The nestlings are growing fast, as you can see. From left to right, this is Ricky, June, and David on their nest yesterday.
Their parents, Ozzie and Harriet, were away then, as they increasingly have been lately. Ozzie still flops a fish into the nest apparently at least once a day, and Harriet often just comes by to sit on and edge of her homestead looking sternly at the youngsters. I don’t think that she is feeding any of the nestlings any longer.
There has been a breakthrough in the last few days: David, the oldest and largest, is starting to put his wings out to catch good breezes and then float up above the nest. I’ve seen him achieve about 15 feet in height, much to the apparent amazement of his brother and sister:
Soon, all three will be yo-yoing above the nest, a necessary learning activity that can end up in mild collisions. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on July 30, 2023.)