VIV_0416

A single, sudden movement while standing too close was all it took. In a flash, the nestlings became fledgelings, though perhaps a bit prematurely. One by one, they leaped from the nest, fluttering down to the ground in a storm of molting down, landing with a thump, tumbling forward onto their chests briefly before righting themselves with an awkward hop. They went down in such a tail spin that it was difficult to imagine how they could possibly fly back up.