chicks rushed in, begging for food. I can’t help but feel empathy for the adult. After about a minute, the adult didn’t provide any food and flew away, leaving the chicks rather frustrated.