As we all arrived at school today for our lessons, our hatchling fluttered out of its nest ready for its first flying lesson. Perched on the branch next to its nest, with mum by its side, it did a few practice flaps before embarking on its very first flight. Under the watchful eye of mum it flew from branch to branch in a nearby tree. How lucky that a group of us were around to see this happen. Sadly my camera wasn’t to hand to capture this monumental moment but I’m sure you can imagine it in your minds.
For the rest of the day, the hatchling has stayed in this nearby tree while mum flies back and forth, still feeding it. It’s much trickier to take photos when they’re high up in a tree, that’s for sure. I wonder how long it will be before the hatchling is ready to fly around for food by itself and become total independent? Will they still be around tomorrow?
How wonderful for us to witness the journey from egg to flight. We have been so lucky to have such a close-up view of this natural process, right in front of us in our school garden. We hope that mum, or perhaps the hatchling, will choose to return here to lay their future broods. Looking at her colouring I think the hatchling may be a she!
Proud Mum
The hatchling up high up in a tree.
Experience the journey from egg to flight on our videos: