An Hour of Flying Fun

Having only an hour to get out at lunchtime today, I was hoping to see some action from the fledglings. I'm happy to say that they didn't disappoint me. As soon as I got to the Pont de Rennes, I was informed by other watchers that Sacajawea was sitting on one of the bridge supports:


I got a few shots of her before Ananta caught my attention by flying low overhead. Close on her tail was Grace, engaging her sister in a bit of tag. In this shot, Ananta spun her head 180° to keep an eye on Grece as she moved in:
          

Then Linn got into the act, and suddenly it was a free-for-all with three of the girls:
          

          

They broke up after a rousing chase up the river, but continued to needle each other in pairs. Here's Ananta and Linn flying together...


...while Grace circled nearby:


Sacajawea decided she'd had enough sitting around and grabbed some air time in fine style:


During a lull in the action Joyce and I walked out to the observation deck. As the minute hand on my watch crept toward the top of the hour I thought we'd end on a low note. Not so, as it turned out. As has been the case in past days, Grace gave us a memorable show. She started with a run at a Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus):
     

She missed, but not for lack of trying. Undaunted, she dropped into a shallow dive:


She lined up on a group of Ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis). Skimming over their heads, she made a tight inverted turn then ran up river...
          

...with a final swing near the observation deck. Joyce and I struggled to keep her in our viewfinders as she zipped by:
     

We couldn't have planned a better opportunity. It was a great way to end the hour, so I headed back to my car. Rainy skies and work at home may keep me from the bridge tomorrow, but I hope to get back out for more pictures as soon as I can.