Hatched on May 31st Blue 8A is now 52 days old.(his 7th week.) His plumage is glossy with regular preening. Tail feathers and wing pinion feathers are all perfectly arranged and he has been exercising those erstwhile flabby flight muscles at regular intervals. Hanging on to the bottom of the nest with the tips of his talons he throws himself into energetic flapping routines, revving up into a blur of motion. (Just look at those long legs too!) With the warm weather and the stirring breezes we have been having it has been perfect for take off and so we have been waiting on tenterhooks too.

8A looks less than impressed with its brother’s wings whirling around its head, but it too has been having a good go in the gym workouts. However, although improving daily, tail and wing feathers are still looking irregular and too short to contemplate a successful jump in the near future.