Tuesday, May 23, 2006

THE DIVINE EYASSES part 2

The Red-tails
at
St. John the Divine

photo-D.B.

Wing flap. Note the fragile seeming bone that may one day crash through
tree branches with abandon.



Eyass or Alien?


photo-D. B.

Blending into the stonework.
Obvious once you know where it is but until then, not easy at all.


photo-D. B.

Dinner?

FIELD NOTES-Cathedral Red-tail nest, St. John the Divine
Temperature-58F.
Mostly sunny
Wind variable
Gusts to 20MPH

2:20 No hawks visible in nest.

2:22 Eyass stands and defecates over the side.
Disappears. Not far below the RT nest, is a House Sparrow
nest, sheltered by Martin Luther's skirts.

People drop by and ask about what I'm looking at, they look at nest.

2:55 Eyass wing flaps up, then out of sight. Mature Red-tail flies past the nest from the north to south, crashes into Oak tree, with much sound of breaking twigs. Female RT head appears momentarily.

2:56 Mature RT comes out of Oak tree carrying rat in beak(?), flies past nest in the opposite direction, drops rat on roof not far below nest. (Must be Dad.) Mom's head appears and disappears.

2:58 Doctor who's heard twigs cracking, comes by and looks through scope.

3:08 Mom comes out of the nest, lands on small roof below nest, flies north, lost in trees.

3:16 Mom from north to nest, commences feeding.

3:27 Feeding completed, Mom sits on nest, head visible sporatically. Eyass appears. Mom is walked on.

4:12 Mom's head is up, she's alert.

4:13 Mom off nest and to south.

4:20 Second doctor looks through scope, says he parks here everyday and has never seen the hawks. He's quite excited.

4:25 Mom is back and being walked on some more by two eyasses, off haunches, at toddle stage.

4:40 All nest occupants out of sight.

5:00 Exit.


photo by D. B.
Standing on Mom.


Falling on Mom.

Though I only saw two eyasses today there were three distinct feeding positions. Perhaps someone moved?

Or is there a third?

\
FEEDING POSITION 1 photo by D. B.

FEEDING POSITION 2 photo by D.B

FEEDING POSITION 3 photo by D. B.

Continue to next post for part 1.

No comments: