Last year I rescued a fledgling Pileated which had gotten stuck in a gutter
of a house. I put it at the base of the only tree where the next could have
been and it hitched its way upwards, then perched in a nicely covered branch
location. It was still in that location later and was seen to be fed by the
adult. Although we never did determine where exactly the nest cavity was,
apparently that bird did not reenter it. Three days later, 3 fledglings were
on branches of the same tree.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer
Snohomish Co, WA

_____

From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Kelly
Cassidy
Sent: Friday, June 15, 2007 8:51 AM
To: 'Marc Hoffman'; tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: RE: [Tweeters] Fledging: Is It a One-Shot Deal?



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 <http://www.dartfrogmedia.com/>
mailto:tweeters at dartfrogmedia.com