The two chicks of Mouche (PR4) and her partner AM06 have successfully fledged in Moselle (photo above, by digiscope). David Meyer, who has been keeping a good eye on them, saw the first youngster flying on July 15, and the second on the 18th. During a recent visit on site, we were delighted to see them getting more confident each day, with the eldest even taking its first dive in a pond (but emerging “empty-taloned”) on July 29.

They are the first known to fledge from a Swiss-released female, and even if the event took place in France, it is an important new milestone for the project of “Nos Oiseaux”.  Mouche beat out Plume (F02) by about two weeks, where her three chicks have now fledged in the north-east of Bavaria. The last time they were captured by camera-trap together on the nest was on July 26 (photo below). Despite some terrible weather, this total of five young successfully fledged is a very good result!