Hi Kelly,

Thanks for the reply.

One other tweeters subscriber emailed me to say that once they leave
the cavity, it's for good. This is supported by the observation that
the sapsucker nest was empty within two days of the fledging I
observed. Plus it seemed that the parents abandoned the nest and left
at least one youngster to get its act together, which he/she apparently did.

Marc

At 08:51 AM 6/15/2007, you wrote:
>No one answered your question publicly, so I'll take a shot at it as
>a non-expert on fledging.
>
>I think, for most birds, the nest is not a place of refuge. Once a
>young bird can fly a little distance, it's usually safer for
>nestlings to spread out so they are not sitting ducks, so to
>speak. Nests are often full of parasites, too. Leaping from the
>nest is usually a one-time event. The period after the bird leaps,
>when it's still learning to fly (and when it might have leapt too
>soon) is extremely perilous, but evidently not as perilous as staying.
>
>There are exceptions. Cavities, for example, can be relatively safe
>compared to the outside, but I don't know how often the
>newly-fledged youngsters can fly well enough to get back into a cavity.
>
>Perhaps someone else can offer more expert insight.
>
>Kelly Cassidy
>
>
>----------
>From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
>[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Marc Hoffman
>Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 11:42 PM
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: [Tweeters] Fledging: Is It a One-Shot Deal?
>
>[This is a follow-up question to my earlier post.]
>
>While watching our local Red-Breasted Sapsucker nest today, I saw
>one youngster tumble out of the nest hole and spend the rest of my
>viewing time on a branch, from which he/she was fed by the parents
>(photos: http://www.dartfrogmedia.com/birds/sapsuckerNest/).
>
>Now I'm wondering: Does it ever happen that these fledglings make
>their way back to the nest? Or did I just happen to see a
>once-in-a-bird's-lifetime event?
>
>
>Marc Hoffman
>Kirkland, WA
>http://www.dartfrogmedia.com
>mailto:tweeters at dartfrogmedia.com