Steve Mansfield wrote:
>
> > They're out there! Although the first bird to fledge met an early end, the
>
> I hadn't heard! What happened?
>
> Steve Mansfield steve at nwnet.net
> NorthWestNet Network Engineer 425-649-7467

The first male flew into a window of the City Center Tower and killed
himself. This happened a few days after he fledged, on Sunday, June 15.
I witnessed the accident. He had just flown from the SW balcony at
about the 45 floor level to the Western side. Each side of the
building has columns of windows which form vertical ridges. He hit
one of those columns. I believe he knocked himself unconscious,
because he went limp the moment he hit and then tumbled to a roof at
the fourth-floor level.

It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it's encouraging that the other
two juveniles are doing very well. It's important to remember that
the mortality rate for wild, first-year birds is very high; perhaps 90%
don't live to see their first birthday. This is true of city birds as
well as "country" birds. Nature is ruthlessly efficient at selecting
the creme of the crop, which is why the survivors are such awe-inspiring
creatures....

Dean dean at amc.com