The most active of the eyasses wondered around different branches of the nest today.  It was so much fun to watch.  After watching three eyasses in a nest for weeks, it was great to see one exploring the tree.  Fledging can’t be far away.

There has started to be discussion about which eyasses are boys and which are girls around the nest site among the hawk watchers.  At this stage it’s really hard to tell.  Just like 11 and 12 year old girls who are likely to be taller than boys in their class, young male hawks can be bigger that young female hawks while they’re grow up. 

It’s usually a good idea to wait a month or two after fledging to start comparing sizes and begin making guesses about the sex of the fledglings.  The guesses will be just that, guesses.  There is some overlap between size of Red-tails of each sex.  There are big boys and small girls.