NAME THAT OWL, Pale Male and Lola, Papa and Mama, Athena and Atlas the Astoria Park Red-tails

Young Sadie and the Horvath's new educational Screech Owl pose for the camera complete with teeny jesses. Screech Owl has a permanently damaged wing and therefore is unreleasable.

And dear me, Little Owl hasn't a name as yet. Mom and wildlife rehabilitator Cathy Horvath suggested a naming contest, an excellent idea, so here we go! NAME THAT OWL!

To enter your choice click on "Contact Me" in the left column of the mainpage and send me an email with the subject line, NAME THAT OWL!


Remember Samantha the Raven? As Ravens were a topic of conversation wildlife rehabilitator Bobby Horvath sent these photos of some young Ravens that came into the Horvaths care.

Just look at that wide red gape! No trouble getting his beak open to feed him.

An excellent and large example of the opening of feather sheaths. Corvids are known for their intelligence and Ravens are at the top of the heap. They are social, "talk" to each other, are clever and dynamite problem solvers. With a face, particularly when young, that for some, might take a little getting used to.

Edgar Alan Poe had a pet Raven named Ague who spoke English. Ague is now stuffed and resides in the vaults of the main repository of the Philadelphia Library.

And here we have two very healthy, shiny, mostly grown up Ravens.

Bobby says,"Before the young Ravens were put outside and wilded up for release, which they were."

More from Bobby Horvath, who is also a firefighter, about the Astoria Park Red-tail nest of Athena and Atlas--

While at work yesterday I had training at Randalls Island so for lunch I took the rig and the crew back over the Triboro to Astoria to take advantage of the weather and park. We picked up sandwiches and headed to Astoria park. While there I checked on the mom and she’s in last years nest under the bridge and it looked like 1 small head popping up. Hope all goes well for them and all the rest of the nesting pairs in the city.

Last season there had been construction under the bridge. One of the Astoria eyasses came down near the construction within a little fenced area and though it did the usual begging the parents didn't feed him and he went into the Horvath's care for a bit. He then came back to the park where the parents fed and trained him like the good Red-tail parents that they normally are. It was suggested that perhaps the noise or nearby chaos of the construction had somehow disrupted the natural feeding of the youngster by the parents. I asked Bobby if there was still construction occurring in the nest area.

Here is Bobby's answer--

Yes there still is. They are working on the same side of the nest about 100 north of it using a huge orange portable hi lo that gets the workers up to bridge height. I spoke to them about the situation and they said they will do the best they can not to further disturb her but I don't think she has too much problem with them or she wouldn't have made it to this point.

And a mini update from Jeff Kolbrunner, watcher of Papa and Mama also of Queens--

Friday, April 3, 2009 10:44 PM Today late this afternoon there were many nest exchanges between Mama and Papa as they took turns minding the nest while the other took flight. Unfortunately, the light was bad as it is totally in the shade at this hour and very difficult to get any good action photos.

ANOTHER NEST TO WATCH--A new nest in Queens cheek by jowl with Mama and Papa's nest, rather like N1 and N2 on County trunk M. (Nest 2 was severely damaged in a storm early in the season. That pair, after being seen doing courtship flights seems to have rebuilt elsewhere.)

FROM JEFF--

AND YES, another nest to watch. We confirmed today it's on a water tower I-Beam just on the South border of Briarwood and Mama and Papa's territory. I'm surprised it's so close to Mama and Papa's area. Maybe one of their prior fledges, a few went in that direction the last couple years. I took some photos but didn't get a good one of the parent who hunkered down in the bowl as we approached.

FROM ANNA EVERETT, WHO HAS BEEN WATCHING THE NEST ON FIFTH AVE. OF PALE MALE AND LOLA--

Yesterday and today, Lola now is restless. She gets in and out of the nest, looks around, fixes her feathers, steps carefully back into the middle of the nest, sits and then gets up again. We are anxiously waiting for any sign of feeding.

AS ARE WE ALL!!!

Donegal Browne