Millie, Roy and their colts

Each colt is an individual. Unlike Barbaro-06 or Peter Pan-04, Oblio-08 did not spend time dancing with her parents in July and August. When she walked it appeared that she favored her right leg, suggesting an injury. Many times she searched for food alone, 20-30 meters from her parents. In late July and early August, she rarely ran, jumped, bounded, or tried to glide in the pattern that was so characteristic for the 04 and 06 colts.

Perhaps because Oblio could not run easily, she did not fly in the second week of August like Peter Pan in 2004 and Barbaro in 2006. It was not until August 26 that Oblio lifted off for the first time and flew around the pond, shortly before she was photographed in image 9. This first flight was 72 days after hatching, about two weeks behind the previous colts' schedules. Roy and Millie continued to give flight demos around the pond but did not coax Oblio to join them to fly into the valley until August 31.

In 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, Roy and Millie had started their southward migration on September 1, but in 2008, they postponed their departure to spend ten more days on Oblio's flight training.