Red-tail Update--How Many Eyasses at Fordham? No Belly Band on Grove and Waiting For Reggie Bluebird

Photo by Richard Fleisher
Rose has done it again, with the help of Young Vince of course, have done it again! Is it my imagination or does Rose do it rather more often than some of the other urban formels?

Photo by Richard Fleisher
The news from Richard Fleisher--Definitely three eyasses in this year's Fordham brood. These photos were taken on Monday and you can see that they are becoming more active and adventurous with each passing day. Additional photos can be seen on flickr -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/profman_wildlife_photos/


Photograph by Donegal Browne
Remember noting that Grove of the Emerald Grove Road Red-tail Hawks appeared to have absolutely no belly band at all? Did you wonder why? I mean, Grove is darker than Pale Male and even Pale Male has some belly band.

Well, Red-tail expert John Blakeman a true fount of obscure and fascinating factoids about Red-tailed Hawks knows why Grove is belly band-less. Here's the scoop.

Donna,

Grove, the RT without a belly band, is most likely an older haggard. Younger hags virtually always have some sort of belly band. Red-tails without one are probably well into their first decade, if not older.

Not all red-tails lose their belly band as they age, but some do.

--John Blakeman

Thanks John, Who knew?

Photo by Donegal Browne
This is a male Bluebird (Shall we call him Reggie, for brevity's sake?) sticking a twig into the nest box of Margarette and her husband who live very near Marian Anderson. Marian helped find the Emerald Grove Road RTH nest. As of 8:51 this morning another neighbor, Gary, noted the first twig to go into the box. It looks like Reggie and his mate,( How about Madge?) are in business.

So I trotted on over in hopes of getting some photographs of the process. Obscure it was afternoon by then, and Reggie and Madge had been busy all morning and seemed to be taking a nap somewhere while Marian and I waited for them to appear.

I thought about the flowers I'd seen outside the library when I 'd returned my books. No Reggie.

We three had begun to weed the flower bed and discovered a nice little Maple sapling. As the power company had chopped down four of my maples, I borrowed a bucket and spade and started digging young Maple up to put in my yard. Being that young Maples are severely frowned upon by flower beds. We waited for Reggie.

This and all photos below by Marian Anderson

We looked at and talked about the terrific and unique bird houses. We waited for Reggie.

And suddenly there he was on the cross bar of the clothesline..

Down he went and with a sideways stance appeared to be putting a twig into the nest box.

Busy,

busy,

busy...

busy!!!

And then suddenly, he looks round. Excuse me, but what are those people doing over there?

Ah, weeding flower beds, digging up trees? Fine. Back to the work of the season.

That dealt with,

Zip, back to the crossbar.

Any thing good flying by? I really cannot think of Bluebirds as anything less than teensy raptors. The way they lean and sit in stealth to swoop down on insects looks very familiar. Well not the insect part, just substitute pigeon, squirrel or rat.

Reggie begins a total sweep of this territory. Those wrens who considered this nest box must be around here some where and my be spiteful, you never know.

A look-out's job is never done.

NO he isn't gone quite yet but he will be soon. Reggie is still up on the pole. How can something that blue blend in so well?

Answer: It just does.

Donegal Browne