NEWS 14th November Garrama (the smaller one ie the male) fledged yesterday at 1126 h (at 39 days old, earlyish but within normal range). We found him this morning and caught him to examine his tail as some of his tail feathers had not emerged. I’ve removed the sheaths (with tiny scissors) but am still not happy with his condition, so I will be taking him to Taronga Western Plains zoo (Dubbo) tomorrow morning for assessment.
The larger female, Yira, who is 41 days old might fledge today, or within a few days. She is still receiving prey.
Here is Garrama on the ground close to the base of the tower. He hadn’t got far at all and wasn’t interested in flying when I went to catch him.
Below is image of Garrama’s tail. You can see that some of the tail feathers had not emerged from their sheaths. I removed these sheaths carefully with tiny scissors, but I wasn’t happy with the way it looked, so decided to get him vet checked.
Video of fledge: https://youtu.be/JT30LcMTYJw