Up and away

Spotted the first lift-off of one this season's gull chicks a short time ago. It was a relatively brief affair which ended with the chick crashing, unharmed, into one of the building's towers (although I now see that it's flown off to a different roof, so it's improving). The chick in question wasn't one of those I've been watching the past few weeks, but they're both getting close to achieving the same feat. If previous years are anything to go by, their first flights will be prompted by heckling parents. No sign of that happening just yet - at the moment, movement in the chicks is restricted to following their parents to beg (in a high-pitched squeal) for food, and tracking the shade provided by the tower opposite.

The only duck news to report is that we're down one further chick since last time. The third brood, which had 3 small chicks, now has only 2. Confusingly, the family group still has 3 chicks, since it includes the remaining survivor from brood two. Brood one still appears to have its full complement of 7 chicks - which now look just like adult females.