Seven weeks after first report of a possible hatch at the Grant's Tomb red-tailed hawk nest, it looks like first fledge could happen any day.
Early on a breezy Wednesday evening, all three kids were initially visible on the nest site, but one of them was perched on the railing about three feet about the nest platform.
The "branching" bird preened for a bit, but then showed off its wing feathers as it changed position.
The nestling on the railing did have fuzzy areas along its eyebrows which suggested it might not yet be old enough to make the big jump. Perhaps it was the middle child rather than eldest. And it's probably too early to assert anything, but it did look skinny enough that I wondered if it was a boy.
Nevertheless, fledge watch at Grant's Tomb is now on. Let's hope first flights are easy and safe ones like last year, when the first kid out of the nest just made a short trip of 15-20 feet to a nearby treetop.
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