Filtered through the wildfire smoke, the morning sunlight took on the colour of apricots. The air was heavy with humidity and the heat already pressed down on the city and those of us walking the barren concrete spaces where pedestrians are an afterthought.
Almost all the nests I’ve been watching since late June are empty. It’s strange seeing these rooftops with only scraps of nest material remaining. How far removed we are from the nomadic origins of our species. How difficult to imagine our homes as temporary spaces, to travel and survive without our countless possessions, to leave so little trace of our existence.
Chimney nest
I found the chicks from Chimney nest on the awning/overhang where they have taken up residence since leaving the chimney platform.
Chimney nest chicks
At the base of the awning is a small trench that the fledglings are using for shade, as well as playing in a small puddle of water that hasn’t evaporated yet.
The fledgling on the left looks younger – there is still a touch of down visible on its head – but I suspect on my next visit they’ll have left.
Island nest
On Aug 23rd, a slightly overcast day, I spotted all three chicks resting at the edge of the building. I wasn’t able to see them on the 27th – the were undoubtedly hiding in the shaded corner. I waited for a parent to arrive with food, but the heat was too much and I left after about ten minutes without seeing them.
West Third nest
While I saw one of the fledglings on the 23rd, none were visible on the 27th. It’s a large rooftop, and chances are they were still there somewhere hiding out in the shade.
Ferrari nest
Here’s the last photo of a Ferrari nest fledgling from Aug 23rd. When I passed by on the 27th, there were no gulls present.
Grassy nest
All three fledglings from Grassy nest were gone when I passed by on the 27th.
Fledglings resting
Walking home, I discovered these two fledglings resting in the shade of a garage in a somewhat shady part of town. I wonder if their nest was located on a rooftop nearby?
Granville Street Bridge on-ramp
This is the path I took to get a view of Rainbow nest & Fountain nest. I’ve not seen any fledglings at Rainbow nest since Aug 15th, and while I couldn’t see any chicks at Fountain nest on my previous visit, I’m certain they were there and hiding from the sun.
Walking this on-ramp, I couldn’t help reflecting that the upcoming turn signs were also a warning to me. Now that gull breeding season is over, so is my routine of checking up on all these nests. I’m uncertain what is around that corner.
Gull nests map
Finally, here’s a screen shot of my Google map showing the location of all the nests I located this season. I didn’t write anything about those four off to the right-hand side – I only caught fleeting glimpses of them from the Skytrain.
Until next time…