Well, I hope you enjoyed part one. But that wasn’t the end of the story, by any means.
Having learned how to fly, Railbird and Sal became inseparable companions with quite different learning styles and aptitudes. Sal, as I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, was simply a natural who found growing up easy and generally took the path of least resistance.
Railbird, the maverick, however, developed a knack for doing things his way….
Two days after the up close and personal encounter on August 11, I spotted the two juveniles about 150 meters north of their nest, in a grove along Lexington Road, and just southeast of the Dog Park. Just as I was about to move closer, I got a phone call from my son, and had to tell him I was busy. No telling how many chances like this I’d get.
As I began my approach, both birds were roosting on a strong branch extending out from a large weeping willow. As I drew nearer, I was able to differentiate the two siblings, and noticed that Railbird, on the left, out on the edge of the limb, seemed to be preparing to take off. He also appeared to be communicating something to Sal, who looked less than impressed.
I checked my camera settings and prepared for whatever….
Click on the images to enlarge them.
He’d done it! Literally a pin point landing. Sal may have been amazed, but if so, he wasn’t letting on to his brother….
I moved to the other side of the perch (Lexington Road) for some closer-ups from that side.
Another great afternoon with the twins. Only four days or so since they’d fledged and so much fun to work with! In Part 3, we’ll look at them about a week later as they start learning to fish!
birds & musings 