Looks like the last chic just flew off at 17:19...And then it came right back.
You are exactly right, lifo, it was Bea who flew off at that time and then returned immediately to the nestbox!
Met susha downtown around 5:00 PM and we had a wonderful 2 hours of fledgewatching time, inspite of all the traffic coming down for the Katy Perry concert. So many comings and goings and squawking and flying about that it is hard for me to remember all that was happening and in what order.
When I first arrived, while waiting for susha, that is when I could hear squawking coming from up high in the nestbox and saw a bird fly out and then back in. At the time, I didn't realize it was Bea because there was also another bird perched up on the nestbox ledge, so I wasn't absolutely sure who flew out and back in.
A few minutes later, when susha arrived, we took a walk to the top of "Fyfe's parkade (City Place parkade) and we were able to spot Ivy perched on the "i" of the Manitoba Hydro Bldg. lettering. Princess was in her usual spot, perched on the Radisson communication tower, above the nestbox, just above a red lightbulb looking thing, which some of us fledgewatchers have begun to refer to as "the parrot".
Very shortly after that, we were treated to a wonderful aerial display, of the 2 boys flying around the top of the Radisson, circling and gliding, then over they came, over the Rogers Bldg. and then above us on the parkade. Of course, we called out to them and waved as they did their fly-by!
Soon they circled around and back they flew to the Radisson, one seeming to land back in the nestbox and the other landing on the Radisson tower. It was an amazing site to see. Very spectacular and we remarked to each other that we had never quite seen anything like it!
Before leaving the downtown, we heard lots of squawking again, seeming to come from the nestbox. We may have witnessed a food drop at one point but not sure. Princess was perched on the Radisson tower as we left, watching over her "babies", like the great mama that she is. We lost track of Ivy and surmised that Princess must have sent him out for groceries.
BTW, the weather was actually very pleasant, not too hot at all, but we did witness a huge cloud cover rolling in. And if I did get any of the fledgewatching details confused or omitted any important details, I'm sure that susha will get it right.
