I spent the final weekend of July in San Francisco, glued to my 11th floor window after spotting the adult western gull (Larus occidentalis)pictured here perched on a skylight.  It took a closer look to realize that, although distracted for a moment, its attention was primarily focused on the mustard-yellow structure (on the roof of a brick building) in the background of this photo.

Without binoculars it took some serious eye strain to make out the three fledglings that hopped in and out of view on the edge of the yellow building while another adult gull sat on a far corner keeping a close eye on their calisthenics.  Over the course of two days I saw the young gulls flap, flap, flap, but never lift  off.  The adult at my window seemed to be offering encouragement from afar along with occasional flying demonstrations.

Before I left Monday morning, I pulled the shade back one last time:  the adult was still observing patiently from the corner while one of the fledglings spread its wings, balanced on the edge of the building, getting stronger with each flex.  Soon, maybe on this day or the next, when the moment is right, the youngster will take the leap, feel the wind under its wings, and lift off on its first flight.

A few of my favorite recent reads about birds:

This story about a hitchhiking gull by Paul Rogers in the Mercury News shows just how smart these West Coast residents are.

In Melissa Hart’s essay she captures the beauty of hearing a bird’s song in its natural setting.

I had not heard of acorn woodpeckers until my friend, Robin sent me this video about the creative way they stash food in the bark of redwoods.

And finally, with all of the fires raging across the West, especially in California, I often wonder how birds and other wildlife are faring.  In this piece from Earth Island about the 2017 Christmas bird count in Ventura County that took place just after the Thomas Fire, writer Matt Blois has some surprising answers.