Watching them is wearing me down, long hours and an incredible stress. For all those who asked, and I am sorry that I seemed to neglected the second female, but she is doing well and working harder at feeding the kids. I check out the #2 nest everyday and have seen Mr. Polygamy there every now and again. The nestlings should fledge in the next few days to sometime next week. In the gallery is a picture of where the second nest is, and you will see it is not going to be easy for the hatchlings and their first step. If they can get to the shore or swim down stream a hundred feet they will be fine, but it is going to be tough. The first nest is in the absolutely the best place for a dipper family.

Day four:
Pretty uneventful. They are flying further and swimming more. Spreading out, up and down the river, but always meeting up back at the home roost, which is fifty feet from the nest. Mom and dad spent more time working on the nest. The Spotted Sandpiper stopped by again. I watched thirty or so Violet-green Swallows chasing flies, maybe a Rough-winged or two.
The youngsters are not showing too much in the way of hunting skills, but they are always hungry.

Day five:
Everything has changed the fledglings have paired up and getting more adventurous. Two are always together, like best friends. They are following the parents up and down the river, and the parents are encouraging them to follow. Mom would go up river ten feet and look for food, taking her time and the two fledglings follow; she gets food, feeds them and moves up river, they follow. Soon they were a hundred yards from the roosting spot. I included a picture of the roosting area. The parents fly across the river and encourage them to follow, and they do.

The parents were working on the nest, probably finished it up today.
The sandpiper didn't have a good day, first I saw him being chased by a kingfisher, then later the second female chased him away.

Late in the day I lost sight of two of them, and I worried what had happened to them. I looked for them up and down the river, no luck. Dad stopped by the roost with food, and know one was home he looked around and around, made a call no one showed, so he took the food to the second nest and stayed there for half an hour. He did it again today too.

Day six:
When I arrived only two kids to be found, oh!... the stress and worry. I walked through the river up towards the bridge. then walked the river's edge down to the second nest, nothing to be found. The stress is building, where could they be? I know they are able to get around on their own, but can they get food yet? Just up river from the second nest is is a side channel that starts just down river from the first. I walked through the brush and water, then about 100 yards from the mouth of the side channel I started hearing the feeding chatter. Sound travels on the river, it could have come from the roost, but then about 100 feet from the mouth of the channel there they were. A nice comfortable spot, mildly swift water and shallow, lots of rocks so many hunting spots for larvae. They will most likely stay in that area, the other two were still hanging out at the roost area. Dad is taking care of the two in the channel; mom will take of the other two from now on, each pair has their own territory now. Interesting thought, what if they stay in that channel and work themselves down to the second nest and meet their step siblings. That could be a fine how do you do!


http://e-picturebookdesigners.com/walks/fledge3/

Enjoy,

Don Wallace
Sequim
don at e-picturebookdesigners.com